Dr Robert Edgar

Associate Professor of Creative Writing

I currently teach on: Writing Genres, Scriptwriting, Writing to Order, Dissertations, PhD supervision

I am also involved with: MA Publishing, staff governor

tell us about yourself!

Where did you study? Hull University: Literature, Film and Humanities

What is the primary genre you write in? Music memoir, Folk Horror, Science Fiction, Children’s fiction

What other genres do you dabble in? Radio Drama

What are your reading passions? I wouldn’t know where to start or stop with this. At the moment I’m on a big Folk Horror kick but it has taken me on a nostalgic trip so I’m delving in to ‘70s & ‘80s children’s fiction. I also research music memoir so they are always high on the list.

Who is the one writer that has influenced you the most? It’s impossible to limit this to one – I’m always inspired by my colleagues and by the work students produce.

What has been your reading experience over lockdown? Lockdown has meant that in addition to reading, I’ve watched a lot of new TV series of all kinds, which has been really helpful with teaching scriptwriting.  

What is so appealing about working at YSJ? Working with my colleagues and the students in the York Centre for Writing.

What did you read as a child? I read everything I could get hold of with my earliest favourites being Peter Pan, Treasure Island, Frankenstein and The Time Machine. A little later it was Alexandre Dumas, John Wyndham and John Christopher. I was also obsessed with cinema and especially anything shown on Moviedrome. Those passions never fade.

what have you had published?

Selected publications

• Edgar, R. and W. Johnson. The Routledge Companion to Folk Horror. London: Routledge: 2023.
• Edgar, R., F. Mann and H. Pleasance. Venue Stories. Sheffield: Equinox Books, 2022.
• Edgar, R. and I. Peniston. Horrifying Tales: An Anthology. Oxford: Greenteeth Press, 2021.
• Edgar, R. and L. King. An Ark for Off World Survival. Scarborough: Valley Press, 2019.
• Edgar, R. and J. Marland. Adaptation for Scriptwriters. London: Bloomsbury, 2019.
• Edgar, R., F. Mann and H. Pleasance. Music, Memory and Memoir. New York: Bloomsbury, 2018.
• Edgar, R., K. Fairclough, B. Halligan and N. Spelman. The Arena Concert. New York: Bloomsbury, 2015.
• Edgar, R., J. Marland and S. Rawle. The Language of Film. 2^nded., Bloomsbury, 2015.
• Edgar, R., K. Fairclough and B. Halligan. Music Documentary: From Acid Rock to Electro-Pop. New York: Routledge, 2013.
• Edgar, R., J. Marland, and S. Rawle. The Language of Film. London: Fairchild Press, 2010.
• Edgar, R. Directing Fiction. Switzerland: AVA Publishing, 2009. (Now published by Bloomsbury)
• Edgar, R. and J. Marland. Screenwriting: The Basics. Switzerland: AVA Publishing, 2009. (Now published by Bloomsbury)

Book chapters

• Edgar, R. “Lonely This Christmas”. Christmas Horror Stories from Horrified: Volume One, edited by J. Prowse and J. Clewarth, Horrified books, 2020.
• Edgar, R. “Hiatus: Music, Memory and Liminal Authenticity”. Music, Memory and Memoir, edited by R. Edgar, F. Mann and H. Pleasance, Bloomsbury, 2019.
• Edgar, R. “The Driver”. Science Fiction for Survival: An Archive for Mars, edited by R. Edgar and L. King, Valley Press, 2019.
• Edgar, R. “Slippery Customers”. Science Fiction for Survival: An Archive for Mars, edited by R. Edgar and L. King, Valley Press, 2019.
• Edgar, R. “The Aesthetics of the Arena: Live and Recorded”. The Screen Media Reader: Culture, Theory and Practice, edited by S. Monteiro, Bloomsbury, 2017, pp. 421-434.
• Edgar, R. “The Aesthetics of the Arena: Live and Recorded”. The Arena Concert: Music, Media and Mass Entertainment, edited by R. Edgar, K. Fairclough, B. Halligan and N. Spelman, Bloomsbury, 2016, pp. 195-206.
• Edgar, R. “Rocking around Watford: Trying to Find What I Was Looking For”. The Arena Concert: Music, Media and Mass Entertainment, edited by R. Edgar, K. Fairclough, B. Halligan and N. Spelman, Bloomsbury, 2016, pp. 181-192.

Journals

• Edgar, R. “Delving into the Box of Delights”.Horrified, Dec 2020.
• Edgar, R. “Music, Memory and Memoir: critical and creative engagement with an emerging genre”. Journal of Writing in Creative Practice, vol. 12, no. 1-2, 2018, pp. 181-199.
• Edgar, R. “’ If you are first you are first. If you are second you are nothing.’ Oren Stern, Bill Shankly and Funeral at Parc de France”. P.O.V., no. 15, Mar 2003.
• Edgar, R. “The Nature of Survival in the 21st Century: The Survival of Concern in 1995’. (John Brunner’s The Long Result (1965) and Stand on Zanzibar (1968))”. Vector (The Critical Journal of the BSFA), no. 185, 1995.

You can find more about Dr Robert Edgar and other members of York St John’s staff on the university’s website.

Or, you can stay here and check out more of our Creative Writing Staff Profiles.