English Literature and Creative Writing
The English Literature and Creative Writing research group at the University of Hertfordshire is a vibrant academic community producing wide-ranging research in a variety of genres, forms and periods, with a strong focus on public engagement. In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework, 83% of our research outputs rated either "world-leading" (4*) or "internationally excellent" (3*). 100% of our research impact was also rated either 3* or 4*. This performance places the department firmly within the top quartile nationally for research impact.
Our research in literature spans wide chronological and thematic fields, including theatre history, Gothic literature, young adult literature, eighteenth-century studies, life-writing, American literature, modernism, gender studies, and environmental literary studies. Our Creative Writers publish creative work in prose, poetry and drama. Notable projects include Andrew Maunder's revivals of forgotten early 20th-century plays; Dr Sam George's long-running Open Graves, Open Minds project; and Simon Vinnicombe's campaign to raise funds and awareness for Type-1 diabetes charities through his theatrical work.
The group regularly convenes research seminars and conferences, and hosts a Visiting Writer Programme bringing some of the most exciting young creative writers in the UK to our campus. We have a thriving postgraduate community, including MA and PhD students, supported by dedicated supervisory teams.
The success of the group can be measured not only by our high quality publications and by external funding success, but also by the impact of our research beyond academia, and our commitment to supporting our postgraduate community.
What we do
Our research community works with:
- postgraduate students undertaking an MA by Research, or PhD
- scholars from other institutions, both UK and international
- local arts and heritage organisations
- members of the public wishing to collaborate with us
- global research networks facilitated by digital media
Research projects
Our research projects are wide-ranging and seek to have an impact beyond academia and the university. We are also part of the University's Heritage Hub working with local partners on a range of projects.
Our staff
- Dr Kaja Franck - Lecturer in English Literature (Gothic literature, particularly werewolves, trolls and Young Adult texts; Gothic ballet; ecogothic and Gothic animal studies)
- Dr Sam George - Associate Professor (Research) in English Literature (eighteenth-century women's botanical writing; young adult gothic fictions; vampire literature and culture)
- Helen Gordon - Lecturer in Creative Writing (literary fiction; creative non-fiction)
- Dr Wayne Holloway-Smith - Lecturer in Creative Writing (representations of working-class masculinity; contemporary UK & US poetics; hybridised and experimental literary forms)
- Dr Matthew Holman - Lecturer in English Literature (modern and contemporary Anglo-American literature and the visual arts; proletarian literatures; the culture of the Cold War)
- Dr Rowland Hughes - Principal Research Fellow in Humanities (early American literature and culture; Western American literature; environmental humanities; spatiality; critical animal studies)
- Dr Christopher Lloyd - Senior Lecturer in English Literature (US literature and culture; queer studies; Black studies; cultural memory; the US South; inclusive pedagogy)
- Dr Andrew Maunder - Reader in Victorian Studies (nineteenth century literature and culture, in particular sensation fiction; World War I theatre and entertainment; theatrical adaptation; crime writing)
- Drew Pautz - Lecturer in Creative Writing (screenwriting, playwriting and directing)
- Dr Judith Popova - Lecturer in English Literature (exilic literature; the female stranger; Scottish women's writing; Muriel Spark; contemporary literature; twentieth century fiction)
- Dr Penny Pritchard - Principal Lecturer in English Literature (the history and literature of English Protestant dissent; Daniel Defoe; funeral sermons).
- Dr Justin Sausman - Lecturer in English Literature (occultism, science, technology and vitalism in late nineteenth and early twentieth century literature; landscape and literature; Gothic)
- Dr Anna Tripp - Senior Lecturer in English Literature (twentieth-century and contemporary poetry; modernist writing; children's literature; gender and critical theory)
- Simon Vinnicombe - Lecturer in Creative Writing (drama and script-writing)
We welcome inquiries from potential research students wishing to work broadly in related areas.
A thriving research community
- Conferences, research seminars, and lectures attract diverse audiences including internationally acclaimed academics, students, and members of the public.
- Our research projects have a strong public-facing, community-based agenda.
Apply for an English research degree
Get more information on how you can apply to study for an English research degree.
Get in touch
For more information about our work, please contact Dr Rowland Hughes (Principal Research Fellow in Humanities) or Dr Sam George (English Literature Research Leader).