Experience

Ministry of Stories

• United Kingdom
• Primary and Secondary Education
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Writing Programme Manager

  • Sep 2021 - Present

  I lead Ministry of Stories' out of school programme. Based in Hoxton, MoS currently has five Community Writing Labs; creative writing and mentoring groups for children and young people aged 8 - 15. Key responsibilites:Planning and programming the community strand of MoS's work.Delivering engaging writing workshops with children and young people. Line Managing the Writing Facilitator - Community. Building partnerships and working with multiple stakeholders. Managing ambitious projects and producing participants' work in a variety of ways: books and anthologies, a podcast, audio drama, guerilla poetry, short animations. Supporting MoS's large team of volunteer writing mentors. Evaluating the work and contributing to communication with prospective and current funders. Recent projects include: The Night the Day Was Broken (2022), an escape room co-created with 11-15 year olds and Modern Fables (see video)Unexpected Poetry (2021) with make:good design agency (see video)Audio Stories: Chronicles of Hoxton Street (2019) with the BBC (see linked webpage)

• Writing Programme Leader

  • Apr 2017 - Aug 2021



Freelance

• Writer (as Jessica Fisher)

  • Sep 2006 - Present

  Winner of the 2010 Nick Darke Award for playwrights and Pilot Theatre's 2012 Generation Zed competition. Plays include: Ghost Town, 2014. Produced by Pilot Theatre and Lincolnshire One Venues, dir. Katie PosnerMurmur (short), 2012. Produced for the fringe of the York Mystery Plays, dir. Rebecca StaffordCain and Abel, 2012. Writer / director. Produced by York Theatre Royal Youth Theatre Female Fagin (short), 2011. Produced by DryWrite at the Bush Theatre, dir. Vicky Jones / Phoebe Waller-BridgeOnce, 2011. Writer / director. Produced by York Theatre Royal Youth Theatre with dramaturg Bridget ForemanParadise, 2010. Winner of the Nick Darke AwardPrivate Peaceful, 2008. Adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's novel. Writer / director. Produced by York Theatre Royal Youth TheatreTell Tale, 2007. Writer / director. Produced by Riding Lights Youth TheatreAll Change, 2006. Writer / director. Produced by York Theatre Royal Youth TheatreShort stories: Dishing Out, published in the 2020 Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual and Children of God, published in issue 95 of Mslexia.

• Workshop Facilitator

  • Sep 2002 - Present

  September 2014 – April 2017: Freelance workshop facilitator for Polka Theatre (outside of permanent role) including delivering playwriting workshops and two terms of Polka Youth Theatre. September 2005 – July 2013: Director and workshop facilitator with York Theatre Royal Youth Theatre’s 11 – 14 and 14 – 16 age groups, directing at least one full-scale production each year. 2008 – 2009: Assistant Director (2008) and Deputy Young People’s Director (2009) on York Theatre Royal’s Olivier award winning site-specific production of The Railway Children (adapted by Mike Kenny from E. Nesbit’s novel, dir. by Damian Cruden). 2006 – 2007: Drama teacher (freelance) at The Minster School, York, teaching years 6, 7, and 8. 2002 – 2007: Director and workshop facilitator for Riding Lights Youth Theatre, York, directing (or assisting) on at least one full-scale production each year. I have also been engaged in several short-term projects, including work for City of York Council, St Lawrence’s Primary School, York, and Pilot Theatre.



Polka Theatre

• United Kingdom
• Performing Arts
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Schools and Access Officer

  • Jul 2014 - Apr 2017



Neal's Yard Dairy

• United Kingdom
• Food Production
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Cheesemonger

  • Nov 2013 - Jul 2014



York Theatre Royal

• United Kingdom
• Performing Arts
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Education Administrator

  • Feb 2008 - Sep 2013