Bio

I was born in Adelaide and grew up mainly in South Australia. My ancestry is part British, and my family lived in the south of England for two years during my childhood. As an adult, I moved back to the UK in 2008, living in Edinburgh for almost a decade before coming ‘south’ to the Peak District.

I studied English at the University of Adelaide and went on to do a PhD in cultural studies of food, supported by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency. In my academic career at the University of Edinburgh (2008–17), I worked in science and technology policy before securing a Wellcome Trust Research Fellowship to investigate cultural representations of the Scottish diet. I left academia in 2017 to focus on creative writing, graduating with Distinction from the MFA programme at Manchester Writing School in 2020. I began freelancing during my studies, in 2019, and now divide my time between writing and work for clients.

Outside my creative and freelance work, I’m a hillwalker, outdoor swimmer, allotment grower, amateur pianist, and enthusiastic home cook! As a writer, I pursue fascinations that inspire me at any given time—the latest is the stained glass of medieval master glazier John Thornton of Coventry, which survives in York Minster and, closer to home, in the chapel at Haddon Hall in Derbyshire.

Portrait credit: Emma Ledwith