An embroidery I made dear friend and fellow Higher Education professional Rachel Reeds. It features a message it is important to remember both when writing and in general – to be kind to yourself, because self-compassion is essential.
Fiction
Blodeuedd. In this collection of short stories, I have a piece that reworks an old Welsh tale from the Mabinogion called Blodeuedd, about a girl made of flowers. I update it into a story about growing up in rural north Wales in the early 2000s.
Poetry
In 2023 I was delighted to be shortlisted for the New Writers’ Poetry Competition and to get an honourable mention in the New Writers’ Autumn micro-fiction competition 2023.
Magazine Articles
My Favourite Fictional Academic. In this piece for the Times Higher Education, I reflect on my favourite fictional academic on screen – Professor Annalise Keating, who in the final episode of US television series How to Get Away with Murder (2014-20), tells us who she is: ‘I’m ambitious, black, bisexual, angry, sad, strong, sensitive, scared, fierce, talented, exhausted.’ Professor Keating is an antidote to the kind of white, male, commitment-free academic depicted in so many campus fictions, and I adore her. In this article I explore representations of gender, trauma and loss in the context of Higher Education in this fascinating television series.
Blogs
The Benefits of the Long Haul Doctorate. This is a short blog published on the Thriving Part-Time website. It explores the challenges and rewards of taking a long time to complete a PhD whilst working in paid employment at a university and raising a young family.
My Journey Through Ideas In Education. I wrote this blog when I volunteered as a fellowship councillor for the Royal Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, Manufacture and Commerce (RSA). It reflects on a series of workshops I facilitated about ‘big ideas’ in education.
Five Books to Help if you are Dealing with Death and Bereavement. This blog for The Open University offers five different books that might provide insights, consolation and care in times of loss. I was also fortunate to be able to discuss this work and the five books in an interview with the BBC broadcast to BBC Three Counties Radio, BBC Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Essex on Babs Michel’s Breakfast Show on Sunday 15 December 2024.