Emily Spiers

Dr. Emily Spiers is a Senior Lecturer in Creative Futures and German at Lancaster University, School of Global Affairs. Her research focuses on narrative as a tool for Futures Literacy, socio-digital practices, and literary innovations. She explores how futures are imagined through art and literature, with particular emphasis on feminist theory, performance poetry, and gender studies. Her work bridges critical theory with creative practices, addressing themes like agency, authorship, and neoliberalism.

Her research on spoken-word poetry examines its role as an aesthetic and political practice, interrogating the intersections of literature and performance. Spiers also studies intergenerational feminist discourse, analyzing pop-feminism’s engagement with digital culture and neoliberal frameworks. She has contributed to projects like the virtual reality 'Museum of the Future,' exploring speculative environments and estrangement theory.

Her publications span analyses of German, North American, and British literature, including studies on Kate Tempest, riot grrrl movements, and postfeminist narratives. She emphasizes the transformative potential of literature in shaping social and political futures.

Spiers advises PhD students on topics such as contemporary literature, feminist theory, and material social futures.