MA Creative Writing

at Keele University

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.
 

You will be expected to have an honours degree (2.2 or above).
 

You will be required to submit a portfolio of work to the admissions tutor (usually the Programme Director). A high quality portfolio will take precedence over a first degree and may be taken as evidence of APEL. The portfolio should consist of 10-15 poems and/or 5,000-6,000 words of prose. If it is considered of sufficient quality, the admissions tutor will pass it on to one of the creative writing tutors specialising in the genre chosen by you. That tutor will then recommend an interview, on which the final decision will be based. Up to 30 credits from a comparable programme may be taken as APCL.

International - Full time £16,800 per year
 

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.