IMH and New Writing North are delighted to mark the 2025 Research Cabaret with the publication of ‘Module 8’ by Christy Ducker.
The Institute for Medical Humanities has come together with New Writing North – the writing development agency for the North of England – to commission Christy Ducker to develop poetry which will be performed and discussed at ‘Between the Lines: A Research Cabaret'. Developed in dialogue with Dr Andrea Lambell’s research into carers’ experiences of the Covid 19 pandemic, the commission brings poetry and research together. Its focus is moral injury in carers post-Covid and the possibility of repair.
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‘Module 8’ is built around two key themes: my experiences as a carer during and after Covid; and the seeming insouciance of officialdom to both carers’ and young people’s experiences during that time. The poem’s title alludes to the Covid enquiry’s Module 8 hearings which took place in October 2025. These hearings focused on the well-being of children and young people during the pandemic. I found some of the official testimony evasive and, on occasion, harmful.
The poem plays with a sonnet form to contrast two views of the same social landscape.
If you are unable to view the poem on this page, please view it in a Microsoft Word document.
Dr Andrea Lambell qualified with a PhD last year, here in Durham. She presented her thesis findings in song at last year’s Research Cabaret and has joined with Christy Ducker to continue the exploration this year.
Dr Christy Ducker is a poet and teacher. Her next collection of poems, Life Hack will be published in 2026.
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