In this editorial Patricia Leavy situates her work in the context of writing as inquiry. She discusses coining the term “social fiction and her fictional story-worlds. The piece ends with an invitation to the story.
Keywords
social fiction, fiction as research, arts-based research, writing as inquiry, story, storytelling fiction, narrative inquiry
Author Bio(s)
Dr. Patricia Leavy is a bestselling author, independent sociologist, and internationally known arts-based researcher. She has authored, coauthored, and edited over 50 books, earning critical and commercial success in both nonfiction and fiction, and her work has been translated into numerous languages. Her work has garnered over one hundred book awards including USA Best Book Awards, Independent Press Awards, International Impact Book Awards, National Indie Excellence Awards, International Book Awards, New York City Big Book Awards, Firebird Book Awards, and American Fiction Awards. Recently, her novel The Location Shoot won a 2023 Literary Titan Gold Book Award for Fiction. She has also received numerous career awards including, the New England Sociological Association 2010 New England Sociologist of the Year, the American Creativity Association 2014 Special Achievement Award, the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry 2015 Special Career Award, the National Art Education Association 2018 Distinguished Contributions Outside of the Profession Award, the American Educational Research Association 2018 Division D Significant Contributions to Educational Measurement and Methodology Award, and the American Educational Research Association 2022 Outstanding Achievement in Arts and Learning Award. She has also been honored by the National Women’s Hall of Fame, was presented an Award for Leadership and Humanitarian Efforts in Literature and Publishing by We Are the Real Deal, and in 2018 SUNY-New Paltz established “The Patricia Leavy Award for Art and Social Justice.” Dr. Leavy serves on the board of the London Arts-Based Research Centre. Her website is www.patricialeavy.com. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Shalen Lowell, assistant to Dr. Leavy, at shalenlowell@gmail.com.
Leavy, P. (2025). Editorial: On social fiction and the 2025 special issue of The Qualitative Report. The Qualitative Report, 30(2), 3121-3124. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2025.7940
