Tom Dobson is a London born author, who lives in Leeds with his wife, Emma, and his two daughters, Isobel and Emelia.  Tom has always loved reading, and following two degrees in English Literature, he became a secondary school English teacher.  He started writing creatively in his spare time, completing first drafts of four unpublished novels over ten years.

When Tom became a lecturer at Leeds Beckett University, he began researching the teaching of creative writing in schools.  He completed his PhD thesis, using the innovative form of a playscript to explore how creative writing could help boys challenge traditional masculine identities.  In 2014, Tom’s thesis was published to critical acclaim under the title of Naming the Unnamable: Researching Identities through Creative Writing.  Tom continued to research creative writing in schools and published a range of international journal articles about how to foster children’s enjoyment of creative writing.  As part of Leeds Beckett University’s Story Makers Press, he co-constructed four middle-grade novels with underrepresented groups of children, raising aspirations and allowing the children to see themselves in fiction.  Under the editorial guidance of Catherine Coe, he then began work on The Poppy Project.

Recently, Tom became a Professor of Education at York St John University, where he continues to research creative writing, focusing on the benefits of parents and children writing together.  Several drafts later, The Poppy Project is Tom’s debut solo published novel.