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Will Slocombe

Dr Will Slocombe
BA, MA, PhD (Wales), PGCtHE

Research

Although my primary research areas are science fiction and speculative fiction, I am interested in various aspects of 20th and 21st century literature, including narratology, experimental literature, formal/typographical innovation, and narratives across media (graphic novels, computer games). I also do occasional creative work.

Science Fiction and Speculative Fiction

Although I have a general interest in this area, I am most focused on representations of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and in the ways that sf and possible futures intersect, illustrating the relevance of sf to futures literacy and futures-focused work. This can involve using sf as a 'repository of imagined futures' or using sf techniques to generate, illustrate, and/or examine potential futures.

Narratology & Narratives

I am interested here in how stories are told, and particularly how formal and typographical techniques alter the construction of the narrative. This includes metafictions, storytelling across media (e.g. games, graphic novels), different perspectives and timelines, and the relationship between information and narrative.

Creative Writing

Within creative writing, I am interested in different ways of telling stories and conveying information, particularly those that intersect with my interests above. This partly relates to mental health/psychiatry and biography but primarily on a narrative level - for example, unreliable narration, encoding mental states, and using formal innovation to destabilise the reader.

Research grants

Discipline Hopping for Environmental Solutions

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH COUNCIL

January 2022 - March 2022

    Research collaborations

    Dr Nicole Devarenne, Nicole Brandon

    TWIST: Creative Writing for Science Futures

    Running sf creative writing and critical analysis workshops for scientists

    Prof. Astrid Ensslin

    "Digital and Collaborative Multimedia in the Humanities"

    Bangor University

    AHRC Collaborative Research Training (co-applicant)