Research

My research is concerned with how creative writing and literature can work with folklore, and how writers should consider the representation of folklore in their works. I am currently a postdoctoral researcher on The National Folklore Survey for England project and, in September 2024, I was awarded a doctorate for my practice-based research into the representation of calendar customs in contemporary fiction.

I am one of two Reviews Editors for Folklore, a reviewer for NAWE, and a peer reviewer for Gramarye, the journal of The Chichester Centre for Fairy Tales, Fantasy and Speculative Fiction.

Here's some of my work to date:

Articles and papers

'"The Wicker Man effect" and the everyday folklore of UK calendar customs' in EPOCH, 1 September 2023
'The Summoning: Folk Horror and the Calendar Custom in Molly Aitken’s The Island Child (2020) and Zoe Gilbert’s Folk (2019)', Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction [online], 19 January 2023
'Can Calendar Customs Engender Stewardship of Our Natural Environment? An Investigation into Real-world and Fictional Calendar Customs in the UK and Their Potential for Environmental Engagement', Green Letters, Volume 25 Issue 3
'Connected through Custom: Well Dressing in Jon McGregor’s Novel, Reservoir 13' Folklore Volume 132, 2021, Issue 2
'Five COVID customs which emerged during lockdown', The Conversation, 30 September 2020

Blog posts

'Creative Writer, Creative Conference' at the SHU Postgraduate Research Society Conference blog, May 2021
'From Presenter to Convenor' at the SHU Postgraduate Research Society Conference blog, February 2021
'Calendar Customs at Earthly Matters' at the Centre for Contemporary Legend, August 2020
'Folklore on Screen' at the CCRI Impact blog, 17 October 2019
'Sophie Parkes-Nield: an introduction' at the Centre for Contemporary Legend

Book reviews

Paulusma, P. (2022). Angela Carter and Folk Music: 'Invisible Music', Prose and the Art of Canorography. in Folk Music Journal, 12(4), 136-.
Hemley, R., and Xi, X. (2021) The Art and Craft of Asian Stories. London: Bloomsbury. in Writing in Education, NAWE, No. 85 Winter 2021, p. 60
Brankin, E., Gilbert, F. And Sharples, C., (2021) Inspire: Exciting Ways of Teaching Creative Writing. London: Gold Publishing. in Writing in Education, NAWE, No. 83 Spring 2021, p. 96
Steve Roud, ed. Worthing: Sussex Traditions, 2020. Locating Women in the Folk: Conference Proceedings, Sussex, 2018. in Folk Music Journal 12 (2), 130-131.

Broadcast

Social Recall, Lauren Laverne's Breakfast Show, BBC 6 Music, 18 January, 2023 (radio, interviewee)
Set the Night on Fire, Unity House, December 2021, Sky Arts (television, talking head)
The Today Programme, BBC Radio Four, 9 August, 2021 (radio, interviewee)

Chapters

'"Unite and unite, and let us all unite": the social role of the calendar custom in English communities', in Folklore, People and Place: international perspectives on tourism and tradition in storied places, Basingstoke: Routledge, 2023, pp. 55-66

Conference presentations, talks, readings and workshops

Weird Women, Levenshulme Old Library, Sunday 16 March 2025
The calendar custom and contemporary fiction, online talk for The Folklore Society, Tuesday 4 February, 2025
The art of writing women’s history in fiction, with Molly Aitken and Professor Alison Twells, Off The Shelf festival of words, Sheffield, Wednesday 23 October 2024
The Book of Manchester launch at Manchester Literature Festival, Contact Theatre, Saturday 12 October 2024
Folklore and historical fiction with Comma Press at Ashton Library, workshop and panel, Saturday 1 June 2024
Fifteen Wild Decembers, the SHU Masterclass with Karen Powell and Sophie Parkes, Sheffield, Wednesday 31 January 2024
Writing the Brontës - Karen Powell and Bella Ellis in conversation with Sophie Parkes, Blackwell's Manchester, Wednesday 22 November 2023
National Creative Writing Industry Day with Comma Press, Saturday 4 November
Out of Human Sight at Authordox Book Fair, Anthony Burgess Centre, Saturday 21 October 2023
'"The Wicker Man effect" and the everyday folklore of UK calendar customs' at Don't Keep The Wicker Man Waiting: a symposium about the film and folk horror at Lancaster University and The Dukes, 27 October 2023
Writing historical fiction at Oldham Histories Festival, Saturday 23 September
Out of Human Sight at Leeds Book Social Saturday 17 June 2023
'Writing a novel from the folklore of murder', The Centre for Folklore, Myth and Magic, Saturday 22 April 2023
Out of Human Sight at Uppermill Library, Wednesday 5 April 2023
Out of Human Sight at Mossley Book Club Sunday 12 March 2023
Keep Writing Symposium: How to thrive after you graduate, Sheffield Hallam University, Wednesday 8 March 2023
Out of Human Sight at the Audenshaw and Droyslden Book Group, Wednesday 22 February 2023
Masterclass: Out of Human Sight, Sheffield Hallam University, 15 February 2023
'Writing a novel from the folklore of murder', Tameside Libraries, 8 February 2023
'"Unite and unite, and let us all unite": the social role of the calendar custom in English communities', Earthly Matters conference, Sheffield Hallam University, 20 August 2021
'"Unite and unite, and let us all unite": English calendar customs and the reunion of our post-pandemic communities', Postgraduate Colloquium, University of Sheffield, 2 July 2021
Masterclass: 'Writing the Seasons: the creative writing PhD', Sheffield Hallam University, 20 January 2021
'Tameside Folklore', Tameside History Club and Tameside Local Studies and Archives, 20 January 2021
'Celebrating Christmas with Calendar Customs', Sheffield Hallam University, 17 December 2020
'Cheese-rolling, Pace-egging, Soul-caking: Can Calendar Customs Engender Stewardship of our Natural Environment?', Earthly Matters conference, Sheffield Hallam University, 7 August 2020
'Connected through Custom: Well Dressing in Jon McGregor's Novel, Reservoir 13', Enchanted Environments conference, University of Worcester, 6 March 2020
'Writing fiction with folklore', Newer Researchers' Day conference, The Folklore Society, University of Hertfordshire, 29 May 2019