Author joins Wolverhampton University as new writer in residence
A published author is joining University of Wolverhampton’s school of humanities as its new writer in residence.
Carmel Doohan has taken up a four-month residency helping creative writing and English literature and language students in their studies.
She has a degree in fine art from Nottingham Trent University, an MA in creative writing from Bath Spa University and was awarded a PhD from the University of Glasgow in 2019.
Carmel’s novel, Seesaw was published by CB editions in 2021.
"I am excited to join the team at Wolverhampton," she said.
"I am helping to edit an anthology of work by writers from Ukraine and the West Midlands and will be producing a piece of creative non-fiction in response to the project.
"I am also delivering creative writing masterclasses and offering tutorials to students and researchers."
Her current research takes place alongside her second novel, which focuses on England’s industrial and post-industrial histories.
Set across repurposed industrial sites near where she lives in the Derbyshire Dales, the multi-generational novel uses the layered, contradictory histories of these sites to unpack competing English ideologies.
Bas Groes, professor of English literature at the university, said: “We are delighted to welcome Carmel to the humanities team, bringing real-world expertise inside the classroom to inspire our literary students.
“Carmel will be supporting our creative and professional writing students as well as also helping with recruitment activities.
"She will also be writing a 3,000-word piece of creative non-fiction for a new book that the school of humanities is working on with 10 Ukrainian writers and with 10 writers from the West Midlands.”
Report by Alia McDonald
