Writing about people, place, journeys.

  • “An author of courage, patience, erudition, and a sympathetic imagination.”

    — Dervla Murphy

I’m an award-winning journalist and British author interested in literary non-fiction, history, and travel writing. I work closely with translators and interpreters, and collaborate often with photographers and filmmakers.

A passion for stories in overlooked places.

  • “I’ve never read anything like it... she finds a completely new sound in an over-travelled world.”

    — NDR Radio, Germany

I’m drawn to parts of the world with ‘difficult’ reputations: Central and Saharan Africa, Central Asia, Iraq, Siberia. I look for counter-narratives — enigmatic stories that reveal the extraordinary resilience and compassion of ordinary people.

Rigorous research and on-the-ground reporting informs my work, which increasingly explores the intersection of ‘traditional’ history, oral memory, and insider-outsider perspectives.

A journalistic approach to narrative storytelling.

  • “Real travel writers seem increasingly few. It’s wonderful to hear such a fine new voice.”

    — Colin Thubron

I studied English Literature at Oxford University, where I was a Jubilee Scholar. I completed my masters in journalism at Columbia University in New York. I also hold a postgraduate diploma in photojournalism from the London College of Printing (UCL).

I started my career as a researcher for the author, Jessica Mitford. I worked as editor-at-large for Condé Nast Traveler (US and UK editions), special correspondent for Departures, travel editor for The Economist 1843, and a columnist for the Financial Times HTSI magazine. I’ve freelanced widely, for The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and TLS, among others. I mostly now write for FT Weekend.

I’m published by Penguin in the UK, and Grove Atlantic in the US. My first book, The Lost Pianos of Siberia, is currently available in nine languages with more coming in 2024. British, Commonwealth and German rights have been acquired for my next book, A Training School for Elephants, for publication in 2025.

I’m a fluent interviewer, moderator and public speaker, appearing on the BBC, Times Radio, Tortoise, and NPR.

I shoot stories, as well as write them, including cover features.

A love of art, nature and collaboration.

  • “A story full of extraordinary adventures.”

    — El Pais, Spain

I have a particular interest in artist collaborations, and how words, images and motion intersect.

I’ve worked for many years with photographer Michael Turek on magazine and newspaper assignments as well as book projects. We’re committed to making more work together wherever possible.

I consult for various brands where there’s no conflict of interest with my journalism. I put together teams of creatives, including photographers and videographers, for clients interested in ‘true story’ content.

I’m able to produce complicated logistics with minimum fuss and at competitive costs. This is the result of 25 years nurturing close working relationships with numerous sources and fixers in remote parts of the world, including wildlife conservationists and security professionals.

My influences, and why they matter to me.

  • “How she remembers everyone’s stories and engages with everyone on their level is a talent.“

    — Student, Arvon Masterclass

In 2023, I launched a podcast on the art of travel, Gone to Timbuktu. This was partly to give my reading and critical appreciation of other people’s work more structure.

I’m influenced by the works of Laura Beatty, Gary Snyder, W.G. Sebald, Ryszard Kapuscinski, Bruce Chatwin, Sven Lindquist, and Freya Stark. I’m also interested by artist collaborations, such as W.H. Auden and Louis MacNeice, and John Steinbeck and Robert Capa.

I love photography, especially the work of Michael Turek, Emile Ducke, Alistair Taylor-Young, and Richard Mosse.

I’m committed to mentoring young writers and teach occasional masterclasses and workshops. I’ve contributed to creative writing courses at both Oxford and Cambridge Universities. I focus on what makes an author authentic in relation to their subject — a frame of thought partly derived from an essay I admire: Why I Write, by George Orwell.

Publications.

  • The Lost Pianos of Siberia

    “An extraordinary, cadenced journey into music, exile and landscape.” — Edmund de Waal

    A TIMES, SUNDAY TIMES, SPECTATOR, INDEPENDENT and i-PAPER ‘BOOK OF 2020’

    SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2021 STANFORD DOLMAN TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR ‘Book of 2020’.

    www.lostpianosofsiberia.com

  • Gone to Timbuktu

    Available on major streaming platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

    A podcast featuring conversations with people who make us think a little differently about the art of travel in fiction, journalism, photography and film. Series Two will be released in January 2024.

    www.gonetotimbuktu.com

  • A Training School for Elephants

    My second book, set in Africa’s Great Lakes region, will be published in 2025. UK and Commonwealth rights have been sold to Transworld (Penguin Random House), and German rights to Zsolnay Verlag. It explores a footnote in history via a contemporary journey encompassing Belgium, Ireland, India, Iraq, Tanzania and DRC.

What’s coming next?
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