Liesl King

Biography

Liesl is Deputy Head of Humanities, Philosophy and Religion. She is additionally Module Director for two modules on the Literature programme – Imaginary Worlds, Researching Science Fiction and Literature at Work, the programme’s employability module. Prior to completing her PhD, Liesl completed her BA in English at the University of California in Santa Barbara in 1988 with Honours and Special Distinction in the Major, and she attained an MA in English and a Certificate in Teaching Composition and Literature from San Francisco State University in 1995. Following her marriage to a British citizen she worked as a Visiting Lecturer in the English department of the University of North London and in the Women’s Studies department of the University of East London. She has lived permanently in the UK since 1995, and she joined York St John in 2002.

Research Interest

Liesl King is particularly interested in science fiction. Her PhD in English from the University of London, Queen Mary focuses on the representations of gender and progressive spirituality in women’s science fiction and fantasy in the late twentieth century. Liesl is currently interested in exploring the way science fiction enables readers and viewers to access secular spiritual perspectives, drawing influence from Deleuze and Guattari’s concept of the rhizome.