University of Nottingham, UK

James is Associate Professor in Drama at the University of Nottingham.  His research is primarily concerned with the literature and drama of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. His 2005 monograph, Staging the Easter Rising, explores the connections between theatre and politics, and was reviewed as 'a brave, confident book' in the Times Literary Supplement and as a 'terrific read' in the Irish Times. He also edited Four Irish Rebel Plays (2007), a volume described as 'fascinating' by Books Ireland and by Studies in Theatre and Performance. James' latest monograph, Irish Birmingham: A History (2010), has been published by Liverpool University Press and reviewed as follows in the Irish Times: 'Even if you have no ties with Birmingham, if you are interested in culture or history, you'll enjoy Irish Birmingham: A History...Moran is a splendid writer, and a very engaging one'.

His current research projects include work on the plays of Seán O'Casey, the 'regional' dimension of literary modernism, and the history of theatrical riots. James also delivers the monthly books feature on BBC Radio Nottingham.