The Story of The Coffeewriter

I’ve always been labelled a dreamer;

a typical Pisces with an active imagination and a tendency towards romance and idealism. Traits that don’t lend themselves to traditional careers. So, after about seven years of muddling through low-level office admin jobs, I pursued a dream I didn’t even know I had; to become a writer.

I completed a creative writing master's

at 31 and found a way to pay the bills with my imagination through copywriting. All the while writing and pitching my YA novel.

But in copywriting, there are rules to be adhered to. The purpose of the words is to convert to sales. Your imagination is reined in to comply with brand guidelines.

I dreamed of writing more freely.

Writing just to share, entertain, connect, and spread a little joy.

When the original plan was to become a freelance copywriter, with my love of working in coffee shops, a friend said ‘Hey, you could be ‘The Coffeewriter.’

I loved the idea, but still didn’t love the relentless chase of copywriting for corporate clients.

To me, a coffeewriter should mean something else.
It meant writing slow.
It’s sensory.

It’s the smell of coffee and the sound of chit chat, and capturing the feelings you can witness in a coffeeshop; the nerves of an interviewee; the relief of a new mother finally making a coffee date; the quiet resolve of ex-lovers having a civil catch up; the freedom of the single girl with a book and her dog; the rowdiness of the group of friends post-run, so elated int heir accomplishment they hadn’t read the room; The joy of a parent visiting their daughter’s new neighbourhood for the first time.

I then happened upon typewriter poets on Instagram,

writing off-the-cuff verses for strangers in parks. I was instantly obsessed. After four days of hyper-fixated research, I purchased Pia, my restored 1963 Olympia typewriter.

I’ve always written little verses here and there but never nurtured it. I wrote about ten friends poems with references to their favourite songs for Christmas, and they went down better than I could’ve hoped. There were happy tears and instant requests to write for their loved ones too.

To see a customer happy with the words written about them or their loved one, to feel seen from a few prompts brought to life, is a job reward unparalleled by anything I’ve ever done.

And so, The Coffeewriter was born.

Have a browse, if you’d like me to create a poem for you, or create live poetry at your event, get in touch.