Hello
Storyteller at Heart
Even as a young child I was always inventing characters and stories. I started with a burning ambition to act, but a secret compulsion to write. After a Drama BA Hons and M(Phil) Playwriting Studies I combined my two passions by gigging as a stand up comic and a performance poet. Juggling artistic passion with becoming a single parent of two, parent/carer of one with DLD (Developmental Language Disorder), I was tasked with being a teacher, advocate and writer. I began developing ideas for projects and have been leading community arts engaged projects since 2009. As host of events Laffacino and Words Aloud, I've platformed diverse open mic poets and comedians. As a writer/performer I've toured solo shows 'Stand By Your Nan' and 'How to Love Life even when it's Rubbish' to community groups and arts centres across the country. I was a finalist in the Sitcom Trials 2016, One to Watch Funny Women 2019 and Semi Finalist for Nearly New comedian 2017 and 18.
Since then I've been writing prose winning City of Stories in 2018 and completing the Faber Academy Writing a Novel course in 2019. I also had a collection of flash fiction and poetry published in 2020 'Harpy'. Gerty Words Productions is my live show arm, where I'm currently producing 'Stand By Your Nan' as a podcast with Arts Council England funding.
My first novel 'I am Amber May' has ignited a passion to do more and I'm writing my second at the moment.
I'm always looking for new ideas and collaborators and happy to do talks and workshops on Zoom so do get in touch to discuss options.
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Harpy
July 2020
This is my first pamphlet of flash fiction and poetry that has been published by Palewell Press. The image for the cover is by Giada Catteaneo www.honeyjade.com.
Mythic stories of survival...
Quotes:
Francesca Beard 'The poems in this collection crackle and seethe with the transformational magic of words...'
