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Ms Julia Bell

Positions held:
  • Professor of New Writing, School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication
  • Overview

    Overview

    Biography

    Julia Bell is a writer and Professor of New Writing at Birkbeck, University of London, where she teaches on the MA in Creative Writing and supervises PhD students.

    Her work includes poetry, lyric essays and short stories published in The Paris Review, the Times Literary Supplement, The White Review and The New Statesman, and recorded for the BBC. She has published three novels with Macmillan/Simon & Schuster US and is co-editor of the bestselling Creative Writing Coursebook (Macmillan). Her poetry collection Hymnal (Parthian, 2023) was Welsh Book of the Month. Her essay Radical Attention (Peninsula Press) returns in 2026 with a new introduction by Grace Blakeley. Her new book Between the Lines: Life Lessons from the Writing Workshop is published by Simon & Schuster in May 2026.


    Web profiles

    ORCID

    0009-0000-9824-3446

  • Supervision and teaching

    Supervision and teaching

    Supervision

    Supervisions within Birkbeck:
    10

    Julia welcomes applications for PhD study from students who are committed to producing a body of prose-based creative work in conjunction with academic supervisors from English & Humanities. If you are interested in making an application please contact her in the first instance with your proposal.

    Current doctoral researchers

    • PAUL MARTIN
      Nature of supervision:
      JOINT PRINCIPAL SUPERVISOR,
      Description:
      Place holder
    • MATTHEW BATES
      Nature of supervision:
      JOINT PRINCIPAL SUPERVISOR,
      Title of thesis:
      Writing Chemsex: Unlocking the syndetic of a gay male subculture
      Description:
      Place holder
    • BEDIYE TOPAL
      Nature of supervision:
      JOINT PRINCIPAL SUPERVISOR,
      Description:
      Place holder

    Doctoral alumni since 2013-14

    • KEITH JARRETT
      Nature of supervision:
      Joint Principal Supervisor,
      Description:
      Place holder
      Awarded:
      2021
    • LILY DUNN
      Nature of supervision:
      Joint Principal Supervisor
      Description:
      Place holder
      Awarded:
      2023
    • CHARLOTTE NORTHALL
      Nature of supervision:
      Principal Supervisor, to
      Description:
      Place holder
      Awarded:
      2025
    • CHARLOTTE NORTHALL
      Nature of supervision:
      Joint Principal Supervisor,
      Description:
      Place holder
      Awarded:
      2025
    • CHARLOTTE NORTHALL
      Nature of supervision:
      Joint Principal Supervisor, to
      Description:
      Place holder
      Awarded:
      2025
    • MELANIE JONES
      Nature of supervision:
      Joint Principal Supervisor,
      Description:
      Place holder
      Awarded:
      2025
    • GOLNOOSH NOURPANAH
      Nature of supervision:
      Joint Principal Supervisor
      Description:
      Place holder
      Awarded:
      2019

    Teaching

    Teaching modules

    • Creative Non-Fiction
    • Writing Workshop
    • Creative Writing Summer Term Lecture Series
    • Writing and Reading Seminar
    • Storytelling: Narrative Archetypes, Forms and Techniques
  • Publications

    Publications

    Article

    Book

    • Bell, Julia (2023) Hymnal. Parthian. ISBN 9781914595110.
    • Bell, Julia (2020) Radical attention. Peninsula Press. ISBN 9781999922375.
    • Bell, Julia (2015) The dark light. Basingstoke, UK: Pan Macmillan. ISBN 9781447283034.
    • Bell, Julia (2015) Massive. Basingstoke, UK: Pan Macmillan. ISBN 9781447290353.
    • Bell, Julia (2015) Dirty work. Basingstoke, UK: Pan Macmillan. ISBN 9781447290360.

    Book section

    • Bell, Julia (2019) Fear in your water. In: Page, R. (ed.) Resist: Stories of Uprising. Comma Press. ISBN 9781912697076.

    Other

    • Bell, Julia (2019) Fairy. London, UK: BBC Radio 4.