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Catherine WIlcox

Lecturer in English and Creative Writing, Manchester Metropolitan University

I am a teacher of Creative Writing here at Man Met and an author of seven novels; a memoir about my quest to get a judo black belt, and a series of humorous books about the Church of England.
Teaching Creative Writing is the art of striking a balance between the critical and the creative. I aim to develop critical thought through close engagement with texts whilst letting students suspend their ‘inner critic.’

I spend my time collaborating with critical colleagues in reading and writing for children and Young Adults; Narrative Theology and Writing about Relationships . I also explore new formats for publishing fiction, e.g. The Novel as a blog (I recently wrote a partly crowd-sourced trilogy of novels in weekly blog instalments). I’m a passionate judo player and cathedral junkie. I’ve recently moved to Sheffield and am enjoying the vibrancy this city has to offer.

Why do I teach?
My work as a novelist is to create new worlds and invite the reader into them. Teaching Creative Writing at Manchester Met is all about helping students to discover their own new fictional worlds, to explore them, then hone their writing skills until that world and its characters are as vivid to the reader as the writer. After that, we look outward towards the ever-evolving world of publishing.

Words of wisdom
Read, read, read. Live in your own head and inhabit the world of your fiction obsessively. A course in Creative Writing is licence to daydream.

Experience

  • –present
    Lecturer in English and Creative Writing, Manchester Metropolitan University