Anna-Rose Shack is a PhD candidate at the Amsterdam School of Historical Studies (ASH) at the University of Amsterdam.

Her NWO-funded doctoral research analyses the diverse ways in which sixteenth and seventeenth-century female poets represent and articulate vulnerability in lyric poetry. This project examines texts by Anne Lock, Isabella Whitney, Aemilia Lanyer, Hester Pulter and Katherine Philips. 

Previously, Anna-Rose studied English and Theatre studies at the University of Melbourne with a focus on twentieth-century Irish literature. She then completed an RMA in Literary Studies at the University of Amsterdam with a thesis entitled “Occupation on the Home Front: Shakespeare’s Soldiers in Civilian Life”. 

Anna-Rose is passionate about bringing literature to life through public outreach and performance. For example, she recently delivered a workshop on faith and poetry at the Krijtberg Catholic Church (Amsterdam) and peformed The Art of Imagination: A Staged Reading in celebration of International Women’s Day 2023 at the University of Amsterdam. 

In December 2020, Anna-Rose was one of the founding members of an international graduate student network/reading group, broadly focused on seventeenth-century women’s poetry; the group continues to meet online monthly and warmly welcomes new graduate students working in the field. Anna-Rose is also a member of the Parergon early career committee (https://parergon.org/index.php/parergon).

In the 2023-2024 academic year, Anna-Rose will teach on the BA course Shakespeare in Focus. 

Anna-Rose has previously co-taught Authors in Focus: Renaissance Women Writers (BA) with Dr Kristine Johanson. This course was nominated for the Faculty of Humanities Onderwijsprijs/Teaching Award 2023.

Anna-Rose has also taught Shakespeare and Early Modern English Literature (a second year BA core module) and designed and taught an MA tutorial entitled The Lyric Self: Early Modern Women’s Poetry at the University of Groningen (2021-22). In addition, she has taught a range of academic writing support courses at the University of Amsterdam's Writing Centre (2020-21).