Nisha Ramayya

Dr. Nisha Ramayya is a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing and Co-Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Queen Mary University of London's School of English and Drama. She holds a BA in English and MA in Poetic Practice from Royal Holloway, University of London, and a PhD in Practice-Based Research from RHUL. Her work bridges experimental poetry, critical race theory, and decolonial studies, focusing on intersections of gender, race, class, and caste in postcolonial contexts. Notable works include States of the Body Produced by Love (Ignota Books, 2019), exploring British-Indian identity through Sanskrit poetics, and Threads (clinic press, 2018), co-authored with Sandeep Parmar and Bhanu Kapil, critiquing whiteness in literary traditions.

Ramayya’s research spans Black studies, feminist theory, and visual poetry, with contributions to journals like English: Journal of the English Association. She co-founded the Race & Poetry & Poetics in the UK research group and collaborates with Generative Constraints on interdisciplinary projects such as Break Up Variations. Her creative-critical work often involves ritual, Tantra, and decolonial frameworks, as seen in her contributions to Ignota Books’ projects, including the Ignota Diary 2024 and events like As Above, So Below: Gaia Today (2023).

Teaching includes creative writing modules on translation and poetry. She advises doctoral students in experimental poetics, postcolonial literatures, and critical race studies. Ramayya’s activism includes supporting Palestinian solidarity efforts and co-organizing events addressing climate justice and ecological interconnectedness.

Labs/Teams: Generative Constraints, Race & Poetry & Poetics in the UK, Ignota Books collaborative network.