Dr Catherine Wilcox

My profile

Biography

I am a teacher of Creative Writing here at Man Met and an author of eight novels; a memoir about my quest to get a judo black belt, and a series of humorous books about the Church of England.
Teaching Creative Writing is the art of striking a balance between the critical and the creative. I aim to develop critical thought through close engagement with texts whilst letting students suspend their ‘inner critic.’

I spend my time collaborating with critical colleagues in the Centre for Gothic Studies, Place Writing, reading and writing for children and Young Adults; Narrative Theology and Writing about Relationships, and the Novel and Brexit. I also explore new formats for publishing fiction, e.g. The Novel as a blog (I have written a series of partly crowd-sourced novels in weekly blog instalments). Most recently I have completed a novel in monthly instalments. I live in Sheffield and am enjoying the vibrancy this city has to offer.

Words of wisdom

Read, read, read. Live in your own head and inhabit the world of your fiction obsessively. A course in Creative Writing is licence to daydream.

Academic and professional qualifications

BA Hons English Language & Literature, Durham
PhD Theology, King’s College, Durham

Government and industry links

Jerusalem Award 2018 for Short Form Radio

Membership of professional associations

SHEA Fellow

RSL Member

Personal website address

Current blog: https://companyofheaven.blogspot.com/

Teaching

Why do I teach?

My work as a novelist is to create new worlds and invite the reader into them. Teaching Creative Writing at Manchester Met is all about helping students to discover their own new fictional worlds, to explore them, then hone their writing skills until that world and its characters are as vivid to the reader as the writer. After that, we look outward towards the ever-evolving world of publishing.

Postgraduate teaching

Teaching creative writing (Fiction and Children’s Fiction) on our MA/MFA

Supervision

DoS for 2 Creative Writing PhDs (in progress)

Research outputs

Full-length novels:

Tales From Lindford (2021), London: Marylebone House

Realms of Glory (2017), London: Marylebone House

Unseen Things Above (2015), London, Marylebone House

Acts and Omissions (2014), London, SPCK

Wolf Tide (2013), Charleston, CreateSpace

Love for the Lost (2000), London, Penguin.

The Benefits of Passion (1997), London, Hamish Hamilton/Penguin

Angels and Men (1996), London, Hamish Hamilton/Penguin

Nonfiction:

Fight the Good Fight (2007), London, Yellow Jersey

Theology and Women’s Ministry in Seventeenth Century English Quakerism, (1994) Studies in Women’s and Religion volume 35, Lampeter: Edwin Mellen Press. 

Short Fiction:

‘The Turn’ (forthcoming, September 2019), Kiss and Part, London, Canterbury Press

‘One More River’ (April 18th edition, 2019), Church Times

‘Changes and Chances’ (January 4th edition, 2019), Church Times

Articles/chapters:

‘Ministry in Fiction’, The Study of Ministry: A Comprehensive Survey of Theory and Best Practice, Martyn Percy (ed), (2019), London, SPCK

Regular columnist for The Church Times ‘Diary’ from 2018.

‘Why the row over Twitter #280Characters is a storm in a flat white,’ (November 2017) The Conversation.

  • Books (authored/edited/special issues)

    Fox, C.M. Wolf Tide.

    Fox, C. (2023) The Company of Heaven Lindchester Chronicles 5. Marylebone House.

    Fox, C. (2021) Tales from Lindford Lindchester Chronicles 4.

    Fox, C. (2017) Realms of Glory. SPCK.

    Fox, C. (2015) Love for the Lost.

    Fox, C. (2015) Unseen Things Above.

    Fox, C. (2015) The Benefits of Passion. SPCK.

    Fox, C. (2014) Angels and Men. SPCK.

    Fox, C. (2014) Acts and Omissions.

    Fox, C. (2011) Fight the Good Fight From Vicar's Wife to Killing Machine. Random House.

    Fox, C., Gillespie, B. (2005) Extreme Anglicanism A Liturgical Guide to the Sporting Year. Monarch Books.

    Fox, C. (2001) Scenes from Vicarage Life, Or, the Joy of Sexagesima. Monarch Books.

    Wilcox, C.M. (1995) Theology and women's ministry in seventeenth-century English Quakerism handmaids of the Lord. Edwin Mellen Press.

  • Chapters in books

    Wilcox, C. (2021) ''Eternity Wrapped in a Span'.' News of Great Joy The Church Times Christmas Collection. Canterbury Press,

    Wilcox, C. (2019) 'The Turn.' Kiss and Part Short stories. Canterbury Press,

    Wilcox, C. (2019) 'Ministry in Fiction.' The Study of Ministry A Comprehensive Survey of Theory and Best Practice. SPCK,

  • Journal articles

    Wilcox, C. (2019) 'One More River: a Lindchester story for Easter.' The Church Times, (18 April 2019)

    Wilcox, C. (2019) 'Changes and Chances: a Lindchester story for Christmas.' The Church Times, (4 Jan 2019)

  • Conference papers

    Dayes, J., Wilcox, C. (2024) 'How psychology informs character and story development..' In NAWE Online Conference 2024 – Writing to Connect.. Online, 8/11/2024 - 9/11/2024.