CV
PhD Project
Experimental composition and form in twenty-first century queer feminist writing
Funded by a Graduate Teaching Assistantship, Keele University.
Supervised by Professor Oliver Harris (Keele University) and Professor Susan Billingham (University of Nottingham).
Education and Qualifications
2020
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Keele University
2019
Teaching Reflectively in Higher Education, Keele University
Module 1 in MA Higher Education Practice.
Awarded Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy status.
2018
Introduction to Teaching and Demonstrating, Keele University
Awarded certificate of completion.
2016
MA in English Literature, Keele University
This research was funded by a scholarship and fee waiver. I achieved a Distinction on every assignment, including a 15,000-word dissertation on trans representation and resistance to heteronormative culture in the poetry of Ely Shipley.
Awarded Distinction.
2015
BA in English and American Literature, Keele University
I produced a 12,000-word dissertation on representations of motherhood and women's resistance to patriarchal gender norms in the poetry of Anne Sexton, which received a First Class mark.
Awarded First Class Honours, Clare Coleman Memorial Prize, and King Alfred Award in Medieval English.
2013
Studied abroad for a semester at Oklahoma State University
Achieved a 4.0 GPA and earned a place on the President’s Honor Roll.
Employment and Experience
September 2020 – Present
Sessional Tutor in the School of English, Keele University
Designed and delivered fortnightly two-hour seminars on the following undergraduate modules: Reading Literature (core module) and Playing Parts: Studying Drama and Poetry. Provided constructive feedback during seminars, one-to-one consultations, and formal assessments.
June 2020 – Present
Pandemic Pedagogy Initiative Fellow and Social Media Officer, History UK
Worked as part of the Pandemic Pedagogy team to create a series of open access resources on teaching history and humanities subjects online during the COVID-19 pandemic. I am also responsible for co-managing the History UK Twitter account by publicising History UK news and events, creating and sharing relevant content, and interacting with Twitter users in order to grow History UK's membership.
September 2017 – September 2020
Graduate Teaching Assistant in the School of English, Keele University
Lectured, facilitated seminars, and marked assessments on the following undergraduate and postgraduate modules: Composition (co-convenor), Starting Out: An Introduction to American Literature (co-convenor), Reading Literature, and Teaching Reflectively in Higher Education.
September 2019 – Present
Write Direction Academic Tutor, Keele Institute for Innovation and Teaching Excellence
Provided one-to-one study skills support to undergraduate and postgraduate students across Keele University during term-time.
February 2018 – February 2020
Research Assistant for The Correspondence of Daniel Defoe
Led by Dr Nicholas Seager and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, Keele University.
Main responsibilities: assisting transcription, proofreading, and archival research.
November 2017 – January 2020
English Outreach Tutor for Higher Horizons+
Developed and delivered outreach sessions for audiences ranging from KS3 to GCSE level on a periodical basis, with an emphasis on widening participation in higher education.
Scholarships and Awards (Total £89,107)
Scholarships, fellowships, and other funding
September 2017 – September 2020
Graduate Teaching Assistantship
Fee waiver, research stipend, and teaching contract.
Funded by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Keele University (£56,022).
June 2020 – July 2020
History UK Pandemic Pedagogy Fellowship
Awarded a fellowship to join the Pandemic Pedagogy initiative (£750).
Worked as part of a team to create the Pandemic Pedagogy Handbook, which provides open access information and guidance for educators as they prepare to teach online during and beyond the COVID-19 lockdown period.
September 2019
Bursary
Funding to present at BAAS PG Conference 2019: Communicating the United States, British Library.
Funded by British Association of American Studies (£100).
September 2019
Bursary
Funding to attend FUTURESEX: Activism and Academia (workshop and public lecture), University of Surrey.
Funded by FUTURESEX (£110).
September 2019
Bursary
Funding to present at New Configurations in Contemporary Women’s Writing, University of Hull.
Funded by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Keele University (£95.85).
April 2019
Bursary
Funding to present at Talking Bodies: Identity, Sexuality, Representation.
Funded by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Keele University (£325).
February 2019
Small research grant
Funding to cover the cost of external secondary supervision.
Funded by the David Bruce Centre for American Studies, Keele University (£250).
November 2018
Conference organisation grant (lead applicant and organiser)
Trans Youth and Education: National Issues and Solutions
Organised in partnership with Healthwatch Stoke-on-Trent and Newleaf members
Funded by Keele's Institute for Social Inclusion, Keele University (£1,687.85)
November 2018
Bursary to present at Mixed Bill’s Comedy and Power Conference
Funded by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Keele University (£174.80).
September 2018
Bursary to attend Critically Queer Conference
Funded by Critically Queer Working Group, Bristol University (£50).
January 2018
Conference organisation grant
Breaking Walls in Humanities: Narratives of Critical Resistance in the Post-Brexit Research Environment, Annual Postgraduate Research Symposium.
Organised with Stephen Seabridge, Martin Goodhead, and Matt Mild.
Funded by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Keele University (£1,113).
September 2017
Monthly seminar series organisation grant
Keele Humanities Work in Progress Seminar Series.
Organised with Stephen Seabridge and Sylvia Crawley.
Funded by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Keele University (£558).
Awards and honours
November 2020
People's Choice (runner-up)
Keele Postgraduate Conference 2020.
Institute of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Keele Doctoral Academy, Keele University
August 2020
Bob Beattie Postgraduate of the Year Award (Winner)
Keele Postgraduate Association, Keele University (£500).
You can read more about the award and the reasons for my nominations here.
March 2020
Keele Excellence Award in Learning and Teaching (Early Career)
Keele Institute for Innovation and Teaching Excellence, Keele University (£1,000).
May 2019
Nominated for Bob Beattie Student of the Year Award
I received two nominations for my positive impact on student communities at and beyond Keele.
The nominations focused on my commitment to promoting equity in my teaching, conference organisation, and daily interactions.
August 2015
Keele Postgraduate Support Scheme Scholarship
Awarded a scholarship to undertake a Masters in English Literature at Keele University.
Funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England and Keele University (£10,000).
July 2015
Clare Coleman Memorial Prize
Awarded for special achievement in my academic studies, Keele University (£40)
July 2014
King Alfred Prize in Medieval English
Awarded for an essay on Medieval poetry, Keele University (£25)
January 2013
President's Honor Roll, Oklahoma State University
Achieved a 4.0 GPA and earned a place on the President's Honor Roll in recognition of my academic excellence.
Publications
Merrydew, A. (Forthcoming 2022). Deconstructing heteronormativity in Dodie Bellamy's Cut-Up Poetry, The Routlegde Companion to Sexuality and Culture, ed. by Emma Rees (London: Routledge).
Blog Posts and Other Publications
October 2020
The History UK Pandemic Pedagogy Initiative: An Introduction for Classicists
Council of University Classical Departments Bulletin
July 2020
The Pandemic Pedagogy Handbook
Co-authored with Professor Kate Cooper (Project Lead), Dr Louise Creechan, Dr Lucinda Matthews-Jones, Dr Yolana Pringle, Dr Manuela Williams, and Dr Jamie Wood
History UK
July 2020
Pandemic Pedagogy: From Cohorts to Communities
History UK
July 2020
Pandemic Pedagogy: Building Online Learning Communities
History UK
November 2019
Will gender self-declaration undermine women’s rights and lead to an increase in harm?
Women of Keele Educate
Speaking Engagements
Invited talks
October 2020
Poetry and pedagogy: Helping students to 'close read' through blackout poetry
Pedagogy and Pancakes Seminar Series
Organised by Dr Chris Headleand, University of Lincoln
Conference presentations
September 2021
Cut-up Bodies: Dissecting Gender in Dodie Bellamy's Prose Poetry
Cut-Ups@60
Organised the European Beat Studies Network
Postponed from 2020 to 2021 due to COVID-19
June 2021
Mixed Methodologies: Erasure Poetry as a Pedagogical Tool in the English Literature Classroom
English: Shared Futures 2020, Royal Northern College of Music
Organised by the English Association and University English and supported by the National Association of Writers in Education, the Institute of English, and the Higher Education Academy
Postponed from 2020 to 2021 due to COVID-19
January 2020
Tackling inequalities: Building a 'Healthier' Literature Curriculum through Feminist Reflexivity
KIITE Student Education Conference: Sustaining a 'Healthy' Curriculum, Keele University
Organised by Keele Institute for Innovation and Teaching Excellence
January 2020
Going in the Write Direction: Supporting a 'Healthy' Curriculum through Student Learning Services
KIITE Student Education Conference: Sustaining a ‘Healthy’ Curriculum, Keele University
Carousel station organised and presented with Grant Mitchell
Organised by Keele Institute for Innovation and Teaching Excellence
December 2019
That’s what he (really) said: Erasure poetry, protest, and #MeToo in the age of social media
BAAS PG 2019: Communicating the United States, British Library
Organised by Postgraduate British Association of American Studies
September 2019
Revolting Women: Reconfiguring Abjection in Dodie Bellamy's Cut-Ups
New Configurations in Contemporary Women's Writing, University of Hull
Organised by the Postgraduate Contemporary Women’s Writing Network
April 2019
Talking Bodies, Talking Back: Reflections and the Body in Ely Shipley's Boy with Flowers
Talking Bodies: Identity, Sexuality, Representation, University of Chester
Organised by the Institute of Gender Studies, University of Chester
November 2018
'Poking fun at gender conventions': Rearticulating Trans Identities and Experiences in Julia Serano's Spoken Word Poetry
Comedy and Power Conference, Sheffield Hallam University
Organised by Mixed Bill
September 2018
Poetry Matters: Poetry and Trans Feminist Activism
Humanities Work in Progress Seminar Series, Keele University
August 2017
Trans(forming) Bodies: Poetry, Phenomenology, and Blossoming into the Desired Body in Ely Shipley's Boy with Flowers
Queer Subjects and the Contemporary United States Colloquium, University of East Anglia
Public Engagement and Impact
June 2019
Lead organiser for Trans Youth and Education: National Issues and Solutions Conference
Organised in partnership with Healthwatch Stoke-on-Trent and Newleaf members
Funded by the Keele Institute for Social Inclusion
Please click here for more info on the event
Media Appearances
August 2020
Bob Beattie Postgraduate of the Year Award (Winner)
Keele Postgraduate Association
April 2020
Keele Excellence Awards – Learning and Teaching Winners 2020
Keele Institute for Innovation and Teaching Excellence
June 2019
Trans Youth and Education: National Issues and Solution
Keele Institute for Social Inclusion
Academic Service
July 2020 – Present
Higher Education Academy Continuing Professional Development Route Mentor
Invited to provide mentorship for a Fellowship application
July 2020 – Present
Organised monthly David Bruce Centre Virtual Writing Retreats
David Bruce Centre for American Studies, Keele University
November 2019
Co-organised a Women of Keele Educate seminar by Fiona 'Fee' Wood (LGBTIQ activist and Stonewall's Role Model of the Year 2019 for the Midlands)
Women of Keele Educate, Keele University
Please see the following link for Daniel Skentelbery's reflections on Fee's talk on the Women of Keele Educate blog
October 2018 – Present
Committee Member and Postgraduate Representative
David Bruce Centre for American Studies, Keele University
September 2017 – June 2018
Organiser and panel chair for monthly seminar series
Keele Humanities Work in Progress Seminar Series, Keele University
Co-organised with Stephen Seabridge and Sylvia Crawley
January 2018 – May 2018
Organiser and panel chair for the Annual Postgraduate Symposium
Breaking Walls in Humanities: Narratives of Critical Resistance in the Post-Brexit Research Environment, Annual Postgraduate Research Symposium, Keele University
Co-organised with Stephen Seabridge, Martin Goodhead, and Matt Mild
April 2018
Peer reviewer
Under Construction @ Keele 4(2), Keele University
Professional Memberships
THiNK (The Higher education Network Keele)
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Keele Institute for Social Inclusion
David Bruce Centre for American Studies, Postgraduate Representative
Queer Poetics Research Network
Women of Keele Educate
Contemporary Women’s Writing Association
European Beat Studies Network