Dr Sabrina Mei-Li Smith

Job: Lecturer in Creative Writing

Faculty: Arts, Design and Humanities

School/department: School of Humanities and Performing Arts

Address: De Montfort University, The Gateway, Leicester, LE1 9BH

T: Ext: 4773

E: sabrina.smith@dmu.ac.uk

 

Personal profile

Dr Sabrina Mei-Li Smith is a writer, community artist, researcher and lecturer in creative writing. She has written for intersectional feminist fashion companies, photography studios, theaters, newspapers, community publications and short story publishers. She has worked on various community projects that strive to give the most marginalized members of society a voice. Her writing often has a focus on music, race, the 1990s and gender.

Her first novel, Zazen is in the final stages of editing and has won an endorsement from Dr Guy Mankowski at The University of Lincoln

Research group affiliations

Institute of English

Publications and outputs

Recent Publications:

Fiction:

'My Insatiable One' Pantry Prose: My Insatiable One by Sabrina Mei-Li Smith | Ink Pantry
'Cities in Dust' NOISE | withintensions
'Lalleshwari' Issues of Tigershark ezine | tigersharkpublishing (wordpress.com)
'I Wanna be Adored' Issue 15 is here! | tigersharkpublishing (wordpress.com)

Workshop Publications:

Beyond the Spectrum: 'Picking out Thorns' and 'Nelson's Noises' Beyond The Spectrum - 2023 anthologies - Writing East Midlands

The Elder Tree:
'I Remember: Leicester' IRL (writingeastmidlands.co.uk)
'Where I'm Calling From' Write Here: Where I’m Calling From - Writing East Midlands

Research interests/expertise

Writing about music. Fanzines. DIY Culture. Writing about subcultures. Writing with marginalized groups. Writing identity and writer's voices. The Psychogeography of writing about cities and urban environments. Writing the experience of mixed-race British identity. 

Areas of teaching

Creative Writing (Script, Prose, Journalism and Poetry) 

Qualifications

  • B.A. (Hons) English (The University of Leicester)
  • M.A. English (De Montfort University)
  • Post Graduate Certificate in Education (University of Bedfordshire)
  • Ph.D. Creative Writing (De Montfort University) 

Courses taught

Writing Identity, Exploring Creative Writing, Writer's Salon, Writing Ecosystems 

Honours and awards

The Literary Consultancy Free Reads Scheme (2022) 

Membership of professional associations and societies

  • The Chichester Center for Fairy Tales, Folklore and Culture - Reviewer for quarterly publication 'Gramarye'.
  • Reader for The Aurora Prize. 

Projects

  • Beyond the Spectrum Lead and Shadow Writer - Workshops and creative outputs with Autistic Writers (Writing East Midlands and Writing West Midlands).
  • Insecta Collective Creative Writing Workshop Leader - Writing on Leicester Parks.
  • The Elder Tree Shadow Writer - Workshops and creative outputs with the over 55s (Writing East Midlands)
  • Writer in Residence Coalville Writes Festival.
  • Writer in Residence Timber Festival.
  • Memories into Healing Words - Lead Writer - Workshops and creative outputs with Dementia Patients in Leicester Care Homes (Leicester City Council).
  • My Journey - Lead Writer - Workshops with Street Homeless People (Leicester City Council).
  • Feel Good - Lead Writer - Workshops with Ex-Sex Offenders (Leicester City Council).
  • The Jewel in the Crown - Lead Writer - Workshops and creative outputs with Irish Travelers in the Community (Leicester City Council, Emerald Center and Big Lottery Fund).
  • Reading Workshop Lead in Various Prisons (The Reader). 

Conference attendance

Zines Assemble : 'Zazen: A Metafanzine Novel in Progress' (September 2022)

Consultancy work

  • Playwright for Bass Breweries Peace and Legacy Tour.
  • Lead Writer on PGD Photography Little Red Riding Hood Photo Shoot. 

Externally funded research grants information

The Holy Bible funded by The Arts Council over 2018-2019. Project Lead and Writer for a Research and Development play about missing Manic Street Preachers guitarist and lyricist, Richard Edwards. Collaborations with NonSuch Studios, Derby Playhouse and Nottingham Playhouse. 

Case studies

Articles and Media

'The Language of DIY and Slogan T-Shirts' The Language of DIY and Slogan T-shirts – Feminist Trash Store
'Raising Boys: Part One: The Snowstorm Baby' Raising Boys Part One – the Snowstorm baby – Feminist Trash Store
'Raising Boys Part 2: The Easter Egg' Raising Boys Part 2 – Feminist Trash Store
'The Sectional Self: Intersectionality and Why it Matters' The Sectional Self – Intersectionality and why it matters – Feminist Trash Store
'Zines, Feminism and Me' Zines, Feminism and Me – Feminist Trash Store

ORCID number

0009-0008-3866-9101

sabrina-smith