Joanne is a business and financial journalist who has also been writing poetry since the age of five. As well as writing about topical issuesthat she felt passionate about, she started writing and then performing poems for friends, family and colleagues on special occasions.

At the end of November 2011 Joanne was diagnosed with breast cancer. She has decided to blog about her experiences of tackling the disease in the hope that it will not only be therapeutic for her and informative for all her friends and family, but that it might just be able to help another person or family going through the shock of diagnosis of cancer and the subsequent tests, treatments, difficulties and fun times of living through the fight.

She intends to carry on with life as normally as possible and is still available to write bespoke poems to order.

As her reputation grew, she has increasingly been asked to write for all sorts of people and all sorts of occasions, from birthdays, weddings and anniversaries to leaving do’s, retirement parties and even readings for funerals.

She makes no claims to high art; rather her poems are about every day people and situations, in an accessible and light-hearted tone.