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Lessons in Weariness

LESSONS IN WEARINESS As I lie on my back at the edge of Parliament Square, I stare up at the canopy of plane tree leaves above me and the clouds grazing the sky, and I don’t feel fear or anger or any of those things I’ve…

How to Write the Land

I have a friend who runs Ecotherapy East, bringing nature and mindfulness-based workshops to people, mainly from their rewilded land that they steward in Suffolk. It's a beautiful place and I visited a while ago with my family to help…
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A Life in Orange

In June of this year I attended a writing course in the beautiful Brecon Beacons in Wales run by three amazing writers: Jay Griffiths, Tom Bullough and Pascale Petit. It was held at Black Mountains College and was called Writing, Climate and…

Interview with Ruth Jenkins, Spoken Word Poet & Textiles Artist

It is wonderful to welcome Ruth Jenkins onto my blog, talented spoken word poet and textiles artist. I first met Ruth a couple of years ago through activism circles. She is now part of my writing group and is rarely to be found without some…

In Defence of Life and Love

IN DEFENCE OF LIFE AND LOVE. A CONTEMPLATION WRITTEN IN HAIKU Morning I leave and wildflower meadow grounds me: cornflower, sainfoin. This is why I go. I will march for this beauty; this wildness roots…

An Interview with Poet Caroline Mellor

It is such an honour to have on the blog today talented poet Caroline Mellor. I became aware of her work through her facebook posts and I must confess, this is a first for me - to buy a book as a direct result of being drawn in by social media…
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How to start a new novel

I finished writing The River Days of Rosie Crow a pretty long time ago now. Before that gem of a Christmas present knocked at my door of agent representation back in December, I was spending my time - A LOT of time - sending that novel off…

Interview with young writer Mandisa Mathew

'There is something freeing about being in a world you have complete control over.' It's wonderful to have on the blog today seventeen year old Mandisa Mathew. We knew Mandisa's family when we lived in Nairobi; Mandisa was a friend of…

Just Stop Oil - Criminals or Heroes?

My sixteen year old daughter has challenged me in the past months, asking me why we talk about our concerns around climate change, but never get involved in activism. We talk about it, feel angry, afraid and a whole range of other emotions,…

Shirley Read-Jahn: Life, Writing, Illustrating, Dancing & Parkinson's Disease

Shirley Read-Jahn is an old friend or, more accurately, an old friend of my mother's who I've also come to know and love over the years. If you've read my third novel The Secret Life of Alfred Nightingale, you'll remember that my protagonist…