Abigail Shinn

Dr Abigail Shinn is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of English and Creative Writing at Goldsmiths, University of London. She specializes in early modern literature, focusing on conversion narratives, drama, and life writing. Her academic journey includes positions at the universities of St Andrews, Leeds, and York before joining Goldsmiths in 2017.

Shinn holds a PhD from the University of Sussex (2010) titled ‘Edmund Spenser and the Popular Press’, an MA in Early Modern Literature and Culture (2006), and a BA in English Literature (2005). Her research explores the intersection of culture and form, particularly in non-canonical texts such as conversion narratives and popular print. She is a member of the International Spenser Society’s executive committee and reviews editor for The Spenser Review.

Her publications include Conversion Narratives in Early Modern England: Tales of Turning (2018) and co-edited volumes like The Ashgate Research Companion to Popular Culture in Early Modern England (2014). Current projects involve The Architecture of Conversion and the Early Modern Stage and Spenser’s Popular Voices, examining drama, spatial symbolism, and Spenser’s engagement with popular culture.

Shinn teaches modules such as Shakespeare(s): Then and Now and Writing Lives, supervising research on topics like early modern animal studies and popular culture. She holds administrative roles including Director of ECW Undergraduate and Postgraduate Admissions and Programme Coordinator for the BA English.