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Professor Brian Dillon is the Professor of Creative Writing and Director of Creative Writing at Queen Mary University of London's School of English and Drama. Previously, he served as Head of the Writing Programme at the Royal College of Art. He holds a PhD from the University of Kent (1999) and has authored numerous books blending creative nonfiction, literary criticism, and art analysis. His research focuses on the essay form, autobiography, literature-visual arts intersections, and writing about illness. Key publications include *Suppose a Sentence* (2020), an experimental essay collection analyzing literary sentences, and *Affinities* (2023), exploring photographic imagery. Current projects include a study of Kate Bush's *Hounds of Love* and an essay on education. Dillon frequently contributes to *The Guardian*, *London Review of Books*, and *Artforum*, and has curated exhibitions for Tate and Hayward Galleries. His awards and fellowships are not explicitly listed here, but his work has been widely exhibited and published internationally. He supervises doctoral students in creative writing and related fields, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to literature and art. Public engagement includes talks at institutions like the British Museum and Pompidou Centre, and appearances on BBC Radio 3 and RTE Radio. His work bridges academic critique with accessible creative writing, making complex themes engaging for broader audiences.

• Creative nonfiction
• Essay form and history
• Autobiography/memoir
• +3 more

Joanne Lee is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Italian Studies at the University of Warwick. She holds a PhD from the University of Bristol and has taught at Cardiff University and Bristol University prior to joining Warwick in 2008. Her administrative roles include Head of Italian Studies until September 2024 and Co-head of the School of Modern Languages and Cultures (SMLC) starting January 2025. BA in Italian and Language Studies (Cardiff University, 1999) MA in Literature in European Cultures (Cardiff University, 2003) PhD (University of Bristol, 2008) Her research spans travel writing , Italian emigration/immigration , post-war women writers , and Italy's colonial memory . Recent work examines decolonizing urban spaces through Igiaba Scego's works and sustainable travel in Paolo Rumiz's pedestrian journeys. She explores ethical dimensions of travel writing, including sustainability and cosmopolitan ethics, with a focus on globalization's impact on migration narratives. Selected publications include analyses of Laura Pariani's migration novels, Soviet-Italian Cold War travel discourses, and postcolonial memory in Italian literature. She has collaborated on interdisciplinary projects addressing slow travel , virtual tourism , and post-pandemic tourism patterns. Awards include Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy and Fellowship of the Warwick International Higher Education Academy.

• Travel Writing
• Migration Studies
• Postcolonial Studies
• +5 more

Gayle Letherby is a Visiting Professor of Sociology at the University of Plymouth’s Peninsula Medical School (Faculty of Health), and holds visiting roles at the University of Greenwich and the University of Bath’s Centre for Death and Society (CDAS). She is an Academician of the Academy of Social Sciences (since 2007) and recipient of the 2023 Lifetime Contribution to Autoethnography Award. Her research focuses on feminist methodology, health sociology, grief and bereavement, mobility studies, and criminology. She has supervised over 20 doctoral students across multiple universities, including topics like non-motherhood, occupational therapy, and gang culture in African Caribbean communities. Her teaching spans undergraduate and postgraduate levels, covering crime theory, auto/biographical research, and feminist epistemology. Notable collaborations include participatory studies on homeless individuals’ food experiences and ethnographic explorations of medical decision-making. Her interdisciplinary work bridges sociology, criminology, and health studies, with a strong emphasis on autoethnographic and creative methodologies. Recent research explores themes like grief narratives, gendered travel experiences, and the emotional dimensions of doctoral journeys. She has contributed to policy discussions on family-centred care and has been a guest lecturer globally, including at York University (Canada) and University College Cork (Ireland). Awards: Academy of Social Sciences Academician (2007), Lifetime Contribution to Autoethnography (2023) Teaching Expertise: Feminist research methods, criminology, sociology of health, gender studies Key Research Areas: Auto/biography, non-motherhood, medical sociology, mobility, grief studies

• Feminist Methodology
• Family and Kinship Studies
• Health and Medicine Sociology
• +5 more

Professor Emma Mason is a leading academic in the Department of English and Comparative Literary Studies at the University of Warwick . Her career spans roles as an educator, editor, and researcher with a focus on poetry, Christianity and literature, Catholic theology, and ecological themes in the long nineteenth-century . Editor of the Bloomsbury monograph series New Directions in Religion and Literature Co-editor of the Year's Work in Critical and Cultural Theory Director of the Comparative Religions and Literatures group at Warwick Her research explores spiritual materialism and ecological transformation , particularly through figures like Christina Rossetti. She is currently working on a study of Catholic mysticism in late 19th- to early 20th-century Europe. Mason's publications include Christina Rossetti: Poetry, Ecology, Faith (OUP, 2018) and co-edited volumes addressing religion in literary contexts. Recent Publications (2025-2027): Analysis of Newman's novels as ecological narratives Contributions to Cambridge and Oxford handbooks on religion and literature Editorial work on William Barnes' dialect poetry Studies on Victorian theological ecology and contemplation Scientific Awards: British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship Mason supervises postgraduate research in poetry, religion, and affect theory . She is on study leave until Easter 2026 but remains active in editorial and collaborative projects.

• Poetry
• Christianity and Literature
• Philosophy and Literature
• +7 more

Dr. Emily Cuming is a Senior Lecturer in the Humanities and Social Science school at Liverpool John Moores University , specializing in British literature, culture, and social history from the 19th century to the present. Her research focuses on maritime relations, working-class girlhood, life writing, and representations of domestic spaces including council estates, slums, and bedsits. PhD, MA, BA in English & Russian from University of Manchester (2006, 2002, 2001) Editor of Key Words: A Journal of Cultural Materialism Co-leader of the Home and Domestic Cultures research network Committee member of the Research Institute for Literature and Cultural History Board member of the Centre for Port and Maritime History Her research combines literary analysis with historical and cultural studies, emphasizing material culture, port cities, and marginalized voices. Recent publications include Maritime Relations: Life, Labour and Literature at the Water’s Edge, 1830-1914 (Cambridge University Press, forthcoming 2025) and Housing, Class and Gender in Modern British Writing, 1880-2012 (CUP, 2016). She has received multiple research grants including AHRC Connected Communities funding and Liverpool John Moores University QR awards. Dr. Cuming teaches undergraduate modules on Life Stories , Representing Domestic Space , and Waterscapes , as well as MA courses on Place: Imagining Place in Modern Times . She supervises three PhD projects and welcomes new supervisees in her research areas. 2025: Enhancing Research Cultures funding for 'The Sinking of the Lancastria' 2024: Editorial board member of Journal of Victorian Culture 2023: NCCPE Engage Prize for 'Around the Toilet' project 2022: Caird Short-term Research Fellowship 2016: NCCPE Engage Prize winner

• British literature
• Cultural history
• Working-class studies
• +6 more

Akane Kawakami is a Professor of French at Birkbeck, University of London, where she has taught since 2006. Prior to this, she held lectureships at the Universities of Cambridge and Warwick. Her research and teaching focus on twentieth-century and contemporary French and Francophone literature, with particular interest in travel narratives and exoticism, photography and the photographic, contemporary fiction, and intersections between literary and visual culture. BA Hons in Philosophy and Modern Languages (French), University of Oxford (1991) MPhil in English and French, University of Oxford (1993) DPhil in French Literature, University of Oxford (1996) Senior Fellow, Advance HE (2017) Her research explores how photographic and visual elements intersect with literary texts, especially in French postmodern and contemporary fiction. She investigates transnational narratives, focusing on Franco-Japanese cultural exchanges, and examines the role of autobiography in photobiography (works by Proust, Guibert, Ernaux, and Macé). She has published extensively in refereed journals and authored three monographs, including Photobiography (2013) and a revised edition of her Modiano study (2015), which reflects on his Nobel Prize-winning work. Recent publications highlight trends in French literature post-2000, including analyses of Michael Ferrier’s transnational narratives and Patrick Modiano’s treatment of trauma and memory. Her work engages with Deleuzian concepts (e.g., rhizomatic poetry) and examines how literary forms challenge capitalist ideologies. She is a member of the steering group for the Centre for Research in Aesthetics of Kinship and Community and serves on the executive committee of the Association of University Professors and Heads of French . Senior Fellow, Advance HE (2017) Kawakami supervises PhD students working on themes such as contemporary French Catholic novels, rhizomatic poetry, and representations of South Asians in Japanese animation. She welcomes supervisees in her specialist areas: contemporary French fiction, travel narratives, and literature-photography intersections. Her academic collaborations include discussions with Japanese novelist Horié Toshiyuki on Modiano’s works.

• Contemporary French Fiction
• Twentieth-Century French Literature
• Travel Narratives and Exoticism
• +5 more

Dr Rehana Ahmed is a Reader in Postcolonial and Contemporary Literature at Queen Mary University of London's School of English and Drama. She holds a BA from Oxford, MA from Sussex, and PhD from Nottingham Trent. Previously, she worked at Teesside University and contributed to the AHRC-funded 'Making Britain' project at The Open University. She co-leads the AHRC-funded 'Remaking Britain' project with Bristol University, exploring South Asian connections from the 1830s. Her research focuses on British Muslim/Asian literature, multiculturalism, and diaspora history. She co-edits Wasafiri , Journal of Commonwealth Literature , and the Multicultural Textualities book series. Her teaching includes courses on postcolonial and global literatures, such as ESH285 and ESH6086. Current research explores solidarity in British South Asian writing and the historical South Asian diaspora. She supervises PhD projects on topics like the Wasafiri archive and race in post-millennial fiction. Public engagement includes curation of literary festivals, database projects on South Asian history, and decolonizing cultural initiatives.

• Postcolonial Literature
• South Asian Diaspora Studies
• Multiculturalism
• +3 more

Christina Lupton is a Professor in the Department of English and Comparative Literary Studies at the University of Warwick, School of Arts. She is currently on secondment to the University of Copenhagen, where she directs the School of English, Germanic, and Romance Languages and leads the Carlsberg-funded research project Lockdown Reading . Her work bridges literary history, media theory, and cultural studies, with a focus on the material and temporal dimensions of reading. University: University of Warwick School: School of Arts Department: Department of English and Comparative Literary Studies Current Affiliation: University of Copenhagen (secondment) Email: C.Lupton@warwick.ac.uk Christina Lupton holds a PhD from Rutgers University and an MA from the University of Sussex. Her research explores the interplay between literature, time, and materiality, particularly in the eighteenth century and contemporary periods. She investigates how reading is shaped by codex formats, institutional contexts, and socio-political histories of work and leisure. Her research interests include: Eighteenth-century literature History of reading Theories of the novel Media and mediation Material cultural studies Temporal experience in literature Autofiction and life writing Lupton’s recent publications reveal a sustained engagement with how literary forms register temporal and material conditions. Her work moves from the eighteenth-century codex to contemporary digital reading, examining how narrative structures reflect changing conceptions of time, work, and personal agency. She frequently draws on systems theory (e.g., Bruno Latour, Michel Serres) and queer temporality to analyze reading as both a historical practice and a phenomenological experience. Her forthcoming book Love and the Novel blends memoir with literary criticism, exploring affective relationships between readers and fiction. Her scholarly contributions have been recognized through prestigious fellowships: Leverhulme Fellowship Humboldt Fellowship Carlsberg Fellowship Lupton supervises postgraduate students in eighteenth-century literature, media history, and literary theory. She has not listed specific advisees in the provided text. She is currently not accepting new PhD students due to her secondment. She has been actively involved in international research collaborations, including the Lockdown Reading project, which investigates novel reading during the 2020 pandemic through interviews and surveys, culminating in the co-authored monograph Viral Novels: What We Read in 2020 . She delivers frequent invited lectures at major universities across Europe and North America. She is affiliated with the following research initiatives: Lockdown Reading Project: A Carlsberg-funded interdisciplinary team studying reading during global crisis Books Out of Place Workshop: Hosted at University of Warwick, exploring displaced texts Novel Worlds Seminar: Collaborative research on computational and theoretical approaches to the novel

• Eighteenth-century literature
• History of reading
• Theories of the novel
• +11 more

Hywel Dix is Professor in English at Bournemouth University, Faculty of Media and Communication, where he teaches across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes including BA English, BA Communication and Media, MA Creative Writing, and supervises doctoral research in English, Creative Writing, and History. He plays a significant leadership role in academic quality assurance as a leading member of the Quality Assurance and Enhancement Group (QAEG), chairing programme reviews across all faculties. He is also the Faculty Lead for TeachBU, supporting staff in achieving Fellowship of AdvanceHE. PhD in English, University of Glamorgan, 2006 MA in Literatures of Conflict, University of York, 2003 BA (Hons) in English, University of Cambridge, 2001 Hywel Dix’s research centers on autofiction, life writing, cultural memory, and the intersection of literature with social and political change . He is a leading international scholar in autofiction, particularly through his edited collection Autofiction in English (2018) and monograph The Late-Career Novelist (2017), which applies Career Construction Theory to literary careers. His recent work explores cultural identity in post-Brexit Britain, as seen in Compatriots or Competitors? (2022) and Autofiction and Cultural Memory (2023). He also investigates the therapeutic potential of creative writing for mental wellbeing. His recent publications (2020–2025) show a strong focus on autofiction, cultural memory, national identity, and narrative theory , with increasing interdisciplinary reach into psychology, education, and political discourse. Articles and books examine Welsh, Scottish, and Northern Irish writing in the context of Brexit, trauma and colonial memory, and the role of narrative in personal and professional development. Raymond Williams Research Fellowship (University of Glamorgan, 2003) Grant from Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TUBITAK), 2025 (on Salman Rushdie’s memoirs) Hywel Dix has supervised numerous PhD students and is actively involved in staff development through Action Learning sets and TeachBU. He has secured competitive research grants and leads public engagement projects such as Write Your Future Self and Telling (My) Stories , which explore narrative and wellbeing. His work bridges academic research, pedagogical innovation, and community outreach. He is affiliated with the Centre for Journalism, Culture and Community at Bournemouth University and is a member of professional associations including MeCCSA, the Association for Welsh Writing in English, and the American Comparative Literature Association. He regularly delivers invited lectures and keynotes internationally, including at Goldsmiths, University of London, Bard College Berlin, and UNICAMP, Brazil.

• Autofiction
• Life Writing
• Cultural Memory
• +12 more

Dr. Alexandra Smith is Reader in Russian Studies at the University of Edinburgh's School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, where she has been teaching since 2007 and was promoted to Readership in 2008. She previously held academic positions at the University of Essex, University of Bristol, University of Canterbury (New Zealand), and the University of Sheffield. Dr. Smith is an active researcher, supervisor, and member of numerous editorial boards, including The Dostoevsky Journal and Experimental Poetics and Aesthetics . Her research spans Russian literature from the 19th through 21st centuries, with particular focus on literary and film theory, critical theory, comparative literature, émigré writing, and the relationship between literature and other arts. Dr. Smith has published extensively on Russian modernism, particularly on Marina Tsvetaeva, Pushkin reception, and Soviet-era literature. Her work demonstrates a consistent interest in canon formation, memory studies, and intermediality, examining how literary works interact with other art forms like theater, film, and visual culture. Dr. Smith's scholarly output reveals a trajectory from early work on Tsvetaeva and Pushkin toward broader examinations of canon formation, national identity, and post-Soviet cultural memory. Her recent publications increasingly address contemporary Russian literature and film, examining how modern Russian writers and filmmakers engage with historical trauma, national mythology, and cultural memory. This evolution reflects both her deepening expertise in Russian literary history and her responsiveness to contemporary cultural developments in Russia. Alexander Nove Prize (2022) for Poetic Canons, Cultural Memory and Russian National Identity after 1991 Co-winner of ASEES's Pushkin Prize contest for 'The Poetics of Expressiveness and Some Aspects of Non-Verbal Communication in Pushkin's Work' Dr. Smith has supervised an impressive number of graduate students, including 12 completed PhD theses and several current projects across Russian Studies, Comparative Literature, and European Theatre. She has secured significant research funding, including a major £450,757 AHRC grant for 'Reconfiguring the Canon of Twentieth-Century Russian Poetry, 1991-2008' and multiple smaller grants for conferences and workshops on Russian literature and culture. Her knowledge exchange activities extend beyond academia through media appearances, public lectures, and collaborations with theater companies, including translating Russian plays for the National Theatre of Scotland. As an active member of the academic community, Dr. Smith serves on numerous committees at the University of Edinburgh, acts as External Examiner for several institutions, and participates in professional organizations including BASEES, AATSEEL, and ASEEES. Her work bridges traditional literary scholarship with contemporary cultural analysis, making significant contributions to our understanding of Russian literature's evolution and its ongoing relevance to questions of national identity and cultural memory.

• Literary and film theory
• Critical theory
• Comparative literature
• +9 more

Dr Alexandra Lloyd is Lecturer in German at the University of Oxford, Fellow by Special Election in German at St Edmund Hall, and Stipendiary Lecturer in German at Magdalen College and University College. She specializes in German language and literature from the mid-eighteenth to the twenty-first century, with a focus on post-1945 literature and film. Education: DPhil, University of Oxford (2012) MSt, University of Oxford PGCE, University of Oxford BA, University of Oxford Research Interests: Her research centers on post-1945 German literature and film, cultural memory, childhood and youth under Nazism, and intersections between literature and visual culture. She explores how contemporary German culture engages with traumatic pasts, particularly through the lens of childhood and memory. Her work also delves into translation studies, especially the relationship between language, music, and performance. Publications Overview: Lloyd has published extensively on German literature, film, and cultural memory. Her recent articles examine themes such as war trauma in graphic novels, cinematic representations of childhood, and the role of museums in shaping narratives of National Socialism. Her work often bridges literary analysis with visual culture and material history. Awards and Recognition: Teaching Excellence Award, Oxford University Humanities Division (2019) Teaching and Mentoring: Lloyd teaches German language and literature across a wide historical range, with particular emphasis on post-1945 works. She has designed courses on post-Wende literature, women's writing, and cultural memory. She is actively involved in mentoring and collaborating with students, including through translation workshops and research projects like the Oxford German Network and the White Rose awards. Collaborations and Outreach: She is a member of the Oxford Bach Soloists and has collaborated on projects such as Music in Monasteries and Leaping from the Edge of the World , a film about German writer Ulrike Draesner. She also contributes to public engagement through University of Oxford podcasts and short films.

• German language and literature
• Post-1945 German literature and film
• Cultural memory
• +4 more

Vivienne Orchard is a Lecturer in French at the University of Southampton's Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics. Her work bridges Francophone film, literature, and cultural theory with critical disability studies, migration narratives, and disciplinary epistemology. B.A. in French and Spanish, University of Oxford M.A. & Ph.D. in French, University of London (British Academy funded) Former lectrice at University of Paris XIII and Research Fellow at University of Birmingham Research interests focus on knowledge institutionalization, disability representation, and cross-border narratives. Her current project with Dr Eleanor Jones examines UK universities' role in historical disability marginalization, including eugenics genealogies. Recent publications analyze neurodiversity discourse , institutional well-being frameworks , and autism representation in French contexts. She has presented at international conferences across six countries, supported by British Academy and University of Southampton grants. PhD Supervision: Charlotte Grace Fodor As part of the Southampton Centre for Medical and Health Humanities, her interdisciplinary work challenges disciplinary boundaries while maintaining strong foundations in French literary and philosophical traditions.

• Francophone Film Studies
• 20th/21st Century French Literature
• Disability Studies
• +3 more

Professor Helmut Schmitz is a faculty member in the Department of German at the University of Warwick. His academic career spans over two decades, with expertise in post-war and contemporary German literature, memory studies, and representations of the Nazi period and Holocaust in cultural discourse. Education: MA, University of Warwick (1992) PhD, University of Warwick (1996) His research explores post-war German memory cultures, focusing on victim and perpetrator dynamics, family narratives, and the re-emergence of love and intimacy as themes in 21st-century German literature. He has led interdisciplinary projects and collaborated internationally through the Arbeitskreis für Literatur und Politik. Recent publications analyze intersections of trauma, identity, and aesthetics, reflecting his Leverhulme Research Fellowship project on literary representations of love. His work often bridges literature, philosophy, and historical analysis. Scientific Awards: Leverhulme Research Fellowship (2020) He supervises PhD students in topics ranging from posthumanism to non-realist war narratives and contributes to academic discourse through editorial roles and conference coordination.

• Post-War German Literature
• Contemporary German Literature
• Memory Studies
• +5 more

Joanne Morra is Professor of Art and Culture at University of the Arts London , specifically Central Saint Martins. She has dedicated 25 years to teaching fine art students and pioneering research at the intersection of art, psychoanalysis, and feminist theory . Her editorial work includes founding the Journal of Visual Culture and co-founding Parallax . PhD, University of Leeds MA, University of Leeds MA, University of Toronto BA Hons, University of Toronto Joanne’s research explores psycho-social dimensions of art , focusing on: Psychoanalytic practices in contemporary art Site-responsive and autobiographical art Art’s role in mental health and political discourse Transdisciplinary collaborations between art and therapy Her recent publications and conferences (2017-2021) examine: Intimacy, trauma, and transference in art Memory reconstruction and institutional critique Psychoanalytic techniques like potential space and afterwardsness Auto-theoretical/-historical/-fictional methodologies Research funding includes grants from Leverhulme Trust, Arts Council England, and SSHRC Canada . She supervises PhD candidates in topics ranging from feminist horror art to participatory intimacy. Her collaborative projects include Intimacy Unguarded and Creative Practices and Wellbeing networks.

• Art and Psychoanalysis
• Contemporary Art
• Feminist Theory
• +7 more

Claire Levy is a Senior Lecturer in Film at the Bath School of Art, Film and Media , Bath Spa University. She holds an MA in Photography and Urban Cultures from Goldsmiths, University of London, and a BA Hons in French and German from Oxford University. As a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), she bridges academic and industry expertise. Her research explores young people's rural experiences , public space dynamics , and interactive documentary through a participatory lens. She is currently pursuing a PhD at Goldsmiths on these topics while serving as a Research Associate at the Centre for Community and Urban Research. Claire's filmography spans UK broadcast (Channel 4, BBC) and BFI-funded projects. She has collaborated with the NHS on educational materials and co-founded the Stroud Film Festival. Her consultancy includes corporate films for Beazley, ACCA, and HSBC. Scientific Awards & Honors Royal Television Society (RTS) Award nominations for documentary work (2009) Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) Her corporate projects like 'Brent Council Citizenship Film' and 'ACCA Executive Team: Reflecting Back and Looking Forwards' demonstrate expertise in brand-aware filmmaking. She supervises students in documentary, participatory research, and non-linear storytelling.

• Documentary Filmmaking
• Participatory Research Methods
• Interactive Storytelling
• +5 more