My CV

I’m obsessed with the written word and know first-hand its power to change the course of a life. A mixed-race, disabled, neurodivergent, queer woman from a council estate in County Durham, I also know the hard work involved in making that change happen. My gift and my graft have brought me academic and professional successes; at present, I am working towards an AHRC-funded, creative-critical PhD in English and Humanities at Birkbeck while teaching secondary English and developing my poetry manuscript for publication, projects which have been immensely rewarding. My aim is to take my professional writing career in the direction of work which allows me to use my skill with language in support of meaningful causes. To that end, alongside my other work, I have gained experience in copywriting, copyediting and social media management across varied bodies whose work I believe in. Whether it is research papers, workshops, presentations, educational resources, articles, emails, blog posts, social media, brand concept or poetry, I offer employers a conscientious, endlessly creative writer, researcher and copy editor with integrity, nuance and grit. 

Personal Summary

PhD researcher | Birkbeck, University of London and CHASE consortium | 2021 - PRESENT

This role, working on a project about trees in the poetry of ‘marginal’ nineteenth century women writers, has developed my research skills, creative and intellectual autonomy, ability to write successful funding pitches for grants and prizes, and ability to write for many different audiences through conferences and events. 

Teacher of English | Queen’s Gate School | 2017 - PRESENT

This role requires advanced organization and communication skills, especially the ability to adapt written and verbal communication responsively to the learning needs of a wide variety of abilities and dispositions in students. My skills bear tangible fruit- our top performing year, my department helped our students to gain 94% A*-A in their English Language GCSEs.


Editorial intern | 19: Interdisciplinary Studies in the Long-nineteenth century | 2023 - 2024

This role gave me experience of the details of copy-editing and proofreading academic articles for publication, using the Janeway platform to manage workflow, administrating the peer review process, and liaising with stakeholders via email and in person, as well as managing the journal’s social media accounts. 19’s X account gained 1000 followers under my tenure.


Freelance copywriting | Deakin and Blue | 2018

This ethical swimwear brand, which closed its doors recently after seven successful years, was founded with the purpose of creating beautiful, durable, body-inclusive swimwear for women. I wrote copy for their website and, in collaboration with the CEO, devised the branding of the company’s USP- the ‘muse measurement’.


Deputy Head of English | Bromley High School GDST | 2014- 2017

In this role, I redesigned the curriculum for inclusivity and represented the department at marketing events, designing Open Day activities, contributing to the school newsletter and making presentations to parents. 


Teacher of English and Latin | Colfe’s School | 2010-2014

In this role, while training on the job and teaching English, I learned Latin to GCSE level having never previously studied it to assist the understaffed Classics department; this role demonstrates my ability and willingness to learn difficult concepts quickly, to work effectively as part of a team, and to balance multiple challenging projects at once.

Employment History

Birkbeck University of London | 2020

MA - Distinction in Victorian Studies

Prize for Best Dissertation

Prize for Most Promising Victorianist

University of Cambridge | 2007 - 2010

MA (Cantab) 2.1 in English

Durham High School for Girls | 2003 - 2007

A levels: English Literature, French, Ancient Greek (AAB)

GCSEs: 5 A* 5A 

Education

Walk-Listen-Create | Digital artist’s residency

This residency was the prize for winning a writing competition run by environmental arts charity Walk-Listen-Create; during my tenure, I contributed blog posts, copy to advertise events and competitions, and devised, administrated and hosted a series of creative-critical online events called ‘Finding a Place: creative critical wanderings in landscape’. These events invited academics and authors, including the prizewinning non-fiction writer Noreen Masud, to give short papers about landscape and its relationship to identity and to provide writing prompts for me to respond to with an original poem and a critical exegesis.

Grave Matters | Co-convener and marketing copywriter | 2022-2024

I was invited to co-host this online series of talks about the field of death studies. This role included devising topics for events, inviting speakers, writing and delivering introductions to the events, live tweeting the events, asking questions of the participants and handling audience questions.


Selected research presentations and events:

  • Co-organised a panel on ‘Victorian Ecologies of Alternative Knowledge’ and presented at the British Association of Victorian Studies in September 2022 

  • Gave a paper at the CHASE consortium’s BAME conference on June 18. 2024

  • Performed as part of a fellow PGR student’s creative presentation June 19 2024

  • Gave a talk to a non-specialist audience  at Kew Gardens ‘Tree Cultures at Kew’ event (Jul 10, 2024) 

  • Paper selected for inclusion in the International Nineteenth Century Studies Association’s conference in Durham (July 10-12th 2024) 


Selected poetry events and publications:

  • Performed at ‘Summer Anywhere’ event in Edinburgh, September 2022 and September 2023; Hosted and performed at online event for Dreich Press September 2022

  • Co-wrote a poem and performed at SJ Fowler’s European Poetry Festival for two years running.

  • Co-organised and performed at 87 Press and CPRC event ‘Summer in the Way’ in July 2022

  • Poem, ‘St Francis’, included in issue 8 of Propel magazine and selected for its first anthology 

Wider Experience

Prizes, events and publications:

  • ‘Pollard Sprouts’ poem longlisted for Urban Tree Festival and published online. VIEW HERE

    • ‘Cloudbusting’ poem selected by Wildfire words and published in April 2022 feature online. VIEW HERE

    • Two poems published on The 87 Press’ digital publication, ‘The Hythe’ VIEW HERE

    • Published in issue 8 of Propel Magazine (Nov 2023). VIEW HERE

  • • Gave paper on 23rd June 2022 at ‘SHAPE the future’ postgraduate conference at Birkbeck- on poet Eliza Cook and ‘debt’ to trees. This was for fellow postgraduate students from all disciplines.

    • Selected to give a well-received paper as part of a panel at British Association for Victorian Studies on poet Eliza Cook in September 2022: a prestigious event for academics in the field.

    • Gave talk for Grave Matters- ‘Conservation as consolation’ (Jun 2023)- adapted as blog post. 

    • Gave paper on Toru Dutt for Birkbeck postgraduate conference (June 2023). This was for fellow postgraduate students from all disciplines.

    • Following their ‘Tree Cultures’ event in July 2024 , in which I gave a paper on trees in the poetry of Toru Dutt to a group of mixed specialists and non-specialists with an interest in plants, I was asked to contribute to a Kew Gardens-organised special issue of the academic journal Plant Perspectives- a creative-critical article about the working-class poet Eliza Cook and yew trees- forthcoming 2025. Previous examples can be viewed HERE

  • • Two years running, invited to write and perform collaboratively with a Swiss poet at SJ Fowler’s ‘European Poetry Festival’ at the National Poetry Library – June 2022 and April 2023.

    • Co-organised and performed at The 87 Press and Contemporary Poetics Research Centre event ‘Summer in the Way’- paper and poetry reading about Anglo-Indian poet Toru Dutt and casuarina trees.

    • Performed at Dreich’s ‘Summer Anywhere’ festival in Leith’s Heritage Centre- (September 2022).

    • Performed at Dreich press’ ‘Summer Anywhere’ event with Alycia Pirmohamed (Sept 6).

    • Performed at Written Off (formerly Bent Key) gothic open mic (Oct 2023)

    • Hosted ‘Summer Anywhere’ online event for Dreich, a grassroots Scottish poetry press (September 2022) 

    •As walk-listen-create’s poet and writer-in-residence, organised, wrote and presented online events re trees and walking – ‘Finding a Place: creative critical wanderings in landscape’ with Noreen Masud and Anna Burton: April and May 2024. These comprised hosting, fielding and posing questions, and presenting my own creative responses to writers’ work

  • • As an English teacher, I proofread and make editorial suggestions on c. 60-100 pieces of student writing per week and 200 pieces of student coursework per academic year, as well as designing teaching resources adapted to my classes- often up to 6 hours‘ worth of new written material per day.

    • Taught on creative writing BA at Birkbeck as Associate Tutor (Jan- Mar 23). This involved proofreading and editing students’ creative work, running weekly workshops and writing teaching materials. 

  • • Contributed to solidarity workshop w/ 87 press (Jul 2023) – collaborative poem and info HERE

  • • During my MA at Birkbeck, won the Peltz scholarship for academic excellence.

    • Also won two prizes for my work on this MA- ‘Best Dissertation’ and ‘Most Promising Victorianist’.

    • Won full funding for my PhD project from the CHASE consortium, comprising 7 years of stipend and fees payment. 

    • Shortlisted for Walk-Listen-Create's ‘Walking A/Way’ competition- winner of the poetry category (Sept 23)  

    • Won a free place at Write&Shine creative writing summer school (July 2024)

    • Recipient of a £1000 grant for Birkbeck’s Harkness Prize- for outstanding research into a nineteenth-century woman or women.

  • Passed PhD upgrade; research described as ‘potentially field-shifting’.

    “This creative critical project is a beautifully written, well researched, and original contribution to scholarship and creative writing around nineteenth-century arboreal poetry.”

    “The writing is clear, elegant, compelling, authoritative. This is outstanding work that has the power to make a field-shifting contribution to the fields of nineteenth-century studies and contemporary ecopoetics.”

  • • In 2024, I was invited to give an interview contributing to Grace Van der Wielen’s PhD research on plane trees, discussing their cultural associations in art and poetry; Grace is from a social science background, so the content of this interview was adapted for her. 

  • “Collaborating with Shani throughout my career as a designer has completely transformed how I present myself professionally. She has an incredible talent for crafting compelling and persuasive copy that not only captures the content but also perfectly reflects the tone I want to convey.  I recently had to submit a Design Award nomination for a team member, and I was amazed by how Shani creatively refined and restructured my words, adding confidence, impact, and authority. Her skill is truly impressive—I only wish she could edit all my written work!  I highly recommend Shani—she is an exceptionally talented writer, poet, and copywriter with a keen ability to craft words that resonate. Her creativity, intelligence, and thoughtful approach make her a pleasure to work with and an invaluable collaborator.”

    — Victoria Sowerby  |  Global Design Lead Dr Martens PLC 

  • “Shani is an excellent writer and editor, with a concise and flexible prose style and sharp eye for detail. In her work on the journal 19: Interdisciplinary Studies in the Long Nineteenth Century she copy-edited academic essays, oversaw the peer review process, handled queries from authors and worked closely with the production team. She worked with minimal supervision, shouldering responsibility and ultimately helping to train others in how the journal's editorial process functioned. I couldn't have been happier with her work, and she comes very highly recommended.”

    -David McAllister  | General Editor at 19: interdisciplinary studies in the long nineteenth century

  • “Shani worked with us at Deakin&Blue in a freelance capacity during the early days of the company, consulting on the naming of our distinctive sizing concept and writing for the website. She is an adaptable, inventive and detail-oriented writer who produces polished and thoughtful copy in line with brand voice- I recommend her highly.”

    — Rosie Cook  |  CEO Deakin&Blue

  • “Shani Cadwallender was the winner in of our annual writing competition and became walk · listen · create’s Poet-in-Residence for 2023-4. Little did we know that we had picked such a talented copywriter and wordsmith as a winner. We asked her to write a blog piece to introduce herself as well as choosing the theme and writing the competition introduction for the following year.  A highlight for us was her conceiving, writing copy for, and chairing two fascinating online events with author Noreen Masud and researcher Dr Anna Burton. For each of these events she wrote a blog post and a creative poetic response to Noreen and Anna’s writings.  We would highly recommend her to you.”

    — Andrew Stuck  |  Head of walk · listen · create

  • “Shani worked as my co-convener for the Death Studies Discussion group ‘Grave Matters’ for two years from 2022 to 2024. One of her main duties was to write marketing copy for the sessions, appealing to a broad audience from academics to non-specialists. This involved simplifying complex ideas and writing accurate and engaging copy. Shani also regularly looked after the social media account for ‘Grave Matters’, live-tweeting events and creating content for our blog. Shani is an extremely versatile and talented writer, great to work with and super creative. I would not hesitate in recommending her for this position”

    — Claire Cock-Starkey  |  Convenor of Grave Matters

  • "I’ve had the privilege of seeing Shani perform at poetry events, and her creative work is as intellectually rigorous as it is emotionally resonant. Her writing blends historical research with innovative poetic experimentation, particularly in the realm of ecopoetics and environmental humanities. In her PhD project, Trees Revisited: Exploring the Nature of Identity in Nineteenth-Century Arboreal Poetry, she engages deeply with nineteenth-century botanical knowledge, colonial histories of plant migration, and ecological entanglements. Her concept of ‘dendrology’—a poetic method that mirrors botanical classification—demonstrates both her originality and ability to translate complex ideas into compelling narratives. Whether in performance or on the page, Shani’s work bridges scholarship and creativity in ways that would make her a valuable asset in any writing, research, or editorial role."

    -Stephen Willey | PhD co- supervisor and Co-Academic Director of Environmental Education Projects, School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication, Faculty of Humanities and Social Science.

  • "I am delighted to write in support of Shani Cadwallender. Shani is one of the best writers I have ever come across. Her understanding of language and its rhythms is felt in every sentence she writes. For this reason she is a formidable editor, too. In my role as General Editor of 19, the journal she worked in as intern, I saw how she worked with writers and editors in the most professional way: silently correcting and improving when needed. It is rare to find a writer and editor of her calibre."

    -Dr Ana Parejo Vadillo | General Editor (2019- 23) at 19: interdisciplinary studies in the long nineteenth century

Explore my work…