Avril Gray
Avril Gray

Avril Gray

Associate Professor

Biography

M.Phil
M.A. Hons
Former Publishing MD
Senior Fellow HEA
Programme Leader, Postgraduate Publishing
(www.publishingdegree.co.uk)
University Project Manager #NapierBigRead (www.NapierBigRead.com)

News

Events

Esteem

Advisory panels and expert committees or witness

  • Invited: Industry Steering Committee, International Magazine Festival
  • Judge, UNESCO Edinburgh City of Literature Anthology
  • Judge, National Scottish Magazine Awards
  • Academic Lead – International Magazine Centre
  • Invited: Advisory Committee Member for Kingston/Napier University Collaboration
  • Judge, DtS Scottish School Magazine Awards
  • Judge, National Scottish Magazine Awards
  • Expert Evidence to Scottish Parliament - Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee delegation
  • Judge, National Scottish Magazine Awards
  • Judge, National Scottish Magazine Awards

 

Conference Organising Activity

  • Innovations' First Birthday (and Birth of Big Read)
  • Bologna Book Fair, 2018
  • Nielsen UK Summit and Publishing Seminar
  • 3rd International Enhancement in Higher Education Conference, 6-8 June 2017
  • Leipzig Book Fair, 2017
  • London Book Fair, 2017
  • Thinking, Doing, Publishing: Pedogical Research on the Go
  • London Book Fair, 2016
  • Society of Young Publishers Conference (annual)
  • Leipzig Book Fair, 2016
  • London Book Fair, 2015
  • Magfest International (annual)
  • Publishing Scotland Conference (annual)

 

External Examining/Validations

  • Validator (invited), MA Publishing, York St John's University
  • Validator (invited), MA Publishing & Creative Writing, York St John's University
  • Validator (invited), MA Publishing & Contemporary Literature, York St John's University
  • External Examiner, BA (Hons) Publishing, NUI Galway
  • External Examiner, BA Hons Publishing, Kingston University
  • Validator, BA Publishing programmes, Kingston University, 2015
  • External Examiner, MA Publishing (Magazines), University of the Arts London, 2013-2015
  • Mentor to External Examiner, University of the Arts, London
  • External Examiner, MA Publishing programmes, University of the Arts London, 2011-2014

 

Fellowships and Awards

  • Recipient of University Award for Advance HE Conference, 2021
  • Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

 

Invited Speaker

  • 'Postgraduate Publishing in an International Context', Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense delegates, 15 March 2018
  • 'Postgraduate Publishing in an International Context', Leipzig University of Applied Sciences (HTWK Leipzig) delegates, 21 February 2018
  • 'How to Get a Job in Publishing', Queen's University Belfast, April 2014
  • 'How to Get a Job in Publishing', Univeristy of Aberdeen, March 2013
  • CCCF 2017 World of Books and Publishing, Edinburgh University (ANNUAL talk)
  • 'Postgraduate Publishing in Edinburgh, Scotland', British Council Panel, Kolkata Book Fair (India)

 

Media Activity

  • "Peter and Wendy" featured in Official 2012 Peter Pan Celebrations
  • Yarrrr be Treasure in them Pages - CHAS get a Personal Preview of New Book
  • Ask the Expert - Avril Gray provides publishing advice to Guardian readers
  • Peter Pan brings Christmas Cheer to Sick Kids in Hospital
  • Merchiston Publishing is Scottish 'publisher of the month'

 

Membership of Professional Body

  • Committee Member, Steering Group, PPA Scotland
  • Member, Equality in Publishing (EQUIP)
  • Secretary, Association for Publishing Education
  • Associate Member, PPA Scotland
  • Network Member, Publishing Scotland

 

Public/Community Engagement

  • A Book is More Important than Food - Books to Homeless Campaign
  • Academic Book Week
  • Monday Master Talks – 2016-2017, speakers included CEOs of Publishing Companies across the UK
  • Innovations in Learning & Teaching - Opening the Book on the Process
  • Martin Rattler Schools Cover Competition
  • Ah Dinnae Ken: What does it mean to be Scottish? (Photo Competition)
  • Pushkin Prizes - Celebrating 2014, the UK-Russia Year of Culture
  • Blood, Sweat & Tears - Blood for Books (Promoting RLS Vampire Novel)
  • Olalla - An Experiment in the Emerging Business Model of Crowdfunding
  • Travel Light - Books as a Passport
  • Books to Schools - Initiative & Initiation (into Publishing)
  • Burns ByBite, 2013
  • Ah Dinnae Ken - Young Readers & New Voters
  • Imagined Corners - A Life Without Bars
  • Publishing Showcase - Celebrating Unique UK Accreditation
  • A Clan Gathering - New Road, New Book, New eBook
  • Real Sherlock Resurrected at Inaugural Crime Fiction Festival
  • Sunset Song (Scotland's Favourite Book) - 75th Anniversary
  • Thirty-Nine Steps - A First-Class Escape into Scotland
  • 500 Years of Printing in Scotland

 

Date


24 results

Advocacy in Action: How a university shared reading project reaches homeless readers in Scotland

Presentation / Conference
Gray, A. (2021, March)
Advocacy in Action: How a university shared reading project reaches homeless readers in Scotland. Paper presented at AdvanceHE Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Conference, Online
This paper provides genuine insight into the rationale for an approach to inclusivity that penetrates to the very edges of society. It underpins the need to find better method...

No Place for Placements: Managing work experience for students in lockdown

Presentation / Conference
Gray, A. (2020, June)
No Place for Placements: Managing work experience for students in lockdown. Paper presented at Journalism Education: Covid19: learning & teaching – new approaches, Newcastle University (online
No abstract available.

Advocacy in action: How a university shared reading project reaches homeless readers in Scotland

Presentation / Conference
Gray, A. (2020, March)
Advocacy in action: How a university shared reading project reaches homeless readers in Scotland. Paper presented at Advance HE Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Conference, 2020, Edinburgh
Awarded Institutional Place by Conference This paper provides genuine insight into the rationale for an approach to inclusivity that penetrates to the very edges of society....

A book to bind us together: Staff–student collaboration on a new model of publication

Presentation / Conference
Gray, A. (2019, July)
A book to bind us together: Staff–student collaboration on a new model of publication. Paper presented at Advance HE Learning & Teaching Annual Conference, 2019, Northumbria University
This presentation provides insights into a ground-breaking initiative in which academics worked with students to produce a new book, entitled “Innovation in Learning and Teach...

Advocacy in Action – How A Publishing Programme Represents Homeless Readers in Scotland

Presentation / Conference
Gray, A. (2019, June)
Advocacy in Action – How A Publishing Programme Represents Homeless Readers in Scotland. Paper presented at By the Book6, Florence, Italy
So far as has thus been discerned, no research has been conducted into the reading habits of homeless readers. This paper provides for genuine insight into the rationale for a...

Advocacy in Action – How A Publishing Programme Represents Homeless Readers in Scotland

Presentation / Conference
Gray, A. (2019, June)
Advocacy in Action – How A Publishing Programme Represents Homeless Readers in Scotland. Paper presented at By the Book6
So far as has thus been discerned, no research has been conducted into the reading habits of homeless readers. This paper provides for genuine insight into the rationale for a...

Designing Learning Communities for All – An Overview of the QAA ‘Belonging’ Enhancement Mini Projects

Presentation / Conference
Gray, A., Brodie, J., & Haddow, C. (2019, June)
Designing Learning Communities for All – An Overview of the QAA ‘Belonging’ Enhancement Mini Projects. Paper presented at Learning & Teaching Conference, 2019, Edinburgh
This presentation will provide the audience with an overview of the QAA ‘belonging’ enhancement mini-projects that have been undertaken across the University since the launch ...

Cross Campus Shared Reading – Staff / Student Collaboration under Scrutiny

Presentation / Conference
Gray, A. (2018, September)
Cross Campus Shared Reading – Staff / Student Collaboration under Scrutiny. Paper presented at RAISE Conference 2018: Working better together: collaborations in student engagement, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK
No abstract available.

A Book is More Important than Food

Presentation / Conference
Gray, A. (2018, June)
A Book is More Important than Food. Paper presented at International Publishing By the Book 5, Florence
A Book is more important than food: collaboration with Streetreads, a charity working with homeless readers in Edinburgh.

The University as a Community: Cross-Campus Shared Reading

Presentation / Conference
Gray, A. (2018, June)
The University as a Community: Cross-Campus Shared Reading. Paper presented at QAA 15th Enhancement Conference, Glasgow Caledonian University
As part of a shared reading scheme – the #NapierBigRead – the Publishing staff and Postgraduate students at Edinburgh Napier University are working together to encourage a sen...

Current Post Grad projects