I studied English Literature and Theatre Studies at Glasgow University where I did a lot of acting, before spending 18 months on a music tour around Europe. While I was abroad, I began writing poetry to document the experiences I had and the people I met. When I returned to Glasgow, I was struck by the blossoming, vibrant spoken word poetry scene which I hadn’t been aware of when I lived there before.
I began attending as many events as I could and loved the opportunity to blend my talents in writing, performing and music to create poetry that came alive on stage. I wrote a Fringe show in 2018 to see how it felt pairing poetry with a theatrical narrative and a musical score. It felt like a dynamic combination and one that, since then, I’ve pushed in various ways - working more heavily with music to take my poetry to music festivals or leaning into lyrical playwriting to write for theatre stages.
When I’m on tour, a typical day can be a long drive before pitching up at a music festival or arts venue, getting to know the site or city and then performing into the night. When I’m writing, days can be focused and solitary - depending on what I’m working on, I’ll either shut myself at my desk and write in silence or I’ll find a noisy cafe and write for hours surrounded by voices. I’m currently in rehearsals for my show, Love The Sinner, so a typical day is spent at the National Theatre of Scotland with my creative team putting my material on its feet, exploring the show’s set, and practising with the live music.
