About James

James Woolf is a London based writer. Around 30 of his short stories have been published in magazines and books, including four in the longstanding arts magazine Ambit.

James also writes stage plays and has had about 15 professionally produced. Recent productions include the meta comedy The Play with Speeches and Empty in Angel, the true story of a cycle courier who takes her ‘employer’ to a tribunal. James has also written radio plays for Radio 4 and LBC.

Married with two daughters, James works in professional ethics. His job inspired him to write his debut novel, Indefensible which was published in January 2024 by Bloodhound Books.

Writer and critic Ian Critchley on Indefensible

"James Woolf's debut novel is a whip-smart legal thriller exploring the sometimes blurred distinctions between guilt and innocence, and how easily one person's moral foundations can become fatally compromised. Hugely enjoyable."

Novelist Kevin Barry on James' writing

“Very quickly we become aware that we’re in the hands of a real storyteller, and the narrative is expertly shaded in and teased through. I thought this story was genuinely funny – in a way that induced large stomach heaving honks of laughter – but beneath the humour there was a freight of real sadness, or even darkness, and it was this that elevated the work above its own constraints. I thought the timing, especially, was fabulous.”