Dr Jennifer Young
Dean, Faculty of Business & Design
Jennifer Young came to Falmouth in 2019 to take up the post of Head of Writing and Journalism. She originally moved from the US to complete a MA in Creative Writing at Cardiff University, and then completed a PhD at Southampton University. She worked at the University of Hertfordshire for thirteen years, as a senior lecturer in Creative Writing and an Associate Dean in the School of Humanities. She was appointed Associate Professor of Creative Writing in 2023.
In 2024, she took up the newly created role of Head of People Success. The role focuses on bringing together our wellness and wellbeing support strategies, with an emphasis on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) initiatives. She works closely across all stakeholders, at a whole university level, to foster a thriving and inclusive community and enact real positive change in line with our mission, vision and values fulfilling our people commitment to staff and student success.
External Links
Qualifications
Qualifications
| Year | Qualification | Awarding body |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | PhD | Southampton University |
| 2002 | MA | Cardiff University |
| 1998 | BA | University of North Carolina Chapel Hill |
Honors and awards
| Year | Description |
|---|---|
| 2016 | Debut Novel Prize, Cinnamon Press |
| 2023 | Advisory Group Panel member, QAA Creative Writing Subject Benchmark Statement |
| 2022 | Elected Chair NAWE HE Committee (2022-2024) |
Research Interests
Research interests and expertise
Her research interests centre on genre fiction, particularly historical and crime fiction. She has completed a trilogy of historical thrillers set in the UK in 1952 to 1953. The first of these, Cold Crash, won the Cinnamon Press debut novel prize. The Running Lie came out in 2020, and A Little Switch was published in 2022.
Her historical thriller trilogy delves into the 1950s through an examination of the role of women, particularly in heritage professions. Her interest in historical fiction rose out of externally funded projects with colleagues in history and pedagogical research with colleagues in archaeology, as the links between heritage and creativity fascinate her.
Her research examines the depiction of perimenopausal women in paranormal cozy crime novels, and she is currently working on a cozy crime novel.
Research Topics
- Creative Writing
- Historical fiction
- Archaeology
- Genre
- Crime
- Pedagogy
- Menopausal studies
Research Outputs
Publications and research outputs
-
Young, Jennifer
(2022), A Little Switch, Cinnamon Press, Birmingham UK, ISBN: 978-1-78864-122-7, Item availability may be restricted. -
Young, Jennifer
(2020), The Running Lie, Cinnamon Press, Blaenau Ffestiniog, ISBN: 978-1-78864-076-3, Item availability may be restricted. -
Young, Jennifer
(2017), Cold Crash, Cinnamon Press, Blaenau Ffestiniog, ISBN: 978-1910836-77-4, Item availability may be restricted.
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Garcia Rangel, Sherezade
Young, Jennifer, (2019), Debate and Game: The Relevant Britain Literary Award – Enabling students to discuss contemporary issues in a safe and engaging way, In: NAWE Conference 2019, 8-10 November 2019, York, (Unpublished), Item availability may be restricted.
-
Garcia Rangel, Sherezade
(2019), On The Hill podcast – Season One: Falmouth Cemetery, Falmouth University
Research Students
Current research students
- Nic Coplin, Non-Linear Screenwriting Practice: Reframing the experiences of Women Surviving Domestic Abuse
- Andy Dillon, The Irish Pub in Northeastern U.S. Crime Narratives in Film & Television
- Nicola Nuttall-Wood, A Life in Poetry: A research-based analysis and poetic response to the work, life and legacy of 20th century Cornish Poet, Charles Causley
- Niall McDonald, Yes, Nos, and Mario Bros - A Heuristic-led Interrogation of Consent in Erotic Videogames
- Elena Traina, “Literatures of Creative Writing” in Emerging Creative Writing Degrees in Spanish and Portuguese-Speaking Countries
- Kern Robinson, Folk Horror Otherness and the British Counter-Culture
- Julia Webb Harvey, Exploring Turner’s Cornwall: the changing nature of place
Previous student supervision
- Faith Kirigha, Digital Authoritarianism: A critical examination of the regulation of social media content and its impact on freedom of speech in Kenya, May 2024.
- Jane Moss, Joined Up Writers: How can the novel be a vehicle for community participation?, 2024.
- Duncan Yates, Visions of Carn Brea: The Labouring-Class Poetry of John Harris (1820-1884), 2023.
- Jamie Popowich, 'Chrome Kisses: a comedy about real estate in an age of exploding glass' (creative project); 'Nobody Moves -- Charles Willeford's Hardboiled Immovable Heroes', University of Hertfordshire, 2019.
- Nicholas Waters, 'Strive: Social Anxiety in Cyberpunk Detective Fiction', University of Hertfordshire, 2019.
Number of research students supervised to completion
5Teaching
Areas of teaching
- Creative Writing
- English
Courses taught
- Creative Writing BA(Hons), English with Creative Writing BA(Hons), Professional Writing MA
Policy engagement within Cornwall
Engagement with organisations which contribute to the development of educational, cultural or socio-economic policies in Cornwall
- Young & Talented Cornwall
- Community governor, Kernow Learning
Professional Engagement
Social, community and cultural engagement
She also works with Helen Lederer on the Comedy Women in Print (CWIP) prize, which offers both published and unpublished categories. Jennifer was the head judge for the unpublished category in 2022. Other external partners have included Luton Museum, the Society of Antiquaries and the International Cocoa Organisation.
Engagement with professional associations and societies
- Society of Authors
- National Association of Writers in Education
- Sisters in Crime
- UK/EU chapter of Sisters in Crime, Once Upon a Crime
Professional esteem indicators
| Year | Description |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Nominee for Education Excellence Award, SU Awards |
| 2016 | Cinnamon Press Debut Novel Prize |
