Publications from our alumni community

Graduate, Stuart Bolus, has featured in Critical Insights: Post Colonial Literature, writing the chapter Obliteration or Assimilation? Culture Clash in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart and Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things.

This anthology explores postcolonial literature in a broad sense, guiding the reader to access the fundamental ways one should read postcolonial literature, and teaching them how to read postcolonial work. You will discover the linkage of international contributors of multiple generations, Professors and postgraduate students.

The authors hope that you will come away with a new understanding of post colonialism in a way that can be applied to future readings.

Graduate, Dr Smruti Bulsari, has co-authored Statistical Analysis in Simple Steps Using R, a step-by-step approach to the basics of statistical tests, the prerequisites and assumptions, the procedures, and outputs and their interpretation all through the lens of R.

This is a concise guide to procuring and using R, identifying the types of tests to examine different types of research questions, and the sequential steps for undertaking statistical analysis. Intended largely for readers who are new to statistics or R or to both, this textbook addresses the problems in statistical analysis often faced by the students of social science, education, and management

Dr Hugo Ceron-Anaya (MA Sociology of Development, 2004; PhD Sociology, 2009) is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. Between 2019 and 2021, he was the Director of the Latin American and Latino Studies Program. In 2021, he was a Research Fellow at the Center for Advanced Latin American Studies (CALAS) at the University of Guadalajara in Mexico. 

His work analyses how class structures, racialised dynamics, and gender relations influence the organisation of the material and symbolic borders of the upper-middle and upper classes in Mexico. In 2019 he published Privilege at Play: Class, Race, Gender, and Golf in Mexico, which won the '2020 Outstanding Book Award', by the North American Society for the Sociology of Sports.

Steve Mann has contributed to, and written, several ground-breaking resources.

The Research Interview: Reflective Practice and Reflexivity in Research Processes written by Steve in 2016 has become an important reference point and resource in both Applied Linguistics and other areas of Social Sciences. It has increased awareness and provided a base for researching the real-time co-construction of research interviews. It is based on a substantial data-set and includes a range of vignettes from a range of research contexts, as well as accounts of dilemmas and challenges.

This was followed by Reflective Practice in English Language Teaching: Research-Based Principles and Practices (Mann, S. and Walsh, S) in 2017 which is being used as core reading for teacher education courses and PhD study internationally. There are 10 chapters and the authors led on 5 chapters each. The book is based on reflective data from teachers in varied contexts.

Karim Murji (BA Sociology, 1983) went on to complete a PhD at the University of Surrey for research on drugs and policing. He is currently a Professor at the University of West London, having previously worked at the Open University, UK where he taught a range of interdisciplinary courses in the social sciences.

His research is concerned with culture, ethnicity and racism and these are applied to fields such as race equality, policing, public sociology, and diaspora and identity. His books include Racism, Policy and Politics (Policy Press, 2017). With Sarah Neal, he is the Editor of Current Sociology. He is currently a Trustee/Director of the British Sociological Association and the executive committee of the International Sociological Association. 

Human Rights and the Digital Divide, written by graduate Dr Anne Peacock, is now available to purchase. 

This book critically evaluates the goal of bridging the 'digital divide' – the gap between those who have access to the Internet and those who do not. Central to this analysis is the examination of two questions: first, is there a right to access the Internet, and if so, what does that right look like and how far does it extend? Second, if there is a right to access the Internet, is there a legal obligation on States to overcome the digital divide?

Jane Pearson taught local history at Essex from 1996-2016 and Maria Rayner was one of her undergraduate students. Maria wrote a prize-winning dissertation on Colchester's lock hospital and, after graduating, suggested researching the subject further. The result was an in-depth study of the arrival of the garrison in Colchester, the explosion of prostitution which ensued and the reaction of the town. Jane Pearson and Maria Rayner (both Essex alumni) co-authored Prostitution in Victorian Colchester: Controlling the Uncontrollable (University of Hertfordshire Press) 2018. 

Eudenilson graduated with a PhD in Physics from the Essex in 1980. He is currently a Professor of Physics and Biophysics at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte in Brazil. He has published two books, Polaritons in Periodic and Quasiperiodic Structures and Quantum Chemistry Simulation of Biological Molecules.

Val Thurtle (MA Sociology and Health Studies, 1994) taught and studied public health and community nursing in a variety of universities in the UK and Sierra Leone. Her doctorate looked at the identity of Specialist Community Public Health Nurses. The Oxford Handbook of Primary Care and Community Nursing, now in its third edition, provides an essential guide and resource for caring for patients in primary care and in community settings.

Vicente Aboites (PhD Physics, 1985) carried out studies of physics in Mexico City, London, Oxford, and Essex He did specialization studies in electronics and control at the University of Paris VI and a post-doctoral in optoelectronics and lasers at the University of Berlin.  In 1986 he founded the Lasers Laboratory at the Center for Research in Optics in Mexico from which he is Head and Researcher. He has published 16 books and more than 150 international rigorous research papers in addition to hundreds of papers in several national newspapers. He is Fellow of the Institute of Physics (UK), the National Research System and the Mexican Academy of Science.

British Council Alumni Award finalist and Essex graduate, Dr Alexandra Pentarki, invites you to read her book, 7 Secrets to Break the Chains of Panic Attacks, which offers to gives you the mental tools to heal your panic attacks effectively.

The book provides easy-to-follow techniques, insights and success stories gained from her clinical practice with dozens of people with panic attacks. It also includes relevant research findings that support her approach.

Dr Alexia Casale is an author, script consultant, and Course Director of the prestigious MA in Writing for Young People at Bath Spa University. Her debut novel, The Bone Dragon, was shortlisted for the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize and the Jugendliteraturpreis. It was also a Book of the Year for the Financial Times and Independent, as well as being longlisted for the Branford Boase. The Bone Dragon is now out via Audible. 

Her second novel House of Windows is a ‘Reading Well for Young People: Shelf-help’ title, available in most public libraries to support young people’s mental health. 

Charles Ituah has written Ready! Steady! Mental Health.

The book aims to spread knowledge about mental health in a short and concise manner. It could also serve as a textbook for students to get a basic idea of the psychology of the human mind.

Jane Teverson (BA Philosophy, 1993) is the author of  Born Beautiful: How Counselling Theory Can Enrich Our Parenting was published by Free Association Books in November 2020. The message of the book is simple; namely that successful parenting goes hand in hand with personal growth.  To parent in a meaningful way for our children and for ourselves, we must become aware of our own wounds, and do the healing work necessary to prevent unhelpful patterns of behaviour being passed from generation to generation.

It is also important to remember that our interactions with children, should be nurturing rather than punitive, since the quality of those interactions will remain with them and inform the rest of their lives.Where, because of deficiencies in our own childhood, unhelpful patterns have already been passed on, Born Beautiful offers hope for successful re-parenting.

Stephanie Scanlan-Georgescu (MAPH, 2020) is a Scientific Public Health researcher and part time hypnotherapist. She is passionate about making therapy accessible to all, by writing about therapeutic tricks and mind hacks that undue unwanted habits quickly, using catchy metaphors and well-known quotes from famous philosophers. Stephanie writes from her experience of successfully changing and improving the lives of many individuals. This book provides a great opportunity for anyone wanting to reduce stress and improve their wellbeing, with exercises on how to build resilience and to think and work smart, helping you to master the true skills needed to be a leader of self and others.

Bola Sol (BSc Finance and Mathematics, 2014) is a financial wellness guru. She is the founder of Rich Girl Chronicles and Refined Currency, and is the host of The Last Three Digits Podcast. Bola is author of How to Save It, an indispensable guide helping to confront the awkwardness of having conversations about your money and what to do with it.

Jayne Seagrave (BA Sociology, 1982) is best known as a travel writer with extensive expertise on camping in Western Canada and on women’s solo travel. Her book, Camping British Columbia, the Rockies and the Yukon is now in its 9th edition. Over 60,000 of Jayne's books have been sold, making her one of the most successful travel writers in Canada. In 2021, Jayne’s first work of fiction was published by Vanguard Press: The Games Women Use.

Lauren Jarvis (BA Literature and Art History, 1991) is an editor, writer and photographer specialising in adventure, wildlife and conservation. She is Travel Editor of Breathe magazine, the former Editorial Director of National Geographic Kids, a regular contributor to National Geographic, and co-author of the annual Visit USA Travel Planner. Her debut book, Lumberjack, was published in September 2021 and explores the lore and life of lumberjacks - and 'lumberjills'. 

Anna Morvern graduated with an MA Theory and Practice of Human Rights in 2000. Morvern was called to the Bar in 2004, and qualified as a human rights lawyer. She acted as international trial observer for Amnesty International at the court martial of an American army medic found guilty of desertion for refusing to participate in the Iraq War, and has represented many refugees before the courts. More recently, Morvern has been working as a teacher, facilitating creative writing in prison and in the community, and as a translator, from French and German to English. Morvern writes on human experiences and ideas. Her autobiographical book, Untold Intelligence, is about trauma and mystical relationship.

Russell McGuire studied abroad at Essex between 1984-85 as part of his Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tec. Russell has been a visionary, strategist, entrepreneur, and trusted advisor for over 30 years. He has helped organisations large and small to position for success in highly dynamic times. He served as Vice President of Strategy for two Fortune 500 companies (Sprint and Williams), has founded or co-founded five technology startups dating back to Digital Frontiers in 1995, and currently serves as Chief Strategist for his own consulting practice, SDG Strategy.

 Russell is author of The Power of Mobility.

Economics graduate, Graham Seel, recently published a devotional commentary on the Holy Sonnets of John Donne, Conflicted Faith.

This will appeal to anyone who loves English literature, and particularly the great poets. For them it provides deep insights into the faith struggles that Donne went through during his life, including line-by-line commentary that brings his vivid imagery into a modern context. It will also provide encouragement and Biblical hope to people of faith, particularly Christians, who, like John Donne, struggle with questioning, doubts, and fears during their own spiritual journey. 

Michael and Michael have co-edited and contributed to a number of volumes in the How Ireland Voted series, analysing Ireland’s general elections. The most recent, How Ireland Voted 2020, co-edited with Theresa Reidy, has now been published by Springer International under the Palgrave Macmillan imprint. 

Darren (LLB Law, 2002) is a qualified barrister (England & Wales) and qualified Solicitor (England & Wales) with over 15 years experience in criminal and civil litigation. He is an advocate of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and has been involved in many forms of ADR to bring cases to a resolution.

Passionate about offering high quality legal advice in a timely fashion, he founded DJS Law Solicitors in 2016. He is author of How to Start a Law Firm - A Practical Guide to Offering Legal Services. 

Dr Ian Shannon (BA Government, 1981) is author of Chief Police Officers’ Stories of Legitimacy. From 1981 to 2013, he served as a police officer in three forces, and he retired as a deputy chief constable. He was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal in 2013. Ian has also worked as an Associate at Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, as an Associate Managing Consultant with RSM UK and as a Director with Liverpool City Council.  He completed his PhD at the University of Liverpool in 2018  and was a Research Fellow at the University of Leeds from 2019 - 2021. 

Since retirement in 2008, Peter (PhD Physics, 1976, Post Doctoral Research Fellow, 1974 - 1976) has published four books investigating events that became entangled in the 19th century legal system.  His subjects include Henry John Hatch, the first chaplain of Wandsworth Prison who ended up in prison himself; Dr Thomas Smethurst, the so-called Richmond Poisoner, saved from the rope at the last minute; a brand new investigation into the famous Red Barn murder in Postead, and a previously unknown secret enquiry into the master of the Amesbury Union Workhouse who was accused of the manslaughter of a crippled orphan boy.

Adele Emm (BA Comparative Literature, 1977) left Essex and worked for some time in media production from the editing department through to producer. Finding the hours non-conducive with bringing up her daughter, she moved into teaching media production instead. With such a silly name, she has always been interested in delving into its background and now works full time on writing about family and social history. Recent publications include: Tracing your Female Ancestors, Tracing your Trade and Craftsmen and My Ancestors Worked in Textile Mills.

Yiannis Empeoglou (BA Economics, 1987, MA Financial and Business Economics, 1990) is a finance expert. After a successful career in the world of financial markets that culminated in him reaching the position of Deputy General Manager of the biggest Mutual Fund Management Company in Greece, he turned independent, helping SME owners and potential entrepreneurs realize their dreams in life or business. How much is a business worth? is his first book. It was published in Greek in 2012 and then translated to English and adapted for international audiences in 2015. Yiannis posts regularly on business valuation topics on his website. 

Yiannis has presented seminars based on the book to business owners, employer associations like the Federation of Industries of Northern Greece (FING) and trade associations like the European Language Industry Association.

Maurice Siakkis (MA Political Theory, 1986; MPH Government, 1989) returned to Greece after studying at Essex. Now retired, his professional career was focused on marketing and communications. In parallel with his career, he wrote two books on contemporary music, both in Greek, published in Greece.  Let the Rock Stories Roll: London 1954-2004 combined historical research with photography to focus on the music landmarks of London and the events which they bore witness to. 448 miles, millions of notes combines a four-decade journey in the history of music with a nine-day road trip in the American South, in the quest for the roots of the modern song. 

Dr Peter Sear graduated from Essex in 2008 after studying an MA in Jungian And Post-Jungian Studies. He is a psychologist, writer and consultant. His new book, Empathic Leaders: Lessons from Elite Sport, draws on his research and experience and incorporates the words of leaders of teams to help to explain how empathy can help leaders to be successful in their work.

Ben Okri is a leading Nigerian poet and novelist who overcame adversity and homelessness to achieve worldwide recognition. He studied literature at the University of Essex in the 1980s, and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in 2002. He published his first novel, Flowers and Shadows, aged 21, became the youngest-ever winner of the Booker Prize for The Famished Road. He went on win numerous national and international prizes for his work. He is also a cultural activist and his 2017 poem Grenfell Tower, written to raise funds for victims of the disaster, has received more than 6million visits on YouTube. His most recent publication is A Fire in My Head: Poems for the Dawn.

Adam Baron (BA English and European Literature, 1988) is an award-winning author of crime novels and children's fiction. He is the author of six highly acclaimed novels which have been widely translated and adapted for BBC Radio 4. After writing predominantly crime novels, Adam moved into a new genre, children's fiction, to bring humour and light to difficult topics. His first novel for children Boy Underwater, was named Waterstones Book of the Month and was shortlisted for the Carnegie Award. His second novel You Won't Believe This was published in June 2019 as part of a six-book contract with Harper Collins.

Adam shares his passion for creative writing, delivering workshops and talks for children around the UK as well as running the MA Creative Writing course at Kingston University.

Trevor Croft, is author of a fairy tale named The Organisation.

The Organisation is a fantasy set in a make-believe world of wooden sailing ships, horse-drawn carriages and soldiers in red tunics and tall hats. Although it is a fairy tale it contains no magic or talking animals and is not meant for young children. It is intended for grown-ups, particularly ones with inquiring interests in a wide range of contentious issue

Heather has worked in adult and children’s publishing, edited and co-written cookbooks, translated books from French, Spanish and Russian, and teaches creative writing to children. She is author of over 38 children’s books, fiction and non-fiction, for all ages.

For the centenary of the Russian Revolution, 20th Century Russia: Century of Upheaval was published by Hachette Children’s Books.  Heather is author and publisher of Dinosaur Douglas Books, health-related books for Early Years, starring loveable, naughty Dinosaur Douglas in rhyming texts, with input from paediatric consultants at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital and zany illustrations by artist Alex Godwin.  Subjects include oral health, vitamin D, obesity, hand-washing and mental stress.          

Graduate Virginia Betts is a tutor, poet and author. 

Virginia graduated from Essex with a degree in Literature, and later gained a postgraduate degree in teaching English. She made her publishing debut in The Weird and Whatnot, with her short story, The Rented Room. Following this, her poem, An Afternoon Walk, was published in the September 2019 volume of Acumen Literary Journal. Virginia’s debut collection of short stories, The Camera Obscure, will be published in late 2021.

Graduate Ben Thompson is author of White Tulip. 

White Tulip is a book about love and loss, the living and the dead, History and memory, and the sudden illuminations that force themselves up through the cracks in the pavement.

Literature graduate Martin Edwards is author of The Out-Islands. The Out-Islands is published by the radical, independent publisher Smokestack which champions poets who are unfashionable, radical, left-field and working a long way from the metropolitan centres of cultural authority. It has twice been shortlisted for the British Book Awards Small Press of the Year. The poems in The Out-Islands are drawn from 40 years of Martin's work as a poet. There are references to his time at Essex and at the heart of the collection is a group of poems about the Out-Islands: small, sparsely populated islands in the Bahamas archipelago, where Martin lived for a number of years.

Literature graduate Alex Cotter is author of The House on the Edge. 

Alex Cotter is a children's author with her debut middle-grade novel published in July 2021. After completing her BA English and European Literature degree, she went on to mainly make a living from words, from bookselling at W.H.Smith and publicising The Booker Prize to copywriting and teaching creative writing.

Dr Elisa Marcella Webb created and managed the Department of Sociology, Psychology and Law at a top London School for 8 years; before taking a gap year graduating with an MA in Creative Writing. She is currently an Imaginative Writing Southern Gothic practice-based PhD student at Kingston University. Her first novel Darkling Park, published by Patrician Press, is a Young Adult gothic adventure about Fin and her family moving to a South London graveyard, where she befriends an odd boy and his strange dog that turns out not to be a dog at all. 

Patricia, who is deaf, has been working in publishing for several years. She set up Patrician Press at the end of 2012, after completing her MA in Creative Writing at Essex. The press is a small collective and includes Emma Kittle-Pey, who teaches at the University and runs Colchester WriteNight, a local writing group. The press mainly publishes fiction and poetry. Some of the books have an Italian theme and others are politically-inspired anthologies of poems, short stories and essays. Donations from the anthologies go to various charities. Patricia likes taking risks and enjoys challenges rather than publishing more commercial, mainstream works. She also believes in upholding and maintaining the standards for contemporary literature in today’s competitive and ever-changing world.

Anne Etheridge (BSc Computing Science, 1985) has been writing stories for her grandchildren since 2011. She has since self-published these stories under the name of Nannie RaRa. The first series feature the grandchildren having adventures using the Magic Dust their Grandad invented. There is also a series of books for younger children called Tales from Nannie’s Garden which feature birds such as Bobbie Robin, Jason Jay and Jenny Wren. Each book is illustrated with watercolours painted by Nannie RaRa and based on photographs she has taken. 

Alannah Hopkin (MA Literature, 1977) is based in southwest Ireland. She is The 2020 Frank O’Connor International Fellow. Her story collection The Dogs of Inishere was published by Dalkey Archive Press in 2017. Her stories have appeared in the London Magazine and The Cork Literary Review, among others, and have been short-listed for the RTÉ Short Story Award. She has published two novels with Hamish Hamilton. Her most recent publication, A Very Strange Man, published by New Island Books is a memoir of Irish writer Aidan Higgins, Alannah's late husband.

Chris Clarke (BA Economics, 1970) writes under pen name Aaron Aalborg. Chris was an angry young man. He became an incandescent older man. A sometime monk, warrior, marketing executive, business school professor, Buddhist and CEO of a global professional services company, Mr. Aalborg's experiences give him a voice unique among Thriller writers. He worked in most industrial sectors with major corporations, governments and colleagues in over 120 countries. Embedded in the plots of his books are ideas to challenge the reader's comfort zone and to champion radical change. Far away from the hypocrisy and greed of his experiences in the US, Europe and Asia, Mr. Aalborg has taken refuge to write novels in peaceful Costa Rica, an imperfect paradise. All profits from book sales are donated to refugee charities.

Philip Prowse graduated from Essex with an MA in Applied Linguistic in 1974. He’s the author of the Nick Hellyer espionage thriller series about an academic spy.

In the first, Hellyer’s Trip (Kernel Books, 2018) he teaches at Alexandria university in the run-up to the Six Day War. In the second, Hellyer’s Coup (Kernel Books, 2020) he starts out in Essex studying English for Specific Purposes in the Linguistics Department before working at Coimbra University in Portugal at the time of the Carnation Revolution.

The third novel, Hellyer’s Line (Kernel Books, 2022) takes him as a British Council officer to Athens to flush out a Russian spy in the British Embassy as the Greek military junta falls and Turkey invades Cyprus.