Dr Graham Foster

Who am I?

I have been teaching at MMU since 2008 on courses such as Contemporary American Literature, 20th Century British Novel, Postwar to the Present, and History of Text Transmission. I have also taught creative writing courses such as Prose Workshop, Writing in Genres, and Writing Skills.

Outside of my academic writing, I have written professionally for the Daily Telegraph, Times Literary Supplement, Literary Review, New Statesman, and have edited the literary magazine Transmission.

My out of work interests primarily revolve around reading and writing (particularly fiction), but sometimes the book is closed long enough for me to indulge in activities including photography, walking, cinema-going and playing the odd video game.

Why do I teach?

Teaching allows me to communicate my passion for literature, and hopefully inspire students the way my teachers have inspired me in the past. Being involved in the intellectual development of such a wide variety of students is always interesting and edifying, and the opportunity for the exchange of ideas is always a privilege. 

Words of wisdom

Reading gives us access to experiences of others and helps us understand humanity across all sorts of different borders. It’s not always easy, but it is always rewarding, constructive and enlightening. So read with an open mind, cultivate a curiosity, not just about literature but also the history and culture of the world that surrounds you. And scrawl notes all over your books: underline passages, circle odd words, and write dictionary definitions in the margins. Leave a record of your own journey through a book.

How I’ll teach you

Teaching and learning literature is often about the exchange of ideas, particularly in the seminar room where everyone’s ideas can make for a lively and engaging discussion. In many ways, I see my role as helping students nurture their own ideas about a text and to help them develop the critical tools to explore those ideas in an academic context.

Academic and professional qualifications

PhD: 'The Gathering of a Force: David Foster Wallace's Millennial Fictions and the Literature of Replenishment' (Manchester Metropolitan University, 2013)

MA: Creative Writing (Manchester Metropolitan University, 2006)

BA: English Literature (University of Wales, Bangor, 2001)

Why study ?

Undergraduate courses

Contemporary American Literature; Twentieth Century British Novel; Postwar to the Present; History of Text Transmission; Prose Workshop; Writing in Genres; Writing Skills.

Research expertise

My main research interests lie in twentieth and twenty-first century Anglo-American Literature, particularly authors such as David Foster Wallace, Thomas Pynchon, and Don DeLillo. Recently I have undertaken an AHRC Cultural Engagement Fellowship at the International Anthony Burgess Foundation in Manchester, where I produced podcasts, curated an exhibition and helped develop an online learning resource about A Clockwork Orange.

Publications

• Chapters in books

  'A Blasted Region: David Foster Wallace's Man-Made Landscapes' In Consider David Foster Wallace: Critical Essays (Austin: Sideshow Media Press, 2010)

• Other

  The International Anthony Burgess Foundation Podcasts (five episodes available on the iTunes Store).

Grants

AHRC Cultural Engagement Fellow