Outside of creative writing, I work in the fields of democratic innovation and public engagement.
These are some of my non-fiction publications that reflect this professional life.
It’s important to share these here as one form of writing informs the other.
If you’re interested in knowing more about my work around parliaments, democracy and innovation, you’ll find more information here and a list of publications here.
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Caileagaraidh I walk up this hill every day. Some days, twice. It’s not far, twenty minutes from my door to the gate that marks the start of the common grazing. Some days I go beyond. Out across the moorland, until the track fades away, leaving only the rough clumps of heather […] -
White nights and cold autumn days I got to know St. Petersburg through words on the page, from Dostoyevsky mostly, but also from the words of his contemporaries. This was a city in its heyday, before the revolution, a living celebration of the power and sophistication of Tsarist Russia. As I read, this city unwrapped itself […] -
Writing is more than words on a page I’m a writer. I write for a living. Specialist reports, policy documents and academic texts with references to obscure philosophers, on whose shoulders I build my argument.I’m a writer. I write for pleasure too. Poetry for many years and more recently fiction and, of course a bit of, non-fiction.I’m a […] -
Identifying your stakeholders It’s important to know your audience Whether you’re carrying out an organisational review, developing your digital strategy or designing a new campaign, knowing who influences you and whoyou influence helps you understand the potential impact of your actions. We find that a powerful approach to understanding your stakeholders is toview […] -
From Arrogance to Intimacy: A handbook for active democracies We have a problem, too many of us feel that democracy is broken. We distrust politicians, despair at the rise of bureaucracy and feel ignored when it comes to the decisions that affect our lives. Our democracies have become arrogant and controlling. It’s time to take democracy on a journey […] -
Guide to focus groups Focus groups are a facilitated discussion and work well when the topic can be well scoped. They differ from one-on-one and group interviews in that they capitalise on communication between participants to generate understandings (but not necessarily consensus) about the research topic being discussed. Focus groups have proven particularly effective […]
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Active democracy cards A prototyping game for pubic engagement! Active Democracy Cards help you co-design effective citizen engagement. It’s all done with role-plays and experimentation, in a way that’s designed to promote active listening, active learning and small group discussions. Active Democracy Cards get you prototyping and learning. You can immerse yourself deeply […] -
Researching with communities: grounded perspectives on engaging communities in research Researching with communities presents a range of personal and grounded perspectives from academics, researchers and practitioners on undertaking research in ways that promote and privilege the voice of the community, is respectful of local or indigenous practices and is culturally safe. Most definitely not a 'tick list' for approaching community-inclusive […]