Poet brings new energy to research centre

Tuesday 2 August 2022

Award-winning poet and writer Rebecca Sharp will be taking up the position of Artist-in-Residence at the University of St Andrews’ Centre for Energy Ethics (CEE). The 18-month post will begin in September 2022.

Rebecca has been involved with the research centre since its launch in 2021. Her powerful poetry on oil, climate and imaginative life received second prize in the CEE’s inaugural Art of Energy exhibition, featured centrally in a poetry event held at the Byre Theatre in the lead-up to COP26, and inspired a public workshop on how poetry can empower positive change.

During her residency, Rebecca will engage with people virtually and in-person through sharing events and writing workshops, as well as through contributions to the CEE’s Energy Blog and the All About Energy Podcast. Knowledge exchange is at the core of this residency, creating an environment in which Rebecca can produce her first full-length poetry collection, which is set to be published by Tapsalteerie at the end of her residency.

Rebecca said: “I am thrilled and honoured to have this opportunity and immensely grateful to have been awarded the support required to make it possible. I look forward to getting to know staff and researchers, their fields of study and practice, and to respond in my own way through the poetry. Interdisciplinarity is at the heart of everything I do, so having this time with the CEE is a perfect match.”

The CEE is on the frontiers of research into energy, sustainability and climate change. As Artist-in-Residence, Rebecca will work closely with its interdisciplinary community of more than 80 energy researchers from Arts, Humanities, and the Social and Natural Sciences. She will engage with the research questions they ask, the methodologies they use, and the insights they acquire.

Dr Mette High, CEE Director, said of the appointment: “When establishing the CEE, it was crucial for me to ensure that the Arts were centrally integrated into the work we do. Artists can invite, inspire and challenge us to look at the world from a different perspective. Boundaries can get pushed and new horizons can become apparent. At a time of climate emergency and net zero ambitions, such provocations are needed if we are to move beyond the status quo and explore the full significance of our research.”

The establishment of this position has been made possible thanks to funding from the National Lottery through Creative Scotland and donations to the CEE. The Centre would like to thank Creative Scotland and the Gabrione Family for their generous support. This position will provide an ideal opportunity to bring interdisciplinary energy research into dialogue with poetry writing, inspiring and reinvigorating urgent reflections and actions on how we live with energy.


Issued by the University of St Andrews Communications Office.

Category University news

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