Kim Wiltshire

Dr Kim Wiltshire is a British screenwriter, short story writer and academic known for her political and issue-based creative work. She is currently Head of Creative Writing at Edge Hill University.

Kim Wiltshire's academic journey began at Lancaster University, where she completed a PhD in English and Creative Writing. She further honed her craft by completing a Master of Arts in Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University. These academic experiences laid the foundations for her career in both writing and teaching.

Wiltshire's work spans a range of media, including plays, short films and multimedia productions. Her early work includes Polarised (2004), a play about the 2001 race riots, performed at Burnley Youth Theatre and later made into an educational film. In 2009, she wrote The Loser for Scenepool at Camden People's Theatre and, the following year, Sing When You're Winning was staged at Bolton Octagon.

Her play Joy With Child (2010), produced by Organised Chaos in Manchester, was shortlisted for the prestigious Bruntwood Prize in 2009.

In addition to her projects, Wiltshire has been actively involved in collaborative theatre. In 2013, she worked with the North West playwrights' cooperative, the Alligator Club, curating and writing for productions such as 'Blackout' at The Dukes in Lancaster and 'Pages From My Songbook' at the Royal Exchange in Manchester.

Wiltshire's innovative approach led her to found the Laid Bare Theatre Project (LBTP), through which she produced and toured plays such as 'Project XXX' in 2014 and 'The Value of Nothing' in 2017, directed by Joyce Branagh.

Her book 'Writing for Theatre: Creative and Critical Approaches' was published in 2015, providing an insight into her creative process and approach to playwriting. In 2018, she co-edited Scenes from the Revolution with Billy Cowan.

Dr Kim Wiltshire currently lives in Manchester with her husband and two sons. She is a member of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Peer Review College and a British Academy Innovation Fellow.

Photo credit: Edge Hill University