Professor Katy Shaw

Professor Katy Shaw, Professor of Contemporary Writings, Humanities.

Professor Shaw leads research into 21st Century writings at Northumbria University. Her research interests include contemporary literature, especially working class literature, cultural representations of post-industrial regeneration and the languages of comedy.

She has produced two books on crime author David Peace, a monograph on representations of the Credit Crunch in contemporary culture, and a collection on the teaching of 21st Century genre fiction. Her latest book Hauntology (2018) explores the persistent role of the past in the present of contemporary English Literature.

Last year, she led research into the value and impact of the Northern Writers Awards (NWAs) – the UK’s largest literary awards of their kind in the country. The NWAs exist to recognise talent and support new work towards publication or broadcast and have a reputation for identifying some of the best unpublished writing in the UK. Professor Shaw’s research is the first study of its kind into the impact of the award based on feedback and responses from previous winners over the past 18 years.

Professor Shaw has been asked by acclaimed scholarly publisher, Emerald Publishing, to record an interview to camera about being a woman in higher education management. Emerald Publishing is launching a digital marketing campaign that celebrates women in academia; those who are leading change but often battling against a lack of equality and old-fashioned systems. The campaign is aimed at celebrating – and keeping – female talent in academia. It will launch on their website and via their social media feeds on International Women’s Day 2019 (Friday 8th March). On the same day, a national report will be launched highlighting that the worst sector for female representation in management is higher education. Professor Shaw is offering a counter narrative but also a reflection on what difference visible women can make.