"[Jessica is] a phenomenal narrative writer, which is a rare talent for a journalist"
– Greg Nichols, author and founder of Truly Adventurous
I am a journalist and non-fiction writer living on a hillside in North Wales, where I investigate improbable things; UFOs, the United Nations’ use of clowns to resolve conflict, and, most recently, childbearing.
I grew up in Shropshire and at first dabbled with sports and adventure writing. I played international lacrosse, was one of the fastest unaffiliated runners in the 2011 London Marathon, and cycled 5,000 miles across sub-Saharan Africa. My journalism career began with the London Evening Standard’s gossip column, although I was not good at it, rarely knowing who anyone was.
For my first byline in a national newspaper, I took part in the world’s largest naked swimming gala, incidentally picking up three bronze medals for Great Britain. Leaving celebrities and naturism, I moved to foreign affairs in East Africa. There, I notched up datelines (dressed, and often in a flak jacket this time) from Bissau to Burundi, Congo to Madagascar, and met my future husband, a photojournalist, whilst covering the civil war in Somalia.
I grew up in Shropshire and at first dabbled with sports and adventure writing. I played international lacrosse, was one of the fastest unaffiliated runners in the 2011 London Marathon, and cycled 5,000 miles across sub-Saharan Africa. My journalism career began with the London Evening Standard’s gossip column, although I was not good at it, rarely knowing who anyone was.
For my first byline in a national newspaper, I took part in the world’s largest naked swimming gala, incidentally picking up three bronze medals for Great Britain. Leaving celebrities and naturism, I moved to foreign affairs in East Africa. There, I notched up datelines (dressed, and often in a flak jacket this time) from Bissau to Burundi, Congo to Madagascar, and met my future husband, a photojournalist, whilst covering the civil war in Somalia.
"This is a remarkable piece of reportage... an amazingly well-told story, as chillingly suspenseful as it is persuasive... Murder in Burundi is an example of journalism at its finest, proof of the power of the truth in the face of tyranny and injustice."
– Frontline Club Award judges' comments, 2017
Within five years, I'd won a number of prestigious awards for my investigative work, including a Frontline Club Award, and was a regular contributor to the Guardian, TIME and Newsweek, where I wrote about Islamic militancy, piracy, oil politics, dirty money, sexual violence and human trafficking.
In 2016, I moved with my husband to Llangollen in North Wales, a decision made in part because it had the tightest contour lines we could find within an hour’s drive of a decent airport. I am now a mother to two small boys, and spent much of their formative years writing a book about motherhood – the postnatal period, to be precise – and submerging myself in the icy waters of the river Dee, which courses through the valley below our house.
My website includes a selection of my articles and social media links. If you have any questions, I'd love to hear from you. For books, I am represented by Ed Wilson at Johnson & Alcock.
In 2016, I moved with my husband to Llangollen in North Wales, a decision made in part because it had the tightest contour lines we could find within an hour’s drive of a decent airport. I am now a mother to two small boys, and spent much of their formative years writing a book about motherhood – the postnatal period, to be precise – and submerging myself in the icy waters of the river Dee, which courses through the valley below our house.
My website includes a selection of my articles and social media links. If you have any questions, I'd love to hear from you. For books, I am represented by Ed Wilson at Johnson & Alcock.
