Ricki O'Rawe is a Senior Lecturer at Queen's University Belfast's School of Arts, English and Languages. He specializes in Hispanic literature, art, and cultural studies, with a focus on Argentine literature, surrealism, and decolonial aesthetics. His research intersects themes of spirituality, political aesthetics, and identity in Latin American contexts. PhD Supervision Areas: Argentine Literature, The Fantastic in Art, Hispanic Surrealism, Religion & Art, Decolonial Approaches Current Research Project: 'Women and Religion in the Hispanic World' (2019–present) He actively engages in academic networks such as the International Society for the Study of Surrealism and organizes conferences like the Society for Latin American Studies Annual Conference (2023). His work has been recognized with the AHSS Faculty Research Initiatives Fund Award (2017). Key contributions include analyses of Samanta Schweblin's political narratives, Borges' poetry, and Remedios Varo's feminist surrealist art. He also explores coloniality in contemporary art through writings on the Turner Prize and pandemic-era religious imagery in Hispanic art.
Dr. Marie-Claire Barnet is a Researcher at the School of Modern Languages and Cultures, Durham University. Her work focuses on 20th-21st Century French Literature, Visual Art, Gender Studies, and Critical Theory, with a particular emphasis on the intersections of autobiography, self-portraiture, and word-image interactions. Research Themes: Contemporary French literature, feminist reinterpretation of art, interdisciplinary approaches to visual culture, and theoretical engagements with space/gender. Key Collaborations: Co-editor of special issues on women’s spatial conceptualizations, contributor to studies on Agnès Varda and Marie NDiaye. Her recent publications (2020) analyze plural readings in film, gender critiques in museum contexts, and collaborative narrative frameworks. Earlier works explore surrealism’s legacy, suburban geographies in French cinema, and the fantastic in women’s writing.
Louise McDonald is a Senior Lecturer in English at Newman University's Faculty of Arts, Society and Professional Studies. She earned her BA and MA from the University of Birmingham, followed by a PGCE and PhD from Leicester University. Specializes in twentieth century women’s literature , particularly middlebrow fiction Pioneer in Victorian literature-to-film adaptations analysis Published a landmark monograph on Clemence Dane in 2020 Teaches modules on Victorian Gothic , American cultural identity , and film reading Administrator for the Middlebrow Network Her research focuses on gender politics in female middlebrow writing (1900-1950) and screen adaptations of Victorian literature . She supervises PhD/MRes students in Victorian literature and culture while contributing to foundation humanities education. Key publications include Clemence Dane: Forgotten Feminist Writer of the Inter-war Years (Routledge, 2020) and multiple entries in The Literary Encyclopedia. She presented at major conferences at the University of London and University of Chester, exploring topics like domestic conservatism in Dane's work and submerged sexualities in Edwardian fiction .
Professor Ingo Cornils is a leading scholar in German Studies at the University of Leeds, where he holds the position of Professor in the Department of German within the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies. His academic leadership includes roles as Head of Department, Director of Student Education, and Digital Education Lead. He is an internationally recognized expert on Hermann Hesse, German science fiction, and the 1968 student movement, with a strong focus on utopian and dystopian thought in literature and film. First Staatsexamen (MA) in English, German, and Pedagogy Second Staatsexamen (PGCE) PhD from the University of Hamburg His research centers on the intersections of politics, utopia, and the fantastic in German literature. He has published extensively on Romanticism, science fiction, and the cultural memory of 1968. His monograph Writing the Revolution (2016) reframes '1968' as a mythic identity construct, while Beyond Tomorrow (2020) explores how German SF engages with ethical challenges of technology and climate change. He co-edited New Perspectives on Contemporary German Science Fiction (2022) and Hermann Hesse’s Global Impact (2024), highlighting transcultural and interdisciplinary dimensions of German literature. His recent publications reveal a growing interest in climate fiction, artificial intelligence, and digital culture, often through the lens of Hesse’s enduring relevance. These works combine literary analysis with philosophical inquiry, emphasizing how speculative narratives help societies anticipate and navigate uncertain futures. Shortlisted for Leeds University Union Partnership Awards (2016, 2021) Cornils has supervised PhD and MA students on topics ranging from protest gentrification to Hesse’s reception in Japan. He has secured grants for innovative teaching, including the German dissertation as a research project, and led the 'Languages for All' initiative. He regularly contributes to public discourse through blog posts, conferences, and media engagement. He is co-editor of literatur für leser:innen and active in professional networks such as the International Hermann Hesse Society and the German Studies Association. He leads research groups on the transcultural fantastic and German world literatures, and continues to develop new projects on Günter Grass, Hesse’s parables, and AI in German literature. His work bridges academic scholarship with public intellectual engagement, shaping both pedagogy and research in German Studies.
Sarah Dodd is a Lecturer in Chinese Studies at the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies, University of Leeds, Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures. Her work bridges classical and contemporary Chinese literary traditions with a focus on the fantastic, science fiction, and cinematic expression. Education: PhD in Classical Chinese Ghost Stories, University of Leeds MPhil in Modern Chinese Literature, University of Leeds BA in Chinese and International Relations, University of Leeds Her research centers on the fantastic in Chinese fiction and film, particularly exploring how themes of monstrosity, fantasy, and science fiction manifest across historical and modern contexts. She employs comparative and transcultural frameworks to analyze narrative structures and cultural symbolism in both classical texts like Pu Songling's Liaozhai zhiyi and contemporary speculative fiction. Sarah Dodd plays a key role in fostering academic and creative exchange through her position as deputy director of the Leeds Centre for New Chinese Writing , where she organizes events, translation competitions, and a monthly book club. She is also a core organizer of the Transcultural Fantastic research project, which promotes interdisciplinary and intercultural dialogue on fantastic traditions globally. Scientific and Academic Leadership: Deputy Director, Leeds Centre for New Chinese Writing Organizer, Transcultural Fantastic Research Project She supervises several postgraduate researchers working on topics related to Chinese literature and translation. Her teaching includes modules on world literature, Chinese and East Asian culture, fiction, cinema, and translation, reflecting her broad interdisciplinary engagement.
