writer
I write, mostly about books, sometimes about architecture and design. Sometimes these things are a means of writing about something else – a way of getting closer to the truth of a situation.
My features and reviews have appeared in publications including the Financial Times, Spectator, Guardian, 1843, the TLS and Country Life.
These pieces are the most important to me:
A home not a hospital (FT Weekend House & Home, 13 March, 2020)
Architect Sarah Wigglesworth showed me around her gorgeous future-proofed home, and I spoke to WWM Architects about their trend-bucking new Almshouse - two very different models of age-friendly architecture.
ReadAt Home with Elif Shafak (FT Weekend House & Home, 22 May 2020)
Such a treat to interview Elif Shafak in her beautiful London home. The Turkish writer was warm, welcoming, very inspiring and had the most amazing sky-high bookshelves!
ReadSurfacing by Kathleen Jamie (The Spectator, 2 November 2019)
An amazing collection of essays, which prompted, I think, probably one of the best bits of critical writing I've done.
ReadHow do authors earn a living? It's a Catch-22 situation (FT Weekend Life & Arts, 7 June 2019)
ReadBooks on the Street – The Rise of Micro-libraries (FT Weekend Magazine, 3 August, 2018)
While we bemoan the tragic dwindling in our public libraries, informal book-swaps - "micro-libraries" - are on the rise. I look at how, where and why.
ReadI began Emily’s Walking Book Club in 2012, and it's still going strong. We meet monthly, in all weathers, to walk and talk books on Hampstead Heath. Find out more and sign up to the monthly newsletter
I enjoy participating in live events - talking about books, interviewing authors and chairing panel discussions; I’m also confident in broadcast journalism. More on that here.
I hope you enjoy the site. Drop me a line and say hello!