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Stephanie Lyttle

Doctoral Student in Creative Writing - Stephanie’s thesis is entitled ‘‘Strange Magic’: A Critical and Creative Exploration of How Bisexuality is Constructed in Young Adult Fantasy Literature’.

Research Project Title:

‘Strange Magic’: A Creative and Critical Exploration of the Construction of Bisexuality in Young Adult Fantasy Fiction

 

Supervisors:

Prof Preti Taneja and Dr Lucy Pearson

Contact Details:

Email: s.lyttle2@newcastle.ac.uk 

 

Research Interests:

  • Queerness in Popular Culture
  • Young Adult and Children’s Literature
  • Genre Fiction (Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction)
  • Monstrosity and Monster Theory
  • Bodies
  • Robots/Androids/Cyborgs/AI in Fiction
  • Video Games
  • The Gothic
Stephanie Lyttle

Brief Outline of Research Project:

My research primarily asks: in the absence of explicit labelling, in what ways does 21st century young adult fantasy rely on the transactional nature of magic-based metaphors to do the “work” of constructing a picture of bisexual adolescence? How does the othering experience of “growing up magic” mirror the othering experience of growing up bisexual?

 

This work simultaneously informs and is informed by the accompanying YA novel I will write; my (horror) fantasy-romance aims to provide an unambiguous portrait of female bisexuality, unstifled by the male gaze.

Research Activities:

 

Placements and funding
  • AHRC Northern Bridge Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership Studentship, 2019-2025.
  • Funded to attend research training at the British School at Rome, Jan 2020.
Publications

Lyttle, S., 2022. 'Challenging the Love Triangle in Twenty-First-Century Fantastic Young Adult Literature', The International Journal of Young Adult Literature, 3(1), pp.1–19. DOI: http://doi.org/10.24877/IJYAL.80

 

Short story in Blackbird Anthology, Vol II, 2019

Awards
  • Joint winner of Grierson Prize for poetry composition, Edinburgh University, 2014
  • Shortlisted/highly commended for writing prizes including the Bridport Prize for Flash Fiction and Ink Tears
Conferences
  • February 2021 – ‘YA Fantasy: A ‘Magic Pill’ for the Problem of Bisexual Representation?’, Northern Bridge Lockdown Seminar Series (online)
  • April 2021 – Chair for panel on the Gothic, Northern Bridge Lockdown Seminar Series (online)
  • May 2021 - ‘Polyamory in Fantasy YA: What’s Stopping Us?’ and roundtable panel discussion on YA Fantasy, Let’s Talk About Sex in YA conference, Cambridge University (online)
  • May 2021 – ‘Monsters, Magic, and the Masses: Reflections on Utilising Creative Writing PhD Research in Community Engagement’, ADSS Seminar Series, Northumbria University (online)
  • September 2021 – Creative Presentation: ‘Spirit Collection: A Short Story Reading and Creative Process Presentation’, Beastly Landscapes Symposium, Newcastle University (online)
  • June 2022 – Poster Presentation: ‘What Use is Young Adult Fantasy Literature in an Uncertain World?’, HASS Annual Postgraduate Research Showcase, Newcastle University
  • November 2022 – Invited to Panel on Publishing with IJYAL (in support of publication of International Journal of Young Adult Literature vol 3), YA Studies Association 2022 conference (online)
Commissions and residencies
  • 2022: Writer in Residence for New Writing North.
  • 2021: Poet in Residence at Jane Austen’s House Museum, Chawton.
  • 2020: Designed and delivered online creative writing workshops for The Forests Project, a collaboration between Seven Stories: The National Centre for Children’s Books and Durham University.
  • 2020: Designed and delivered online series of fantasy/magic/monster-based creative writing workshops for Seven Stories.

Research Groups:

  • Children’s Literature Unit Graduate Group

  • EDI Together Group, Northern Bridge

  • PhD Representative, School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics Research Committee

 

Memberships:

  • YA Studies Association
  • National Association of Writers in Education

 

Outreach Projects:

  • Summer 2020: Produced course for KS4 pupils for charity The Brilliant Club: ‘Robots, Monsters, AIDS, and Organ Donation: Body Issues in Fantasy and Science Fiction’
  • October 2020, ongoing: Commissioned to produce and deliver series of fantasy/magic/monster-based creative writing workshops for Seven Stories: The National Centre for Children’s Books
  • March-April 2021: Commissioned to provide creative writing workshops on fantasy forests for The Forests Project, a collaboration between Seven Stories and Durham University
  • Devised and led ‘Writing Fantasy Worlds’ seminar for PARTNERS Summer School 2022.
  • Designed and led online school workshop for Pride Month 2021: ‘Be Proud of Your Magical Self’.

Teaching:

  • 2021/22, 2022/23: “Introduction to Creative Writing”.
  • 2020/21: “Introduction to Literary Studies 1” and “Transformations”.

 

Academic Background:

  • MA (undergraduate) in English Language and Literature, Edinburgh University, 2011-2015
  • MA English (Creative Writing), Queen’s University Belfast, 2017
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