Jonathan Taylor

Jonathan Taylor is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Leicester, School of Arts. He holds a PhD from Loughborough University and has previously taught at Loughborough University (2001–2007) and De Montfort University (2007–2014). His academic works include monographs like Laughter, Literature, Violence, 1840–1930 (2019) and Science and Omniscience in Nineteenth-Century Literature (2007). Taylor directs the MA in Creative Writing and co-founded the Leicester Centre for New Writing.

His research spans 19th-century literature, creative writing pedagogy, and intersections between music, literature, and society. Notable publications include memoirs Take Me Home (2007) and A Physical Education (2024), novels Melissa (2015) and Entertaining Strangers (2012), poetry collections like Cassandra Complex (2018), and award-winning anthologies such as High Spirits (2018). His work has been honored with the Arnold Bennett Prize (2025), Saboteur Awards (2013, 2019), and East Midlands Book Award nominations.

Academically, Taylor explores themes like laughter’s role in Victorian texts, scientific discourse in literature, and creative writing as a disciplinary practice. His teaching focuses on narrative forms, interdisciplinary creativity, and mentorship in writing programs.

He is a frequent speaker at literary festivals, radio contributor (BBC), and editor of platforms like Everybody’s Reviewing. His personal life includes collaborations with his wife Maria Taylor, a poet, and raising twin daughters in Leicestershire.