My research spans human rights, feminism and women’s writing, refugee studies and the history of community activism. This shapes my interest as an academic writer but also as a journalist, book reviewer and critic. I am always working on something, from collections of essays, academic articles, book reviews, features and interviews. I also work as producer and teacher at the National Centre for Writing leading their community programmes and this – and the brilliant people that I meet through it – informs all of my work.
The Trouble With Books
I am currently working on a book project which focuses on a really exciting and undocumented episode in British literary history: the work undertaken by British writers to rescue refugee writers – even literature itself – from the cruel grip of the Nazis. I came to this through my work on Storm Jameson, who led this initiative as President of English PEN. Other writers who were involved include H.G. Wells, E.M. Forster, Vera Brittain, John Lehmann.The book will tell this fascinating story for the first time, using new archival research and combining this with personal accounts and even the literary output.
Do you run creative writing workshops with refugees and asylum seekers?
Creative Writing and Refugees
I am still investigating this phenomenon, which underpins so much of my written work, my research and even my day job. It is fascinating that refugees continue to be associated with stories and with divulging certain truths and traumas by everyone from charity organisations to funders, the government to school outreach programmes. This work can be hugely enriching for refugees and for the organisations and communities who work with them, but it can also be dangerously re-traumatising, opening old wounds that arts practitioners are often ill-equipped to deal with. My project asks why writing with refugees has always seemed like a useful and even therapeutic use of creative writing, as well as asking what checks and balances should be in place in order to ensure that this is a safe and responsible practice for all.
Dr Katherine Cooper 