About me

I have a calling to bear witness to people’s stories; to amplify voices by sharing experiences through poetry. I strongly believe that as an artist the truth is the most valuable word we have. In my work I aim to enable person-to-person connection, through acts of bearing witness to the experiences of others. I believe this supports us to become alive as individuals, and to come together as communities.

Workshops

When not writing, I am the manager of the Cambridge Festival, the University of Cambridge’s annual two-week festival, that engages with the public about research at the University and its partner organisations. At Cambridge, I also lead the university’s ‘Cambridge Words’ programme for Creative Encounters. This three – month mentoring programme enables researchers to enage with poetry. Our most recent collection is titled Touching Traces.

You can explore the work previously created between 2021 and 2024 for Cambridge Words here :

Creative Encounters

I also deliver a creative writing masterclass for researchers at the University of Cambridge – as part of the University’s Engaged Researcher training programme. Previously, I led poetry workshops for the Wellcome – MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, in partnership with Parkinson’s UK, and with schools in both France & the UK.

If you are interested in discussing with me support for workshop delivery, mentoring, please drop me a line.

You can read more about me and my writing at the Forward Arts Foundation – and about my writing workshops, mentoring and public engagment leadership here.

My poetry has been further published in the Forward Book of Poetry 2020 (Faber) and an anthology Smokestack Lighting (2022).

In Song

In 2024, my Berlin walking poem ‘ a walk’ was set to music by composer Marta Gentilucci and performed by acclaimed Soprano Sarah Maria Sun at the renowned Kissinger Sommer, an International classical music festival in Germany. You can listen to an excerpt via the video below.

a walk

In 2012 my Ballad of the Birds was performed by by musician Cerys Matthews for BBC 6 Music. In this perfomance Cerys combined my series of short bird poems with the music of Sufi performer Omer Faruk Tekbilek. You can listen via the video below.

Ballad of the Birds

My poetry has also been performed at the electo//acoustic festival in 2025, on UK national radio, performed on BBC Radio 3 for National Poetry Day (2019).