In an interview, Hilary Mantel once said, "I like putting my hand out to the dead and seeing who will take it." I have much the same feeling about, Chosen Sisters, my current poetry project, which focuses on the lives of women from the past who lived in intimate relationship with other women, or wanted … Continue reading Putting a hand out to the dead
While I'm in Wales, working on my 'dead lesbians project' at Gladstone's Library, top of my list for a day trip was Plas Newydd, home to the Ladies of Llangollen. I'd already read Elizabeth Mavor's excellent account of their lives, 'The Ladies of Llangollen: A Study in Romantic Friendship', and the snippets from Eleanor Butler … Continue reading Plas Newydd, the Ladies of Llangollen, and a treasure from the archive
One of the women I've been researching for my new poetry collection, Chosen Sisters, is Mary Benson (1841-1918), also known as ‘Minnie’ or ‘Ben'. She was the wife of Edward White Benson, who was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1883 until his death in 1896. Throughout her life Mary experienced a series of ‘schwärmerein’, or ‘enthusiasms’ for … Continue reading Mary Benson: ‘My God, what a woman’
I'm delighted to share that I will be spending the whole of May 2026 on a writing residency at Gladstone's Library in Hawarden. It will be such a privilege to be able to live and write in such beautiful surroundings, and I feel very fortunate to be able to take a whole month away from … Continue reading Two events at Gladstone’s Library in May
I'm delighted to have a poem published in a new Faber anthology, Family Lines, edited by Simon Armitage and Rachel Bower. It's Muscle Memory, a poem inspired by a Christmas Eve service in Norwich Cathedral which I took my Dad to not long after he had moved into a care home. My Dad has always … Continue reading Family Lines
I have a few events coming up over the next few weeks, if anyone is interested in attending a poetry reading or a writing workshop. First of all, I'm reading from The Opposite of Swedish Death Cleaning at the new poetry night hosted by Bethany Callaway at Chater's in Saffron Walden on Wednesday 3rd September. … Continue reading Autumn events
It was a dream come true to have the opportunity to read and talk about three poems from The Opposite of Swedish Death Cleaning on BBC Radio 4's The Verb, hosted by Ian McMillan, and alongside guests Fiona Benson, Boo Hewerdine and Yvonne Lyon. The show is available on BBC Sounds, and also as a … Continue reading Fathers, witches and things that fall out of books: The Verb, with Ian McMillan
It was lovely to celebrate the publication of 'The Opposite of Swedish Death Cleaning' on Friday 16th May at Downing Place United Reformed Church. There were people there from various different parts of my life: teaching friends, rowing friends, church members, friends I was at school with, members of the U3A contemporary poetry group I've … Continue reading Launch events for ‘The Opposite of Swedish Death Cleaning’
My debut poetry collection, The Opposite of Swedish Death Cleaning, will be published by Seren Books on 14th April, and pre-orders are now available here: https://www.serenbooks.com/book/the-opposite-of-swedish-death-cleaning/ I'm delighted to be able to reveal the cover art, which was created by my friend Kate Winter, author and illustrator of The Fossil Hunter. Kate is brilliant to … Continue reading ‘The Opposite of Swedish Death Cleaning’ – cyanotype cover art
In July 2022, a few months after my Dad had been admitted to a care home, my brother and I embarked on the process of sorting and clearing his house. That first day, I opened the garage door to find a huge mound of boxes, paint pots, rolls of carpet and garden furniture. Over a … Continue reading The Opposite of Swedish Death Cleaning