Salford PGR students

New publication for Xsara Helmi

We are very happy to share that Xsara Helmi, PhD Researcher with LAURA (The Leverhulme Trust Aural Diversity Research Doctoral Hub) funded by the Leverhulme Trust, has a forthcoming article in the Journal of Creative Research Methods (Vol. 2, Issue 1), published by Bristol University Press / Policy Press (May 2026; early view late March 2026). Titled ‘HOSPITAL NOISES: […]

The Writers’ Cafe exhibition in Chorlton

Doctoral researcher Lucy Power reports on the opening of an unusual exhibition devoted to a writer’s group in Chorlton, South Manchester… Shhh! The Chorlton Writers’ Cafe Library Exhibition There was a joyful atmosphere last Thursday evening at Chorlton Library, when members of the Chorlton Writers’ Cafe gathered to celebrate the launch of our first exhibition […]

New publications for Hannah Helm and colleagues

We are delighted to report that Hannah Helm has contributed a chapter to a new edited collection entitled Children’s Literature and Culture: An Introduction, published by Routledge. You can find out more about the publication here. We are also happy to share news of an article that Hannah co-authored with other University of Salford staff and […]

Major International Award for Valerie Waterhouse

We are overjoyed to announce that our PhD candidate Valerie Waterhouse has won the inaugural Kitty Kelley dissertation fellowship, worth $25,000! Valerie received the award for her research on the often-overlooked Northern working-class writer, Malachi Whitaker (1895–1976). Her thesis comprises a literary biography of Malachi Whitaker (1895–1976), with a critical reflection on biographical processes. The […]

2025 ANNUAL ENGLISH RESEARCH DAY

We are delighted to report that on Wednesday 11 June we held our annual research event at the Friends Meeting House in central Manchester. We had eight presenters throughout the day – in panels of two – with a 50:50 balance between our postgraduate researchers and staff researchers, and a keen and engaged audience. As […]

Xsara Helmi at Sacred Arts

PhD researcher Xsara Helmi recently presented at the transdisciplinary conference Sacred Arts 2025: Exploring the Spiritual Dimensions of Artistic Expression and Ritual, hosted by the London Arts-Based Research Centre at the University of Oxford, as part of the Sacred Soundscapes section. Her paper, The Numinous Ear: Autistic Listening and Aural Diversity as a Gateway to the Divine and Sublime, […]

Lucy Power to speak at the Manchester Festival of Libraries

Postgraduate researcher Lucy Power will be speaking about her research into writers’ groups with a talk at Chorlton Library as part of the Manchester Festival of Libraries on Thursday 5th June from 6-8pm. Lucy’s presentation is based on her experience with editing the anthology The Writers’ Table which emerged from the Chorlton Writers’ Café, run […]

New conference presentation by Elsie Unsworth

We are delighted to confirm that postgraduate researcher Elsie Unsworth will be speaking about her research at the International Postgraduate Conference on Irish Studies in Prague this September. The theme of the conference will be ‘Voices from the Margins: Ireland Seen and Unseen’. Elsie is undertaking research on contemporary Irish folklore and the ways that […]

Award and new publication for Alex Herod

We are delighted to report that postgraduate researcher Alex Herod has just published her first academic article in the journal Studies in the Fantastic. The piece is entitled ‘Survival and Recovery: Addiction and the Therapeutic Potential of Horror Writing.’ The publication came about from Alex’s presentation at the Horror Studies Now conference at Northumbria University […]