Dr Mandy Haggith
Lecturer
Dr Mandy Haggith is a lecturer in creative writing and literature at UHI Inverness. She has two decades of experience of professional work as a writer and 15 published books (5 novels, 6 poetry collections, a poetry anthology, a set of novellas and 2 non-fiction books). She specialises in nature writing especially poetry and environmental and historical storytelling. She teaches creative writing from level 5 to PhD.
Mandy’s current research project uses poetry to investigate feelings and action on climate change. Her core interest is the use of innovative creative practice research methodologies, particularly poetic inquiry, to address difficult environmental issues. Previous research projects include a Carnegie Trust-funded creative inquiry, The Liminal Zone, exploring the seashore as a metaphor for the interface between creative practice and academic work; the A-B-Tree project, which celebrates the Gaelic Tree Alphabet and explores interdisciplinary learning and the cultural value of trees; and Gorm, a poetic study of low-carbon sea sports. She is one of the founders of a group of researchers in UHI interested in A/R/Tography, exploring synergies between Art, Research and Teaching activity. She is the Arts lead in the Community Land Academic Network.
Before joining UHI in 2018, Mandy’s career included research (and a PhD) in Artificial Intelligence at Edinburgh University, and twenty years of forest research and activism, including co-ordination of an international network of activists for sustainable paper. She lives on a coastal wooded croft in Assynt in the northwest highlands and is a very keen sailor.