Research
Research Groups:
- Arts and Humanities Research Group (AHRG)
Memberships:
- Higher Education Academy Fellowship (FHEA)
- European Association of Creative Writing Programmes (EACWP)
- National Association of Writers in Education (NAWE)
- Lapidus: The Writing for Wellbeing Organisation
- Literature Wales
- The Poetry Society
Research Interests:
- Contemporary British and American poetry
- Narrative nonfiction and 'confessional' poetry ethics, theory and practice
- Creative writing process, pedagogy and theory
- Poetry therapy and expressive writing
- Interdisciplinary creative writing research linked to social sciences and medical humanities
Publications
Books
Thatcher, C. (2017) More than you were. Cardigan, Wales: Parthian Books.
'This defiant, engrossing depiction of a father and a daughter makes for an extremely accomplished poetry collection.' – Wales Arts Review
Forthcoming - Thatcher, C. (2020)
How To Carry Fire. Cardigan, Wales: Parthian Books.
'Thatcher's stunning second collection blazes a trail through the agonies and joys of human relationships in a voice that is terse, tense and urgent.' – Robert Walton
Individual Poems and Short Stories
- 'Sex After Marriage':
Barren Magazine, Issue #10, July 2019
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'On Bad Days I Think About How I Will Identify Your Body':
Algebra of Owls, May 2019
- 'The Bread Man':
Wales Haiku Journal, Spring 2019
- 'An Improper Kindness':
Eighty Four: Poems on male suicide, vulnerability, grief and hope, Verve Poetry Press, January 2019
- 'Digestion':
Marble Poetry, Issue #3, Winter 2018
- 'Dad Worked' and 'Siblings':
Under the Radar, Issue #22, September 2018
- 'Fix':
Eye Flash, Issue #3, Autumn 2018
- Three Poems:
The High Window, Autumn 2018
- 'What am I doing here?':Riggwelter Press, Issue #13, September 2018
- 'Cleansing Ritual':
Rust + Moth, Autumn 2018
- 'Rescuing a Hummingbird':
Atrium Poetry, June 2018
- 'Two Years': Acumen, Issue 86, September 2016
- Five poems: Cheval 9, Parthian Books, June 2016
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Single poem sequence:
The Fem Lit Mag, March 2016
- 'Silo': The Interpreter's House, Issue #61
- 'Translation':
Synaesthesia Magazine, December 2015
- Three poems: The Lonely Crowd, Winter, November 2015
- 'Taking Shape':
Secondary Character -
Welsh Short Story Network Anthology, Summer 2015
- 'Anticipation':
Meniscus, April 2015
- 'Brushing Teeth':
Bare Fiction, March 2015
- 'Fruits':
Planet Magazine, Winter 2014
- 'The Young Widow' :
Cake Magazine, Issue #6, April 2014
- 'Confession':
The Ghastling, March 2014
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Two poems:
Buzz Magazine, October 2013 (Lit Feature, pg. 50)
- '1996: An American Postcard':
The Lampeter Review, Issue #7, Spring 2013
- 'Chest of Drawers – Reprint' :
Ink, Sweat, and Tears Magazine, Spring 2013
- '#87' :
Eclectica Magazine, January 2013
- 'Substitute' :
Conclave: A Journal of Character, Issue #4, Autumn 2012
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Three poems:
Camroc Press Review, Summer 2012
-
Six poems:
Eunoia Review, May 2012
- 'Tempt' :
Turbulence Magazine, Issue #9, April 2012
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Three poems:
The Delinquent, Issue #17, April 2012
- 'Rust' :
The Denver Syntax, Issue #24, Spring 2012
- 'They Lived Again' :
The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts, January 2012
- 'Dandelion' and 'Doll' :
Inkspill Magazine, Issue #6 (selected Editor's Choice), 2011
- 'Detox' and 'Prediction' :
Neon Literary Magazine, Issue #27, Summer 2011
- 'Chest of Drawers' : The London Magazine, June/July 2011
Journal Articles
Thatcher, C. (2018) 'Losing Andrew: Disenfranchised Grief in Shelly Wagner's Poetry',
Scriptum: Creative Writing Journal, Volume 5: Issue 21, pp. 22-43.
Reviews
Thatcher, C. (2017) 'Art, Loss and The Story of M'. Review of The Story of M, by SuAndi.
Writing in Education, Autumn Edition, pp. 63-64.
Projects
Critical
My current PhD research project explores how creative writing can impact individuals bereaved by addiction. In particular, it examines the impact creative writing has on adults who have accessed, or are currently accessing, services offered by organisations specialising in bereavement or family addiction across England and Wales.
Creative
I am currently working on my third poetry collection, Breaking a Mare, which was awarded a Literature Wales Writers' Bursary in 2018.
Community Outreach Projects
I founded and continue run the largest writers' group in Wales, Roath Writers. This group meets twice a month and aims to provide a welcoming space for writers of all levels to write, develop, and share their work in an informal workshop environment.
I am also a Widening Access tutor at Cardiff Metropolitan University which means I am engaged in ongoing projects that aim to bring creative writing into schools and the wider community.
A list of my past community outreach projects linked to bereavement, mental health, addiction and more can be found on my website.
Profile
I am an American poet, fiction and nonfiction writer with research interests in contemporary poetry, creative writing pedagogy and the role of creative writing in therapeutic and community contexts. I am also interested in interdisciplinary creative writing research within the social sciences and medical humanities.
I joined Cardiff Metropolitan University in January 2019 and teach at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Before starting my role here, I completed a BSc in English Literature and Secondary Education (Temple University), an MA in the Teaching and Practicing of Creative Writing (Cardiff University) and an MA in Equity Issues in Education (University of York). My Master's degrees were both undertaken with the aid of a Marshall Scholarship. I am currently completing my PhD at Cardiff University which explores how creative writing can impact those bereaved by addiction.
My first poery collection, More than you were (2017), was shortlisted for the Bare Fiction Debut Poetry Collection Competition before being published by Parthian Books. The book tour for this debut stopped in over 25 cities across 6 countries, including the UK, USA, Canada, Costa Rica, Switzerland, and Romania. My second collection, How To Carry Fire, is forthcoming with Parthian Books in April 2020.
My poetry and short stories have featured in over 40 publications including The London Magazine, Planet Magazine, Acumen and The Interpreter's House. I am also the Poetry Editor of The Cardiff Review, a tutor for The Poetry School, and a member of the Literature Wales Management Board.
More information is available at christinathatcher.com. You can also follow me on Twitter and/or Instagram @writetoempower.
