As well as a creative writing incubator, Paper Nations is a research entity. As we work towards a culture of writing for all, we are constantly conducting creative investigations to investigate and map the writing landscape. This research enables us to identify gaps in provision, enhance the writing ecology, and provide resources for people who would not otherwise have access to support.
The Paper Nations Research unit is led by Professor Bambo Soyinka, and made up of writers, researchers, and educators based in TRACE at Bath Spa University’s Research and Enterprise Office. We are also lucky to be able to draw on the collective knowledge base of Bath Spa University’s Creative Writing Department.
Our research takes place in communities; through a praxis of play, experience, design and transmedia. The process is creative and emergent, often unfolding over several years to allow time for collaboration and exploration. During the early stages of our research, we release unfinished drafts and pilot ideas to get feedback and refine outputs. We often repeat this process several times before publishing the final version.
Through the course of our investigations since 2016, we have acquired research expertise in:
Exploratory, Fun, Writer-led Pedagogy
Since Paper Nations’ inception, we have piloted writing workshops for young people in schools, festivals, libraries, and more, across the country. From cities to countryside, affluent areas and areas of deprivation, we have discovered that confidence in writing flourishes when approaches to learning are exploratory and connected to communities.
In 2019-21, we are utilising these findings in developing effective and sustainable support to change the industry for both adults and young people.