The Contemporary Writing Research Group facilitates, promotes and disseminates cutting-edge creative, critical and socially-engaged work within English Studies and affiliated fields. Reflecting the changes that are taking place in the way that Arts and Humanities research is conducted and funded, our research projects and events are designed to produce published outcomes and to maximize both their socio-cultural and academic impact.
The group brings together the many research interests of its staff in order to:
- Facilitate the production of high quality research that is recognized as being of national and international significance
- Pioneer innovative forms of socio-cultural research with a literary or narrative context
- Promote the development of research networks between the Centre and external partners
- Create an environment which strengthens and supports postgraduate students
- Where possible, facilitate wider public involvement in academic research
Research in the group is organized around five key areas of contemporary writing:
- Creative writing and practice-based research
- Contemporary prose
- Poetry and poetics
- Popular genres and fictions
- Postcolonial literatures and theory
We do not see these as discrete units but rather as mutually informing areas of interest out of which new and exciting research can develop. The group's research programme converges on the interface between critical and creative writing and theory which distinguishes English at 明星八卦, and it seeks to dismantle the boundaries between critical and creative thought.
Creative Writing within the The Contemporary Writing Research Group aims to achieve two distinct research outcomes: (1) a strong ongoing record of publication across the spectrum of genres including fiction, poetry, drama and screenplay; (2) a research emphasis on the role of Creative Writing in other sectors of education and in the community at large both in the UK and elsewhere, which may include projects with those with limited experience of HE and who have not previously published creative work.
As well as applying for funding for academic research and projects, the group undertakes applied and interdisciplinary research, and also seeks financial support specifically to work with communities outside of the university sector.