I am an award-winning and innovative educator.  Currently, I manage the academic program at International House, the University of Melbourne: including academic advising, teaching, the library and archives, learning environments, employability and graduate student development. 

I am increasingly focusing on student learning and attainment. My books include: How to Fix your Academic Writing Trouble: A Practical Guide, co-authored with Dr Inger Mewburn of the Thesis Whisperer Blog and Shuan Lehman of ANU, is out with Open University Press. Our next book Level Up your Essays: Two Weeks to a Better Essay with the same team was published in March 2021 with NewSouth.  Your PhD Survival Guide: Planning, Writing, and Succeeding in Your Final Year, written with my Thesis Boot Camp co-founders, Peta Freestone and Liam Connell, was published in December 2020 by Routledge. My next book Writing Well and Being Well for Your PhD and Beyond: How to Cultivate a Strong and Sustainable Writing Practice for Life is under contract with Routledge for publication in 2023.

I am available as a speaker and panelist, see my Victoria Women’s Trust Profile or contact me via this form.

I offer writing workshops to universities in Australia and internationally. Short classes, whole day and two-day writing masterclasses suitable for graduate researchers and supervisors can be delivered online or face-to-face.
University clients include: Melbourne, RMIT, Monash, La Trobe, UNSW, QUT, Canberra, Griffith, Liverpool John Moore University (UK). To enquire, contact me via this form.

About me:

I have a track record of successfully managing complex projects to support student learning, particularly in building digital systems and resources, and in developing collaborations within institutions. I am passionate about helping students and researchers transition into the highest levels of achievement. I have a wider interest in university policy and governance, particularly in increasing access to educational opportunity. 

I have lectured in English Literature at the University of Melbourne, professional communication at the Melbourne Business School and have a particular interest in  doctoral development including as an external supervisor for doctoral candidates at the School of Culture and Communication, the University of Melbourne and a lecturer in the Graduate Research School at La Trobe. I have been a Lecturer at La Trobe University (2017-19, 2020-21), and as Academic Coordinator of the Learning Hubs (2018-19) I set up a full program of learning support for students across 6 campuses and online.

My research focuses on the relationship between poetry and music; on 20th-century poetries; and, increasingly, on interdisciplinary cultural histories of language and literature. My new academic monograph is published by Brill.