I am a Teaching Fellow in Creative Writing at the University of Leicester. Winner of a national science fiction novel competition (One Giant Write, run by Literature Works) and a PhD student essay prize (AHRC10), as well as several commissions for the Centre for New Writing, I have been a self-employed wordsmith since 2000. With articles in peer-reviewed journals such as Writing in Practice, New Writing, Revenant and Gramarye, I have also written a monthly 'writers in the landscape' feature for Cotswold Life magazine, been a judge for The London Magazine short story competition, and appeared on TV and radio to discuss authors. I am the author of over a dozen works of fiction and non-fiction, including Desiring Dragons: creativity, imagination and the writer's quest (Compass Books, 2014); Oxfordshire Folk Tales, Northamptonshire Folk Tales, Ballad Tales (The History Press, 2012, 2013, 2017); Lost Islands: inventing Avalon, destroying Eden (Heart of Albion Press, 2010); and The Windsmith Elegy fantasy series (Awen, 2004-2012). I have taught creative writing for the Open University, University of Bath, University of Portsmouth, and Imperial College. I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Hawthornden and the Eccles Centre for North American Studies at the British Library. I blog and tweet as the Bardic Academic.

Publications 2019 'Lines of Desire: the phenomenology of long-hand writing in creative praxis', in New Writing: The International Journal for the Practice and Theory of Creative Writing 'GOLEM Speaks', in Frontier: The University of Leicester’s Postgraduate Research Magazine Cotswold Ways: writers in their landscapes series. In: McKormack, C. ed. Cotswold Life. Cheltenham: Archant Media (2016-19) 2018 'That Crafty Faculty', in Enstam, G. ed. The Bottle Imp, the journal of the Association of Scottish Literary Studies. Issue 23, Summer 2018. 'Ways Through the Wood: The Rogue Cartographies of Robert Holdstock’s Mythago Wood Cycle as a Cognitive Map for Creative Process in Fiction', in Neale, D. ed. Writing in Practice, 4. 'Lost in an Empty Land', in Gigi, A. ed. Panorama: the journal of intelligent travel, ‘Lost’. Available from: http://www.panoramajournal.org/ 'Sexing Faerie: gender and sexuality in the Fairy Tradition', Pagan Dawn, Spring and Summer. 2017 'GOLEM Speaks: Flash fictions on Artificial Intelligence', Centre for New Writing/University of Leicester. Ballad Tales: an anthology of British ballads retold. Brimscombe: The History Press. 2016 'Welcome to the Smeuse-House', in Playford-Greenwell, S. and Prater, T. eds. Doggerland. Issue 2. 'The Wolf Flute', in Heholt, R. ed. Revenant: critical and creative studies of the Supernatural. Issue 2. Falmouth University. 2015 Marginalia: graffiti, urban coding and the semiotics of the street, in Hidden Stories, University of Leicester, Centre for New Writing. 'Let the Mountain Sing its Own Song', in O’Brien, S. ed. The London Magazine. October/November 2015. Lost Border (poetry collection). Stroud: Chrysalis. 2014 Desiring Dragons: creativity, imagination and the writer's quest, Compass Books. 'Stepping Through The Gate: using stories and storytelling to foster positive visions of an ecologically sustainable future', in Gerdie, A; Nanson, A., and Schieffelin, B. eds. Storytelling for a Greener World. Stroud: Hawthorn Press. 2013 Northamptonshire Folk Tales, Brimscombe: The History Press. 2012 Oxfordshire Folk Tales. Brimscombe: The History Press. This Fearful Tempest. Stroud: Awen. 2010 The Burning Path. Stroud: Awen. 2008 The Well Under the Sea. Bath: Awen. Lost Islands: inventing Avalon, destroying Eden. Loughborough: Heart of Albion Press. 2006 Windsmith. Bath: Awen. The Bardic Handbook. Glastonbury: Gothic Image. 2004 The Long Woman. Bath: Awen.

I have known Kevan Manwaring for more than seven years and have worked with him on many occasions during that time. I've also attended seminars he has run and received criticism from him on my own writing.

Kevan is a very inspiring and encouraging teacher and has a great deal of experience both in writing (non-fiction, fiction, and poetry) and in teaching in diverse contexts. Four years ago I recommended him to take over an evening class I was teaching in the University of Bath extramural department, where he continues to teach a range of courses. I'm acquanted with several individuals, including one of my own undergraduates, who speak very highly of the one-to-one coaching they've received from Kevan on their writing projects.

Part-Time Lecturer in Creative Writing Bath Spa University

Mr Manwaring has recently been appointed to teach a weekly two-hour-long creative-writing evening class as part of the extracurricular activities offered as part of the Humanities programme at Imperial College London. I have had the pleasure of peer-observing Mr Manwaring's teaching.

Mr Manwaring's classes are very well organised. He understands the need to pace a class carefully and he presents a well targeted mixture of theory, technique and exercises. The students engage very well with him, and the atmosphere in the class is one of productivity and enjoyment. Mr Manwaring is an exceptional teacher. He draws on his extensive experience to deliver material well suited to adult learners with a variety of backgrounds and prior knowledge. He does this with style and a natural ability to encourage and inspire his students.

We consider ourselves very fortunate to have Mr Manwaring teach at Imperial.

Humanities Coordinator, non-languages Imperial College London