I was born & raised by the sea - something that has stayed with me ever since... even in land-locked (but beautiful) York. I've been flirting with words for decades: poems, songs, stories, articles and anything else involving letters and spaces.
The past few years have seen this really take off, with a number of prizes and publication all over the place, including a couple of very generously-received poetry collections, The Kind Ghosts (bluechrome, 2004) and Carrying Fire (bluechrome, 2006). This, in turn, has led to readings all over the UK, as well as in mainland Europe and the USA, along with a scattering of radio and TV appearances. Not bad for the painfully shy kid!
Other passions include photography - mainly performance (album covers, etc., for Solstice, Hawkwind, Magic Mushroom Band, Haze, &, &...), but some 'Art Photography' (with definite capital letters) which has appeared in very shiny journals and exhibitions, including a solo show. And then there's music, particularly English folk and Italian progressive rock, but with a smattering of all sorts from Hawkwind to Jacques Brel. Sadly, I didn't inherit the talent of either of my grandfathers but - perhaps more unfortunately - that hasn't stopped me playing assorted boxes and strings at the slightest provocation, currently in acoustic duo Sixpenny Wayke.
But what pays the rent? The day job is teaching medieval literature and creative writing (though not at the same time... yet), and I have published widely on animal iconography and the marginal arts of the later Middle Ages.
