Please see the table at the end of this page for the full list of abbreviations.
Click here for more information about NATE sessions.
8.00am – 9.00am
Registration | Grosvenor Foyer (MMU)
9:15am – 10:30am
| Session | Location |
|---|---|
| HODS Session Heads of Department meeting to discuss shared challenges and strategic priorities. | Grosvenor G.11 Theatre |
| Manchester Poetry Library Tour Guided visit to the newly opened Manchester Poetry Library collection. | Manchester Poetry Library |
| ★ NATE: Poetry as Spoken Words (KS2/3) Workshop exploring spoken word poetry in classroom settings. | Grosvenor 4.05 |
| Diversifying the Canon (KS 1-5) Approaches to broadening reading lists across all key stages. | Grosvenor 4.08 |
| Place Writing as Practice-Based Research: Memory Exploring memory and place in creative writing methodologies. | Grosvenor 4.06 |
| Belonging: Creative Writing, Pastoral Care, and Precarity How creative writing can support student wellbeing in uncertain times. | Grosvenor 3.01 |
| Literature and Histories Examining the relationship between literary texts and historical understanding. | Grosvenor 3.02 |
| Exploring Truths, Exploding Tropes: Memoir, Literature, and Lies in an Age of Uncertainty Cross-genre panel on authenticity, truth-telling, and literary deception. | Grosvenor 3.13 |
| Representing Manchester: Designing and Delivering a First Year Mandatory Core Unit Case study in place-based curriculum design at MMU. | Grosvenor 4.04 |
10:45am – 12:00pm
Plenary Session | Geoffrey Manton Lecture Theatre One (MMU)
(Back of GM Atrium, Downstairs)
The Case for Culture: English Studies and the Levelling Up Agenda
A major plenary discussion examining the role of English Studies in addressing regional inequalities and the cultural dimensions of the levelling-up agenda, with contributions from scholars working across different regions and institutional contexts.
University English Book Prize Announcement
The University English annual Book Prize for the best scholarly book by an early-career academic in English Studies.
12:15pm – 1:30pm
| Session | Location |
|---|---|
| ★ The State of Secondary English and the Shape of Things to Come Discussion of current challenges and opportunities in secondary English education. | Grosvenor G.11 Theatre |
| Manchester City of Literature: Khalil Sherif panel A discussion featuring writers and cultural practitioners from Manchester's literary scene. | Manchester Poetry Library |
| ★ NATE: Primary Workshop Hands-on workshop for primary English teaching practitioners. | Grosvenor 3.01 |
| "Food for Well Being": An Interactive Workshop Exploring the connections between food, creativity, and wellbeing. | Grosvenor 3.02 |
| Encouraging Creative Practice in the Classroom, on Stage, and on Screen Multimedia approaches to fostering creativity in educational settings. | Grosvenor 3.09 |
| English Literature, Community Engagement, and Widening Participation Strategies for making English Studies accessible to diverse communities. | Grosvenor 3.13 |
| Contemporary Fiction: Irish Sporting Stories, Subcultures, and Literary Craft Exploring sport and subculture in contemporary Irish writing. | Grosvenor 4.04 |
| Teaching Writing: Precepts, Well-Being, and Pedagogy Research on the relationship between writing instruction and student welfare. | Grosvenor 4.01 |
| Conversational English Studies: A Roundtable Open discussion on interdisciplinary approaches within English Studies. | Grosvenor 4.05 |
| Narrative Teaching: Shūji as a Resource Cross-cultural perspectives on narrative pedagogy. | Grosvenor 4.07 |
| Extinction Rebellions: The Environment, Civil Disobedience, and English Children's Literature Environmental themes in children's and young adult literature. | Grosvenor 4.06 |
2:00pm – 3:15pm
| Session | Location |
|---|---|
| E:SF Salon: In Conversation with Featured Speakers An intimate salon-style discussion with key conference contributors. | Manchester Poetry Library |
| Quality Assurance Agency: Subject Benchmark Statement for English Discussion of the revised QAA benchmark statement and its implications for the discipline. | Grosvenor G.11 Theatre |
| ★ NATE: KS3/5 Workshop Practical workshop for teachers working at Key Stages 3 and 5. | Grosvenor 3.01 |
| NAWE: PhD & HE Network Meeting Networking session for creative writing researchers and educators. | Grosvenor 3.02 |
| Writing Ambiguous Encounters Creative writing panel on ambiguity, uncertainty, and the unsaid. | Grosvenor 3.09 |
| New Directions in Irish Studies (II) Continuing exploration of contemporary Irish literary criticism. | Grosvenor 3.13 |
| Surveying the Contemporary Gothic New research on Gothic fiction, its adaptations, and cultural resonance. | Grosvenor 4.04 |
| The Renaissance of Public Engagement (GRS) How English departments are renewing their commitment to public scholarship. | Grosvenor 4.05 |
| GCSE in Natural History: Opportunities for English Studies Exploring cross-curricular connections between English and natural history. | Grosvenor 4.06 |
| Future Thinking Speculative and futures-oriented approaches to English Studies research. | Grosvenor 4.07 |
| Comedy in the Classroom: Teaching Comedy, Humour, and Satire Pedagogical approaches to teaching comic forms across education levels. | Grosvenor 4.08 |
3:30pm – 4:45pm
| Session | Location |
|---|---|
| UNESCO: Manchester City of Literature A session exploring Manchester's status as a UNESCO City of Literature. | Grosvenor G.11 Theatre |
| Poetry as a Tool for Learning and Attainment Research on the role of poetry in supporting broader educational outcomes. | Grosvenor 3.01 |
| ★ NAWE: Creativity for Critical Thinking Workshop exploring how creative writing fosters analytical skills. | Grosvenor 4.05 |
| Manchester Voices A celebration of Manchester's diverse literary and spoken word traditions. | Grosvenor 4.08 |
| Shakespeare Adaptations and Creative Criticality: Pedagogical Practice Across Sectors Collaborative panel on Shakespeare teaching from secondary to higher education. | Grosvenor 3.13 |
| The Case for Creative Writing in a STEAM Curriculum Arguments for integrating creative writing with STEM subjects. | Grosvenor 3.09 |
| Transnational Literatures Reading and teaching literature across national and linguistic boundaries. | Grosvenor 4.04 |
| Walking into Place: A Terracotta View of Manchester Creative walking tour exploring the city's architectural and literary heritage. | Meeting Point: 70 Oxford Road |
5:00pm – 6:15pm
| Session | Location |
|---|---|
| C21 Literature: Journal Relaunch Celebrating the relaunch of C21 Literature, a peer-reviewed journal for twenty-first century literary studies. | Grosvenor 3rd Floor Social Space |
| Poetry Record Club at Manchester Poetry Library An informal gathering combining poetry reading and vinyl listening. | Manchester Poetry Library |
| English Association Showcase: Practice to Interface Book Launch Launch event for a new publication bridging theory and practice. | Grosvenor 3rd Floor Social Space |
| ★ NATE: NATE Needs You! Session on how teachers can get involved with the National Association for the Teaching of English. | Grosvenor 4.05 |
| Turning English into STEAM Practical workshop on integrating literature with science, technology, and mathematics. | Grosvenor G.11 Theatre |
| Poetry, Place, and Process: Exploring the Creative-Critical PhD Insights into hybrid creative-critical doctoral research in English Studies. | Grosvenor 4.06 |
7:30pm
E:SF Fringe Finale | Grosvenor Auditorium (G.17)
A celebratory closing event featuring readings, performances, and music from conference participants and Manchester-based artists.
Abbreviations
| Universities | Organisations | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| KCL | King's College London | BACS | British Association for Contemporary Studies |
| MAHE | Manipal Academy of Higher Education | BAMS | British Association for Modernist Studies |
| MMU | Manchester Metropolitan University | BAVS | British Association for Victorian Studies |
| NUI | National University of Ireland | BSECS | British Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies |
| OU | Open University | BSLS | British Society for Literature and Science |
| QMUL | Queen Mary University of London | HODS | Heads of Department |
| QUB | Queen's University Belfast | IES | Institute of English Studies |
| SAS | School of Advanced Study | MUP | Manchester University Press |
| UCD | University College Dublin | NATE | National Association for the Teaching of English |
| UCL | University College London | NAWE | National Association of Writers in Education |
| UEA | University of East Anglia | REF | Research Excellence Framework |
| SRS | Society for Renaissance Studies | ||
| UNESCO | UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation | ||
| YRUOSI | York Research Unit for the Study of Ibsen |