About Me

Hi my name is Juni Kvarving. I am a researcher, editor and tutor.

I hold a PhD in English from the University of Kent about the narrative aesthetics of climate crisis in contemporary American utopian novels. Next to my doctorate, I edited for Holland House Books, worked for Wasafiri Magazine for International Contemporary Writing, and authored research articles and book reviews (there’s a list of some of my publications below if you want to have a look). Working in editorial, I had the pleasure of longlisting novels for The Island Prize for Africa, short fiction, life writing, and poetry for the Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize, and academic essays for the Wasafiri Essay Prize. I also taught as an Assistant Lecturer at the University of Kent and as a Course Instructor and Writing Tutor at the Council of International Educational Exchange (CIEE) in London. I’ve edited an issue of Litterae Mentis, The New Voices in Postcolonial Studies Magazine, and am currently working on a special issue of the European Journal of American Culture. As Co-director of the New Voices in Postcolonial Studies Network I hosted seminars and workshops, helped organise a conference at the University of Westminster, and connected academics and creatives all over the world.

I am passionate about helping students/writers find their voice and giving them the tools to bring their ideas to life. When tutoring, I focus on effective learning strategies, building lifelong skillsets, and fostering joy in acquiring and creating exciting new knowledge. As an editor, I help authors refine their work and guide them in producing a polished script which spotlights their distinctive writing style and effectively engages their target demographic.

Education

PhD English (Awarded without corrections), University of Kent 2021-2025

MA English and American Literature (Distinction), University of Kent 2020-2021

BA English and American Literature with Creative Writing (First Class Honours), University of Kent 2017-2020

My Publications

The Narrative Aesthetics of the Climate Tipping Point in Contemporary American Utopian Novels. In process.

‘American Dream/American Nightmare Special Issue’. Ed. Soph Harris-Nijmeijer, Juni Kvarving, Max Shirley, and Francesca Quinn. European Journal of American Culture, vol 45, no 3, due for publication in Autumn 2026.

‘Editors Note’. ‘Imagining Postcolonial Futures’. Ed. Soph Harris-Nijmeijer and Juni Kvarving. New Voices in Postcolonial Studies Magazine, no 2, 10th May 2025, pp. i-iii. https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/70416129/new-voices-in-postcolonial-studies-no-2-imagining-postcolonial-futures.

‘Imagining Postcolonial Futures’. Ed. Soph Harris-Nijmeijer and Juni Kvarving. New Voices in Postcolonial Studies Magazine, no 2, 10th May 2025. https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/70416129/new-voices-in-postcolonial-studies-no-2-imagining-postcolonial-futures.

‘Review of Afterglow: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors Edited by Grist and Absolution by Jeff VanderMeer’. Wasafiri Magazine for International Contemporary Writing, Issue 121, 26th February 2025, pp. 138-140. https://doi.org/10.1080/02690055.2025.2435183.

‘VanderMeer’s Eco-Weird Doubles: (Post)human Transformation and the Tipping Point’. European Journal of American Culture, vol 43, Special Issue: Recent Reflections on the Posthuman Condition in American Literature and Culture, 2024, pp. 271-286. https://doi.org/10.1386/ejac_00127_1.

‘Review of The American Adrenaline Narrative by Kristin J. Jacobson’. European Journal of American Culture, vol 42, no 3, 2024, pp. 91-93. https://doi.org/10.1386/ejac_00112_5.

Kevin Jackson Memorial Volume. Ed. Juni Kvarving, Dr Claire Preston, and Robert Peett. Holland House Books, 2021.

‘Rebirth’. Ed. Jemma Gurr, Elizabeth Fraser, Juni Kvarving, Isabel Pedrazuela, Marta Klimkowicz, Austin Feehan, Morgan Rodway-Wing, and Vicky Sharples. Litterae Mentis: a Journal of Literary Studies, vol 7, 2021. https://litteraementis.wordpress.com/volume-7-rebirth-2021/.