Journalism and other writing

Visual arts, tech, books, photography, theatre and classical music are my main beat, but in 15 years of journalism I've tackled topics as diverse as why wood is the architecture of the future, how museums are trying to capture the effects of covid, the world of live coding and “algorave” and the remarkable career of Malian photographer Malick Sidibé (a New York Times front-page story). I have a keen interest in global culture, and an eye for big stories of all kinds.

I’ve profiled and interviewed many major cultural figures, including Marina Abramovic (another NYT front page), Tom Stoppard, Cate Blanchett, Svetlana Alexievich, Grayson Perry, Toby Jones, Kirill Serebrennikov, Cornelia Parker, Ian McEwan and Martin Parr. As well as contributing to outlets including The New York Times, The Guardian, The Financial Times, Prospect magazine, and The New Yorker, I’ve reported from countries including the US, China, Russia, Germany, Japan, India and Belarus. And I'm a hugely experienced commissioning editor, both in print and online.

If you’d like to discuss a piece I could write – or commission me! – do get in touch.

 
 

Long reads and interviews

I love long-format storytelling, and have contributed in-depth reported pieces to the Guardian Long Read section, The New Yorker, the FT Magazine, The New York Times and Prospect magazine, as well as doing a wealth of other feature-writing.

 

Tom Stoppard Faces his Family’s Past [New Yorker]

I interviewed one of our greatest living playwrights as he prepared to bring his latest – and darkest – play to Broadway. We talked about loss, guilt and why it took him decades to face his family’s history during the Holocaust.

 

The Museum of 2020
[New Yorker]

I shadowed curators at the Smithsonian in Washington DC as they tried to work out what future generations would make of the pandemic and Black Lives Matter – all while attempting to stay afloat.

 

How to Move a Masterpiece [Guardian Long Read]

I spent seven months digging into the secretive world of art handling, finding out how priceless art works travel the globe … and what happens when someone puts a forklift through your Picasso.

 

Features and reporting

In 18 years as a journalist, I’ve covered a huge array of cultural subjects – from how an opera company is helping long covid patients breathe again to the history of Italian design.

 
 

Is the Future of Building … Wooden? [FT Magazine]

A reported feature exploring how timber is redefining architecture. Can an ancient building material really be the way forward?

 

On the Road with Scott Carrier [Novel]

A reflective piece written for the podcast company Novel on one of my greatest audio heroes: the maverick American radio storyteller Scott Carrier.

 

Terrible Beauty [Guardian]

A profile of the remarkable Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky, whose epic, intricate work explores how humans have ravaged the Earth.

 

Reviews, criticism, op-ed

I've reviewed photography for the New Yorker, art for the New York Review of Books, theatre for the Guardian, and books for outlets including the Financial Times and The Times Literary Supplement. Recent articles include:

 
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Editing

I’m a hugely experienced desk editor who’s worked at some of the most prestigious media outlets in the UK. I spent nine years on staff as a desk editor at The Guardian, commissioning coverage of all kinds and across all platforms – print, digital, video, audio and interactives. More recently, I’ve covered for the deputy and arts editors at Prospect magazine and spent a chunk of 2021 covering as a senior editor on the FT Magazine, putting together numerous weekly issues, commissioning special supplements and much more.