Creative Writing Together AHRC Grant
Everything connected with the Creative Writing Together AHRC Grant, running from May 1st 2026-30th April 2029.
-
Seven Things I Learned from the Creative Writing Together Kickoff Meeting at York St John University
Really excited to share my latest blog about the launch of the AHRC-funded Creative Writing Together project at York St John University. Last week, in early May 2026, our brilliant interdisciplinary team gathered for the first major kickoff meeting, bringing together creative writers, educators, psychologists, researchers and digital innovators to explore how creative writing can support reflective functioning, empathy, wellbeing and social change. In the blog, I reflect on seven key things I learned from our first week together, including why creative writing projects are built through relationships, how writing from another perspective can transform empathy, the continuing power of free writing, why ethical AI needs principles rather than panic, and how strong structures make creative freedom possible. It was genuinely inspiring to work alongside colleagues including Tom Dobson, Samia Rahman, Dan Ingram-Brown, Paige Davis, Sam Clarke, Jane Collins, Rachel Seiffert and many others as we begin what feels like a deeply important and hopeful project. Creative writing is not ornamental. It helps people connect, reflect and imagine differently. Read the full blog here: https://www.francisgilbert.co.uk/2026/05/seven-things-i-learned-from-the-creative-writing-together-kickoff-meeting-at-york-st-john-university/ If you’re reading this on Instagram, please paste the link into your browser to access the full article.
-
Two New Roles on the AHRC Creative Writing Together Project at Goldsmiths
I’m delighted to be recruiting for two roles on our AHRC funded Creative Writing Together project at Goldsmiths, University of London. The project explores how creative writing can support reflection, wellbeing, and dialogue across generations, working with schools, community groups, and writers across London. We are looking for a Research Assistant (.5 FTE) and a Short Courses and Training Officer (.2 FTE) to join the team from 1 May 2026 to 30 April 2029. Full details, including the job descriptions, are now available on my blog. If you are interested, please send a formal letter of application and CV to me, Dr Francis Gilbert at f.gilbert@gold.ac.uk by Thursday 25 March at 4pm. Interviews will take place 31 March, either online or in person at Goldsmiths, and please state your availability for interview in your application. A formal advert will appear on the Goldsmiths website shortly, but I am sharing details early in case colleagues, doctoral researchers, teachers, writers, or community practitioners may be interested. Do take a look at the blog post and feel free to share it with anyone who might be a good fit.
-
Why Creative Writing Together Matters, A £1m Research Project for Families, Schools and Communities
I am delighted to share that Professor Tom Dobson and I, working with an exceptional interdisciplinary team, have secured close to £1 million in funding for a three year research project, Creative Writing Together. This major award supports an ambitious investigation into how creative writing can strengthen relationships between children, parents, teachers and communities, and enhance wellbeing across educational settings. At a time when schools and families are facing rising mental health challenges, increasing absence and deepening inequalities, we are asking a simple but powerful question. What if creative writing were treated not as an optional enrichment activity, but as a relational practice that helps people understand themselves and one another more deeply? The project centres on the concept of reflective functioning, the capacity to make sense of behaviour in terms of thoughts, feelings and intentions. Strong reflective functioning is associated with secure attachment, improved relationships and emotional regulation. Yet creative writing has rarely been studied as a preventative, community based approach to developing these capacities. Over three years, we will run eight week programmes in schools and community centres in London and York, bringing families and teachers together to write collaboratively. Combining action research, psychological measures and close analysis of participants’ writing, we aim to generate robust evidence and practical resources that can inform policy and practice. Creative Writing Together positions writing as a shared, transformative act. In a fragmented educational landscape, it offers a hopeful vision of creativity as connection.