Emma C Williams

From a very young age I enjoyed putting words together on paper, and it's an aptitude I have used throughout my life in a variety of ways. In my early twenties I thought I wanted to be an academic - I completed my PhD in Classics in 1999 - but quickly I realised that it was the process of writing and editing that I enjoyed, not the process of research. Academia, therefore, was not for me. During this time, however, I became greatly distracted by writings on mysticism and the paranormal. I became very interested in why and how people can believe in things that are scientifically impossible, and read a great deal about group-think, mass hysteria and conversion. It is a topic that continues to fascinate me to this day.

During my research, the main thing that kept me sane was teaching; I had the privilege of teaching Latin to Undergraduates, as well as running some First Year seminars in Prescocratic philosophy. When I left academia I embarked upon teacher training, and have never regretted my change of career.

I now teach full time in a comprehensive school, and find working with young people both fun and inspiring.