I first heard about OIVs through the NWCDTP at my first-year PhD induction
event, during which the additional types of funding available to researchers were
outlined. I was immediately drawn to the idea of an OIV because I completed my BA
and MA at the same institution where I am undertaking my PhD, the University of
Salford. While I really value working with my home supervisory team, I was also
aware that I could benefit from spending time in a Creative Writing department at
another university. An OIV therefore felt like an ideal opportunity to broaden my
academic network and gain insight into the different ways Creative Writing can be
practised and taught.

In my first year, I discussed the possibility of undertaking an OIV with my main
supervisor. There are several ways to approach an OIV application: you might have
a particular institution in mind already, perhaps because it holds archives relevant to
your research, or you might wish to work with a specific academic. In my case, I
revisited the books and journal articles that had resonated with me most during the
first year of my PhD, paying attention to whether these works had been published by
writers who are also active academics. This helped to shape the direction of my OIV,
and I ultimately identified one academic I wanted to contact to discuss the prospect
of a visit.

When planning an OIV, it is really important to focus on a small pool of
institutions or academics. This allows you to clearly demonstrate why you want to
work with a particular institution or individual, which is a key part of the application
process. For this reason, it is vital to begin planning an OIV early on.
In the second year of my PhD, I wrote an overview of my research and my
aims for an OIV, which I first shared with my home supervisor, Prof Ursula Hurley.
Once I had refined it, I then sent it to Julienne van Loon, Associate Professor in
Creative Writing in the School of Culture and Communication at the University of
Melbourne.

I chose to contact Julienne van Loon after reading her most recent
monograph, The Thinking Woman (2019, UNSW Press), which I found deeply
engaging. The book is structured around six core chapters, each exploring a central
theme through interviews with contemporary women thinkers. I was particularly
drawn to the way van Loon interweaves memoir with scholarly analysis. This
approach encouraged me to think more carefully about how my own research, which
at times can feel highly theoretical, connects with lived experience, both my own and
that of others.

In addition, van Loon is a Managing Editor at TEXT: Australasian Journal of
Writing and Writing Courses. I was therefore especially excited by the prospect of
working with her, particularly in relation to gaining expert guidance on how aspects of
my PhD research might be developed into publishable work.
After meeting with van Loon virtually, applying to the University of
Melbourne’s Study Abroad Research programme, and submitting a funding
application to the NWCDTP, I arrived in Melbourne in February 2026, ready to begin
my twelve-week research visit. During this time, I met with van Loon regularly to
discuss drafts of a journal article I was developing. Her feedback was invaluable in
helping me refine the scope of the project, something that can be especially
challenging during a PhD, when there is simply so much material to draw on.
As a result of my time in Melbourne, I gained a much clearer and more
realistic sense of what a journal article in Creative Writing should include. I am now
continuing to develop this draft, with the aim of submitting it to a relevant journal after
completing my thesis in 2027.

Alongside this, I had the opportunity to attend lectures on short fiction and to
take part in weekly “Shut Up and Write!” workshops. In the final week of my research
visit, I also participated in a departmental seminar, where I discussed with van Loon
and other academics the similarities and differences between Creative Writing PhDs
in the UK and Australia. This experience directly aligned with one of my OIV aims: to
learn more about Creative Writing practices beyond my home institution.

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