Staff

Amber Natalie Kennedy is a poet, short story writer and novelist from Oxfordshire, England. Her works explore the themes of travel, conflict, and identity. Amber probes philosophical questions, and is fascinated by the interrelationship between the visual arts, music and writing. These themes are also central to her cultural and travel blog. Amber has recently experimented with more formal styles of poetry after having spent many years writing in free verse. She is keen to engage in more literary journeys which take her in completely new directions, and is enthusiastic about challenging herself to think about the materiality of her work, as well as its content. While at The Henry Box School in Witney, she led a creative writing group for younger students, and also attended the Oxford Writer’s Squad in 2012-13. She became president of Durham University Creative Writing Society in 2018-19, while reading English Literature for her bachelor’s degree. Amber began her master’s degree in Creative Writing, also at Durham University, in September 2020.

Michael Deng is a poet from London, England. He became treasurer of the Durham University Creative Writing Society in 2018-2019. His current writing interests include experiencing new books in book clubs, reading and writing essays and poetry.

Linda Arrighi is a poet and book reviewer from Parma, Italy. Linda has a degree in Neuroscience and is now a Psychobiology PhD candidate at Durham University; despite these scientific endeavours, Linda is committed to reading, writing and drawing in her leisure time. She writes introspective, relatable and vulnerable poems in free verse which deal with her feelings and thoughts, as well as musings about herself and the world around her. She also has a blog, on which she primarily displays book reviews. She has participated in multiple creative writing courses and was a member of the Durham Creative Writing Society in 2018-19. In 2019, she was a finalist in the non-fiction section of the Wicked Young Writers Award with an essay about the neuroscience of human nature. Her current projects include writing more poetry, learning and experimenting with digital illustrations and completing a sci-fi novel she has been planning for a while. Linda particularly enjoys reading magical realism and scientific sci-fi books, poetry and personal essays. Her favourite works emphasize the psychology and thoughts of their characters.

Catherine Cooper is an aspiring prose writer and journalist from West Lothian, Scotland. She is currently in the final year of her Master of Arts (Ord)(Soc) degree at The University of Glasgow. Kate is an avid reader of literary fiction and narrative non-fiction. Her current literary interests include reading and discussing works exploring cultural identity and intersectional feminism. As well as this, she keeps up to date with current social and political events by studying academic journals. To her, the mix of creativity and awareness of current socio-cultural issues makes for the most profound written works.

Emily Attenburrow is an aspiring actor and screenwriter from Cornwall. Since gaining her BA in Acting from the Arts University Bournemouth she has worked in rural touring theatre and produced two of her own plays. She has also written educational children’s fiction for various organisations and has performed as a Storyteller throughout Devon and Cornwall. To cultivate her writing career, Emily is currently studying an MA in Creative Writing at the University of Exeter, where she has carved a pathway in play publishing and screenwriting. Emily’s main inspirations come from nature and the folklore and traditions of cultures from all over the world. Emily has a keen interest in drama that explores themes around environmental awareness and she is a huge fan of comedy and satire.

Anubhuti Jain is a poet and prose writer from Jaipur, India. She enjoys collaborating on creative projects related to the arts, often experimenting with a combination of different mediums. She attended the Oxford Creative Writing Summer School in 2016, and became secretary of Durham University Creative Writing Society in 2018-19, joining an inspiring creative community. Alongside pursuing her undergraduation in Literary Studies at Durham, she participated in an intensive year long creative writing course conducted by novelist Dr Fadia Faqir in 2019-2020, getting an opportunity to engage with various written forms and genres, and to work collaboratively with other keen writers. To her, creativity is a process of honesty, and she likes to explore themes dealing with the daily intensities of lived experience.