Journalism and other writing

I specialise in arts, books, theatre, visual arts, photography, classical music/opera, tech, travel and cultural policy, but in 15 years of journalism I've tackled topics as diverse as the cultural history of gender, the ways in which VR is changing theatre, the Malian photographer Malick Sidibé, the impact of Brexit on classical music,  and the Nazis’ curious penchant for jazz.

I've also interviewed people including John Malkovich, Tom Stoppard, Svetlana Alexievich, Grayson Perry, Cornelia Parker, Ian McEwan and Martin Parr, reported from countries including China, Russia, Germany, India, France, the US, Denmark and Taiwan, and contributed to outlets including The New York Times, The Guardian, The Financial Times, The Times (London), and The New Yorker online. And I'm an experienced editor, both in print and online.

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

 
 

Reporting, features, long reads

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

 

How to Move a Masterpiece [Guardian Long Read]

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

 

The Meaning of the Moon [NYT Culture]

A reported feature from Copenhagen, responding to a new exhibition of artistic responses to the Moon – from the Incas to Laurie Anderson – marking the 5oth anniversary of Apollo 11.

 

A to Z: Inside the OED [Guardian Long Read]

Long read delving into the byzantine world of the Oxford English Dictionary. Can the world’s biggest dictionary survive the digital age? And will it ever be finished?

 

Profiles and interviews

In 15 years as a journalist, I’ve interviewed scores of major names from all walks of artistic life – among them John Malkovich, Peter Brook, Rachel Weisz, Svetlana Alexievich, Martin Parr, Abi Morgan, Terry Gilliam, Ivo van Hove, Grayson Perry, Alistair Campbell and Sienna Miller.

 
 

'I See Theatre as a Provocation’ [Guardian]

I spoke to Cate Blanchett in London as she tackled one of her toughest projects yet: a gender-swapping play about sexual domination.

 

All Hail, Queen Margaret [Prospect]

How did a Canadian science fiction novelist become the darling of the anti-Trump resistance? And what does it say about contemporary politics?

 

Love and Violence [NYT]

A portrait of the remarkable musician George Benjamin, who battled against years of creative block to become one of the greatest living opera composers.

 

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

An experienced desk editor, I was on staff at The Guardian from 2005 to 2014. For three of those years, I was on the senior editorial team as overall theatre editor, commissioning theatre and dance coverage of all kinds (text, imagery, interactives, video) both in print and on the web. Before that, I was online arts editor, with a brief that also covered visual art, architecture, classical music and architecture. As a freelancer, I also spent two months covering for the deputy editor of Prospect magazine in 2018.

 

A few (older) favourites