Dr Liam Bell

Strathclyde Chancellor's Fellow

English & Creative Writing

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Personal statement

I joined the University of Strathclyde in Summer 2025 as Chancellor's Fellow / Lythe Senior Lecturer in Creative Practice, after twelve years in Creative Writing at the University of Stirling. I'm primarily a novelist, with four books to my name (So It Is, The Busker, Man at Sea, The Sleepless), and I'm currently working on a non-fiction book on rejection in the creative arts, which is forthcoming from Icon Books in 2027. More at liammurraybell.com. I've taught across all facets of Creative Writing at undergraduate, taught postgraduate, and research postgraduate levels and have particular interest in crime fiction, historical fiction, speculative fiction, psychogeography, and the (experimental) relationship between form and content. Recent research and PhD supervision has focused on creativity more widely, particularly as it relates to community engagement and knowledge exchange. I'm open to queries about practice-led, critical-creative doctoral projects on any/all of the above.

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Qualifications

My PhD is from the University of Surrey (2012), with a practice-led thesis which comprised my debut novel 'So It Is' and a critical examination of the role of women in the violence of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. I'm an experience PhD supervisor as well, with seven completed doctoral students including published writers such as Natalia Liebnitz (Gomes), Martin Raymond and Donna Moore.

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Teaching

In 2025/26, I will be running a level 4 module on 'Creative Economies and the Culture Industry', which uses case studies of Glasgow's creative industries as a way of examining the way(s) in which skills gleaned from the Humanities can be applied to the world of work. In the same vein, I'll be coordinating the level 3 workplacement module on the English and Creative Writing Programme and contributing teaching to the MLitt in Creative Writing. 

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Research Interests

Primarily a novelist, I have four fiction books to my name (So It Is, The Busker, Man at Sea, The Sleepless) and a first book of non-fiction forthcoming in 2027 from Icon Books (Rejection: a user's guide). I'm interested in all elements of the craft of fiction writing, with particular expertise in crime fiction, historical fiction and the writing of place (e.g. psychogeography). My academic work often focuses on creativity more widely, particularly the ways in which writers and other creatives engage more deeply with their process. Current research projects include one on rejection across the creative arts, as above, and a long-running fascination with the links between creativity and physical activity.

Professional Activities

Blane Writers Workshop
Recipient
11/12/2025
An Academic Career
Speaker
11/12/2025
Balfron Book Festival
Recipient
7/9/2025

More professional activities

Projects

Gavin Wallace Fellowship (Coordinator/Lead)
Bell, Liam (Principal Investigator)
In 2024, whilst employed at the University of Stirling, we applied for and were assigned as Creative Scotland host organisation for the Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship. This saw the writer Rachelle Atalla join us on campus for a year to research and write her fourth novel. My role was as facilitator and project manager (PI) for the awarded funding.
15-Jan-2024 - 14-Jan-2025
Write4Film, Scottish Film Talent Network
Bell, Liam (Principal Investigator)
Development programme taking published writers from other mediums and supporting them to write a short film script and a feature film treatment, with professional/industry support.
01-Jan-2018 - 01-Jan-2019

More projects

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Contact

Dr Liam Bell
Strathclyde Chancellor's Fellow
English & Creative Writing

Email: l.bell@strath.ac.uk
Tel: Unlisted