I was born in London - the fifth of six children- and I now live in Brighton, East Sussex with my two dogs Woody and Buzz. I trained and worked for many years as a teacher of children with special needs, whilst bringing up my three sons.  More recently, I've rediscovered my childhood love for poetry and have returned to the reading and writing of it with a passion.

 

I now want to enthuse young people with the possibilities that poetry can bring and help them explore their own writing. I’m fortunate to have the opportunity to travel the country performing my poems at festivals and via The Children’s Bookshow along with school visits for assemblies and creative writing workshops.

 

My first rhyming picture book A Patch of Black - a lyrical bedtime story that helps young children overcome their fear of the dark, was published by Macmillan & illustrated by Deborah Allwright.

 

I have had numerous poems published in poetry anthologies for both adults and children. In 2011 my first collection, The Language of Cat was long listed for the Carnegie Medal and it also won the 2012 CLiPPA (CLPE) award.

 

My second collection My Life as a Goldfish was shortlisted for the CLiPPA (CLPE) Award in 2015.

 

A Kid in My Class, was again shortlisted for the CLiPPA Award in 2019 and has also won the 2019 North Somerset Teacher's Book Award.

 

The Problem with Problems, a rhyming picture book to promote positive mental health for young children, illustrated by Zehra Hicks  was released in March 2020.The Worrying Worries, a follow-up, was published in March 2021. And a third, The Fears you Fear will be released in early 2022. All published by Andersen Press.

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My final collection Hey, Girl! is a semi-autobiographical series of poems, intended for young teens. Published August 2021 by Otter-Barry Books.

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