Humans of Warwick - Professor David Morley

Professor David Morley FRSL

Director of Undergraduate Studies, Warwick Writing Programme

“You can make a greater impact by teaching, creating and connecting than by chasing power.”

“Underneath this tree, I took one of the boldest leaps of my life, a gutsy, almost cliff-jump moment that transformed everything. More about the tree later, as it has become a particularly important place to me on campus.

At the time, I was working in the north of England as a poet and had another life mapped out. I was preparing to become a Member of Parliament near Huddersfield for the Labour Party. It was 1996, the year before the landslide election, and there was no question I would be elected.

I come from a working-class background. From an early age, I was deeply engaged in politics and activism. I delivered leaflets, knocked on doors, and I remember cycling to Greenham Common from Blackpool when I was 14. I took some food to support the women protesting there. They looked at me and said, ‘What’s this man doing here?’ I replied, ‘I’m not a man, I’m only 14, and I support you!’ That moment stayed with me. It taught me that impact is not about titles or power, but about showing up and doing what you can. By entering politics, I was following my sense of duty.

But then I was offered a job here at Warwick, one that paid less than I was earning. As a single parent of a young child, it was a huge risk. I remember asking myself if I was making the right choice and what path my life was about to take. I realised I could possibly do more for society through active education than by making policy. Few politicians remain poets, or vice versa, but the decision was made. The role felt closer to the core of what it means to be a poet, a practical dreamer, and a maker of fresh realities.

I’ve always believed art and education can change the world, and coming here allowed me to grow as a writer. I’ve spent three decades shaping lives through words and ideas and building the renowned Warwick Writing Programme. The University also gave me a platform beyond campus, to work with communities and create projects that matter. I led, for example, a major collaboration with the NHS and all of its 30,000 workers in Birmingham and the Black Country. The project travelled further than any of us expected, one afternoon the US Secretary of Health called me from the White House, wanting to know how on earth we had pulled it off. Here at Warwick, you stand on solid ground as you reach out to the wider world. I’ve continued to work as a poet, arts activist, and teacher ever since.

Now, this tree. If you can’t immediately work out which one means so much to me, come out of the front of the Faculty of Arts Building and look to your right. The tree I’m talking about is the ancient spreading oak that stands proudly alone. I bring all my new students to this tree on their first day. It’s one of the classrooms I use. I’m a strong believer that anywhere on campus can be a learning space, it doesn’t need to be a lecture room. I encourage all of you to get outside and let your imagination flow. It’s a practical dreaming that makes life out of art, and art out of the life we live.”