Lee Child funds new UEA crime writing professorship

Bestselling author Lee Child has established a professorship in crime writing at the University of East Anglia (UEA), in a move the university says is “set to redefine how the next generation of crime writers are trained in their craft at UEA”.

The funding will run for an initial three years and will also support an administrative and engagement role. The move marks the latest milestone in Childs’ long-time relationship with UEA: before the university launched its MA in Crime Writing, he worked closely with UEA’s Professor of Creative Writing and Crime Fiction, Henry Sutton, who interviewed and reviewed his work as a journalist and later founded the course.

Child then went on to become the MA’s first visiting crime writer, delivering masterclasses and helping shape the course from its inception. He has also placed his literary archive on long-term loan with UEA’s British Archive for Contemporary Writing, where it is now used in teaching, research and public exhibitions.

Child said: "For a long time I have watched and admired UEA’s expertise in creative writing and, in particular, its postgraduate crime writing unit, which displays both rigorous process and spectacular results. UEA is Britain’s "writer’s university" - like the University of Iowa is in the US - and I’m delighted to support it in whatever way I can. I expect it to go from strength to strength - a perfect paradigm of academic excellence producing practical, real-world success for its lucky participants." 

Sutton said: “This sponsored professorship is a major development in the teaching of crime writing at UEA, and further attests to the genre’s significance within the academy, and well beyond. Most importantly, it is Lee Child’s major new and continued support and recognition of our creative writing MA in crime fiction, and creative writing at UEA in general, along with our outstanding students and alumni. Such support will enable many more writers to realise their full potential, while contributing to a literary form that could not be more relevant, pertinent and important in today’s challenging world.”

Georgette Ward, UEA’s interim director of development, alumni and campaigns, added: “This is a transformative act of philanthropy. Lee Child’s gift allows us to invest directly in people – in teaching, in students, and in the infrastructure that supports creativity and innovation. It strengthens UEA’s position as a global hub for crime writing and enables us to deepen our impact across education, research and public engagement.”