Dr Christina Thatcher

(she/her)

Publication

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Research

I am an interdisciplinary researcher interested in both critical and creative research. My work typically falls within two research pipelines:

Writing as intervention – Interdisciplinary research in this area considers the ways in which writing can be used as a therapeutic or wellbeing intervention in school, institution and community settings as well as how writing can impact individuals cognitively, emotionally, physically, socially, etc. Past and current projects in this pipeline have included collaborations with researchers in biology, ceramics, education, events management and psychology.

Writing as art – Practice-based and practice-led research in this area often includes writing poetry, fiction or nonfiction as well as academic articles, chapters or essays which examine the process and practice of creative writing.

Current projects from both pipelines include:

Fostering Empathy for Endangered Animals (AHRC / National Museum Cardiff): This project considers how creative writing and drawing workshops might encourage greater engagement with, and empathy for, less visible endangered animals.

Eco-Art and Eco-Poetry: A Creative Workshop Study (National Trust Dinefwr): This project explores the impact of eco-art and eco-poetry on Welsh people's feelings about climate change through a creative workshop series held at Newton House in Dinefwr Park.

Story Trails: Practice-Led Research Exploring Inspiration and Nature Connectedness (Move More):  This project has three key aims: to explore the nature of inspiration and the implications this might have for arts-based practices; to produce a story for a new Story Trail at Llanishen Reservoir (unveiled in Summer 2023); and to develop an evaluative framework for understanding the impact of this new Story Trail on participants' physical and mental health, their inspiration to engage in creative activities, and their connection to nature.

Grassroutes: Writing Bridgend (Global Academies): This project aims to gather creative writing about young people's experiences of Bridgend. Students across four schools took part in one creative writing workshop where they were given prompts which encouraged them to write about their town. We hope that this writing from young people – as well as views already gathered from locals, festival-goers, traders, etc across Bridgend - will help the research team create a sustainable destination package for Bridgend which supports locals and tourists alike.

Breaking a Mare: My third poetry-collection-in-progress won a Literature Wales Writers Bursary in 2018 and aims to explore the intersections between female strength and vulnerability. These poems consider, among other things, farm ecologies; mortality and reanimation; mothers and daughter relationships; as well as girlhood in the context of farm work, horse rearing and rodeo riding.

I am also completing book chapters and journal articles for past projects which include exploring how writing might empower young women in Wales and Zimbabwe to become literary leaders in their own communities (British Council); the relationship between writing and confidence in Key Stage 3 learners (First Campus); and the impact that community writers' groups have on the literary landscape of Wales. 

Teaching

I teach across both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Currently, I teach on the following modules:

• Creative Writing (Year 1)
• Creative Writing: Poetry II (Year 2)
• Teaching Creative Writing (MA)
• Genre Explorations & Pathways: Prose, Poetry, Drama (MA)
• The Writing Industry: Showcasing Your Work (MA)

In recent years, I have taught modules related to poetry, creative nonfiction, microfiction, professional practice as well as research methods (i.e. psychological, literary and creative). I also supervise a range of interdisciplinary PhD students.

In addition to my university teaching, I have been a freelance educator for over 10 years. I have run creative writing workshops across the UK for over forty organisations, including youth centres, community centres, charities, museums, art galleries, primary schools, festivals and more.

I have always centred teaching in my own education and professional development. Before being awarded my PhD, I completed a BSc in English Literature and Secondary Education (Temple University), an MA in the Teaching and Practice of Creative Writing (Cardiff University) and an MA in Equity Issues in Education (University of York).

In 2017, I was awarded funding from Cardiff University to undertake a teaching exchange with the Creative Writing department at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland. While there, I observed and taught classes which gave me invaluable insight into the Finnish approach to Creative Writing education.

Biography

Christina Thatcher is an American writer whose poetry and short stories have been widely published in literary magazines, including Ambit, Magma, Planet, Poetry Wales, The North, The Poetry Review and more. She has published two poetry collections with Parthian Books: More than you were (2017) and How to Carry Fire (2020). Her third collection, Breaking a Mare, is forthcoming with Parthian Books in 2025.

Thatcher has toured internationally, reading her work in the UK, USA, Canada, Costa Rica, Switzerland and Romania. Select poems from her collections have been translated and published in Italian (Correnti Incrociate 2), Spanish (Círculo de Poesía), and Romanian (Curente La Ruscruce).

Thatcher is a Creative Writing Lecturer at Cardiff University. She teaches both undergraduate and postgraduate modules and supervises interdisciplinary PhD students. Her academic work has appeared in the Journal of Creativity in Mental Health; Journal of Poetry Therapy; Omega - Journal of Death and Dying; Scriptum: Creative Writing Journal and TEXT. She has also published various book chapters as well as articles on eco-poetry, humorous poetry, and writing for wellbeing for The Conversation. 

Thatcher is a member of the Literature Wales Management Board and the National Association of Writers in Education (NAWE) Higher Education Committee. She is also on the editorial board of Writing in Practice: The Journal of Creative Writing Research. 

To learn more about Thatcher's work visit her website: christinathatcher.com or follow her @writetoempower.

Supervisions

I welcome applications for PhD study in the following areas:

• Contemporary British and American poetry
• Confessional poetry ethics, theory and practice
• Poetry therapy and expressive writing
• Spoken word, performance poetry and slam poetry
• The lyric essay, creative nonfiction and hybrid forms  
• Creative writing process, pedagogy and theory
• Interdisciplinary creative writing research linked to social sciences and medical humanities