English Literature & Creative Writing at Lancaster University

Congratulations to our DLMA in creative writing graduate Dr Rachel Sargeant on the publication of her thriller, An Ordinary House, next month.

I was delighted to find an advance copy in my university pigeon hole, with a card from Rachel. I wrote Rachel's PhD application reference to the university of Birmingham a few years ago, and her novel, which is already part of Waterstones September promotion, formed her CW thesis!

Keep us posted Rachel on your publication and book events.

An Ordinary House is published September 3rd. ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

We are honoured to award Bill Swainson an honorary doctorate of literature!

Bill Swainson is an editor with more than fifty years of experience in publishing, and an unflappable champion of the arts. His career is defined by massive international scope, made local. He has done this as an editor of literary translation, making some of the most important books of our time available in English. He has used his international experience and clout to build , Lancaster's literature festival, into a truly impressive event, attracting writers from across the globe. During his career, he has worked with many renowned global writers including W.G. Sebald, Mourid Barghouti, Javier Cercas, Juan Gabriel Vásquez, Judith Schalansky and Delphine de Vigan. He still takes the time to help our students, giving them experience of working with these writers, developing their own skills in arts events and management.

In his acceptance speech, Bill said:

'Right now the value of the Humanities is being questioned. But if I were asked ‘What use was my English degree?’ I would say straight out that it taught me to think, it gave me three years to get a grounding in the literature I wanted to be a part of, and it gave me the critical tools I needed to find the books and authors I would go on to publish.'

English Literature and Creative Writing are very grateful for Bill’s ongoing dedication to new writing. 🥰🥰🥰

This week, we were honoured to present renowned, award-winning science-fiction author Anne Charnock with an honorary doctorate. Anne's work explores everything from ectogenesis to immigration and climate catastrophe, and we're super excited for her new historical eco-fiction novel, Alston Moor, coming later this year!

In the photo we have Dr Oliver Langmead (minus his cap) who orated at the ceremony. He highlighted the importance of Anne's work in engaging with the climate and climate catastrophe. Next to Ollie is Dr Anne Charnock, and Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Rebecca Lingwood.

it was an honour!

We have one more honorary doctorate to share with you in the next few days...

The Morecambe Bay Fringe Festical starts this week! And inspired by Zoe Lambert's foray into solos shows, our lecturer Kamilla Elliott has written and will be performing (with fear and trepidation) a one-hour autobiographical solo show at this year's Morecambe Bay Fringe Festival.

TITLE: 'Todd, God, and Me: Scenes from a 3-Way Marriage’

Part farce, part tragedy, it’s based on her journals (1978-1987) and probes the impact fundamentalist Christian doctrines on a young woman navigating courtship, marriage, pregnancy, childbirth, and devastating betrayal, complete with stuffed husband and audience participation.

TWO PERFORMANCE DATES:

Thursday 23 July, West End Playhouse, Morecambe at 18:30

Saturday 1 August, Royal Station Hotel, Carnforth, 16:30

You can book your tickets for this show and over 70 other shows at Morecambe Bay Fringe Festival between 20th July and 9th August on
www.skiddle.com/g/morecambe-fringe-festival/

We are so excited to see this! And who will be next in our department to venture forth into solo shows?!

Congratulations to all our students graduating this week. We are super proud of you and what you have achieved. We hope you have many happy memories of studying . Make sure you stay in touch and share all your future glories with us.

xx EL & CW.

Photo taken at our May Gathering, with students from across our programmes. Photo credited to Vaisnavi Yogarasa.

Our lecturer, Eoghan Walls, publishes his third collection of poetry this week. Elsa and the Wolfman is a duet, told from the perspective of father and infant, as they navigate a world of fairy tale beasts and dark political rhetoric.

He has already saved one life with it, when he used it to lift a caterpillar to the bushes. He suspects it is a hawk-moth. (See second photo!)

Congratulations Eoghan!

Congratulations to Italo Ferrante who won Northern Promise Award in June 2026 with their poetry manuscript in progress Monster, Together. The collection examines q***r trauma through horror films and gothic motifs.

After graduating from our MA programme in Creative Writing, they worked on their Creative Writing PhD on trauma studies, autoethnography, and mixed-media memoir between 2023 and 2026. They have been a regular presence in the spoken word scene in Manchester since 2022. Their poetry has been published in prestigious journals like Bath Magg, Ink Sweat and Tears, B O D Y, Aftershock Review, and The Metaphysical Review. They have been tutoring creative writing at Manchester Metropolitan University and Edge Hill University since 2024.e

Incoming! Photos from A Maternal Exorcism performed by Zoe Lambert at The Fanatic Salon in L.A this week after a performance at The Filming Station in Nashville.

This solo show was written and developed last year, and has also been performed in Montreal as well as Morecambe and Lancaster.

Cute facts - the Fanatic Salon is a theatre converted from a hair salon and The Filming Station is a converted gas station.

The Creative Writing Master's Anthology 2026 is officially published!

Big thank you to the work from the editorial team: Ruby Bond, Shannon Daniel, Frith Falk, Chenshuo Wang and Rebecca Clarke.

‘New ground, old ground, memories, experimentation. This is the excitement of writing and reading new work…’ - Tajinder Hayer Singh.

The end of the world. Alien cats. Modelling clay as a snack.

Through portals to new worlds, we travel boats and strange dreams to discover dark fairytale retellings, gothic poetry, and a multitude of new writing voices. From surrealist neurodivergent experiences and historical fiction, to ghost stories and fantastical journeys—our authors bend the limits of imagination.

A collection of poetry and prose from eighteen MA/PhD Creative Writing students at Lancaster University, this anthology blurs the boundaries and creates its own: Isabel Robinson, Millie Percival, Shannon Daniels, Simon Dooley, Frith Falk, Daphne Lan, Reb Clarke, Yixiao Mo, Zak Edmondson, Pete Hardy, Giulia Del Bo, Ruby Bond, Jaime Abad, James Grey, Chenshuo Wang, Lynda Edwards, Catherine Knowelden and Laura Swan.






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You can buy your e-book or paperback from Amazon!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0H5WNN3FM/ref=sw_img_1?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&psc=1

Congratulations to our PhD student . Her new book, THIS PARTY'S DEAD, is out now!

By the time Erica Buist's father-in-law Chris was discovered upstairs in his bed, he had been dead for over a week. Navigating her own grief and realisation that anyone can suddenly die without warning, she noticed something startling: almost everyone she knew clammed up at the mere mention of death.

Why, she wondered, can't we talk about life's only certainty?

Starting with Mexico's Day of the Dead, Erica set off around the world on a trip to seven death festivals - to Nepal, Sicily, Thailand, Japan and Indonesia, among others - determined to understand how other cultures deal with mortal terror.

From sugar skulls in Mexico to dancing corpses in Madagascar, This Party's Dead seeks to understand those who celebrate rather than shy away from the topic of death - and how when this acceptance is passed down through the generations, death suddenly doesn't seem so scary after all."

Follow for more on her publishing experience. Congratulations!