Statement | My Site

I write to generate empathy in an apathetic world. My work is anchored in the assertion that it is impossible to hate anyone whose story you know. The script format is the foundation of my practice, and prose is my preferred distraction. I challenge the limits of form and genre, and I regard the script to be a literary work in its own right, allowed to exist independently from the production of it.

I consider the script itself to be an empathy generator, an invitation to enter an experience and inhabit a perspective otherwise unknown to you. I consider story a powerful tool to change opinions and move perspectives, and protagonism to be a privilege that should be shared widely. I strive to give voice to the voiceless and to challenge the gender skew that exists within screen narratives. I write my way out of fear towards truth, to explore and expose humanity. I use comedy to deflate power structures and disclose hypocrisy and injustice. In my work, I explore belonging, loneliness and imperfection, but I do so through heartwarming and lighthearted tales of optimism, hope and love. Stories are escapism, and we need them. I need them.

My work explores mundanity from a feminist point of view. It demonstrates a curious fascination of human relations, the intimate and the peculiar. I celebrate the poetry of unlikely connections through a microcosmic lense. I insist on the small, the fragile, the insignificant, that’s where the poignant stories lie. I am drawn to the mechanics of community and family, and I am inspired by characters just trying to do their best in this world. I approach character with affection and admiration, and both conflict and plot arise from character. In my work, comedy and drama are intertwined. One cannot exist without the other. As in life. There is undeniable humour in the mundane, in the human foolishness and inadequacy, and I have no desire to distance myself from the deadpan nature of existence itself. Stories mimic real life, and mine at least is underwhelming.

I find quiet stories more impactful and compelling than louder ones. The unspoken plays a big part in my work. The empty space between the lines is part of the story. I never felt like I needed a lot of words to express myself, and I generally prefer listening over speaking. In life and in writing. There is a particular attentiveness that comes from listening, an act of kindness and generosity. My writing is a reflection of this.

My practice is bilingual, genre transcending and principally collaborative. I seek out interdisciplinary and international communities and find endless inspiration through creative collaboration and association.