OTHER WRITING & CONVERSATIONS
Short stories
‘The other members of Awake Anon must be wondering where she is, whether she’s relapsed, too.’ A bittersweet story about love and sleep, We Missed Flying the Most is a cover story for the gorgeous illustrated new writing magazine Popshot.
‘Jen knows Daddy works at the power plant, just like Homer Simpson.’ Fission Chips was inspired by a photo by Phil Fisk, following an invitation to contribute to A Thousand Word Photos, which collates stories to be read to stoke patients by actors working with Interact charity.
essays & journalism
‘There is a persistent trope on screen, in books and beyond, that creativity is the result of a fated convergence between talent and mental illness’. Art and soul: how sparking your creativity helps you stay well – a piece for The Guardian.
‘Each migraine attack collapses and rebuilds my perception of reality and my sense of self: show me a creative person who wouldn’t want to try to document that in all its horror and wonder.’ For Wellcome Collection, a personal essay called Migraine, creativity and me.
‘I travel and write in much the same way; starting with a few inspiring images and a sense of the things I hope to examine, often without a map and always open to a change of direction. And so I arrived in brash, beautiful (and rainy) Osaka by bullet train ready to explore.’ A dream commission for National Geographic’s author series.
‘Synaesthesia is a very niche superpower.’ An essay on synaesthesia for Buzzfeed.
Other work includes contributions to The Sunday Times Style, Irish Times, Metro, Synaesthesia magazine, Wellcome Collection, and Wanderlust.
RADIO & PODCASTS
‘An incredibly violent fog that takes over my thought pattern, my senses, my balance, my body, my brain. Everything.’ Exploring migraine and creativity on BBC Radio 4’s Art of Now, which features a specially commission score by sound artist Alice Trueman.
‘There’s a disco ball in the basement of Guy’s Hospital.’ Talking The Taste of Blue Light and migraine on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour.
‘I resisted the diagnosis.’ A conversation about migraine and bipolar on the Metro Mentally Yours podcast.
Other podcast appearances include YA Oughta, In Visibility Today, Industry Minds, and World Book Day BookClubbing with Grace Victory.
Further radio highlights include mental health, writing, and synaesthesia chat with Ana Matronic on BBC Radio 2, talking writing and loneliness on Monocle Radio Sunday Brunch, speaking with Anna Foster on BBC Five Live, and Nikki Bedi on BBC Radio London.
Literary Festivals & Readings
Previous panels, readings, and writing workshops include: Young Adult Literature Conference at London Film & Comic Con; Young Adult Literature Weekender at London Literature Festival; #ArtEatingArt workshop in Porto, Portugal; Eason’s & Dept 51 Deptcon in Dublin; #ArtEatingArt workshop for Migrants Write; The Riff Raff Brixton; Faber Academy Write a Novel course guest speaker; Vanguard Readings Peckham; Salisbury Literary Festival; Little Doors Readings – co-host MQ Mental Health fundraiser; Curious Arts Festival; and Margate Bookie.
other media
Selected press: Telegraph Six ways to get through the winter lockdown; ES (Evening Standard magazine) Can you teach someone to write a bestseller?; i paper Migraine and creativity; Telegraph I can hear paintings and taste words; and The Guardian I tried to drill a hole in my head.
performances
‘Climb into bed with me, play a game of Snowflakes & Something-Or-Others, watch a few episodes of psychosis, maybe do a shot, perform some mental health, or rest and resist. Leave with words in your hands or a new heart.’ Performed at Mischmasch Festival and Mad Hearts Festival, Snowflake-in-Residence was one-to-one, bed-based autobiographical installation exploring myths about creativity and mental illness.