From poetry and playwriting to short stories and novels, you’ll focus on your existing creative passions and experiment with a wide range of styles, modes, and genres. You’ll be mentored by professional authors who can help you find your creative voice. You can see your work performed by actors in a staged reading, and get published in our student-led magazine – Show Don’t Tell – as well as our annual paperback anthology, the New Writing Series.
We’re a close-knit creative writing community and our students benefit from a high level of support from each other and staff. You’ll learn from award-winning lecturers who specialise in a variety of genres, including transgressive writing, confessional poetry, sci-fi, horror, and speculative fiction. These include Professor Nigel McLoughlin – twice shortlisted for the Hennessey Award, and whose work has appeared in The Guardian, the Independent on Sunday and The Irish Times.
Study style
The course includes a mix of lectures, seminars and one-to-one tutorials – all taught by professional authors. In lectures, you’ll learn the fundamentals of good writing by studying the greats, both classic and contemporary. In workshops, you’ll develop your own stories, plays, novels and poems. Regular writing workshops mean you can share your work with peers and get their feedback.
In your first year you’ll explore the fundamentals of prose, poetry and dramatic writing, before pursuing your chosen strand, (or multiple strands if you’re keen to combine a mix of creative areas). Your final year will have a professional focus to prepare you for your career in the creative industries. You’ll meet with established authors, agents, and editors – understanding the publishing industry, composing your writer’s biography and learning how to submit your work to relevant magazines and markets.