I am an author and illustrator who explores our relationship with the natural world, looking through multiple lenses – from the biological to the mythic and psychoanalytic. I have a first-class MCantab in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge, during which I spent most of my time in the Zoology department. After that, I completed an MSc and Ph.D. in History and Philosophy of Science at Cambridge, exploring the making and meanings of monstrous creatures in seventeenth century Europe.
I published my first book when I was a teenager, Feathers and Eggshells, inspired by my very favourite place, Hampstead Heath and the birds I was entranced by as a child. I have given a TedX talk, appeared on BBC Radio, and worked with installation artists. Currently, I live in a converted church in London with my partner and two Maine coons, Loki and Thor. My study is filled with plants and a natural history collection – which includes everything from megalodon teeth to Venus flower baskets and hornbill skulls.
Books in order of publication:
Feathers and Eggshells – 2014
Planta Sapiens: The New Science of Plant Intelligence – 2022
Enchanted Creatures: Our Monsters and Their Meanings – 2024
Oak Lawn Library Friends 