Originally from Glasgow, Scotland, I now live in a remote valley of the Cévennes in France where I run a retreat offering courses that include writing retreats. I am also the editor of Pindrop Press and have taught for The Arvon Foundation.

After studying French language, philosophy and literature at Aberdeen University, I spent a year in Japan teaching English, then worked for 10 years as a journalist in Glasgow.

I started writing poetry in my teens then forgot all about it as a young adult caught up in the heady world of print media. I took up reading and writing poetry again once I stopped penning articles for a living and my youngest daughter started school full-time.

I have won 1st prizes in the following competitions:

Kent & Sussex Open Poetry Competition 2025
Guernsey International Poetry Competition 2019
'Poets Meet Politics' Poetry Competition 2019
The London Magazine Poetry Prizes 2019 & 2018
Cheltenham Poetry Festival Competition 2017
Poets & Players Competition 2017
Manchester Cathedral Poetry Competition 2017
The Silver Wyvern Prize (Poetry on the Lake) 2016
Prole Laureate Competition 2016
Shiny New Books Poetry Competition 2015
Ilkley Literature Festival Poetry Competition 2013
The Frogmore Poetry Prize 2011

I was runner-up in the Robert Graves Poetry Prize 2019, Mslexia Poetry Competition 2017, Troubadour International Poetry Prize 2013, and Wigtown Book Festival Poetry Competition 2011, and highly commended in the McLellan Poetry Competition 2024, Charles Causley Trust Poetry Competition 2025, and Wigtown Poetry Competition 2016.

The Scottish Poetry Library selected my poem Golf Ball, Stalag Luft III for their anthology Best Scottish Poems 2023.

I like nothing better than sitting with a potent wee espresso and a fresh croissant, along with a notepad and my favourite clicky pen. Nothing, except for cheesecake.

* I spoke to Robin Houghton in 2021 for Planet Poetry podcast. Myself and fellow poet-and-editor Di Slaney discussed our work as both writers and publishers.You can listen to the interview here.

* I was interviewed by Maria Isakova Bennett in 2019 for The Honest Ulsterman about my role as poet and editor. You can read the interview here.

* As part of a project called The Next Big Thing, I was interviewed by Rebecca Gethin about my first collection, To Know Bedrock. Read the interview here.