English Language and Literature

Creative Writing and English Literature at Bath Spa University have a deep and meaningful interdisciplinary relationship with one another, in which creative and critical practice are directly and vitally linked.

This enables a kind of innovative, rigorous, and socially engaged praxis that can be seen in individual research outputs and impact, collaboration through research centres and beyond, externally funded research projects, and coherent strategic planning across this research area.

The symbiosis between creative and critical practice is a distinctive feature of our individual outputs, research environment, and research impact, as is our commitment to producing innovative, rigorous and socially engaged research. This has enabled us to extend and consolidate our position as research leaders in areas such as:

• creative writing
• ecocriticism
• gothic studies
• writing for young people
• history of the book and
• digital writing and criticism.

Our approach to research impact builds on our extensive and substantial track record of public outreach. But it extends well beyond readings, lectures, and performances to demonstrate how creative writers and literary scholars are often uniquely placed to shape how individuals apprehend and articulate the complexities of their own lived experience.

Our shared commitment to the interrelationships between creative and critical practice has enabled us to develop distinctive and nuanced dialogues with communities outside of the university. These qualities were evidenced in the 2014 impact submission, but the case studies highlighted here demonstrate how our understanding and management of impact has improved in sophistication and effect.

Related research centres

• Centre for Cultural and Creative Industries (Strategic)
• Bath Spa Creative Writing Research Centre
• Empathy and Writing Research Group
• Making Books Research: Creativity, Print Culture and Digital Research Centre 
• Research Centre for Mental Health, Wellbeing and Creativity.