About me

Writer of fiction, nonfiction and children's books. PhD in philosophy. Next book, "Hello, Stranger: How to Welcome the World" (Granta 2021). Creator of Looking for Wisdom philosophy project. Co-director of Wind&Bones Community Interest Company, working at the intersection of creativity, writing and social justice. I have held a number of academic posts since 2003, including: Visiting Professor of Humanities at the Parami Institute, Yangon, Myanmar; Reader (Associate Professor) in Writing and Creativity at De Montfort University; and Visiting Associate Professor in the College of Literature and Journalism, Sichuan University. I'm now freelance and based — for the time being — in Sofia, Bulgaria, where I run projects with Wind&Bones.

PostsProjectsExperienceTeam

Projects

• 5

  Looking for WisdomMy new project, bringing the world's greatest philosophers direct to your inbox! https://www.lookingforwisdom.com. Run using the fabulous Ghost blogging platform.
• 2

  BBC Travel: Europe's City of Dawdlers and LoafersA piece I wrote for the BBC on Plovdiv, Bulgaria, and the culture of aylyak.
• 1

  Climate Strikes! A Debate in Aquila MagazineA piece I wrote in 2019 for Aquila children's magazine, debating the merits of school climate strikes.
• 1

  BBC Travel: What Happened to Myanmar's Ghosts?I wrote this reported piece for the BBC on Myanmar's ghost-capital of Naypyidaw, and on how the Burmese military moved 1000 ghosts: in trucks!
• 1

  Philosophers: Their Lives and WorksI worked with DK as a consultant editor on this collection of philosophical biographies, and wrote twenty pieces for the book: from Ibn Sina to Confucius, from Nagarjuna to Martha Nussbaum, and from Ram Mohan Roy to Rawls.
• 2

  This Muslim Family Invites Strangers for Dinner to Combat Islamophobia (article)A piece commissioned by Heated magazine on Medium, about Yusra Rafeeqi's wonderful "Dine With a Muslim Family" campaign, about Islam and hospitality, and about how to change the world, one curry at a time.

+ View all

Projects credited in

• 2

  The Philosophy Book

Work history

DirectorWind&Bones
Jan 2018Leicester, United KingdomFull Time
I am co-director of Wind&Bones Community Interest Company, a social enterprise that works globally on projects relating to writing, creativity and social justice. We have to date worked in Bulgaria, Greece, the UK, Taiwan, Myanmar and Indonesia.
P
P
Visiting ProfessorParami Institute
Jan 2017 - Jun 2017Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)Full Time
I was visiting professor of humanities and global cultures at the Parami Institute of Liberal Arts and Sciences in Yangon, Myanmar.

+ Show more

Skills

• Creative Writing
• Creative Non-fiction
• Travel Writing
• Creativity
• Philosophy
• Anthropology
• Education
• Editorial Direction
• Editing
• Research

Education

S
S
PhDStaffordshire University
Sep 2002 - Jan 2008Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom
I wrote my PhD thesis on the ethics and storytelling, taking a phenomenological perspective inspired by the work of Emmanuel Levinas.
U
U
MAUniversity of Durham
Sep 1995 - Sep 1997Durham, United Kingdom
My MA was in social and cultural anthropology at the university of Durham. I wrote on traditions and cultures of plastic art in East Indonesia, and on Buddhist-inspired movements of social change amongst Dalit communities in India.

Awards

Vice-Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching AwardDe Montfort University
I was awarded the Vice-Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching Award in 2013, with a record number of nominations, and was nominated again for the same award the following year.