Contributors

Ashton De Silva

Professor of Economics, RMIT University

Professor of Economics, RMIT University Ashton is an industry-engaged academic who works across several areas, including the economics of local regions and households. He also applies his skills to explore how policies impact our society.

Angelina Ying Chen

PhD student , University of Sydney

PhD student , University of Sydney Angelina is passionate about human and AI futures. Her research focuses on exploring how the fundamental qualities of humanity like empathy, compassion and creativity are challenged and redefined amid an evolving AI landscape. As AI continues to advance in complexity and personification, it initiates conversations about how we maintain a sense of identity and fulfilment in an increasingly AI-intertwined world. Currently, she is researching Artificial Empathy and Creativity, as well as exploring the societal and ethical tensions these emerging phenomena present. Through her PhD study at the University of Sydney, Angelina aims to explore these intricate issues and why it is important to maintain a strong ethical compass as we navigate the ever-changing terrain of human-AI interaction.

Aaron Ettinger

Associate Professor, International Relations, Carleton University

Associate Professor, International Relations, Carleton University Aaron Ettinger specializes in International Relations and US foreign policy. His research focuses on US foreign policy in the post-Cold War era and its implications for world order. His current project explores Canada-US relations during the Trump presidency. Recent published work covers a range of issues including US and Canadian foreign policy, sports and politics, and International Relations pedagogy. His research appears in International Studies Review, International Studies Perspectives, Survival, Security Dialogue, Millennium, International Journal, Canadian Foreign Policy Journal, Politics, Comparative Strategy, Cambridge Review of International Affairs, and International Journal of Sports Policy and Politics.

Amy Burge

Associate Professor in Popular Fiction, University of Birmingham

Associate Professor in Popular Fiction, University of Birmingham My research interests lie in popular fiction (especially romance). I am interested in genre fiction, publishing, women’s writing, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and migration. I have published research on: * contemporary women’s historical fiction * sexualisation and women’s advice literature * medieval and modern literary representations of virginity * class and wealth in popular romance fiction * chick lit from the Middle East * imperialism in the medieval romance Emaré * Scottish popular romance in the twentieth century * migration fiction. I have edited special issues on E. M. Hull's early twentieth-century classic novel, The Sheik, multi-disciplinary approaches to critical love studies, and medieval romance, gender and materiality. My first book, Representing Difference in the Medieval and Modern Orientalist Romance (Palgrave, 2016) is a comparative study of Orientalism in medieval and modern popular romance and compares the representation of erotic relationships across religious and cultural borders in late medieval Orientalist romance (1330-1450) and British and North American post 9/11 romantic fiction. I m Principal Investigator for the AHRC-funded Muslim Women's Popular Fiction research network: https://more.bham.ac.uk/mwpf-network/ I am the Managing Editor of the Journal of Popular Romance Studies: https://www.jprstudies.org/

Alison Habens

Head of Creative Writing, University of Portsmouth

Head of Creative Writing, University of Portsmouth I’m the Course Leader for many of the undergraduate creative writing courses at the University: BA (Hons) Creative Writing; BA (Hons) English and Creative Writing; and BA (Hons) Film Studies and Creative Writing. I also teach on MA Creative Writing, and am the Academic Lead (Communication) alongside Journalism lecturer Ian Tapster. My PhD explored where writers get their ideas from, researching the complete history of writers back to the routes of Greek mythology and the nine muses. I believe that poetry and prose can have a powerful impact on civic wellbeing. Through my recent research, I’ve looked at how people who suffer dementia can remember lyrics, giving the writer an opportunity to use beats and rhythm creating ways to connect. The rhythm of poems can stick in one’s mind and this creative form can also be used to translate vital messages to improve public health. From outreach work with schools and colleges, I’ve learnt that the same imaginative tasks I give undergraduates in class can also bring mental focus and calming structure to younger children. Communities can learn via negative memories, through the process of telling stories and ‘narrative therapy’, allowing a person to reflect on their experience and revealing how they survived. I lead the Portsmouth Writers Hub, a new community interest company (CIC) that brings many University writers and writing groups together such as: Vincent Adams William Sutton Tom Sykes (Star & Crescent) Amanda Garrie (T’Articulation) Tongues and Grooves Havant Writers Circle Lovedean Writers Work from the Hub aligns with the University’s democratic citizenship research theme, with members working on homeless, bereavement, addiction and environmental projects. We also have links with Bookfest and Darkfest plus local theatres and libraries too. My students are always invited to participate in community events, and have already contributed articles for Star & Crescent, Portsmouth’s independent news website. With my passion for literature and connecting with others in a public-facing role, I’ve collaborated with local writers, colleagues, alumni, and environmental activists – Friends of the Earth, Plastic-Free Portsmouth and Extinction Rebellion – for Pens of the Earth, a project that aims to change people’s behaviour towards the environment. An example is the Streets for People initiative, rethinking the way our streets are used. With the support of partners, a street in Portsmouth closed for a day, allowing neighbours to connect in new ways and for children to play safely whilst air quality improves.

Annie Smith

Adjunct Professor, School of Nursing, University of British Columbia

Adjunct Professor, School of Nursing, University of British Columbia Annie Smith, Executive Director, McCreary Centre Society & Adjunct Professor School of Nursing, University of British Columbia Annie has been the Executive Director of the McCreary Centre Society since 2006. Based in Vancouver, Canada the Society is best known for its’ BC Adolescent Health Survey and is a non-profit organization committed to improving the health of BC youth through community based research, evaluation and youth participation projects. Annie holds a masters from Harvard and a PhD from Sheffield Hallam University. She has co-authored peer-reviewed and community reports on a variety of topics related to adolescent health, including substance use, mental health, sexual health, physical activity, health inequalities and youth engagement.