Researcher Details |

Keith O'Sullivan

Dr.

Contact Details

AHCS218
T:Ext. 6097

E:keith.osullivan@dcu.ie

Keith O'Sullivan is head of the School of English, deputy chair of the MA in Children's and Young Adult Literature degree programme, and co-director of the Centre for Research in Children's and Young Adult Literature.

Before joining the School of English as an associate professor, he was senior lecturer and head of English at the Church of Ireland College of Education, Rathmines. At tertiary level, he taught English on the BEd programme at Church of Ireland College of Education; the BA, BEd and MA programmes at St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra; the MPhil (in children's literature) programme at Trinity College Dublin; and the PGDipEd programme at University College Dublin.

He is a founder member of the Irish Society for the Study of Children’s Literature, a member of the International Research Society for Children’s Literature, and a past member of the board of directors of Children’s Books Ireland. He has also served as a member of the judging panel for the Reading Association of Ireland Book of the Year Awards and as chair of the Children's Books Ireland Book of the Year Awards.

He was a visiting scholar at the University of Cambridge (Homerton College, Centre for Research in Children's Literature) in 2012; the inaugural David Almond research fellow (Newcastle University and Seven Stories) in 2013; a recipient of a Friends of the Princeton Library research grant in 2016; and, an Irish Research Council grant-awardee (with Dr Pádraic Whyte of TCD) from 2013 to 2015 for the €350,000 National Collection of Children’s Book project (see National Collection of Children's Books).

Recently, up until 2023, he was co-principal investigator on ‘G-Book 2: European teens as readers and creators of gender-positive narratives’. This €200,000 project (which is co-funded by European Commission) aims to discover, explore, promote and disseminate literature that enables young readers to reflect on their identities and question stereotypes, bias and perceived norms around gender (see g-book.eu). His recent publication, Children’s Literature Collections: Approaches to Research, which he co-edited with Dr Pádraic Whyte (TCD), was the recipient of the 2019 Edited Book Award at the 24th Biennial Congress of the International Research Society for Children’s Literature in Stockholm, Sweden.

Edited Book

	Year	Publication
	2017	Keith O'Sullivan & Pádraic Whyte (Ed.). (2017) Children’s Literature Collections: Approaches to Research. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan (2019 International Research Society for Children's Literature Edited Book Award),
	2014	Keith O’Sullivan & Pádraic Whyte (Ed.). (2014) Children’s Literature and New York City. New York and London: Routledge,
	2011	Keith O’Sullivan & Valerie Coghlan (Ed.). (2011) Irish Children’s Literature and Culture: New Perspectives on Contemporary Writing. New York & London: Routledge,

Book Chapter

	Year	Publication
	2018	Keith O'Sullivan (2018) 'Panoptic and Synoptic Surveillance in The Hunger Games Series' In: 21st-Century Popular Fiction. Edinburgh : Edinburgh University Press.
	2017	Keith O'Sullivan (2017) 'The Puffin Story Book Phenomenon: Popularization, Canonization and Fantasy, 1941–1979' In: Children's Literature Collections: Approaches to Research. Basingstoke : Palgrave Macmillan.
	2017	Keith O'Sullivan and Pádraic Whyte (2017) 'Introduction: Collections as Artefacts and Architecture' In: Children's Literature Collections: Approaches to Research. Basingstoke : Palgrave Macmillan.
	2014	Keith O'Sullivan (2014) ''Without Contraries is No Progression': Romantic Constructions of Childhood and Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials' In: Philip Pullman. Basingstoke : Palgrave Macmillan.
	2014	Keith O'Sullivan (2014) 'Striated Space and Smooth Space in Nick McDonell’s Twelve' In: Children's Literature and New York City. New York & London : Routledge.
	2014	Keith O'Sullivan and Pádraic Whyte (2014) 'Introduction' In: Children's Literature and New York City. New York and London : Routledge.
	2013	Keith O'Sullivan (2013) 'The Hobbit, the Tale, Children’s Literature and the Critics' In: J. R. R. Tolkien. Basingstoke : Palgrave Macmillan.
	2011	Keith O'Sullivan and Valerie Coghlan (2011) 'Children's Literature in the Church of Ireland College of Education' In: The Bicentenary Book: From the Kildare Place Society to the Church of Ireland College of Education, 1811-2011. Dublin : CICE Publications.
	2011	Keith O'Sullivan (2011) 'Binding with Briars: Romanticizing the Child' In: Irish Children's Literature and Culture: New Perspectives on Contemporary Writing. New York & London : Routledge.
	2011	Keith O'Sullivan & Valerie Coghlan (2011) 'Introduction' In: Irish Children's Literature and Culture: New Perspectives on Contemporary Writing. New York & London : Routledge.

Peer Reviewed Journal

	Year	Publication
	2022	Keith O'Sullivan and Pádraic Whyte (2022) 'Beyond Traditional Hierarchies: Creating Space for Children’s Literature Collections'. Jahrbuch der Gesellschaft für Kinder- und Jugendliteraturforschung (GKJF), :165-174. [DOI]
	2010	Keith O'Sullivan (2010) 'Democratizing Literature: His Dark Materials as Crossover Fiction'. Journal of Children's Literature Studies, 7 (1):74-86.

Encyclopedia Entry

	Year	Publication
	2010	Keith O'Sullivan (2010) Emily Brontë. New York: ENC

Conference Contribution

	Year	Publication
	2020	Keith O'Sullivan and Pádraic Whyte (2020) Children's Literature and Digital Humanities 'The National Collection of Children's Books Project: Deconstructing and Constructing the Canon' Antwerp, .
	2019	Keith O'Sullivan (2019) Radical Youth Literature and Culture 'National Identities' Marino Institute of Education, Dublin, .
	2018	Keith O'Sullivan (2018) Popular Literature in Transition Symposium 'Changing Genres: The Future of Popular Fiction' University of Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, .
	2018	Keith O'Sullivan (2018) Palgrave Studies in the History of Childhood Book Launch 'Constructions of the Irish Child in the Independence Period, 1910-1940 by Ciara Boylan and Ciara Gallagher: A Critical Analysis and Evaluation' National Library of Ireland, Dublin, .
	2018	Keith O'Sullivan (2018) Book Launch 'Keeping Sketch: Dublin to Nepal (A Memoir) by Padraig Brady, A Critical Analysis and Evaluation' Dublin, .
	2016	Keith O'Sullivan (2016) Children and the Irish Revolution Symposium 'Writing the Rebellion: Children's Literature and 1916' St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra, .
	2015	Keith O'Sullivan (2015) Come Closer: The Darker Side of Children's Books Symposium 'Children's Literature Collections, Archives and Exhibitions' Dublin City Library, Pearse Street, .
	2015	Keith O'Sullivan (2015) National Collection of Children’s Books Symposium 'Towards a National Catalogue of Children’s Books' Trinity Long Room Hub, .
	2015	Keith O'Sullivan (2015) Little Island Book Launch 'Still Falling by Sheena Wilkinson: A Critical Analysis and Evaluation' Dublin, .
	2013	Keith O'Sullivan (2013) Dublin Writers Festival 'Drawing Children In: Approaches to Programming Literature Events' The Ark, Temple Bar, Dublin, .
	2011	Keith O'Sullivan (2011) 'From Instruction to Delight': Reading Traditions in Irish Primary Education 'Long time a child, and still a child, when years \| Had painted manhood on my cheek: Endless Childhoods in Contemporary Irish Children’s Literature' Church of Ireland College of Eduction, Dublin, .
	2010	Keith O'Sullivan et al. (2010) Irish Society for the Study of Children's Literature. 8th Annual Conference, 'Sound, Image, Text' ISSCL University of Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, .
	2008	Keith O'Sullivan (2008) Irish Society for the Study of Children’s Literature. 6th Annual Conference, ‘What Do We Tell the Children?' 'Liar, Lyra, pants on fire: Deconstructing Philip Pullman’s assertion that he is the servant of the story' Marino Institute of Education, Dublin, .
	2008	Keith O'Sullivan et al. (2008) Irish Society for the Study of Children's Literature. 6th Annual Conference, 'What Do We Tell the Children?' ISSCL Marino Institute of Education, Dublin, .
	2007	Keith O'Sullivan et al. (2007) Irish Society for the Study of Children’s Literature. 5th Annual Conference, ‘Reevaluating Gender in Children's Literature' ISSCL Church of Ireland College of Education, Dublin, .
	2005	Keith O'Sullivan (2005) International Research Society for Children’s Literature. 17th Biennial Congress, ‘Expectations and Experiences' 'A true Poet and of the Devil’s party [...but] knowing it: Philip Pullman and His Dark Materials as a sectarian narrative' University of Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, .
	2005	Keith O'Sullivan (2005) Irish Society for the Study of Children’s Literature. 3rd Annual Conference, ‘Divided Worlds' 'Kingdoms and Republics: The Influence of Romantic Political Ideologies on Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials' St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra, .

Invited Seminars

	Year	Publication
	2013	Keith O'Sullivan (2013) ‘Irish Children’s Literature: The Child and Childhood in Contemporary Writing’. Invited Postgraduate Seminar. University of Newcastle, School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics, Children’s Literature Unit. INVS
	2008	Keith O'Sullivan (2008) ‘Children’s literature: Fiction in the Space between Youth and Reality’. Invited Staff CPD. The Library Council. Tralee. INVS
	2008	Keith O'Sullivan (2008) ‘A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing? Philip Pullman: Simple Storyteller or Iconoclastic Mythmaker’. Staff and Postgraduate Seminar. University of Newcastle, School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics. Children’s Literature Unit. INVS
	2008	Keith O'Sullivan (2008) ‘The Child in Contemporary Irish Children’s Literature'. Invited Staff CPD. The Library Council. Church of Ireland College of Education, Dublin. INVS
	2005	Keith O'Sullivan (2005) ‘“Without Contraries is No Progression”: Dialectics and Revolution in the Writings of Philip Pullman’. Invited Inaugural Humanities Research Seminar. St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra. INVS

Radio Presentation

	Year	Publication
	2006	Keith O'Sullivan (2006) Children's Literature Christmas Recommendations. Radio Telefís Éireann, Radio 1. RADIO

Exhibition

	Year	Publication
	2022	Keith O'Sullivan et al (2022) Padraic Colum, 1881-1972: 50th Anniversary Celebration of His Life and Works. Exh [Link]
	2018	Keith O'Sullivan and Sue Miller (2018) G-Book: A European Travelling Collection of Gender-Positive Children's Books. dlr LexIcon. Exh
	2015	Keith O'Sullivan et al (2015) Come Closer: The Darker Side of Children's Books (NCCB). Dublin City Library and Archive, Pearse Street. Exh

Literary Review

	Year	Publication
	2013	Keith O'Sullivan (2013) 'Irish Studies of the Young'. Review of Young Ireland, edited by Mary Shine Thompson. The Irish Literary Supplement. Litr
	2007	Keith O'Sullivan (2007) Irish Children’s Writers and Illustrators, edited by Valerie Coghlan and Siobhan Parkinson. Inis, The Children’s Books Magazine. Litr

Research Interests

Keith is happy to receive applications for doctoral research, especially in the following areas: young adult/children's literature, contemporary fantasy, multimodal texts, Romanticism, poetry, and collections and archives.

Research Projects

	Title	Role	Description	Start date	End date
	G-Book 2: European teens as readers and creators in gender-positive narratives	DCU Pi		14/12/2020	14/12/2022
	G-Book: Gender Identity: Child Readers and Library Collections	Co-PI		01/01/2017	01/01/2019

Current Postgraduate Students

	Student Name	Degree	Supervision
	Jordan ,Mairéad	PhD	Supervisor

Modules Coordinated

	Term	Title	Subject
	2023		EL506
	2023		EL505A
	2023		EL503
	2023		EL502
	2023		EL501
	2023		EL305
	2023		EL301