Lucy Cullen

I am a second-year doctoral candidate researching the ways in which contemporary Irish women writers are using the short story to de-stigmatise issues relating to the female body. 

My research explores ways in which the short story form has been commandeered by writers to tackle taboos of abortion, lesbianism and unmarried mothers; it also examines the way in which they give voice to those who have been historically silenced (including migrant women and victims of abuse). 

My research questions are:

- How are stigmas and taboos related to female bodily experience being represented in Irish women’s writing?

- Who are the (un)silenced voices being heard? What are the intersections between gender, class and race?

- To what extent is the short story form most suited to the representation of these stigmatised subjects?

- Why is this an emerging trend? To what extent do these short stories interact with social and political movements in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland? 

Overall, I am researching the extent to which these short stories can function as a form of activism by tackling taboos and changing the mindset of readers, providing a call to action and a voice for change.

Before starting my PhD, I was a secondary school Head of English and taught students from 11-18 in SE and NW England. I have a PGCE (Distinction) and an MA in Transformational Leadership in Education (Distinction). 

I am currently TA on the ENG1009 module (Contemporary Irish Literature) at Queen's University, Belfast.