Abstract
This thesis comprises creative-critical research into writing in response to spending time in nature. In recent years, interest in the natural world and research into writing and wellbeing has continued to grow. This same period has also seen a seemingly exponential growth in nature writing.Despite this, there is little evidence of writers critically exploring their process of writing in response to spending time in the natural world. In this research project, I set out to address this gap. I examine the intersections between the natural world, writing and wellbeing. I ask questions about the relationships between the natural world and writing.
My creative-critical work is presented here as Navigation, an original collection of poems; and a critical exegesis, which uses the metaphor of maps to explain my findings. The reader is invited to navigate the critical exegesis, including some of the poems from the collection, which are interspersed at various points within the work as place names on a map, to be discovered.
I use reflective research methods to analyse and write about my experiences in nature, drawing on theoretical ideas drawn from a wide range of fields, including ecology, psychology, environmental sciences and therapeutic writing; as well as indigenous experiences.
| Date of Award | 11 Dec 2025 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Supervisor | Sophie Nicholls (Supervisor) |