English Literature and Creative Writing

About English Literature and Creative Writing at Lancaster 

The department is home to an innovative and exciting research community that welcomes postgraduate students, visiting scholars and researchers and world-renowned distinguished visiting professors.  

Our specialism is in cutting-edge, interdisciplinary work where critical questions are explored through traditional and creative means. The dynamic relationship between the two disciplines of English Literary Studies and Creative Writing results in a range of publications, performances, digital projects and community engagement events and a range of opportunities for students at all levels to get involved in what we do. 

Our diverse range of research interests is represented though nine named research clusters that span a range of time periods, themes and genres: 

• Creative writing 
• Creative-critical writing 
• Digital humanities 
• Gothic and science fiction 
• Literature and Religion 
• Literature, Science and Medicine 
• Literature, Space and Place 
• Literature, the Arts, Media and Performance 
• Transcultural Writing 

PhD English Literature 

We welcome applications from students with research interests in any area of literature. We have an exciting and diverse community of academics and researchers. Our research is uniquely shaped by the juxtaposition of the critical and the creative and by our location in the historic city of Lancaster, with its medieval castle and the nearby Lake District, home of Romanticism. 

PhD Creative Writing 

We host a thriving international and transcultural community of PhD students working across a range of literary genres and research projects. We have particular supervisory strengths in:

• contemporary poetry
• long fiction
• short fiction
• creative-critical writing
• creative nonfiction

Many of our PhD students work on projects that explore a sense of place, conflict, cultural tensions and synergies. Both distance and campus students meet in termly Works in Progress sessions conducted virtually and supported by supervision. 

Distance learning 

Our pioneering virtual learning and research facilities means you can study by distance learning from anywhere in the world.  

Course study environment 

Because our research is at the heart of the department, it results in stimulating research-led courses for postgraduate students, a lively event and seminars programme and an ethos of supporting the emerging research interests of students through postgraduate conferences, creative writing showcase events and a range of student-led publications. 

Postgraduate training 

PhD researchers can enrol on the Faculty of Arts and Social Science’s Research Training Programme (RTP). This programme is designed to help you considerably with aspects of your research, from design to data collection and analysis, to writing up and successfully defending your thesis. 

Partner organisations 

We enjoy close and productive links with the Ruskin Library and Research Centre, The Wordsworth Centre, Lancaster Literature Festival and the Kendal Comics Festival, and are home to the Centre for Transcultural Writing and Research.