English Literature and Creative Writing

Research theme/s:

Our researchers in English Literature and Creative Writing produce high quality work in fascinating and diverse fields. We performed excellently in REF 2021, with 83% of our research outputs rated either 4* ("world-leading") or 3* ("internationally excellent").  100% of our research impact was also rated  either 3* or 4*.

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 Lecturer in English Literature (early American literature and culture; Western American literature; ecocriticism, spatiality and 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 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 (Head of Humanities Research) or Dr Sam George (English Literature Research Leader).