This project explores how reading and writing together can
help us deal with difficulty and difference.
How can literature help build empathy?
We’re interested in how the literary arts can have a practical contribution to creative health. We research how healthcare professionals can build empathy and resilience and improve communication through engagement with literature.
We are an interdisciplinary team bringing together research in literature, medicine, creative practice. Our research is funded through a UKRI AHRC Curiosity Award, which supports idea generation, and the development of further research opportunities and new research agendas. We work within the Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare and the School of Arts, Media, and Communication, University of Leicester.
What we’re doing:
Our Curiosity Shops bring together clinicians, researchers, writers and creative practitioners to share experiences, experiment with new approaches and develop practical interventions.
Our online research symposia allow researchers, literary scholars and creative practitioners to explore different perspectives on empathy, healthcare, and literature, past and present.
Our public talks, creative activities and discussions share our research with different audiences. These events invite communities and individuals to explore stories, empathy and healthcare together.
Featured Events
Haiku Hunt
Riverside Festival, 6 June 2026