English and Scottish Literature Research Events: Naomi Baker

About the speaker

Naomi Baker studied at the University of Oxford and the University of Manchester, where she completed a PhD thesis on early modern women's autobiographical writing. She held a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship, during which she completed a critical edition of two of the earliest known English conversion narratives, both of which were written by women. She has subsequently taught and researched at the University of Manchester and has been a visiting academic at the University of Queensland in 2019.

She teaches and researches English Renaissance literature and culture, with a particular focus on the intersections of literature and theology. She has published widely on English Renaissance drama and literature, as well as seventeenth-century women's writing.

Her first book - 'Plain Ugly: The Unattractive Body in Early Modern Culture' (MUP, 2010) examines representations of ugliness in early modern literature, drama and culture. Her latest book - 'Voices of Thunder: Radical Religious Women of the Seventeenth Century' (Reaktion Books, 2025) - explores the incredible lives and writings of a dozen seventeenth-century English Protestant women.

How to attend

Each year, English and Scottish Literature hosts a variety of exciting research events featuring a fantastic range of guest speakers and colleagues.

Events are free and everyone is welcome. No booking is required.

Are you interested in a PhD in English Literature?

We offer two PhDs: one in English Literature; and one in Creative Writing. Working with colleagues in LLC and across the wider University, we are able to support research which crosses boundaries between disciplines and/or languages.