Dr Michelle Smith
Poet & Author
michelle.smith205@googlemail.com
I am an author of short fiction, poetry, and academic pieces. I hold a PhD in English Literature and was fortunate in both receiving various awards and being free to immigrate from Canada to Scotland (which is now home) through the course my studies. This autumn, I received the terrifying diagnosis that I had a brain tumour and, forty-eight hours later, underwent an operation that saved my life. I am deeply thankful to be here, and my current writing project, funded by the Wellcome Trust, reflects on the diagnosis, treatment, and recovery from such a traumatic event.
Research and Teaching Interests
I specialize in creative writing and the project I am currently focused on has two strands. The first strand consists of an autobiographical poetry collection that considers different facets of my experiences in being treated for, and recovering from, a benign acoustic neuroma. The second strand draws together the autobiographical narratives of others who have been diagnosed with a neurological illness, with the intent to develop a website through which these pieces may be published and become the foundation for an online community for sharing similar experiences.