Katie Ailes

EDUCATION

University of Strathclyde, Glasgow — PhD English (2015-2020)

• Thesis title: “The Performance and Perception of Authenticity in Contemporary UK Spoken Word Poetry”
• Collected 100+ hours of interview data with 70 spoken word poets across the UK; this material will be archived publicly at the Scottish Oral History Centre in Glasgow.
• Awarded a University of Strathclyde Humanities and Social Sciences Studentship (2015-19); the St. Andrew’s Society of Washington D.C. Founder’s Prizes for 2016-17 and 2017-18; and a John and Anne Benson Prize for 2018-19. 

University of Strathclyde, Glasgow — MRes English (2014-15)

• Thesis title: “Narratives of Scottish History and Identity in Pro-Independence Poetry Written for the 2014 Referendum.”
• Awarded a UK-US Fulbright Postgraduate Award.

Bates College, Lewiston ME — BA (English, Dance, Education) (2010-14)

• Phi Beta Kappa; Summa Cum Laude.

PAPERS & PRESENTATIONS

• Presented “Duffy’s Circumlocutions of Home: Her Scottish Somewhen” at the Carol Ann Duffy: Legacy of the Laureateship conference (funded by the British Academy). (5-6 Sep. 2019)
• Invited to reprise the below performance talk at the Spring Into Methods: Feminist Research in Action training event (funded by the Scottish Graduate School of Arts and Humanities), Glasgow Women’s Library. (20 Apr. 2018)
• Delivered an hour-long performance talk critiquing contemporary performance poetry through a feminist lens at the Feminist & Women’s Studies Association Biennial Conference ‘Making Space for feminism in the neo-liberal academy’. (University of Strathclyde, 7 Sep. 2017)
• Presented “Authenticity and Critical Discourse in Contemporary UK Spoken Word” for the University of Strathclyde Humanities and Social Sciences Research Seminar Series. (University of Strathclyde, 25 Oct. 2017)
• Presented on the panel “Beyond Story: An examination of the ‘Authentic’ in Fiction and Poetry” at the English: Shared Futures conference. (University of Northumbria, 5 July 2017)
• Presented “Live Embodiment & Authenticity in Contemporary Spoken Word” at the Poetry and Performance: Embodied Poetic Experiences conference, hosted by the Centre for Poetic Innovation. (University of St. Andrews, 6 Mar. 2017)
• Presented “Grassroots Identity and Institutional Relationships in the Scottish Spoken Word Scene” at Outside-In / Inside-Out: a festival of outside and subterranean poetry. (University of Glasgow, 6 Oct. 2016)
• Presented “The effect of mediatised publication on the field of contemporary performance poetry” at the Humanities and Social Sciences: The Digital Human conference. (University of Strathclyde, 12 Sep. 2016)
• Presented “Colonial Narratives and Victimhood in Pro-Independence Poetry written for the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum” at the University of Strathclyde Seminar Series. (7 July 2015)
• Presented “The Use of Performance Poetry to Encourage a Perception of Artists as Grassroots in the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum” at the New Papers in Contemporary British Poetry Conference. (University of Dundee, 22 Mar. 2015)

PUBLICATIONS

• Foreword for Feminist Repetitions in Higher Education: Interrupting Career Categories (Palgrave, 2020).
• Featured in ‘Feminism in Our Times: Crises, Connections & Cares’ (University of Strathclyde, 2020).
• Forthcoming chapter “‘Speak Your Truth’: Authenticity in UK Spoken Word Poetry” in critical text Spoken Word in the UK (Routledge, 2021).

CONFERENCE ORGANISATION

Co-organised the conference Poetic Politics: Culture and the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum, One Year On at the National Library of Scotland in September 2015, which was introduced by Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Culture Fiona Hyslop and featured keynote presentations from acclaimed Scottish literary academics Robert Crawford and Scott Hames and performances from former Makar Liz Lochhead and acclaimed writer Alan Bissett. (Sep. 23, 2015)