Dr Joan Ormrod  

I lecture on the Film and Media BA Hons in The Department of Media at Manchester Metropolitan University. My units, Representing Youth, Youth Cultures and Subcultures, Fantasy Narratives in Popular Culture, Science Fiction in the Media reflect my research and publications. I also teach with David Huxley on Reading the Graphic Novel.

My publications and research to date fall into two areas; subcultures and comics. Research into subcultures develops my PhD, 'Expressions of Nation and Place in British Surfing Identities' which focused on analysing representations of surfing, gendered and national identity through film and popular culture. I have organised a symposium on the representations of adventure sports in association with the Leisure Studies Association which was both an interdisciplinary and international event www.miriad.mmu.ac.uk/visualculture/inc/adventuresports/

In comics, my research focuses on comics audiences and women in comics. The comics component of my research is realised in my work with David Huxley editing Routledge's Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics www.tandf.co.uk/journals/rcom . We have organised two international comics conferences at Manchester Metropolitan University 2007 www.miriad.mmu.ac.uk/visualculture/inc/trash/ , 2010 www.miriad.mmu.ac.uk/visualculture/inc/comics/ and are in the process of jointly organising a conference July 5-8, 2011 www.conferencealerts.com/seeconf.mv?q=ca1ms3a3 with two other comics journals, Studies in Comics and The European Journal of Comic Art.

I am interested in supporting anyone researching in any of the areas mentioned above.