For many years I’ve been walking, writing, writing about walking and using walks to write. This has culminated in an interest in psychogeography, walking arts and the relationship between walking and ideation.
I have led public and invited walks and walkshops, written academic papers and presented at conferences on walking and writing. I am a member of the Walking Artists Network and the founder of Women Who Walk. My limited edition ‘Drift Deck’, a deck of cards for psychogeographers, was created in 2017.
See also my use of ‘contained’ walking with labyrinths and Distance Drifts during the Covid-19 lockdowns.
In 2015 I set up the Women Who Walk network for creatives and academics: www.women-who-walk.org @womenwhowalknet #womenwhowalknet
interview: BBC Radio 3 Free Thinking feature, 'O what we ben!' project (iPlayer)
interview: RTE Radio Inside Culture feature, Mishtory Tours (SoundCloud)
some of my walks and walking-related projects:
projects:
pause/play public walk and intervention
Gravesend, Kent: 12 & 13th October 2019 A playful walk exploring the quality of momentary pauses. Part of a walk with Thread and Word, organised by Elspeth Penfold, for the Reflect Arts & Minds project, LV21
Poetry walk public walk and intervention
Sandwich, Kent: 14th September 2019 A gentle walk around Sandwich, reading ecopoetry and nature poems in public spaces. Meet at St Peter's Church Sandwich, 14:45 for 15:00 start. Twelve sited poems on display around the town during the festival. created for Sandwich Arts Week
Streetwalking public walk and research event
Margate, Kent: 17th March 2019 What does literature have to say about women walking in public spaces? An interactive walk with texts that encourages women to take up public space and reflect on walking the streets. created for POW!Thanet Festival View the walking women's manifesto and survival kit created on the day
International Women’s Day synchronised walk
8th March 2019 Women Who Walk Network synchronised solidarity walk. Join in wherever you are: http://women-who-walk.org/walk-in-solidarity-on-8th-march/ In collaboration with POW!Thanet Festival
Walking with Women’s Suffrage in Margate public walk
Margate, Kent: 7th March 2018 with composer Lillian Henley Creative, interactive walk revisiting the sites and activities of suffragettes in Margate created for POW!Thanet Festival
Psycho Geography: on the trail of the monster performance lecture
Canterbury, Kent: 8th February 2018 Performance lecture at the Sidney Cooper Gallery celebrating 200 years of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein created for The Centre for Practice-based Research, Canterbury Christ Church University
O what we ben! text mapping and walking project
Canterbury, Kent: launch 17th November 2017 led walks 17th, 24th & 25th November 2017 Interactive mapping and walking project with Dr Michael Bintley reimagining Canterbury through the textual landscapes of Russell Hoban’s Riddley Walker and the Anglo-Saxon poem Andreas created for Being Human and the Folkestone Book Festival
Crater to Mound public walk
Canterbury, Kent: 4th November 2017 a walk taking in two inverse and ambiguous Canterbury landmarks, responding to the works of artist Bethan Lloyd Worthington. Part of the associated events for Shell-Lit Siambr, finding references and resonances with the Sidney Cooper Gallery exhibition.
Drift Deck public workshop
Kentish Town, London: 12th October 2017 interactive workshop using my Drift Deck part of the event ‘how often do you feel restless or fidgety?’ organised by Rebekah Dean for ADHD awareness month
Mishtory Tour public walkshop
Huddersfield: 9th & 10th September 2017 a misguided history tour and alternative heritage of place created for the Fourth World Congress of Psychogeography #mishtory
Walkshop and Soundshot public walkshop & performance
Boldshaves, Kent: 16th July 2017 a public workshop and site-specific performance, using psychogeographical techniques, sensory description and text mapping, followed by a group 'soundshot' performance created for the Wealden literary Festival
Walking with Riddley conference field trip
Wye Valley, Kent: 23rd June 2017 a tour of the Bundel Downs and Mr Clevvers Roaling Place an experiential essay on Russell Hoban's cult novel Riddley Walker created for the Sense of Place conference, CCCU
Walk Like Wells public walk
Folkestone, Kent: 19th November 2016 a dystopian derive inspired by The War of the Worlds created for The Folkestone Book Festival
Symbolic Walking student walkshop
Canterbury, Kent: 12th November 2016 labyrinths, secular stations and collaborative walking with students from MA in Myth, Cosmology and the Sacred, Canterbury Christ Church University
English Heritage consultancy and workshops
Augustine Abbey, Canterbury, Kent: 2016 - 2017 using psychogeography and counter-tourism with curatorial team and family focus groups to develop new interactive resources for the site Walmer Castle, Walmer, Kent: August 2016 counter-tourism wander and workshop with castle volunteers
Walking Heritage public walks and walkshops
Sandwich, Kent: August & September 2016 with expertise from the Sandwich History Society, the Royal Geographical Society, English Heritage and Phil Smith (Crab Man) funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund supported by Canterbury Christ Church University and Bringing Alive Sandwich Heritage (BASH)
Walk Ways campus walks at Canterbury Christ Church University
Canterbury, Kent: May - July 2016; April - May 2017 a series of walks with Victoria Field and Simon Wilson funded by Futures Initiative, CCCU
Wild Food Walks public foraging walks
Sandwich, Kent: August 2008 - June 2009 a series of four seasonal public foraging walks, cooking & tastings funded by Dover Health & Wellbeing Fund supported by Bringing Alive Sandwich Heritage (BASH)