I started out doing English Literature and Creative Writing at Bath Spa University, and went on to do a PhD in English Literature. I became a Lecturer in English Literature in 2012 at the University of Roehampton, and Professor in 2019, before taking voluntary redundancy in 2022, partly in order to focus on creative writing. (I am now Emeritus Professor.) I have numerous academic publications in addition to a long-standing interest in creative writing (publishing my first short story in Mizz magazine aged 15, as a result of coming second-place in its national competition). Recent publications include a creative non-fiction piece in Life Writing (most read essay of the year) and a short story in Litro magazine (October 2022). My sixth academic book is Sound Writing, forthcoming with Oxford University Press.
