Teacher CPD: The Tempest in context

Michael Donkor studied English at Oxford, and then undertook a Masters in Creative Writing at Royal Holloway and a PGCE at the Institute of Education.

He is a novelist too: His debut Hold (4th Estate) was published in 2018, he was longlisted for the International Dylan Thomas Prize, shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize and selected by Scottish poet laureate Jackie Kay as one of the ten best writers in the UK. His second novel, Grow Where They Fall, was published by Penguin in 2024. He also reviews books for The Guardian, Independent, Times and TLS.

Professor Emma Smith explores the reception of Shakespeare in performance, print and criticism, and her book This Is Shakespeare (2019) was a Sunday Times Best Seller.

She has worked with theatre companies including at the Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre and Donmar Warehouse, and is a regular speaker in schools, literary festivals, theatres, libraries and book groups, as well as universities. She has contributed to radio and TV programmes and written extensively for newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, The Telegraph, The Observer and The Guardian.