When I became a cartographer of violent places, I had in mind something clinical and detached, an observer’s notebook of events, timelines, and dates. But life never goes to plan.

Living in America, I studied political science and the humanities in university, did my post graduate work on death squads in central America, and then came to London to write my PhD on paramilitaries in Northern Ireland. I focused on acquiring the cool, clean skills of data analysis, narrative mapping, and macro and micro analysis of complex political and geopolitical dynamics. In my career as a geopolitical analyst, I traveled worlds, from the death squads of the Rwandan genocide to the bellies of cities split open by war, from the origins of Al Qaeda to the war zones of the Chechen muhajadeen, into the air conditioned rooms where mercenaries and politicians sit together and slice up the world.  I live in London and travel whenever I can.

Stories of the Minotaur

I am writing my first book, Stories of the Minotaur, which looks at the role of artists and writers in helping societies make sense of terrorist violence. For it, I am creating a visual language, based on the maps of the Byzantine and Catholic  icons and illuminated manuscripts, to explain the patterns and stories of terrorism as a subject of study.  I share parts of this exploration on my Instagram. Github, functioning for me like a cold war intelligence archive, contains the evidence behind my research, my experiments with data visualisation and information design, notes on the modelling of terrorism patterns, and research notes and interviews. 

Sintaksis

I started Sintaksis, a writers’ group  to explore the use of creative non-fiction techniques and imaginative methodologies in writing about terrorism. Membership is by invitation only.  Sintaksis is based on a 1960s Soviet samizdhat, a style of underground magazine.  Underground writing feels apt and timely, in a world where truth is contested and digital dust is swamping our human voice.

Knowledge Mechanics

I also have a Substack, the Knowledge Mechanic, which gives perspectives and applications for working in the knowledge economy. My day job is as a commercial strategist with expertise in intelligence and uncovering hidden knowledge. I often work on building intelligence and knowledge management systems for companies.

Society of Subversive Romantics

Society of Subversive Romantics is a digital and analogue stationary business that I am building from autumn 2026. It will provide poetic guided journals, literary adventures on the page and off, and whatever else I create along the way.

Stay here with me. We have stories to share.

Select Recent Publications

The Language of Exiled Poets, Parthenon Literary Journal (coming September 2026)

Emerging Threat Landscapes: Irish Defence Forces Journal https://digital.jmpublishing.ie/i/1539308-an-cosantoir-july-august-2025/23?