About

Thanks for stopping by! My name is Emily Dodd and I’m a freelance writer, digital editor, presenter and educator based in Edinburgh. My CV is here.

Just now I’m working 2.5 days a week as a Scottish Book Trust Reader in Residence at Leith Library. I produce audio, video and photo content for the blog and I’m working with teenagers to produce podcasts.

I’m also developing science themed children’s television programmes for CBeebies and Visible Ink Television.

I’m a screenwriter (CBeebies Nina and The Neurons) and Author.

I’ve written and presented science theatre shows, workshops and storytelling sessions for Edinburgh University, Our Dynamic Earth, the Scottish Seabird Centre, Changeworks and The National Museums of Scotland.

I perform stories and poems quite often too (see gigs).

I recently produced a series of six films about dog poo and litter for Greener Leith. I’ve produced short films and podcasts for SCCIP, Changeworks, Greener Leith, the Energy Cooperative and the City of Edinburgh Council.

I regularly run workshops for schools and community groups and I’ve been developing and delivering creative writing workshops for a variety of audiences including adults with mental health problems, young carers, retired arts groups and school children.

My first book ‘Banana me beautiful’ launched on a boat  in July 2011. I went on to perform material from the book in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2011 and in the West Port Book Festival in October 2011.

I am a John Muir Award leader and a storyteller. I’ve developed and delivered adult training sessions in storytelling, waste education, audio and social media.

Volunteering

I help lead a local community group and I volunteer an Edinbuzz Social Media surgeon (helping community groups with things like facebook and twitter). I am a Trustee of the Speygrian Network (outdoor learning for artist, scientist, writers and educators). I was chuffed to bits to receive an an Inspiring Volunteer Award in 2011.

Education

I took A-Levels in maths, physics and fine art and went on to take a degree in Geophysical Sciences and a Masters in Communicating Science.

Random Facts

I can make balloon animals (squeak).

My MSc was funded by the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council and included a trip to Hawaii to go up a volcano, see a telescope and meet NASA (yey!). I also learnt to surf.

I am a planetarium presenter (I love space).

I performed a story I wrote about a puffin live to 1000 children on the Internet through national schools intranet Glow breaking a record. I also performed ‘Percy the Puffin’ to Her Majesty the Queen during the presentation of the Queens Award to the Scottish Seabird Centre.

I play football.

I made a ‘guess the poo’ interactive exhibit for the ‘Animal Imagine’ exhibition, Cardiff. It included Rhino poo and 13 other real samples. There was a poo or false section, a smell section and sound effects.

I lived on a research boat for a while counting fish and measuring seagrass with a ruler (I got land sickness).

I conducted a Geophysical Survey on the Caribbean Island of Nevis. I was searching for graves and training Southampton University Archaeology students in geophysical surveying techniques (It was hot and there were blue tarantulas!).

I have two nephews and two nieces (they rock).

I like writing poems, stories and songs. Here’s a poem I wrote about starlings and iron filings.

Image Credit: Lilly Hunter