PhD Creative Writing

Doctoral Creative Writing projects include collections of poetry influenced by field work in Nepal, creative non-fiction exploring the plight of refugee women in immigration detention centres in the UK, short story sequences about domestic dysfunction, and novels set far and wide: from 16th century America to 21st century Japan. All of our PhD students produce creative work alongside a critical dissertation (from 15,000 words to 40,000 words), exploring their methodology as well as their wider literary context.

Jamie Edgecombe gained his PhD for a novel set in post-War and contemporary Japan, with an accompanying dissertation on ekphrastic fiction (writing which is concerned with ‘narrating’ the visual arts). He won the Manchester Metropolitan University Novella Prize for The Art of Kozu (the first part of which was based on his MA Creative Writing dissertation).

He works as an English teacher at Tavistock College and leads MA modules on fiction writing at University of Plymouth.

Nnamdi Oguike – PhD Creative Writing
‘Title TBC: Writing a novel set in Nigeria, researching memory and oral traditions’
2023 – Present
Director of Studies: Professor David Sergeant

Rachel Gippetti
‘Title TBC: Writing a book of poetry, researching genetics and Jewishness’
2023 – Preseent
Director of Studies: Professor Anthony Caleshu

Kate Glew – PhD Creative Writing (Doctoral Teaching Assistant)
"The Smithfield Heretics"
Awarded 2023
Director of Studies: Professor Angela Smith

Russell Evans – PhD Creative Writing
"Diagrams of Disturbance: conceptual diagrams and the production of a personal diagram poetry"
Awarded 2022
Director of Studies: Professor Anthony Caleshu

Rosemarie Corlett – PhD Creative Writing
"Scars the Shape of Wings: Flightlessness, Superstition and Violence in the Story of the Great Auk"
Awarded 2022
Director of Studies: Dr Miriam Darlington

Ed Whitfield – PhD Creative Writing
"Safe Space: a novel and critical dissertation on fandom in contemporary science fiction"
2021–present
Director of Studies: Professor Anthony Caleshu

Christopher Cook – PhD on the Basis of Prior Published Works in Interdisciplinary Art and Design
2021–present
Director of Studies: Professor Anthony Caleshu

Robert Parsons – PhD Creative Writing
"The Backward School: A memoir and critical dissertation on the care system in contemporary creative non-fiction"
2021–present
Director of Studies: Professor Anthony Caleshu

Emma George – PhD Creative Writing
"Stampy, Bringing the World of Philately into Disrepute: a memoir and critical dissertation on familial transgression in contemporary creative non-fiction"
2021–present
Director of Studies: Dr Miriam Darlington

Olivia Templeton – PhD Creative Writing
"The Amateur Detective: a novel and a critical dissertation on gender, class and websleuths in contemporary crime fiction"
2021–present
Director of Studies: Dr David Sergeant

Tracey Guiry – PhD Creative Writing
"Time-travellers and Storytellers: Dementia in Children’s Literature"
Awarded 2021
Director of Studies: Professor Angela Smith

Sam Kemp – PhD Creative Writing
"A Book of Poems, and a Dissertation on Contemporary Radical Landscape Poetry"
Awarded 2021
Director of Studies: Professor Anthony Caleshu

Chris Savery – PhD Creative Writing
"1588: A playscript, and critical dissertation on contemporary historical verse plays"
2020–present
Director of Studies: Dr Peter Hinds

Jamie Edgecombe – PhD Creative Writing
"Bone Painting, a novel, and a Dissertation on Ekphrastic Possibilities in Modern Japanese Fiction"
Awarded 2020
Director of Studies: Professor Anthony Caleshu

Peter Hitchens – PhD Creative Writing
"Daniel: A novel and critical dissertation on boyhood and the care system in contemporary fiction"
2019–present
Director of Studies: Professor Anthony Caleshu

Ivan Pope – PhD Creative Writing
"My Auschwitz State of Mind: a memoir with dissertation on the production of a text from fragments"
2019–present (viva pending)
Director of Studies: Dr Phil Smith

Ellie Walsh – PhD Creative Writing
"Birds with Wolf Hearts, a Collection of Poetry, and a Critical Introduction to Contemporary Nepalese Women's Poetry"
Awarded 2019
Director of Studies: Professor Anthony Caleshu

Eloise Wales – PhD Creative Writing
"Travel Writing around Islands, and a Dissertation on Writing the Anthropocene"
2016–present
Director of Studies: Professor Anthony Caleshu

Helen Chamberlain – PhD Creative Writing
"Three Novellas, and a Dissertation on Early Modern American Fiction"
2015–present
Director of Studies: Professor Anthony Caleshu

Tom Vowler – PhD Creative Writing
"That Dark Remembered Day: A Novel, and Dissertation on Trauma in Contemporary Fiction"
Awarded 2016
Director of Studies: Professor Anthony Caleshu

Peter Gillies – PhD Creative Writing
"Poems to the Sea and Painterly Poetics: Charles Olson, Robert Creeley, and Cole Swensen"
Awarded 2016
Director of Studies: Professor Anthony Caleshu

Jonathan Wooding – PhD Creative Writing
"An Atheist’s Prayer-Book: A Book of Poetry and a Critical Study on Geoffrey Hill and Religious Influence"
Awarded 2015
Director of Studies: Professor Anthony Caleshu

Nicola Johnson – PhD Creative Writing
"Earhart County, a Novel, and a Dissertation on ‘The Making of a Wondertale’."
Awarded 2012
Director of Studies: Professor Anthony Caleshu

Maria Capelo – PhD Creative Writing
"All Over the Place: A Novel, Followed by Critical Commentary on my Creative Work and Paul Auster’s Fiction"
Awarded 2011
Director of Studies: Professor Anthony Caleshu

Lucy Durneen – PhD Creative Writing
"Everything Beautiful is Far Away, a novel with a critical dissertation"
Awarded 2011
Director of Studies: Professor Angela Smith