Brought to you by the Hauntology and Spectrality Research Group at York St John University.

Episode 3: Haunted Writing, Creative Non-fiction and the Moors Murders

In this episode, Robert Edgar and Samantha Goddard speak with Helen Pleasance about her research, haunted writing and creative non-fiction, as well as wandering through archives, memoir, the Moors murders, trauma and creativity, needlework, and…ectoplasm.

Guest

Dr. Helen Pleasance, Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at York St John University and member of the Hauntology and Spectrality Research Group.

Hosts

Samantha Goddard, PhD Student in Counselling, Psychotherapy and Mental Health at York St John University, Medical Hauntology Sub Group Lead for the Hauntology and Spectrality Research Group.

Dr. Robert Edgar, Professor of Writing and Popular Culture at York St John University, Group Lead for the Hauntology and Spectrality Research Group.

You can contact us and find out more about the Hauntology and Spectrality Research Group at York St John University at: https://blog.yorksj.ac.uk/hauntology/.

References and Recommendations

Dr. Helen Pleasance’s research: https://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/profile/1230.

04:00: Giving up the Ghost by Hilary Mantel, published March 2010.

08:40: Haunted Writing: Storytelling from the Borders of Fiction and Nonfiction (Bloomsbury Academic Series Spectres, Hauntings and Horrors), Helen Pleasance (editor), Robert Edgar (editor), to be published 18/02/2027, now available for pre-order.

20:50: Poet and researcher Dr. Chloe Hanks, @c.l.hanks on Instagram.

21:00: Bella by Nellie Cole, available via Offa’s Press at https://offaspress.co.uk/shop/.

23:10: Ghostland by Edward Parnell, published October 2010.

30:00: Dr. Ursula Hurley’s research: https://salford-repository.worktribe.com/person/1158277/ursula-hurley.

32:40: Brenda Miller’s essay ‘Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!’: Courage and Creative Nonfiction is published in the collection Bending Genre: Essays on Creative Nonfiction, Margot Singer (editor), Nicole Walker (editor), published February 2023 by Bloomsbury Academic.

43:53: The work of writer Elizabeth Taylor, see for example Elizabeth Taylor, Complete Short Stories, published by Virago Modern Classics, June 2012.

44:40: At Mrs. Lippincote’s by Elizabeth Taylor, Virago Press edition published April 2006 (originally published 1945).

46:00: The true story of ‘materialisation medium’ Helen Duncan.

47:30: The film Mother Mary, wirtten and directed by David Lowery, A24, 2026.

48:50: A bonus rabbit hole - haunted mystery houses, see for example https://winchestermysteryhouse.com/.

Thanks for listening.

Brought to you by the Hauntology and Spectrality Research Group at York St John University.

Episode 2 - Spectral Tourism

In this episode, some of us have got together to talk about the upcoming Spectral Tourism conference, which is taking place at York St John University on the 31st of July, and the wealth of responses and research areas engaging with the theme. We also talk about the previous Haunted Soundscapes symposium, future podcasting plans, our research, haunted York, and, of course, ghosts…

We will be following up the conference with an episode exploring the papers and presentations included in the conference in the Autumn. Stay tuned to hear more.

Host

Samantha Goddard, PhD Student in Counselling, Psychotherapy and Mental Health at York St John University, Medical Hauntology Sub Group Lead for the Hauntology and Spectrality Research Group.

Guests

Sam Pheby-McGarvey, Practice-Based Creative Writing PhD student at York St John University and Hauntology and Spectrality Research Group PGR Co-Lead.

Lowen Frampton-Thorburn, PhD student in English Literature at York St John University, Hauntology and Spectrality Research Group PGR Co-Lead, Founder of The York Society of Hauntologists.

You can contact us and find out more about The Hauntology and Spectrality Research Group at York St John University at: https://blog.yorksj.ac.uk/hauntology/.

References and Recommendations

02:40: Sam’s conference presentation: Pheby-McGarvey, “Grimm Side of Folk” The Nazi Party’s Transformation of Folktales to Indoctrinate German Youth into their Ideology. 21 May 2022, York St John University. Available at https://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/id/eprint/11239/.

02:55: Horrifying Children: Hauntology and the Legacy of Children’s Television, Lauren Stephenson (Anthology Editor), Robert Edgar (Anthology Editor), John Marland (Anthology Editor), published 04/04/2024.

03:27: The Haunted Soundscapes Symposium, https://blog.yorksj.ac.uk/hauntology/conferences/haunted-soundscapes-symposium-oct-22-2025/.

03:30: The Spectral Tourism Conference, https://blog.yorksj.ac.uk/hauntology/conferences/spectral-tourism-conference/.

07:25: Naomi Booth, author, https://naomibooth.com/ and @Naomi_R_Booth on Instagram.

07:25: Sour Hall, short story by Naomi Booth, can be found in the Hag: Forgotten Folk Tales anthology, published 08/10/2024. The paperback is also being released in September 2026 and is available for pre-order.

10:44: Danny Robins and the Uncanny podcast, https://www.dannyrobins.com/, @DannyRobinsWithOneB on Instagram.

14:50: The Spectral Tourism in Music and Performance panel: A paper on Iron Maiden from Dr Jamie Stephenson, @Auditioning0ntology on Instagram. A paper on Middlesbrough’s music venue scene from Amy McCarthy, https://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/profile/2165 and @BehindTheCritic on Instagram. A performance from Skald Theatre Group, @SkaldTheatreGroup on Instagram. A performance lecture (with special reference to “The Haunted Lasagne”, from the Good Room, @The_GoodRoom on Instagram.

15:40: The Lyke Wake Walk as Spectral Pilgrimage, paper and artworks by Samantha Goddard and Oliver Hambsch, @SamJayneGoddard and @OliverHambschPrints on Instagram (part of the Ghosts of Pilgrimage panel).

17:05: The British Library Tales of the Weird book series, https://shop.bl.uk/collections/tales-of-the-weird.

17:15: Spectral Sounds: Unquiet Tales of Acoustic Weird, edited by Manon Burz-Labrande, British Library Tales of the Weird book series, published 22/09/022.

17:35: The York Society of Hauntologists: find out more on our Instagram @YorkHauntologists.

18:25: Conference Report: Haunted Soundscapes Symposium, 22nd October 2025, York St John University, Lowen Frampton-Thorburn. Available to read in Curiositas online at https://blog.yorksj.ac.uk/curiositasjournal/2026/05/08/haunted_soundscapes_symposium/.

18:30: Curiositas Journal, in print and online. Can be viewed at https://blog.yorksj.ac.uk/curiositasjournal/.

20:40: Echoes in the System: The Origins of Hauntological Thinking in My Doctoral Research, Samantha Goddard. Can also be read online in Curiositas at https://blog.yorksj.ac.uk/curiositasjournal/2026/05/07/echoes-in-the-system-the-origins-of-hauntological-thinking-in-my-doctoral-research/.

21:10: Frampton-Thorburn, Lowen (2026) The Material Sound of Magnetic Tape: Digital Horrors and Analogue Technology in The Black Tapes and The Magnus Archives. Humanities, 15 (6). p. 81.

22:00: Fisher has published many books and articles, but a suggested starting point is Ghosts of My Life: Writings on Depression, Hauntology, and Lost Futures by Mark Fisher, published on 30/05/2014.

22:40: You can see selected presentations from the Haunted Soundscapes symposium at https://yorksj.figshare.com/collections/Haunted_Soundscapes_Symposium_October_2025/8133854.

23:00: Information on the Humanities Journal Special Issue “Media, Cultural Memory and Hauntology” can be viewed at https://www.mdpi.com/journal/humanities/special_issues/NH2C081W65.

24:00: BBC Radio 4’s Children of the Stones audio drama, https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08sy3qx.

26:10: Skald Theatre Group. Find out about Skald at https://skaldtheatre.com/ and at @SkaldTheatreGroup on Instagram.

30:00: The Black Swan Inn and Pub, York, https://blackswanyork.com/.

34:30: The Hauntology and Spectrality Research Group Zine, information can be found at https://blog.yorksj.ac.uk/hauntology/medical-hauntology/, with further updates to come.

36:35: Dr. Elizabeth Dearnley, https://elizabethdearnley.co.uk/.

36:45: Haunted Yorkshire: Ghostly Tales from God’s Own County, edited by Elizabeth Dearnley, British Library Tales of the Weird book series, published 18/06/2026.

36:47: Maiden in the Moor by Elizabeth Dearnley can be found in Haunted Yorkshire: Ghostly Tales from God’s Own County.

Thanks for listening.

Brought to you by the Hauntology and Spectrality Research Group at York St John University.

Episode 1 - What is Hauntology?

For our first episode, some of us have gathered to talk about why we wanted to make this podcast in the first place. Along the way, we’ll wander through ghosts, eighteenth-century history, music, folk horror, and York as “Europe’s most haunted city”. We also ask the simple yet deceptively tricky question, “What is hauntology?”

Host

Samantha Goddard, PhD Student in Counselling, Psychotherapy and Mental Health at York St John University, Medical Hauntology Sub Group Lead for the Hauntology and Spectrality Research Group

Guests

Dr. Robert Edgar, Professor of Writing and Popular Culture at York St John University, Group Lead for the Hauntology and Spectrality Research Group

Dr. Adam James Smith, Associate Professor in English Literature at York St John University, Academic Co-Lead of the Hauntology and Spectrality Research Group

Lowen Frampton-Thorburn, PhD student in English Literature at York St John University, Hauntology and Spectrality Research Group PGR Co-Lead, Founder of The York Society of Hauntologists

You can contact us and find out more about The Hauntology and Spectrality Research Group at York St John University at: https://blog.yorksj.ac.uk/hauntology/.

References and Recommendations

06:30: Contemporary Gothic and Horror Film: Transnational Perspectives, Dr Keith McDonald (author) and Dr Wayne Johnson (author), published 11/11/2025.

06:45: Dr Lauren Stephenson’s writing on horror: https://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/profile/1295.

07:40: The York Society of Hauntologists: find out more on our Instagram @YorkHauntologists.

08:45: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, novel by Susanna Clarke, published 08/09/2004.

10:30: Damnable Tales: A Folk Horror Anthology compiled and illustrated by Richard Wells, published 31/02/2022. Richard Wells is on Instagram @Slippery_Jack.

10:45: Randalls Round, short story by Eleanor Scott (can be found in the Damnable Tales: A Folk Horror Anthology and other collections).

13:00: Horrifying Children: Hauntology and the Legacy of Children’s Television, Lauren Stephenson (Anthology Editor), Robert Edgar (Anthology Editor), John Marland (Anthology Editor), published 04/04/2024.

13:07: The Scarred for Life books, shows, and podcast by Stephen Brotherstone and Dave Lawrence, and The Haunted Generation project with Bob Fischer, https://hauntedgeneration.co.uk and @HauntedGeneration on Instagram.

14:00: The Hauntology and Spectrality Research Group members on our blog at https://blog.yorksj.ac.uk/hauntology/hauntology-group-members/.

14:40: A suggested article by way of introduction to what Hauntology has to do with Hamlet from Samantha; Prendergast, C. (2005). Derrida’s Hamlet. SubStance, 34(1), 44–47. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3685614.

16:00: Do make sure to check out Adam’s podcast, which he produces with his colleague Jo Waugh, “Smith & Waugh Talk About Satire” - available on Spotify, and @TalkAboutSatire on Instagram.

16:50: Spectres of Marx: The State of the Debt, the Work of Mourning and the New International by Jacques Derrida, originally published in 1993.

19:30: Fisher has published many books and articles, but a suggested starting point is Ghosts of My Life: Writings on Depression, Hauntology, and Lost Futures by Mark Fisher, published on 30/05/2014.

21:20: The French Enlightenment philosopher, satirist, and writer Voltaire (see also Jacques Lacan on presence and absence).

21:26: The Post Card: From Socrates to Freud and Beyond by Jacques Derrida, published 1979.

26:40: Read about Oliver Hambsch, research group member and artist/printmaker at https://oliverhambsch.com.

28:00: We Are Making A Film About Mark Fisher, https://www.closeandremote.net/portfolio/we-are-making-a-film-about-mark-fisher/ and @MarkFisherFilm on Instagram.

29:30: “Hauntological Music”, Ghostbox Records (record label, @GhostBoxRecords on Instagram), Warrington Runcorn New Town Development Plan (@WarringtonRuncorn on Instagram), Boards of Canada (@BoardsofCanada on Instagram).

32:13: Simon Reynolds, music writer. See Futuromania: Electronic Dreams, Desiring Machines and Tomorrow’s Music Today by Simon Reynolds, published 05/03/2026 (@SimonReynoldsWriter on Instagram).

32:55: Media, Materiality and Memory: Grounding the Groove (Music and Material Culture) by Elodie Roy, published 09/10/2015.

35:50: The verbatim theatre performance mentioned here was researched and delivered by the Skald Theatre Group. You can hear more about this in Episode 2 and find out about Skald at https://skaldtheatre.com/ and at @SkaldTheatreGroup on Instagram.

36:20: The Withered Arm is a short story by Thomas Hardy, originally published in 1888. You can also find this story in the Damnable Tales: A Folk Horror Anthology by Richard Wells.

38:17: The Spectral Tourism Conference is a day-long event being held at York St John University on the 31st of July 2026, which you can find out more about in our upcoming Episode 2, or by visiting https://blog.yorksj.ac.uk/hauntology/conferences/spectral-tourism-conference/.

40:40: Upcoming book, The Routledge Companion to the Urban Wyrd. Stay tuned to the podcast and the research group for future updates.

43:00: More information on The Medical Hauntology Sub Group within the Hauntology and Spectrality Research Group can be found at https://blog.yorksj.ac.uk/hauntology/medical-hauntology/.

43:30: Note from Samantha: Many articles explore hauntology as both a historical/political lens and a call to action, but I was thinking of an article I read recently by Ana Deumert - “Thinking, living and acting with ghosts: Hauntology and Fanon’s zone of occult instability.” Emotion, Space and Society, Volume 59, 2026, 101172, ISSN 1755-4586, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emospa.2026.101172.

46:00: Folk Horror: Hours Dreadful and Things Strange by Adam Scovell, published 03/05/2017.

46:10: Folk Horror Revival, https://folkhorrorrevival.com/.

46:30: The Routledge Companion to Folk Horror, Robert Edgar-Hunt (editor), Wayne Johnson (editor), published 09/10/2023.

Our “Where to Start” Closing Recommendations

50:20: Samantha: Ghostly Matters: Haunting and the Sociological Imagination by Avery Gordon, published 29/02/2008.

50:45: Adam: Ghost of an Idea: Hauntology, Folk Horror, and the Spectre of Nostalgia by William Burns, published 06/03/2025.

51:50: Rob: Ghosts of My Life: Writings on Depression, Hauntology, and Lost Futures by Mark Fisher, published on 30/05/2014.

52:20: Lowen: Mark Fisher, The Metaphysics of Crackle: Afrofuturism and Hauntology. Dancecult: Journal of Electronic Dance Music Culture 5(2): 42-55, ISSN 1947-5493, DOI 10.12801/1947-5403.2013.05.02.03.

Thanks for listening.

The aim of the Hauntology Podcast is to extend the reach and impact of the Hauntology and Spectrality Research Group by creating an accessible, academically grounded audio platform.

The podcast will share conversations, ideas, interviews, and emerging research with a mixed audience of academics, practitioners, and interested members of the public.

We hope to combine intellectual depth with an approachable, conversational tone, helping to share research beyond traditional academic formats, while fostering interdisciplinary dialogue within the field.

Which is to say - we want to talk to anyone and everyone about this weird thing that is hauntology, and bring you along with us.