Abstract

During the past year, I have taken part in an experiment in which I have been the experimental animal. I was awarded a fellowship that gave me the opportunity to take a sabbatical from science and spend a year in the School of Literature and Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia. The School of Literature and Creative Writing is internationally renowned, and past students include household names such as Ian McEwan, Kazuo Ishiguro, Trezza Azzopardi and Tracy Chevalier. I have a keen interest in creative writing and had written a few short stories. This was a formidable but thrilling challenge. During my adventure, I realized that, in many ways, I was coming home.

Author affiliations

1. Anne Osbourn is at the Department of Metabolic Biology, John Innes Centre, Colney Lane, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK.
   Email: anne.osbourn@bbsrc.ac.uk