Conceived in India, born in London, the great-grandchild of immigrants to England and raised (partly) in Kenya, I feel that my whole life has been one of exposure to and immersion in different cultures, something for which I am profoundly grateful.
I wanted to be a teacher from quite an early age (once I realised that I wasn't going
to make it as a cricketer or an opera singer!) and after finishing secondary school in Kenya and then having an extended 'gap year', I studied for a B.Ed. in London.I taught for over 27 years and worked in Zambia, Kenya and the UK. I was Deputy Head and then Headmaster of Hillcrest School in Nairobi and co-founded a small school on Kenya’s coast. During my career I taught pretty much every subject to young people aged 7–13 years although I eventually specialised in English and then – after reading for a Master’s Degree in Shakespeare and Education – Drama.
My educational philosophy and approach is encapsulated in the meditations I wrote as a farewell to a long and happy career. You can find them below in ‘Teaching from the Heart’
By the age of 16 I was deeply interested in world religions, spirituality and in a search for 'truth.' It was the beginning of a life-long fascination that has led me all over the world; to temples, mosques, synagogues and churches; to teachers and teachings of East and West and to a profound love for the world and all who inhabit it.It was this quest for meaning that also led me to become a Freemason in Nairobi in 1990. Although it is something that many people have found difficult to reconcile with everything else they know about me, it is my Masonic Writings that are the best known and most widely read. If you want to know more about that aspect of my life and work, you can do so by clicking on the link below.
Much of my writing has been created with young people in mind, either as audience or as inspiration.
I’ve always loved poetry and write both freely and within the strictures of traditional forms. I’m particularly fond of Shakespearean Sonnets and have written many as gifts for loved ones, to celebrate important events and even as memorials to those who have passed. I’m very happy to write on commission and will be delighted to help you commemorate your significant moments, happy or sad. You can find more about this service in the ‘Poetry on Demand’ section below.
Most of my books are self-published - although not all - and so I have extensive
experience of the processes involved in bringing a project from idea to draft to publication. If you have a project, big or small, that you’d like help with, you can ask me through the ‘Contact’ page. There is no question of a fee until we have clearly established between us whether - and how - I can help you.
I do hope you find something of value here. Welcome.Welcome.
Books:
Available from Amazon and other stores; or purchase direct from me below:
Jewelry and Sculpture Through Unit Construction eBook
$7.00
A new reprint of Patricia Meyerowitz's classic book detailing her approach to jewellery-making through 'unit construction.' Pieces of Meyerowitz's work are held in the V & A Collection in London and in The Hirshhorn Collection in the United States. This book, a facsimile edition of the one first published in 1967 remains relevant and useful, a practical guide for all those interested in making jewelry and those interested in the contructivist principles that she employed to such powerful and beautiful effect.
Jewelry and Sculpture Through Unit Construction
$16.82
A new reprint of Patricia Meyerowitz's classic book detailing her approach to jewellery-making through 'unit construction.' Pieces of Meyerowitz's work are held in the V & A Collection in London and in The Hirshhorn Collection in the United States. This book, a facsimile edition of the one first published in 1967 remains relevant and useful, a practical guide for all those interested in making jewelry and those interested in the contructivist principles that she employed to such powerful and beautiful effect.Quantity
Blessings of Peace: 100 Meditations Inspired by the Writings of Judaism, Christianity and Islam
$10.49 - $17.99
It is so hard to maintain a sense of balance in today’s world. With war and conflict, climate change, famine and flood, how does a person who believes in God and in the Brotherhood/Sisterhood of all life approach these crises? How do we find a point of reference that allows us to make a stand for a more just and caring world? How do we stay sane in a world gone mad? When so many of our former certainties are certain no longer, where can we find a firm rock on which to stand? With so many clamouring for an audience, with so many arguing for this philosophy or that, how do we find a voice that cuts through to the core of all problems, and speaks with love and understanding for all?
This book is one such attempt.SelectQuantity
Blessings of Peace: eBook.
$5.99
It is so hard to maintain a sense of balance in today’s world. With war and conflict, climate change, famine and flood, how does a person who believes in God and in the Brotherhood/Sisterhood of all life approach these crises? How do we find a point of reference that allows us to make a stand for a more just and caring world? How do we stay sane in a world gone mad? When so many of our former certainties are certain no longer, where can we find a firm rock on which to stand? With so many clamouring for an audience, with so many arguing for this philosophy or that, how do we find a voice that cuts through to the core of all problems, and speaks with love and understanding for all?
This book is one such attempt.It is so hard to maintain a sense of balance in today’s world. With war and conflict, climate change, famine and flood, how does a person who believes in God and in the Brotherhood/Sisterhood of all life approach these crises? How do we find a point of reference that allows us to make a stand for a more just and caring world? How do we stay sane in a world gone mad? When so many of our former certainties are certain no longer, where can we find a firm rock on which to stand? W
Teaching from the Heart: 100 Meditations for Teachers.
$10.49
"Teachers are givers: generous with their time, their care and their attention. They hold dear the values that society as a whole often forgets or abandons but which are the ones that make us and keep us fully human...”
‘Teaching from the Heart’ is a series of 100 inspirational messages for teachers and all those involved or interested in the education of young people. Written by a teacher with nearly 30 years experience, it comes from a place of real understanding and from an educator who has genuine respect, compassion and love for Teachers and Students alike.Quantity
Teaching from the Heart: 100 Meditations for Teachers. eBook.
$5.99
"Teachers are givers: generous with their time, their care and their attention. They hold dear the values that society as a whole often forgets or abandons but which are the ones that make us and keep us fully human...”
‘Teaching from the Heart’ is a series of 100 inspirational messages for teachers and all those involved or interested in the education of young people. Written by a teacher with nearly 30 years experience, it comes from a place of real understanding and from an educator who has genuine respect, compassion and love for Teachers and Students alike.
Shaka Zulu: A Play.
$8.75
There can be little doubt that Shaka was a great emperor. A contemporary of Napoleon, he subjugated and ruled over an area larger than his more well-known European counterpart. The fact that, for so long, he remained so little known is, perhaps, a reflection of the popular European idea of the time that nothing "great" could come out of Africa. Shaka's life-story is interesting in itself and this play is an attempt to redress the historical imbalance but it also invites us to consider that the time has perhaps come when we might be ready to re-define all our ideas of greatness.Quantity
Two Easter Plays.
$7.25
These plays were originally written for performance by a group of Year 7 students in a school Chapel but they have also been successfully performed by adults who adapted it to suit their own space. Essentially, anyone but the very youngest children can perform these plays anywhere. They work best as part of a wider exploration of the nature of Faith.Quantity
15 Sonnets and Other Love Songs.
$6.75
The title is self-explanatory.These are poems that I wrote for my girlfriend-partner-wife as we grew from life-long, purely platonic but loving friends to lovers and then into a committed union. The poems chart our love and some of our adventures as we travelled around Europe (and beyond) to look for our new, forever home. The first Sonnet was written in the first days of our new relationship, as we were both turning 50 and the last one is about our journey back from France to finalise the move to our new home. The cover photo is of the intertwined trees beside a small church in Crete under which were married.Quantity
And Miles to Go Before I Sleep: Songs of Love, Life and Loss
$8.49
A new collection of sonnets and other poems.Quantity
The Bhagavad-Gita in 18 Sonnets
$8.49
The Bhagavad-Gita, has been described as “Perhaps the most beautiful work of the literature of the world.” It is, without doubt, one of the best known and most loved sources of India’s timeless wisdom. This new rendering in a sequence of 18 Shakespearean Sonnets is an attempt to capture the spirit and essence of some of the Gita’s key teachings and ideas in a form that is - like the original - both poetic and lyrical.Quantity
In the Abyss of the Self: Poems of Darkness and Light
$8.50
In the Abyss of the Self moves through a world and a life that knows hardship and strain. From the fractures of nations to the quieter ruptures within families and the human heart, these poems do not look away.
In three movements, Seeing the Darkness, Touching the Darkness, Reaching for the Light, the collection records a path that so many of us have trodden: the courage to descend, and the harder courage to climb back.Quantity
Today I Will Love You Like the Sun: 31 Affirmations for Lovers.
$8.25
This is a book designed to help make love stay. It was written primarily with couples in mind, for lovers and partners who are reaching to find or rediscover their intimacy and daring to explore the depths of their love. That is not to say that it is not suitable for other loves, and other relationships. It would work between close friends, siblings, parent and child and, if you are willing to suspend self-consciousness for a few moments each day, I believe it will even work for that most important of all relationships: love of the self. However you use it, whatever your relationship, I have no doubt that if you read these affirmations with love and sincerity, you will feel closer, more loving and more able to express your love when the month is through.Quantity
Aujourd'hui je t'aimerai comme le soleil.
$7.25
Il s'agit d'un livre conçu pour vous aider à faire vivre votre amour. Il a été écrit dans le but de soutenir et d'encourager votre intimité. Il ne vous demande que quelques instants d'attention complète par jour, puis de garder à l'esprit l'être aimé pendant que vous vivez normalement vos vies respectives. Considérez-le comme un cahier de travail, un programme d'études, qui vous mènera vers une appréciation plus profonde l'un de l'autre, ainsi que de l'amour que vous vous portez l'un l'autre.Quantity
First Born.
$6.50
A cycle of poems celebrating the birth of a first child, written in four sections: Birth, Awakening, Separation and Rebirth.QuantityMasonic Writings:
All of my 'Masonic Meditations' series, as well as other Masonic projects, can be found here:
www.masonicmeditations.com
Poetry on Demand
Sometimes it's difficult to find exactly the right words.
You know what you want to say but you just can't get it out. When the moment is too emotional, too exciting, too happy, too sad...just too charged with feelings, there are times when we all need a little help.If you want the right words, in the right format at the right time, you might like to consider the idea of commissioning a poem.
You might like a romantic poem to capture your love for your wedding day. A unique table-gift for your guests, perhaps or to read out as part of a speech and then give as gift.
You might want to commemorate a special birthday, anniversary or other significant date.
You might want a lasting and heart-felt memorial to a loved one.
A proposal.
An engagement.
You provide the occasion, I'll give you the words.
Prices start at just £15.00 for a simple poem.
Contact me below.
Today I will Love you Like...
The sun? The moon? The stars?
Choose from a series of prints taken from my book, "Today I will Love You like the Sun."Your favourite poem from this book can be made up into a quality print,
mounted or unmounted, with or without accompanying art-work and gold
highlighting and, of course, always personalised to your specifications.If you can't find the image you want, I'll write a new one for you.
Prices from £15.00
Personalised Poetry:
Tell me what you're looking for and I will create a poem that says just what you want to say. With a wide choice of format and
presentation, you will create a lasting memory for your special
occasion.Prices from £15.00
Bespoke Sonnets:
With a personalised traditional 'English' Sonnet (also known as a 'Shakespearean' Sonnet, your special message will be expressed in a form
that is both ancient and timeless. Conforming to strict rules of rhyme
and metre, the sonnet is a form that fits a huge amount of meaning and
feeling into its perfectly crafted fourteen line structure.
Choose from a a variety of formats and presentation options and make an eternity of your golden moment.Prices from £45
Self-Publishing/Print-on-Demand Support:
If you have a book project, whether it's text or art or photos, and you'd like some help navigating the world of self-publishing, I can offer you everything from a friendly chat through the process to doing most it for you.
Whether it's a personal project for friends and family or a full commercial proposition, you want it to be the best it can be.
If you'd like an informal and free consultation about whether and how I might help you, please get in touch.
