Sarah Holland-Batt

RESEARCH BACKGROUND

 

Situated in the field of the public humanities, Professor Holland-Batt's research interrogates the civic and social functions of literature and poetry, with particular interests in the role of the arts in public health and the medical humanities. Her current areas of focus include contemporary poetry and poetics, ekphrasis and visual art, publishing cultures, and literary gerontology, with a particular focus on ageing and aged care, and literary representations of death, dying, ageing, cognitive decline and end of life. 

 

She has recently worked as a CI on an ARC Discovery Project focussed on establishing the value of arts-based research methods to amplify the perspectives and voices of older Australians in aged care, and has also held the Judy Harris Fellowship at the Charles Perkins Centre (2022-23). She also collaborates with researchers and practitioners in the fields of visual arts and music on interdisciplinary projects exploring the use of poetic methodologies in public art and opera.

 

SUPERVISORY AREAS OF INTEREST

 

• Contemporary Australian and American poetry

• Contemporary Australian fiction and memoir

• Ekphrasis

• Representations of historical violence and the abject

• Australian publishing cultures

• Medical humanities and literary representations of ageing, aged care, death and dying

• Arts-based participatory research methods, including research poetry and photovoice

• Creative writing pedagogy

 

SELECTED RESEARCH INCOME AND INDUSTRY GRANTS

 

2025 J.O. and J.R. Wicking Trust, “Engaging Older Australians in Co-Designing An AI App for Grief,” with Lead CI Professor Evonne Miller, Prof Glenda Amayo Caldwell, Pro Natalie Bradford, Prof Lisa Scharoun, Dr Heather McKinnon, Prof Selena Bartlett ($260,000)

2024 Creative Australia: International Touring Fund grant ($5000)

2021-2023 ARC Discovery Project (DP 210100589) “Amplifying Voices from the Royal Commission into Aged Care,” with Lead CI Professor Evonne Miller, Dr T.J. Thomson and Dr Jen Seevinck ($329,037)

2021-2023 City of Swan, W.A., Light Horse Memorial Sculpture, collaboration with Lead CI A/Prof Charles Robb ($391,700)

2021-2023 Judy Harris Writer in Residence Fellowship, Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney ($100,000)

2019 Australia Council for the Arts (Creative Australia) Individuals Grant for creative work ($50,000)

2019 Queensland Literary Awards Queensland Writers Fellowship ($15,000)

2018 Australia Council for the Arts (Creative Australia) Project Grant  ($31,300)

2016-2018 Australian War Memorial General Sir John Monash Commemorative Sculpture Project, with Lead CI A/Prof Charles Robb ($259 840)

2016 Copyright Agency (CAL) Career Fund Grant ($2,000)

2016 Arts Queensland Arts Qld Individuals Fund, for travel to XIII International Poetry Festival of Granada, Nicaragua ($3700)

2015 Australia Council for the Arts (Creative Australia)  New Work Grant ($40,000)

2012 DFAT Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Australia-Indonesia Institute Grant, for travel to Puisi International Poetry Festival, Java ($2000)

2010 Australia Council for the Arts (Creative Australia) Literature Residency, B.R. Whiting Studio, Rome ($20,000)

2010-2012 Marten Bequest Travelling Fellowship for Poetry ($25,000)

2007 Asialink, University of Melbourne Asialink Writer in Residence, Aichi Shukutoku University, Nagoya, Japan ($11,000)