Creative Writing

Creative Writing - MA

Study creative writing at Keele and you’ll join a thriving, close-knit and passionate community of academics, published writers, students and researchers. We share the same goals: to develop our creative and professional skills as a writer, build connections, support and inspire each other. Many of our graduates – ‘Keelites’ – have gone on to become successful novelists, authors, biographers and poets, including Stoke’s first poet laureate and winner of the Roy Fisher Prize. They’ve helped set up community-based literary festivals, artist in residence initiatives and even brought poetry to the masses via a car boot sale and a travelling ambulance.

Month of entry

September, January

Mode of study

Full time, Part time

Location

Keele University campus

Subject area

Humanities

Fees for 2023/24 academic year

UK - Full time £8,900 per year. Part time £4,900 per year.
International - £17,700 per year.

Duration of study

Full time - 1 year, Part time - 2 years

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Please note: this course is no longer accepting applications from international students for January 2023 entry

Why study Creative Writing at Keele University?

High staff-to-student ratio enhanced by small-group tutorials and a strong, inclusive research community

Vibrant creative culture with extensive calendar of poetry, creative writing, broader performance and exhibition activities organised through ArtsKeele

Keele Creative Writing Anthology lets you meet and hear live readings from published award-winning poets and novelists

Workshops with tutors and peers throughout the course facilitate continuous feedback, providing opportunities to edit and revise your work before final submission

Contribute to events, publications, workshops, competitions and short courses, broadening your experience

Course summary

In our modern, uncertain and ever-changing world, words – written or spoken – are needed perhaps now more than ever to help us share experiences, process thoughts and feelings, and fuel our imagination.

The MA Creative Writing course at Keele brings together a strong community of published and aspiring writers in fiction, nonfiction, poetry and storytelling who, like you, appreciate the potential power of words and have embarked on a journey of self-expression.

If you are looking to write, publish or share creative material, this course is designed to advance your writing abilities and boost your confidence, helping you learn more about the critical and intellectual context in which your work is situated and build a professional portfolio. For those with the beginnings of book in mind, it can help you refine your manuscript and even set you on your path to publication.

You’ll be taught and mentored by published writers, prize-winning poets and novelists, both from here within the University and from the active participation of invited guests, for example, at the fortnightly Keele Creative Writing Anthology. Last year, this included acclaimed writer Okechukwu Nzelu, whose first book won a Betty Trask Award and was shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize and the Polari First Book Prize.

You’ll also have the option to participate directly in a wide range of on campus, online and local events, publications, workshops and short courses. This provides experience in event management, curation, reading, presenting and even teaching, as well as the reviewing and editing that is often a writer’s secondary source of income.

Graduates of this course include: Chris Prendergast, whose debut novel was published to high acclaim by Salt in 2014; Deborah Alma, whose ‘Emergency Poet’ project has received international press coverage; and Liz Lefroy, who won the first Roy Fisher Prize in 2001, an award for new poetry endorsed by the Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy.

The MA provides an excellent foundation for further doctoral (PhD) training or academia, here in the UK, Europe or the rest of the world. The excellent communication skills you develop can doors to careers in publishing, culture, heritage, marketing, public relations or copywriting.

Other courses you may be interested in:

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Course structure

The underlying aim of this course is to provide a nurturing, supportive creative space to hone your craft, where you can collaborate with like-minded individuals, explore new ideas, experiment with language and learn to arrange words in new and exciting ways.

Teaching and extra-curricular activities are focused on improving your writing to bring it up to a publishable standard – from the 1:1 feedback from your portfolio supervisor to seminars, workshops, writing competitions and open mic nights. You’ll be able to listen to others and present your own work, giving and receiving constructive criticism from a friendly community of writers who are learning alongside you.

The MA Creative Writing can be studied as either a one-year full-time or two-year part-time course, with start dates in September and January. You will complete 180 credits, comprising two optional modules (60 credits), one workshop-based which corresponds to your eventual portfolio medium, and two compulsory core modules (a total of 120 credits).

The core modules include the substantive Portfolio module, which provides an an exciting opportunity to work under the supervision of an expert in your chosen genre (poetry, fiction, or life writing). Where possible, you’ll be allocated your supervisor at the beginning of the programme, allowing regular consultation and feedback throughout the duration of your studies.

The course can also be studied on a modular basis, with individual modules taken as CPD short courses, with the option to be subsequently counted towards a full MA.

Core Taught Modules

Semester 1

ENG-40018 The Writer as Critic, The Critic as Writer (30 credits)
This compulsory module considers the critical process of reading other writers’ work, looking at what influences our writing and the impact of the cultural context in which writers live and work. Examining the relationship between writing and different modes of literary and cultural criticism, you will study contemporary examples of script, poetry and fiction, alongside ‘critical’ texts like Walter Benjamin's "Unpacking My Library" and Cora Kaplan's "The Thorn Birds". You’ll be encouraged to consider ways in which critics write and writers critique, presenting on key areas of debate in contemporary culture, as well as the critical questions thrown up in your own research and work. You will produce a critical 3,500-word essay on any topic relating to contemporary literature or culture, involving literary or cultural criticism or both. Past topics have included, poetry and location, autobiography and culture, fashion and femininity, and have included semi-autobiographical elements, fictional dialogues, and philosophical speculation.

Semester 2

ENG-40023 Portfolio (90 credits)
Equivalent to the dissertation-level project on traditional degree programmes, your final submission is the development of a portfolio of original writing to a professional standard. The module is taught through a series of regular individual and/or small group supervision meetings which enable you to review your progress, discuss your ideas, writing plans and structure, and get advice on reading, research and writing. You are required to produce either a complete piece of written work or a substantial component, such as a collection of poetry or short stories, a short novel, or a substantial part of a longer novel.

Optional Modules

You will choose two from four optional modules, studying one in Semester 1 and another in Semester 2.

ENG-40020 Writing Poetry (30 credits)
Taught through a series of intensive workshops studying alongside other practitioners, this module aims to develop both your poetry and your overall creative practice. You will explore contemporary practice in relation to the history of poetry, giving you a better understanding of the forms and structures of modern poetry in order to guide your work.
ENG-40019 Writing Fiction (30 credits)
Focused on writing short fiction and novels, this module gives you the opportunity to develop your prose writing techniques and professional practice supported by structured reading and peer/tutor feedback. Taking inspiration from the history, style, form and construction of prose, you will practise different techniques and learn how to optimise the drafting and revising cycle within your future creative practice.
ENG-40031 Life Writing (30 credits)
The last few years have seen the publication of major autobiographical and biographical works in Britain and the United States, as well as a surge of academic interest in life writing. Responding to the growing interest in life writing, this module encourages you to reflect creatively and analytically on the nature, history and techniques of autobiographical, biographical and memoir writing. During weekly two-hour seminars and workshops, you will discuss selected passages drawn from classic (Augustine, Rousseau, Mill, Gosse) and more recent works (Sage, Diski, Slater, Hamilton-Paterson and many others). You will plan, develop and discuss ideas and outputs in order to develop creative skills, including drafting and editing.
ENG-40041 The Writer in the Community (30 credits)
If you are interested in gaining real-life, practical experience of the cultural landscape in which writers typically work, this optional project-based module gives you the chance to participate in a 12-week project within our local community. Possible projects include: designing and delivering creative writing workshops; mentoring less experienced writers; steering a literary editing project; setting up and putting on a literary event; or creating a web-based literary resource. Recently, for example, students have created audio poetry experiences linked to natural spaces, and one read poetry at a car boot sale.

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Your career

Many of our graduates have gone on to become successful poets and novelists; some are dedicated to spreading the positive vibes that creative writing can bring.

Take Gabriella Gay, for example, who chose to set up a writers residency at Hanley car boot sale while studying, or the ‘Emergency Poet’ Deborah Alma. As well as sharing poetry from the back of a vintage ambulance at festivals, conferences, hospitals and care settings, libraries and schools, Deborah has transformed a disused Edwardian shop in Shropshire into a walk-in pharmacy dispensing poetry.

During the course, if students choose The Writer in the Community module, they will often undertake editing, the production of literary events, publications, websites and unusual digital platforms for writing. Throughout your studies, you will be encouraged to reflect on the academic, creative and general skills you are developing and, more importantly, how you can articulate these skills in applications and interviews.

Taking your studies to postgraduate level develops a range of personal and professional skills, including clear and critical thinking, originality, problem-solving, innovative questioning and, of course, excellent communication. Much sought-after by employers, these skills can open doors to a wide range of careers from teaching to management consulting.

Our graduates typically go on to work in fields such as agenting, bookselling, culture and heritage, education, marketing, communications, public relations, publishing, copywriting, and information management. Some, like Stephen Seabridge, also go on to complete PhDs here at Keele or elsewhere. Stephen was named as the Potteries first poet laureate 2018-2021 shortly after embarking on his PhD studies in creative writing and currently contributes to teaching on the MA.

Positions may include:

Academic
Author
Copywriter
Curator
Events manager
Marketing executive
Novelist
Poet
Philosopher
PR Officer
Researcher
Teacher

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Teaching, learning and assessment

How you'll be taught

This course includes a combination of taught classes, lectures, seminars, individual and small group work and guided independent study. With smaller-sized classes, our ethos is very much about learning co-operatively and supportively in a friendly, nurturing environment, sharing your ideas with tutors and peers and vice versa.

If you choose the optional Writer in the Community module, you’ll be encouraged to engage with community organisations, such as local schools, libraries, museums and health groups, to organise and promote writing activities. Previously, one group of students launched a creative literary magazine, the Orange Peel, on campus following calls for original fiction, non fiction and poetry from students and graduates. Another project involved using QR codes to merge poetry and ambient music.

A core component on teaching is the supervision you receive as part of your portfolio preparation. This provides an important opportunity to discuss your ideas and guide your research and and writing. While our vibrant (in person and online) reading programme and lecture series gives you multiple opportunities to network and learn from the experiences of a range of guest lecturers. Last year, this featured Rob Hopkins, an activist, founder of the Transition Movement and author of six books on environmentalism and activism.

Teaching schedule

Teaching takes place over the first two semesters. There are no formal group classes during Semester 3, but you consult with supervisors and access the University’s learning and teaching facilities and support services.

Semester 1 runs from the end of September to the end of January, with an assessment period in January.
Semester 2 runs from the last week of January to the middle of June, with the assessment period in June.
Semester 3 runs from June to the end of September.

How you’ll be assessed

As is to be expected from a creative writing programme, the assessment of writing assignments lies at the core of our assessment. This is done through a variety of different methods: written assignments in a specified literary genre; verbal presentations; written assignments in the form of a critical essay; and a portfolio of writing in a specified literary genre. Creative writing assignments are used to judge your progress in terms your knowledge and understanding of form and subject matter, grammar, originality, control of literary form and control of voice, style, idiom and register.

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Keele Postgraduate Association

Keele University is one of a handful of universities in the UK to have a dedicated students' union for postgraduate students. A fully registered charity, Keele Postgraduate Association serves as a focal point for the social life and welfare needs of all postgraduate students during their time at Keele.

KPA interior

Hugely popular, the KPA Clubhouse (near Horwood Hall) provides a dedicated postgraduate social space and bar on campus, where you can grab a bite to eat and drink, sit quietly and read a book, or switch off from academic life at one of the many regular events organised throughout the year. The KPA also helps to host a variety of conferences, as well as other academic and career sessions, to give you and your fellow postgraduates the opportunities to come together to discuss your research, and develop your skills and networks.

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Our expertise

Teaching staff

You’ll be taught within a tight-knit, supportive community of writers with expertise in poetry, life writing and the novel, and theory, criticism and creative writing. Our goal is to expose you to the kinds of discussion and critical interaction that will enable you to see your writing not just as self-expression, but as part of an evolving literary tradition.

Teaching team includes:

James Sheard, Senior Lecturer – author of Scattering Eva (Jonathan Cape, 2005), shortlisted for both the Forward Prize for Best First Collection and the Glenn Dimplex Award, Dammtor (Jonathan Cape, 2010) and The Abandoned Settlements (Jonathan Cape, 2017), which was shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize.

Emma Henderson, Lecturer – author of Grace Williams Says It Loud (Sceptre, 2011), which won the McKitterick Prize and was shortlisted for the Orange Prize, the Commonwealth Writers’ First Book Award, the Authors’ Club First Novel Award, the Wellcome Book Prize and was runner-up for the Mind Book of the Year. Her second novel The Valentine House (Sceptre, 2017), which was shortlisted for the Historical Writers Association Gold Crown Award.

Professor Tim Lustig, Professor in American Literature – author of Henry James and the Ghostly (1994) and Knight Prisoner: Thomas Malory Then and Now (2013), he edited the World's Classics edition of 'The Turn of the Screw' and has more recently edited a collection of essays with James Peacock, Diseases and Disorders in Contemporary Fiction: The Syndrome Syndrome (2013). Tim's most recent publication (2019) is a critical edition of The Sacred Fount, which forms part of Cambridge University Press' The Complete Fiction of Henry James. His research interests lie in British and American children's writing, c.1850-1950.

Professor Ceri Morgan, Senior Lecturer – Ceri's works increasingly on participatory projects, and runs geopoetics (walking and creative practice) workshops in the local region and beyond. Material from workshops she has led on the Potteries and coal mining industries in Stoke-on-Trent has been displayed in two exhibitions: Back to the Drawing Board (Keele University, 2016-17) and Memories of Mining (Silverdale Library, 2017-18).

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