Undergraduate Creative Writing
We are ranked #1 in the UK for Creative Writing by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide (2024)
Number 1 ranking
This is a tribute to the brilliant poets, novelists, playwrights and filmmakers in our School.
They have been nominated for and won multiple prizes. Their work is published by leading houses such as Carcanet, Picador, Quercus and Head of Zeus, commissioned by the Royal Court Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company and distributed by Netflix. These artists' techniques and approaches are taught by them on the modules, workshops and creative projects you will undertake on this degree.
Collaborations and events
Our teaching and research is closely linked to the Newcastle Centre for the Literary Arts (NCLA) programme. This gives our students the opportunity to meet writers, poets and artists and to talk and work with them. These events increase your awareness of creative, social, and cultural issues that influence and inspire contemporary creatives, isses that are, in turn, shaped by the impact of their work.
Past speakers have included nationally and internationally renowned writers such as:
- Leila Aboulela
- Kaliane Bradley
- Eley Williams
- Mohsin Hamid
- Marilynne Robinson
- Carolyn Forché
- Bernardine Evaristo
- Sally Hayden
We have frequent public readings by staff, visiting artists, and postgraduates. Undergraduates have an annual public showcase of their work. With Bloodaxe Books, we sponsor the Newcastle/Bloodaxe Poetry Lectures.
Resources
We have excellent resources on our creative writing course. A good example is the Bloodaxe Poetry Archives. Bloodaxe Books is an internationally renowned poetry publisher of poetry in both English and in translation. It has published numerous artists' work including James Berry, Anne Carson, Benjamin Zephaniah, Tony Harrison, Imtiaz Dharker, Miroslav Holub, Frieda Hughes, and Daljit Nagra. Bloodaxe sponsors our annual James Berry Poetry Prize and publishes the winner's collection. We film our public events and we have a huge archive of creatives and artists discussing their work that provides a bank of insight and inspiration for our students.
