Welcome

I am a writer with an interest in the representation of families of (ex) offenders in art and literature.

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I have campaigned (as someone with lived experience) to highlight the situation faced by families affected by the fallout of the Knock.

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My work has been used anonymously to raise awareness and funding for charities, in the media (including the BBC), and referred to by MPs in parliamentary debate.

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I run a free writing group for family members affected by the fallout of the Knock. I have an MA in Creative Writing, including nonfiction, which I completed in the fallout of the Knock. I am available to hire as a web content developer, ghostwriter, blogger, writing mentor, lived experience writer.

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If you are interested in working with me please see my website

Please follow me on Twitter. I block porn and bot accounts. Everyone else is welcome. Come and join us!

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This blog explores:

• Elements of writing, such as journalling, freewriting, microfiction, why start blogging and how to begin, using tech to assist storytelling.

• Knock-lit.

• Fiction and faction about the Knock. Crossing the Line by Michael Sheath.

• Nonfiction about the Knock. In any format. Accidentally Brave by Maddie Corman, Unseen Victims by Emma Wells.

• Fictional representation of indirect/secondary victims. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

• The voice of the child in fiction related to the above. Matilda by Ronald Dahl.

• Interviews with bloggers authors, artists and creators such as The Knock,  Susan Smith from The World According to the Knock, Rainbowgirl, Emma Wells and The Munchkins, Michael Sheath, author of Crossing the Line, John Reed, the Storyteller Fellah, The Secret Social Worker, the power of poetry in prison and beyond., Dee Sirable

• Real-life accounts from diverse voices impacted by the Knock especially those who have been overlooked by mainstream media, such as Susannah’s Story.

• Fiction about online harms, such as Butter by Erin Lange​.=, and Viral by Helen Fitzgerald 

• Fiction, faction and nonfiction about the damage caused by vigilantes, such as Caught by Harlan Coben and Susannah’s Story.

• Considerations when writing about trauma.

• Fiction relating to social services and social worker involvement with families, especially told from the point of view of the family. Stories such as Viral by Helen Fitzgerald touch upon this subject, and Memoirs of the Secret Social Worker is a fictionalised account of the workings of a social work team, written by the Secret Social Worker.

• General reading (fiction & nonfiction) relating to the subject matter of sexual offending such as Idol by Louise O’Neill and Lost Memory of Skin by Russell Banks.

• Reading for healing after the Knock.

• Community views and opinions such as 'does 'the Knock' warrant a name change?'