Writing
The Journey so Far
Poetry
I have written poetry since I was a little girl. Having grown up on a diet of the classics (from my granny) and protest poetry (from growing up in '80's South Africa) the crafting of images from words has long fascinated me.
I have published 3 volumes of poetry, with the latest, Fieldsong published in 2020.
I am currently working on a fourth collection, which I hope to publish in late 2022/ early 2023. Like Fieldsong the latest collection will explore my love of the land as well as our human relationship with it. Here is a taste:
Song
Blackbirds can mimic.
Who’da thought?
That trilling, rilling evensong
Might steal a walker’s whistle,
A ringtone,
Maybe me…
Into long evenings
With the twilight creeping
On soft-soled slippers,
Steal me away
From the walls
And calls of commitments.
Mimic me.
Make me; add me too.
A willing hostage found,
Bound in a blackbird’s song.
Short stories
I have been lucky enough to collaborate with other alumni of the Potchefstroom High School for Girls in the creation of two short story collections called Common Thread.
They are both available on amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Common-Thread-II-Stories-Potchefstroom-ebook/dp/B0BBVZ9PF6
I have a short story project on a backburner. It will re-imagine the characters from Shakespeare's plays.
In the meantime, most of the short stories I write are prompted by competitions - they're a great way of forcing this often lazy writer to hit a deadline! They also offer an opportunity to work to strict deadlines and word counts.
Novels
My first novel was published in September 2022. It is a YA story inspired by the relationship of Shakespeare's Mercutio and Romeo and reimagined in modern day London.
Available on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Like-Water-MJ-Whyman-ebook/dp/B0BF5YG6P5
as well as other e-book and print outlets.
I am working on several other projects, including two children's novels and an adult novel.
I hope to have at least one of those done by the end of the year
Study Companions
Literature allows us to experience the human condition in all its history and settings.
As a teacher, I am often saddened that literature has become something to which there are `correct' and expected answers. A study of Literature should be just as much about interpretation as context. We should be able to find bits of ourselves mirrored in what has been written.
To this end, I have written two study companions - to Poetry and to Macbeth - which I hope will allow students to explore rather than learn, the literature that they encounter
Blogs
I write blogs because they provide an outlet - for writing and ideas. When writer's block hits me squarely between the eyes, blogs provide a motivation. I first began to blog when I moved to Mozambique in 2011. (https;//mozericay.blogspot.com) Blogging is also fun - I spent several years ghost writing a blog for my border terrier Impi, I currently blog about my life in rural Essex.
