Writing the
Sleep Crisis
Exploring representations of
sleep in contemporary culture.
Picture credit: Insomnia. Stephen Magrath. CC0 1.0 Universal
About
This research project explores how sleep, and lack thereof, is represented in contemporary writings across fiction, non-fiction, and digital culture. It’s the first study to analyse cultural engagements with the sleep crisis, namely, the sense that contemporary society is profoundly sleep-deprived.
“Writing the Sleep Crisis” is led by Dr Diletta De Cristofaro. It is currently funded by a Wellcome Trust Research Fellowship in Humanities and Social Science and based at Northumbria University, UK. The project also involves collaborations with Politecnico di Milano, Italy, where it was based between September 2021 and August 2022 funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement 892459.
Understanding and Reimagining Sleep and Its Disorders
A creative workshop series and art exhibition exploring the lived experience of sleep
If you are experiencing difficulties with your sleep and have connections to the Newcastle area, sign up for the workshop series by clicking the button below and join us.
The hybrid workshop series (February-April 2023), supported by a Wellcome Research Enrichment – Public Engagement grant and designed in partnership with The Sleep Charity, will discuss the impact of sleep disorders in our lives and will produce creative responses about sleep. These responses will then be published as part of an online art exhibition on this website.
Sleep Stories
An Exclusive Commission
Durham Book Festival 2021
Featured Past Event
“Are We in a Sleep Crisis? Perspectives from Contemporary Culture” – A talk at The Lit&Phil by Dr Diletta De Cristofaro, June 2021
Picture credit: Insomnia. Stephen Magrath. CC0 1.0 Universal
People
Dr Diletta De Cristofaro
Principal Investigator on “Writing the Sleep Crisis”
Prof Simona Chiodo
Full Professor of Philosophy at Politecnico di Milano
Prof Katy Shaw
Professor of Contemporary Writings at Northumbria University
Prof Jason Ellis
Professor in Psychology at Northumbria University
Featured Publication
The counterproductive promise of a “sleep goal”
The Week, March 2022
In this opinion piece, Diletta De Cristofaro explores how the fixation of sleep-tracking devices and relaxation apps on sleep goals ironically ends up devaluing sleep.
News
Blog post for the Society of Occupational Medicine
What can cultural production tell us about sleep and work? In this invited blog post for the Society…
World Sleep Day roundtable at the Sociability of Sleep
Hot Takes: Sleep Equity and Climate Change For World Sleep Day, Diletta De Cristofaro will be modera…
Essay in New Humanist
“What Dreams May Come” This review of Alice Vernon’s Night Terrors: Troubles Sleep and t…
Follow the Project
Get in Touch
Email Dr Diletta De Cristofaro:
diletta.decristofaro[at]gmail.com
We're still looking for volunteers to join our reader's panel. This a valuable resource for the charity ensuring we are delivering credible information that meets demand. Find out more here... https://thesleepcharity.org.uk/get-involved/readers-panel/ #volunteer #charitywork #wfh #communitysupport #CSR
I'm thrilled to launch this new resource which outlines 5 sensory methods for humanities research. Funded by the @wellcometrust #MedEnv project in collab w/ the University of Bristol ‘Senses and Sensations’ research cluster, it's FREE to download here! 👇 https://medenvnetwork.wordpress.com/2023/03/28/sensory-research-in-the-humanities/
Check out this post by @tedilta for @SOMNews about #sleep and #work in contemporary culture: https://www.som.org.uk/what-can-cultural-production-tell-us-about-sleep-and-work
What can cultural production tell us about #sleep and #work? - read our new guest blog by @tedilta http://ow.ly/lOMw50NtJZO @writing_sleep @wellcometrust @NorthumbriaUni #occupationalhealth