Joanna Cannon started writing her Sunday Times bestselling debut novel The Trouble with Goats and Sheep (The Borough Press 2016) on our online Writing a Novel course with Faber Academy. It sold more than 250,000 copies in the UK alone and has been published in 15 countries. The novel was longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize, shortlisted for The Bookseller Industry Awards 2017 and won the 2016 BAMB Reader Award.
Her bestselling second novel Three Things About Elsie (The Borough Press 2018), which explores memory, friendship and old age, was a Richard and Judy Book Club Pick and longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. Her first work of non-fiction Breaking and Mending (Profile 2019) is based on her experience working as a junior doctor in the NHS.
Joanna left school at fifteen with one O-level and worked her way through many different jobs – barmaid, kennel maid, pizza delivery expert – before returning to school in her thirties and qualifying as a doctor. In 2017, she delivered the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ President’s Lecture. Her work as a psychiatrist and interest in people on the fringes of society continue to inspire her writing, and Joanna frequently returns to the wards as a volunteer with the NHS Arts for Health programme. She lives in the Peak District with her family and her dog.
