I hold a Doctorate in Renaissance Literature, specialising in the seventeenth-century poet Andrew Marvell. I am currently a Digital Manager at University College London.
Delegates from Leicester, Loughborough, Nottingham, and Nottingham Trent convened at De Montfort University for the second East Midlands Early Modern Colloquium. … More East Midlands Early Modern Colloquium
A summary of research activity from January-March 2011. This features a lecture by Nigel Smith at the Andrew Marvell Centre in Hull; a teaching event at the University of York; and the biannual British Milton Seminar at Birmingham Central Library.
Several years ago, a phrase came into my head on a dark day: “life is a jigsaw” – an analogy that had plenty more to offer. … More “Life is a Jigsaw”: Literary Shapes and Private Thoughts
This post embraces loneliness by celebrating togetherness. The conduit is that indefinable, elusive, and enigmatic craft of poetry. … More Poetry and Appearing on KUSP, Santa Cruz
A particularly wholesome dream makes me think about the frustrations inherent with dreaming. … More In Dreams
The release of the second single of Alphaville’s Catching Rays on Giant, ‘Song for no-one’, coincides with the second anniversary of Writing Privacy. … More The Second Anniversary: A Song For No-One
People ask why I am fascinated by writing of the English Civil War. I think it’s because of the striking relevance it strikes with the modern age as we know it. … More Solitariness: A Sweet Side-Note
On 21st February, I led a class on Shakespeare for Leicester University’s International Office to a number of international visitors. The class was built around a potent combination that I have discussed before – Shakespeare in Love and the 2009 Hamlet – which gave me an opportunity to reignite my flame for film, play and performance. … More Teaching Shakespeare at Leicester, and Private Observations
Last summer, I enjoyed the rare fortune of a primary school reunion, fifteen years after leaving. It is with sorrow and tragedy that this memory is graced here, as we come to terms with the tragic passing of one of our old classmates. … More Primary School: In Happiness and Sorrow
There are two sides to privacy: the bright side and the dark side. It is often politics which brings these to the fore. I was pleased to stumble across an anecdote about Andrew Marvell from the mid-eighteenth century that celebrates (as well we might today) the value of an honest politician. … More An MP Turning Down a Secret Bribe? Bipolar Privacy
