Hi, my name is Emma. Base Camp is my home. I believe that life is a journey. Home is a place to have adventures from. This is the place where I travel from, but also that I return to, to record my adventures.

I am a freelance Writer and Artist as well as currently studying for a PhD in Creative Writing and Humanities.

During our introduction to the PhD we talked about where we write from and what we were grateful for. I mentioned Base Camp, my quirky home with it’s clutter, curiosities and also a handful of lodgers.

Life at Base Camp, is a place to share my adventures and to let you know about new and exciting opportunities to get involved with. Please see my contact page if you would like to get in touch.

Courses / Publications / Events:

2022 Seeds of Promise Nature Writing Anthology was published. All profits will be donated to environmental charities.

2022 Involvement in Nestlings and Winter Solace two hand made booklet publications of nature based writing, soon to be on sale to the public.

2021 – I currently have two nature based writing courses running for the Field Studies Council in Exploring Nature Writing and Developing Nature Writing. For more details please see my home page.

2021 – Darwin Inspired Nature Journal Programme. As part of my freelance work with the Field Studies Council I have completed a set of nature journaling activities and prompt sheets to be used as a residential course resource for their Darwin inspired residential experience.

2020 – 2021 – During the pandemic I developed a blog to run my St Nicks nature writing class online. The blog was called Letters from The Allotment, it is no longer open to the public as I hope to publish the material as a book.

Feb 2020 – (ongoing) I began my part time PhD in Humanities and Creative Writing. My aim is to complete a practice led piece of research using creative writing to explore the human side of a mental health journey, moving away from the medical model and investigating the way in which life events can affect our wellbeing and opportunities available to us.

2019 – ongoing. I designed and ran an Autobiography and Memoir based writing course for Converge based at York St John University with my friend and colleague Elaine Kelly. The course has continued to run on a yearly basis and is now being led by Elaine due to my increased commitments. The course is free to anyone in the York area – recovering from a lived experience of mental health illness and age 18 or over. The course teaches the craft of memoir and autobiographical writing to equip students to begin exploring their own journey through the written word.

2018 Publication: Fractured – A poetry pamphlet raising the plight of the environment through daily recordings of nature and discussing our disconnect from the Natural World. This was produced for the OureARTh exhibition at the beautiful Kunsthuis Gallery in Crayke Easingwold (Kunsthuis Gallery).

2016-2018 MA (distinction) in Creative Writing. Completed at York St John University.

2014 – 2021 – Tutor at St Nicks Nature reserve in York leading eco-therapy Connect to Nature Writing Courses to support people to connect to and engage with nature as part of a mental health recovery journey.

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Some of the family at Base Camp!