Personal statement

Gerard Woodward is a novelist, poet and short story writer, best known for his trilogy of novels concerning the troubled Jones family, the second of which I’ll Go To Bed at Noon, was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. He has also been shortlisted for the Whitbread Award and twice for the T.S.Eliot Prize.

At Bath Spa, he works closely with Dr Tracy Brain, running the Creative Writing PhD programme, and he has supervised more than twenty PhD students. He also teaches on the MA course.

Academic qualifications

  • PGDip, Social Anthropology - University of Manchester
  • CertEd (FE) - University of Greenwich
  • BSc (Hons), Social Anthropology - London School of Economics

Professional memberships

  • Fellow - Royal Society of Literature
  • Member - Folio Academy

Other external roles

Gerard was a visiting lecturer at the University of Stockholm in 2013, and writer in residence at Columbia College Chicago during the first half of 2011, performing at their Story Week Festival. He has represented BSU at AWP conferences in Chicago, New York, Vancouver, Denver and Austin.

He has performed his work at many venues, most recently at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, the Cheltenham Literature Festival, The Bath Festival, The Manchester Literature Festival, The Cuirt Festival in Galway City and the Ilkley Festival.

In February 2005, he undertook a solo reading tour of Slovenia, sponsored by the British Council. He is a regular tutor for the Arvon Foundation, most recently teaching a fiction course with Diane Evans.

He also regularly tutors for the Oxford Summer School Programme (OUSSA). In 2006 he travelled to Amsterdam and Antwerp for launch of of Dutch edition of I'll Go To Bed at Noon.

Recent media appearances include a profile in The Guardian, a feature interview with Cressida Connolly in The Daily Telegraph, interview with Mariella Frostrup for Open Book (Radio 4) and Simon Mayo's Book Club (Radio 5 Live).

Teaching specialisms

  • Creative Writing (poetry, short stories, and the novel).

External examiners

  • Exeter University from 2013
  • Oxford University Department of Continuing Education, 2005-8, and from 2011
  • Goldsmiths College MA Creative Writing, 2006-2009
  • External examiner for PhD candidates in Royal Holloway 2012, Cardiff University 2013, Aberystwyth 2013 and University of South Wales 2014 
  • Member of review panel for York St John University joint honours BA in creative writing 2013.

Research and academic outputs

Go to ResearchSPAce

The vulture
book

Woodward, G (2022) The vulture. Picador, London. ISBN 9781529027709


The paper lovers
book

Woodward, G (2018) The paper lovers. Picador, London. ISBN 9781509847983


Legoland
book

Woodward, G (2017) Legoland. Picador, London. ISBN 9781447288695


Vanishing
book

Woodward, G (2014) Vanishing. Picador, London. ISBN 9780330518642


The seacunny
book

Woodward, G (2012) The seacunny. Picador, London. ISBN 9781447217428


Nourishment
book

Woodward, G (2010) Nourishment. Picador, London. ISBN 9780330518635


Caravan thieves
book

Woodward, G (2008) Caravan thieves. Chatto & Windus, London. ISBN 9780701177607


A Curious Earth
book

Woodward, G (2007) A Curious Earth. Chatto and Windus. ISBN 9780701179083


We were pedestrians
book

Woodward, G (2005) We were pedestrians. Chatto and Windus. ISBN 9780701178871


I'll go to bed at noon
book

Woodward, G (2004) I'll go to bed at noon. Chatto and Windus. ISBN 701171189


August
book

Woodward, G (2001) August. Chatto and Windus. ISBN 701171111


Island to island
book

Woodward, G (1999) Island to island. Chatto poetry . Chatto & Windus, London. ISBN 9780701168698


After the deafening
book

Woodward, G (1994) After the deafening. Chatto poetry series, Poetry book society choice . Chatto. ISBN 0701162716


Householder
book

Woodward, G (1991) Householder. Chatto poetry, Poetry book society choice . Chatto & Windus, London. ISBN 0701137584


Plath and food
book_section

Woodward, G (2019) 'Plath and food.' In: Brain, T, ed. Sylvia Plath in context. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 117-125. ISBN 9781108470131


The underhouse
book_section

Woodward, G (2008) 'The underhouse.' In: Eyre, S and Page, R, eds. The new uncanny. Comma Press, Manchester. ISBN 9781905583188


‘John Updike’, ‘Elizabeth Bowen’, ‘E.M. Forster’ and other entries
book_section

Woodward, G (2007) '‘John Updike’, ‘Elizabeth Bowen’, ‘E.M. Forster’ and other entries.' In: Daniel, L, ed. Books. The little black book . Cassell, London. ISBN 9781844035885


Lighthouse
book_section

Woodward, G (2004) 'Lighthouse.' In: Sweeney, M and Shapcott, J, eds. Emergency kit : poems for strange times. Faber and Faber, London, pp. 99-100. ISBN 9780571223008


A tray of ice cubes
book_section

Woodward, G (2003) 'A tray of ice cubes.' In: Page, R, ed. Hyphen. Comma Press, Manchester. ISBN 1857547314


Giant
book_section

Woodward, G (1999) 'Giant.' In: Paterson, D and Shapcott, J, eds. Last words. Picador, London.


'To a power station', Mevagissey bakery' and 'Mandrax'
book_section

Woodward, G (1993) ''To a power station', Mevagissey bakery' and 'Mandrax'.' In: Hulse, M, Kennedy, D and Morley, D, eds. The new poetry. Bloodaxe, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, pp. 302-306. ISBN 1852242442


Aspects of dwelling: an investigation into the role of domestic spaces in E.M. Forster’s 'Howards End' and its influence on my own writing
thesis

Woodward, G (2022) Aspects of dwelling: an investigation into the role of domestic spaces in E.M. Forster’s 'Howards End' and its influence on my own writing. PhD thesis, Bath Spa University.