Stephen was born and grew up on a council estate on the south-east coast of England. He is a dyed-in-the-wool working-class man, passionate about the telling of working-class stories. He is a former cook, cab driver, door-to-door salesman, psychiatric care home worker, road worker, carpenter, and creative writing lecturer. Aged 40, his world was flipped arse-upwards when he was diagnosed with an arthritic condition that meant he could no longer earn his keep out on site. By the time he was 50 he had two degrees and a job teaching Creative Writing at Bath Spa and The Open University.

His work, including several short stories from his collection ‘The View from the Gasworks’, have been published online, and performed by him at venues in Bath, Bristol, Brighton and London. Since ‘A Writing Chance’ he has written articles for The Daily Mirror, The Open University, and The New Statesman. His piece ‘Call Mum, Home’ was recorded by Michael Sheen for the BBC as part of ‘Margins to Mainstream’.

He lists his loves (in no particular order) as: his family, Manchester United, his mates, his enormously beautiful cat, Claude the Magnificent, the blues, beer, books, writing fiction, non-fiction and dreadful poems, and smoking the occasional roll-up.

Previously represented by literary agent Jo Unwin, (retired), Stephen has recently finished his memoir All The Men I Have Loved and is actively looking for representation.

Stephen was part of the 2021/22 cohort of A Writing Chance.