We are Senior Lecturers at the University of the West of England, Bristol.
We have many things in common, including our love of literature. We want to share our research on climate literature with community groups, schools and teachers because we believe in the power of literary texts to develop critical understanding and empathy.
Dr Sarah Robertson
Sarah’s teaching and research focus on American literature. Her research specialism is the American South, particularly the literature of the Appalachian region. Her interests in the literary depictions of economics and poverty led Sarah to work on the representation of extractive industries in Appalachia, and her exploration of environmental justice in relation to poverty and environmental devastation. Sarah’s commitment to these issues was cemented by a visit to New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward in 2010 where she witnessed the ongoing struggles the community faced in building back after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Sarah has brought these research interests into the classroom where she works with her undergraduate students on questions of extraction, climate change, and indigenous rights. Check out Sarah’s publications here: people.uwe.ac.uk/Person/SarahRobertson
Dr Ann Alston
Ann’s teaching and research focus on Children’s literature. She has many varying research interests and has published on the subjects ranging from ideology and the construction of the family in children’s fiction to Roald Dahl, and more recently to aspects of YA literature. Her latest research focuses on the depiction of the climate in children’s and young adult literature. Ann has always had a keen interest in ensuring her research has an impact outside of the university and as such often visits schools to deliver CPD or classroom sessions on critical literacy. She is passionate that young readers should be able to read against a narrative, to ask questions, to read illustrations as well as words, and to consider who and what is and isn’t included in children’s literature. Ann is currently involved in an collaborative project which brings together academics from literature, education and science backgrounds to work with schools on how literature and science can work together to bring cutting edge research on the climate to our classrooms. Check out Ann’s publications here: people.uwe.ac.uk/Person/AnnAlston