Ali Sharman
- Title
- PhD student | English & Creative Writing
- Location
- CBA2.059
Biography
I graduated with a First Class Bachelors degree in English Literature from Durham University in 2007. Initially, I worked in content writing and marketing in London, then lived abroad for several years, teaching English as a foreign language. On my return to the UK, I undertook a PGCE in English Teaching at Keele before teaching in secondary schools for ten years. In 2022, I returned to Keele to pursue my passion for writing and research, beginning my PhD in Creative Writing part-time. Alongside my research, I am the author of short stories and poetry that have been published online and in print. I am also the author of 'The Gestapo's Most Wanted: The White Mouse,' a work of literary non-fiction about the life of SOE Agent Nancy Wake, published by Pen & Sword books in January 2026. I am also a session tutor in Humanities at Keele.
Research and scholarship
My research comprises two components: the critical thesis and creative practice. The critical thesis explores the concept of crisis. I examine our contemporary world of crisis since 2000 and compare and contrast it with the late Modernist period through the lens of literary texts. These case studies include the short stories of Elizabeth Bowen and the novella 'Summerwater' by Sarah Moss. The creative component of my thesis is a short story collection, consisting of 15 diverse short stories that consider both the world of crisis around us and the personal crises of the characters. In this way, I explore the impact of crisis on the individual and the whole.
Collaborations and grants awards
I have presented my research at a range of conferences, including 'Ecopoetics and Environmental Aesthetics' (hosted by the LABRC at Kew Gardens) and the National Association for Writers in Education. I am the author of articles published by EMC Magazine and a co-author of 'Ecopoetic encounters: unsettling anthropocentric assumptions via constraint-based anthologethnography' published in New Writing: The International Journal for the Practice and Theory of Creative Writing.
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
CBA1.017
Chancellor’s Building
Keele University
Staffordshire
ST5 5AA
Tel: +44 (0) 1782 733109
Email: humss.office@keele.ac.uk
Head of School
Professor Siobhan Talbott
Room: CBA1.025
Tel: +44 (0) 1782 733464
Email: s.talbott@keele.ac.uk
School and college outreach
Tel: +44 (0) 1782 734009
Email: outreach@keele.ac.uk
