Dr Lauren Hayhurst

Dr Lauren Hayhurst lectures in Narrative Design on the Game Art and Design degree at the University of Plymouth. Her PhD in Creative Writing, which she completed in 2018 with the University of Exeter, explores the ethics of imagination and introduces the idea of 'fictive responsibility' for creative practitioners representing ideas outside of lived experience. From 2016 to 2020, she lectured in Creative Writing at Exeter, Plymouth, and the Arts University Bournemouth (AUB), before returning to Plymouth to undertake the exciting sidestep into game design. Lauren brings cross-disciplinary working into every project, such as introducing digital narratives into the AUB curriculum, incorporating ethnographic methodologies into 'fictive fieldwork', and building an ethical awareness with game design students at Plymouth. 

  

PhD in Creative Writing from University of Exeter

MA in Creative and Critical Writing from University of Gloucestershire

Certificate in Education from University of Gloucestershire

BA in English Literature and Drama from University of Roehampton 

Associate Fellow with the Higher Education Academy

Most recent teaching at Plymouth includes Disruptive Design Strategies, Experimental Media Lab, Level Design, Introduction to Immersion, Interactive Narratives, Character and Dialogue in Games. I also presented 'Whose Game is it Anyway?' as a visiting lecturer for the Masters degree, discussing ethical practice and representation in video games.

Past teaching at Plymouth includes Apocalypse and the Modern Novel, Contemporary Poetry, Creative Non-Fiction, the Craft of Writing, the Short Story, amongst others.

At the Arts University Bournemouth, teaching spanned short stories, poetry, dramatic writing, creative non-fiction, writing for radio, ethics of representation, crime writing, digital writing, and writing for games. 

At Exeter, modules included Introduction to Creative Writing, Building a Story, and Making a Poem, and I also held Widening Participation workshops at the Falmouth campus.

As a writer, I’m interested in people. I want to explore the motivation behind certain decisions – why might we have distinct reactions to a similar situation? What obstacles do we encounter and why? How does all this make us feel? As a researcher, I'm curious about identities and labels, whether externally or self-applied, visible or invisible. How do these morph over the period of one’s life, and why? If there are differences between individuals or groups on the surface, can we find connections underneath? 

Stories are a powerful way to explore these ideas, but they do much more than entertain. By dramatising how we identify with ourselves and others, they shape how we understand the world; narratives can impact real-life scenarios and encourage genuine meaningful exchanges. That’s why we need to contemplate the value of stories. Who engineers them, and how? Can the creative process shape stories in an ethical sense? Storytellers have the power to influence audiences, whether it’s for better or worse is up to them.

Whatever the medium, whatever the content, I’m interested in this impact, this transaction from story producer to story receiver. Sidestepping into game design, and the wider industry, contrasts with the traditional disciplines of literature and creative writing, since players can interact directly with the narrative, their interpretation of story becomes more detailed and visible. Rather than book or film reviews which retrospectively critique a product in its entirety, we can track players’ responses and decisions at any point within a game and discuss story impact, and any ethical ramifications, in a more individual and nuanced way. 

As for the stories I’m keen to explore right now, I'm fascinated by the metamorphosis of body and mind through pregnancy and motherhood, how connection with the sea can help women navigate the array of new maternal identities, and whether an obsession with truth and authenticity can ultimately drive us further into contradiction and obscurity. 

In 2019, I presented a public lecture in Bournemouth on 'Creative Responsibility and Cultural Appropriation'. Also in the same year, this time in Plymouth, I gave a public talk exploring the crossovers between Creative Writing and digital technologies, introducing 'digital Humanities' and outlining the benefits for technology companies when creative writers are included in project teams.