Our people

Jeanette Winterson is the Professor of New Writing at the Centre for New Writing. She wrote her first novel, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, when she was 23 and since then has published more than a dozen books.

Gareth Gavin is the Director of the Centre for New Writing and  Senior Lecturer in Critical Theory and Creative Writing. Gareth's experimental novel Midland / A Novel Out of Time was shortlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize 2015, and his second novel Never Was was shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize.

Jason Allen-Paisant is a Professor of Critical Theory and Creative Writing. He is the author of Théâtre dialectique postcolonial (Classiques Garnier), Engagements with Aimé Césaire (Oxford University Press, 2023), and two volumes of poetry — Thinking with Trees and Self-Portrait as Othello- both published by Carcanet Press.

Luke Brown is a Senior Lecturer and the author of the novels My Biggest Lie (2014), Theft (2020) and Between Us (2028) and has had short fiction published in the White Review, Mal, London Magazine and The Fence.

He arranges the Centre for New Writing's programme of visiting speakers from the publishing industry and book world, and runs the centre's module on Publishing: History, Theory, Practice. He reviews books for the Financial Times, London Review of Books, Times Literary Supplement and New Statesman.

Horatio Clare is an author, journalist, and Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing. He has published a dozen books for children and adults, ranging from memoir and travel to short stories and novellas.

Vona Groarke is a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the Centre for New Writing. She joined the Creative Writing team in 2007 after graduating from Trinity College, Dublin and previously worked in the United States and Norway. Since 2025, she has been the Ireland Professor of Poetry.

Jonathan Hourigan is a screenwriter, script consultant and educator. He joined the Centre for New Writing in September 2022 as Programme Director for MA Screenwriting.

Frances Leviston is a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the Centre for New Writing. She has published two collections of poetry and a book of short stories and has been shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize, the International Dylan Thomas Award, and the BBC National Short Story Award.

John McAuliffe is a Professor in Modern Literature and Creative Writing., . He was one of the founders of Creative Manchester, and is now Associate Vice-President Cultural Portfolio. His main interests are in poetry, creative writing, contemporary literature and Irish Studies.

A Professor of American Literature and Creative Writing and former Co-Director of the Centre. He has published four novels and a critical monograph on Richard Ford. His novel The North Water was adapted into a BBC TV series starring Colin Farrell.

Dr Kaye Mitchell is a Senior Lecturer in Contemporary Literature.  Her interests are in modern and contemporary literature, literary theory, gender and sexuality studies, and experimental writing by women.

Chloë Moss is an accomplished playwright and screenwriter and a Lecturer in Screenwriting. She has written extensively for theatre and television and is currently working on a teen drama for CBBC.

In 2017, Carmen Nasr was a winner of the Channel 4 Playwrights' Scheme, on which she was attached to the Finborough Theatre, where her play DUBAILAND previously premiered.

Tim Price joined the Centre for New Writing in 2015. He is a screenwriter and playwright, with television credits on some of the largest, longest-running series, including EastEnders, Holby City, Casualty and Doctors.

Beth Underdown is a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the Centre for New Writing. She is the author of two historical novels: The Witchfinder's Sister (2017) and The Key in the Lock (2022).

Dr Geoff Ryman is an Honorary Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the Centre for New Writing. He has won 15 awards for his books and stories. Geoff also helped lead the UK government onto the web, starting a web design team at the Central Office of Information in 1994.

Professor Michael Schmidt OBE FRSL is a poet, literary historian, translator and editor.