Languawitchery Wordcraft is me, Anya Hastwell.
I came into this world on a sunny spring day in the late nineteen-seventies. I grew up in a small town in the southeast United Kingdom with a forename that, despite being a four-letter word, seemingly caused endless confusion for some.
So, very early on, the effect of words and their power became very clear to me.
At the age of seventeen, I realised that you could get paid for writing them, even meet your heroes if you interviewed them for your university’s student magazine.
I also accidently wrote the lyrics to a tune that, just a little over half a decade later, ended up in an independent film called Vampire Diary (2006).
All from a pen, a rickety old word processor, and certain words strung together in some sort of order.
These days, publishers, businesses and organisations, and private individuals from all over the world hire me to work on theirs.
These words go on to become published books, websites, press releases, journal articles, white papers and reports.
When I’m not working, you might find me on a yoga mat, talking to a cat, or volunteering at Highgate Cemetery.
You can also find me on LinkedIn.
Headshot image by Mark Caldwell.