Lee Child funds new crime writing professorship at UEA to shape the future of crime writing
By: Communications
A transformative gift from one of the world’s most successful authors is set to redefine how the next generation of crime writers are trained in their craft at the University of East Anglia.
Lee Child, creator of the global Jack Reacher phenomenon, has made an extraordinary philanthropic investment to establish a Professorship in Crime Writing at the University of East Anglia (UEA).
The move both cements the genre’s academic legitimacy and signals a shift in how storytelling is taught, studied and valued.
At a time when crime novels dominate bestseller lists and global streaming platforms alike, this investment challenges a lingering cultural perception: that crime fiction is somehow less worthy of critical attention than other literary forms.
Instead, it positions the genre exactly where its influence suggests it belongs: at the centre of contemporary storytelling.
The funding, which will run for an initial three years, will also support a dedicated administrative and engagement role, creating two new part-time posts designed to expand industry partnerships, enhance student opportunities, and increase public engagement – strengthening a programme that already connects Norwich to the international publishing world.
Lee Child’s relationship with UEA is rooted in decades of creative exchange. Long before the University launched its pioneering and now-renowned MA in Crime Writing, he worked closely with UEA’s Professor of Creative Writing and Crime Fiction, Henry Sutton, who interviewed and reviewed his work as a journalist and later founded the course.
Child went on to become the MA’s first Visiting Crime Writer, delivering masterclasses and helping to shape the course from its inception. He has also placed his extensive literary archive on long-term loan with UEA’s British Archive for Contemporary Writing, where it is now widely used in teaching, research and public exhibitions.
Child said: "For a long time I have watched and admired UEA's expertise in creative writing and, in particular, its postgraduate crime writing unit, which displays both rigorous process and spectacular results.
“UEA is Britain's "writer's university" - like University of Iowa is in the U.S. - and I'm delighted to support it in whatever way I can. I expect it to go from strength to strength - a perfect paradigm of academic excellence producing practical, real-world success for its lucky participants."
Professionalising a global genre
Founded by UEA’s Professor of Creative Writing and Crime Fiction, Henry Sutton, the MA in Crime Writing was created with a clear mission: to professionalise crime fiction writing and secure its place within the academy as a serious and critically engaged literary form.
From the outset, the programme was designed as a distance learning, low-residency course, ensuring accessibility and inclusivity for aspiring writers around the world.
Its distinguishing feature, and key success factor, is that every student graduates with a completed manuscript ready for submission to literary agents and publishers.
By combining rigorous academic study with industry insight, the course enables students to refine their craft, focus their writing and editing, and gain direct access to the publishing world.
As a result, UEA has established an exceptionally strong track record of publication, with graduates entering the market with work that is professionally developed and ready to promote.
Prof Henry Sutton said: “This sponsored professorship is a major development in the teaching of crime writing at UEA, and further attests to the genre’s significance within the academy, and well beyond.
“Most importantly, it is Lee Child's major new and continued support and recognition of our Creative Writing MA in Crime Fiction, and Creative Writing at UEA in general, along with our outstanding students and alumni.
“Such support will enable many more writers to realise their full potential, while contributing to a literary form that could not be more relevant, pertinent and important in today’s challenging world.”
A strategic investment in teaching and innovation
At a time of increasing pressure across higher education, this new funding delivers critical investment in teaching and innovation.
By creating two new part-time roles, the Lee Child Professor of Crime Writing and a Crime Writing administrator post dedicated to engagement and delivery, the gift will:
- Strengthen UEA’s teaching infrastructure in crime writing
- Expand collaboration with crime writers, publishers, agents and festivals
- Support public events, exhibitions and outreach activity
- Enhance use of UEA’s crime writing archives in teaching and research
- Foster an even more dynamic and professionally focused student experience
Crucially, it will enable UEA to continue shaping the evolution of crime fiction as both a creative practice and an academic discipline, while nurturing new writing talent on a global stage.
From Norwich to the world
With crime fiction remaining one of the most widely read genres internationally – crossing cultures, languages and borders, UEA’s MA and now the Lee Child Professorship, plays a distinctive role in shaping both the future of publishing and the critical understanding of the genre.
Through this investment, UEA will continue to lead the way in elevating crime writing from a beloved global form of storytelling to a field of serious creative and academic practice.
Georgette Ward, UEA’s Interim Director of Development, Alumni and Campaigns, said: “This is a transformative act of philanthropy. Lee Child’s gift allows us to invest directly in people - in teaching, in students, and in the infrastructure that supports creativity and innovation.
“It strengthens UEA’s position as a global hub for crime writing and enables us to deepen our impact across education, research and public engagement.
To know more about UEA’s Creative Writing Programmes, visit The School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing
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