I have a few different public identities, which this website embraces. Read more about my background and work in these areas.
On this site I publish new writing and research, but it also functions as an archive, providing easy access to articles published over the last 20 years, sometimes with annotations in cases where my views have changed since.
Books
My latest novel
Snow on the Danube
A historical adventure evoking Budapest during and between two great wars, recounted in the voice of a fussy hypochondriac who becomes an unlikely and compromised hero when the Fascists take over. An unlikely comedy, a document of filial love and a compelling portrait of the horrors of war
FGI publishing
I have also published my own books and other people’s under the imprint of FGI Publishing.
I have sold 40,000 copies of my books over the span of my self-publishing career (to June 2024). The vast bulk of these have been study guides I’ve written on classic novels such as The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and Jane Eyre.
Recent work
My recent output has involved helping my students and communities learn to be creative researchers:
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Towards boundary crossing: primary and secondary school teachers teaching creative writing and its redrafting
This academic article, written by Professor Tom Dobson and I, explores the research we did looking at primary and secondary school teachers attitudes towards creative writing and redrafting. This is a rare piece of research which compares primary and secondary school teachers’ approaches to teaching creative writing. It shows that primary school teachers can be formulaic in the way they teach creative writing, using product approaches. However, in secondary schools the picture is different: teachers, particularly those, who are writers themselves, give students more agency in redrafting and shaping their writing. This indicates how professional development should involve primary and secondary school teachers in dialogue with one another to cross boundaries of practice.
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The British Library, research and creative writing
Creative writing can be used to help people engage with the British Library and its collection. MA students led members of the public through the Library, inviting creative responses to its archive and exhibitions.
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Inspiring Creative Writing and Learning: Multidisciplinary Approaches
How and why creative writing can be improved by a multidisciplinary approach including freewriting, drawing and art, writing letters to different audiences (even imaginary ones)
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Parklife Project: Students’ Creative Advocacy for Local Parks
This article explores the research primary school pupils carried out in order to improve their local park in east London. It shows how they produced creative outputs such as pictures, models and poems which enabled them to both research their local park and advocate for change.
Resources for teachers, educators and more
As a teacher and now as a teacher-educator and Head of the MA Creative Writing and Education at Goldsmiths, I have devised many recent resources for teachers, to help them teach the subject of English and creative writing. I also write fiction and reviews of books I like.
Where else to find me
My YouTube channel contains videos I’ve made for my students over the years. I’ve also run a number of topic- and book-specific educational blogs and websites as resources for students and teachers. Since 2015, I have focused upon publishing academic articles, many of which can be found on my Goldsmiths’ webpage. The contact page has my email and social media links.