Tag: Student

My Writing, PhD

Starting my PhD

Caroline Butterwick

I’m excited to have, since last week, become a PhD student!

My PhD is in Creative Writing and is on memoir as counter narrative: using creative nonfiction to explore visual impairment and mental illness and challenge dominant models of disability. It’s wonderfully being funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council / Midlands4Cities – I’m very grateful for their support.

I’m studying at De Montfort University in Leicester, commuting from Staffordshire once I’m able to do face-to-face learning again – until then, it’s Skype / Teams, which so far is working well. It’s a little daunting of course starting something so big, but I’m looking forward to seeing the journey this PhD takes me on.

I’m feeling very lucky and still slightly bewildered to have this opportunity to research and write about something I’m so passionate about.

My Writing

PosAbility magazine article

Caroline Butterwick

I have spent this evening curled up listening to the summer rain while drinking (decaf) coffee and reading through the 50th issue of PosAbility magazine.

This wonderful disability lifestyle magazine has been around for five years now. I’ve been a subscriber for part of that time and always enjoy reading each issue, from travel features to advice on disability related topics. This 50th edition sees the magazine have a total redesign, making it look much more modern and engaging.

PosAbility article

And I’m very happy to have a feature in this special issue of PosAbility! I talk about disabled student support (which seems to becoming my area of expertise!), reflecting on my journey from nervous fresher to completing my MA.

I write about disability a lot as it’s an area where I have a lot of lived experience to draw on, and I love sharing my experiences in the hope that they will help others who are going through similar things.

My Writing

Able magazine article

Caroline Butterwick

I’m happy to have an article in the July / August issue of the wonderful magazine Able. In the piece, I share my experience of being a disabled student and accessing support at university.

Disability is one of the key areas I write about. I am also passionate about higher education – I work in HE, and really believe in its transformative potential. I’ve written before about being a disabled student, and it’s good to be adding Able magazine to my portfolio.

You can read my article in the print magazine or their digital edition which is available here.

MA, My Writing

Handing in my final MA assignment

Caroline Butterwick

It’s taken a while, but I have handed in (well, emailed…) my final assignment for my MA in the Teaching & Practice of Creative Writing!

The assignment was really interesting to write. It’s a mix of my own creative work and research into life writing, especially in relation to mental health. I, like many others, find writing cathartic and it has helped me through some very difficult times. While working on the assignment I came across a word for this: “scriptotherapy” – the therapeutic value of writing about traumatic events, and crafting your own narrative to explore your life.

After doing this MA for so long, it feels weird to think that it’s done. It’s going to be a strange feeling no longer being a student – I have some thoughts about progressing further with my studies, but for now it’s a case of just waiting to see what happens. I’ve found that’s a common theme in a writer’s life: waiting. Waiting to hear back on assignments, on pitches, on submissions. Being a writer is a lesson in patience!

Still, if all goes to plan and I haven’t spectacularly screwed up this last assignment, I should be graduating this July.

 

My Writing

Guardian article on supporting disabled students

Caroline Butterwick

Today I have an article published by the Guardian where I share my experiences of being a disabled student.

One of my long term writing aims has been to be published by the Guardian so I was very excited when this piece got the go ahead! The article explores some of the challenges I faced and talks about what universities can do to better support disabled students, especially during their transition to HE and the first few weeks of student life.