Hi! I’m Olivia and I’m a new member of the Shake Social team. I’m currently completing an MA in English Literature alongside working here.

I love gaining new skills and find it almost impossible to turn down challenges or opportunities. In addition to Shake, I teach swimming, intern at a writing organisation, do freelance proof-reading and work part-time in a coffee shop alongside my MA degree. As you can probably imagine, time management has become something of a personal forte.

Reading and writing are huge interests of mine. I read a lot for my degree and in my free time – I’m currently reading Libra by Don DeLillo, and Lena Dunham’s Not That Kind Of Girl. I write poetry and fiction too – I’ve been published in MISO magazine and I also perform, lead workshops and write with the poetry group Noumena. One day I would really like to own a working vintage typewriter!

The changing way in which we communicate with each other fascinates me – the internet has undoubtedly been one of the biggest impacts on that. I think social media and I went through the awkward teenage stage at the same time – I grew up alongside chatrooms, MySpace, MSN Messenger and Habbo Hotel, back when the potential power of social media was yet to be explored. Nowadays, I’m continually intrigued by the ways in which social media platforms create accessible connections between everyone and everything – from next-door neighbours and local charities to international businesses and celebrities.