Jennifer Cavanagh

My PhD examines the effect of the writing environment on the writer and the subsequent impact on what is written. I have written a short story collection in a variety of spaces, both local and international.

The key themes and foci of the collection are narrative perspective, liminal fantasy, the uncanny, separation and mistaken or altered perception. The autoethnography which reflects on the stories, the spaces and the relationship between the two, does so through the lenses of situationism, psychogeography, affect theory and hauntology. Also examined are the effect and presentation of belonging and not belonging, degree of familiarity, isolation and nostalgia.

My MA focussed on writer identity, short fiction, ethnography and Creative Writing pedagogy. My action research project was a qualitative study of fostering positive attitudes to writing in both formal and non-traditional writing spaces and workshops, from the classroom to the British Library and Ministry of Stories. My thesis was a triptych of short stories exploring identity, narrative perspective and the internal versus external.

I contributed the paper, ‘Limiting Space: Expanding Research’ to 'Doing Arts Research in a Pandemic' for The Cultural Capital Exchange. I will be the presiding officer of the panel, ‘Short Fiction: The City Speaks. How Should We Answer?’ at the PAMLA 2020 Conference and presented the paper, ‘A Room of One’s Own. So, How Did She Get In?’ at the Fantasy, Horror and the Supernatural panel of PAMLA 2019. I delivered the talk, ‘How Does the Space Create the Text?’ at the 2020 Merseyside International Women’s Day Research Café and my prose poem ‘Next Time’ formed part of 'Above Us Only Stars.'

I have been a guest lecturer on both BA and MA Creative Writing programmes, as well as participating in PhD Creative Writing workshops and organising online sessions.

Beyond academia, I have extensive experience of teaching in secondary schools, am an A level and GCSE examiner and curated the ‘Women of the Future’ workshops for the Feminism in London 2015 Conference.

Languages

Spanish; Castilian
French

Degrees

2016, Goldsmiths University of London, United Kingdom, MA Writer/Teacher
2002, Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom, MA Journalism
2002, Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom, PGCE MFL
2000, University of Leeds, United Kingdom, BA Joint Hons English and Spanish

Academic appointments

Sessional Creative Writing Lecturer, Liverpool John Moores University, 2020 - present