Course summary

Are you ready to transform your writing craft into a sustainable career? Our MA Creative Writing programme is designed to equip you with the academic, creative, and professional writing skills needed for success in the 21st Century. This postgraduate degree has been developed to meet the needs of both local and national students looking to explore their craft alongside the entrepreneurial skills vital for a career in original text production and publishing. What You Will Study The MA course combines writing workshops with modules that delve into the practical and theoretical aspects of professional authorship. • Creative Craft: Hone your writing craft through focused workshops. In the second semester, you will specialise in either poetry or prose fiction / creative non-fiction. • The Nature of the Book: Explore the book both historically and in contemporary contexts. • Performance and Technology: Consider ways in which emerging technologies and performance can be used for textual production, ethical considerations, and how they offer opportunities to build paratexts and performances that go ‘beyond the book’. • Professional Skills: The programme is specifically designed to offer a professional experience, developing entrepreneurial skills in a range of content creation contexts necessary for 21st-century employment. You will learn from modules delivered by professional writers and academics. Additionally, there will be opportunities throughout the MA to meet industry professionals and gain crucial professional practice and engagement. Professional Connections and Support The programme is deeply linked to the cultural sector, providing outstanding opportunities for networking and career development: • Industry Links: We encourage and support work experience via UCP Futures, our dedicated employability service. Students will have opportunities to work with organisations linked to the Malcolm Bradbury Trust, John Clare Cottage, Little Gidding TS Eliot festival, and Metal, among others. • Malcolm Bradbury Trust Support: We work directly with the board of the Malcolm Bradbury Trust, which consists of industry experts across the creative arts. This relationship provides special seminar sessions held with relevant board members. The Malcolm Bradbury Trust will generously offer one student bursary of £2,500 per intake. • Meet Leading Authors: We continually build on previous visits from nationally and internationally renowned writers, including Michael Rosen, Sophie Hannah, George Szirtes, Preti Taneja, Toby Litt, and Andrew McMillan. We also host international events, such as ‘An Evening With Akvilė Kavaliauskaitė and Laimonas Briedis’, two Lithuanian authors who were in residency with the National Centre for Writing. Why Study in Peterborough? • Literary History: The city is only five miles from Clare Cottage, the historic home of the poet John Clare. Peterborough proudly claims authors like Clare, L.P. Hartley, and David Pinner, as well as contemporary writers and performers such as Eva Dolan, Charley Genever, and Ross Sutherland. • Vibrant Local Scene: Peterborough boasts a vibrant and thriving literary scene, featuring its own poet laureate, internationally recognised literary performers and educators, and burgeoning arts festivals. • Cultural Engagement: The arts and cultural community is developing rapidly through various diverse activities and events. UCP is a member organisation of the Peterborough Cultural Alliance. Key organisations include Peterborough Presents, Metal Peterborough, and JumpedUp Theatre. • Venues and Festivals: Events are hosted at the city’s three theatres, on our own campus, in smaller community settings across Peterborough, and include the annual Peterborough Celebrates event organised by the Nene Park Trust. There are also many other literary festivals in the surrounding area, such as in Stamford, Little Gidding, Oundle, and Market Deeping