Scott Thurston

Prof. Scott Thurston is a Professor at the University of Salford's School of Arts, Media and Creative Technologies, where he founded the English and Creative Writing degree programs and established the English Research Centre. His interdisciplinary work bridges poetry, dance, and mental health therapies, notably through his development of kinepoetics and co-founding of the Arts for the Blues psychotherapy model.

His research explores:

• Contemporary innovative poetry/poetics
• Embodied movement practices
• Arts-based therapeutic interventions for depression
• Digital adaptations of creative therapies

Thurston has secured research grants for projects scaling creative mental health initiatives across Northwest England, including collaborations with NHS services.

Honors include being named a Fellow of the English Association. He contributes clinically as a volunteer person-centered counselor at Salford's Counselling Centre.

He leads the English Research Centre and co-edits the Journal of British and Irish Innovative Poetry. His lab focuses on interdisciplinary intersections between literary arts, performance, and health humanities.