Creative writing research
Through our creative writing research we're exploring why people write, what they say, and how their meaning is conveyed. We're studying different kinds of writing, the benefits they can have on our wellbeing, and how political or social issues are discussed, represented and resolved through literature.
Research can take the form of factual reporting and international news coverage, or local community reporting. It also includes publication of fiction or performances of script and poetry.
Research in different aspects of the entertainment industry such as film production or fan cultures is also carried out by our researchers, who are both practitioners with professional writing credits, and academics who publish articles about creative or cultural practice.
Our work is regularly published in Writing in Practice: The Journal of Creative Writing Research, as well as New Writing: The International Journal for the Practice and Theory of Creative Writing.
Our research topics
- Contemporary fiction
- Historical fiction
- Life-writing/memoir
- Play writing
- Poetry
- Fantasy
- Postmodernism
- Feminism
We use qualitative research methods, which include reading, viewing, discussing with peers or interviewing participants; studying archives or devising new techniques through practice-led research.
Collaborations and funders
Over the past decade, we've linked with Creative Writing departments nationally through systems of external examining and conference attendance. Members of our team are invited to speak, assess and collaborate in journalism, media and creative writing projects at universities and professional bodies countrywide and overseas.
We've received funding from the EU for our Pontoon and Derma projects, faculty seed funding for our innovation projects, and have made applications for grants to the BA/Leverhulme.
Current projects
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Supernatural Cities
Supernatural Cities is an interdisciplinary network of humanities and creative industries scholars based at the University of Portsmouth. It explores the relationship between the imagination and urban environments, especially aspects of the supernatural, the Gothic, folklore, and storytelling. It operates at the overlap between scholarly and creative practices.
Podcast | Life Solved: Saving Seasides – Why Countries Need Coastal Communities
In this episode, we take a look at seaside towns.
Discover our areas of expertise
Creative writing is one of our two areas of research expertise in Journalism, Communication & Creative Writing – explore the other area below.
Journalism and media writing
We're researching the impact of journalism and media on society, and the role it plays in shaping how we understand politics, social justice, human rights and civic engagement.
Interested in a PhD in Journalism, Communication and Creative Writing?
Browse our postgraduate research degrees - including PhDs and MPhils - at our Journalism, Communication and Creative Writing postgraduate research degrees page.