Dr Ann Alston

Find more staff

Role:

Senior Lecturer : English

Department staff:

Research staff:

Teaching staff:

Children's Literature

Qualifications:BA, MA, PhD
Position:Senior Lecturer : English
Department:College of Arts, Technology and Environment Faculty of Arts, Creative Industries, and Education (ACE)
Telephone:+441173284327
Email:Ann.Alston@uwe.ac.uk

About me

I joined UWE in 2005 and since then I have taught on a variety of modules. Currently, I am module leader for the first year module 'Literature and the Constructions of Childhood' the second year module, 'The Golden Age of Children's Literature' and the third year module 'Children's Fiction since 1900'. I also teach on our third year Independent Project module where I tend to supervise students who are working with children's or Young Adult literature. I am open to expressions of interest from PhD students in children's or YA literature. I have supervised PhD projects on Otherness in children's and YA contemporary British Fiction, and an the representation of neurodiversity in contemporary children's and YA genre fiction.

My research straddles both nineteenth century and contemporary children's fiction. My book focused on the representation of the family in English children's literature, but since then I have published, contributed and co-edited a collection of essays on Roald Dahl and a collection of essays on women's writing for children in the nineteenth century. I have published a journal article on the portrayal of FGM in Children's Fiction, written on the importance of critical literacy within the classroom, and published a collaborative piece on climate literature and books groups.

I am interested how my research can have an impact in the wider world and as such I have enjoyed collaborations with schools, local publishers, charities, festivals and Literature Wales. I have given CPD sessions around children's literature and am always happy to work with those involved in the many facets of the children's literature world, from teachers to librarians to publishers. I have also given talks to students in Animation and Education. I was comissioned by Literature Wales to produce 'Cymru Ni' (Our Wales) which was a detailed list of books written by Black and Asian authors with links to Wales that teachers could use in the classroom. https://hwb.gov.wales/repository/resource/0c201e93-c026-4e04-91d5-da370d7107c7

My current research interests include the climate and children's fiction, storytelling and truth in children's literature and how studying this with children can enhance critical literacy skills, and diversity in children's literature.

Area of expertise

Children's Climate Fiction

Contemporary Children's Fiction

Nineteenth Century Children's Fiction

Picturebooks

Welsh Children's Literature

Publications

Publications loading...