About

I grew up in Nürnberg, Germany and have lived in the Northwest of Ireland since 2000. My creative work involves writing, filmmaking and photography. In recent years, however, I have concentrated solely on writing, the thing I’ve wanted to do since I first opened a book many moons ago.

My work has appeared in The Stinging Fly, Winter Papers, Ambit, Bath Flash Fiction Award Anthology vols. 3 and 4, TSS Publishing, Boyne Berries, Force 10, Cuírt Journal, Macondo – Die Lust am Lesen and many other publications. I was shortlisted for the 2020 Bristol Short Story Prize and a finalist at the Irish Novel Fair 2018. I’m represented as an author by Anna Power at Johnson & Alcock Literary Agency, London.

When I first started writing a long time ago all my fiction was in German, but somewhere along the way I switched to writing in English. So far it’s been an exciting, intricate journey, which I wrote about in detail in my essay ‘Squirrel, conscience, thermometer’. It can be read in Winter Papers 7, edited by Kevin Barry and Olivia Smith.

My love of the visual is another key factor that shapes my work. You can find out more about the short films I made and see some of my photography on this website.

Beside writing and other creative projects, I have worked in the arts and educational sector as a lecturer in the School of Arts at Ulster University (2001-2015), curator for Void Gallery, Derry (2008-2015) and also as a visiting artist and writer facilitator at Void, Derry; the Mac, Belfast; St.Columb’s College, Derry and other places. In my role as Literary Guide for the Reading Rooms programme at Verbal Arts Centre, Derry (2015-2021) I curated literature – short stories and poetry  – for shared reading sessions in the community, promoting dialogue and wellbeing. 

Before moving to Ireland I studied English Literature and Film Studies at Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen. My Masters thesis explored the cinema of Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski, which inspires me to this day. As part of my course I spent a year at UCG Galway, where I took my first steps toward writing creatively in English.

Prior to that, inspired by a favourite teacher’s tales of Dublin and Donegal I came to Ireland for the first time after leaving school, and worked as an Au Pair in Dublin in the 1990s. I’ve been on the island for a large part of my time since then, soaking up its stories and histories, feeling a deep sense of belonging and not belonging, which drives much of my creative work.

My essay ‘Landlocked’, which was first published by The Corridor gives a small insight into my observations along the way. Another place where I talked about my life in Ireland and elsewhere is on the Creative Places and Faces podcast.

Thank you for visiting my site.