She was born in Stoke-on-Trent, and studied Classics at Balliol College, Oxford. She is a blogger and the Guardian's chief arts writer. Formerly the paper's arts correspondent and classical music editor, she has a particular interest in contemporary music.

She has published a book on Ovid called Latin Love Lessons, and It's All Greek To Me, a book on ancient Greece. She is a patron of The Iris Project.