About me

A portrait of me created by 8bitnorthxstitch

I am Susan Jones, a researcher at the School of Education, University of Nottingham, UK. I research arts, creativity and literacy in everyday life. In particular, I am interested in how people engage in creative practices to explore and express what matters to them.

You can find out more about my previous academic research projects and publications on my University of Nottingham webpage.

I started my professional career as a secondary English teacher, and first came to work at the university as a teacher educator and literacy researcher. I have worked on community theatre and film projects, explored everyday literacy in family and community settings, and worked with a shared reading group in Nottingham.

I am an enthusiastic (though far from expert!) knitter. I learnt to knit as a child and like many people, I was taught by my mother and grandmothers. I have been knitting quietly and fairly consistently through most of my adult life (you may see evidence here and there on this blog!). In recent years, my research and personal interests have come together through Knit and Matter. I became interested in what we could learn about fibre crafts as a way of making and sharing meanings in everyday life.

I recently spoke to Jen Cable for Knitted Lives, an art project which celebrates the stories of knitters. You can find out more about me as a knitter and researcher on the Knitted Lives blog.