Location:

Bath, United Kingdom

Program Type:

Full Degree

Degree Level:

Master

Specialty:

Literature & Writing

Program Overview

Program Description:

This specialist creative writing MA course enlists the expertise of our team of writer-lecturers, five of whom are currently published in the field of children's writing. It is supported by visiting speakers from the children's publishing world, including agents, editors, publishers and authors. Leading Children's Literary Agents Jodie Marsh (United Agents) offers an annual prize for the 'most promising writer for young people'. We have an excellent track record of graduates achieving publication. Novels by Gill Lewis, Sam Gayton, Elen Caldecott, Jim Carrington, Alex Diaz, Marie-Louise Jensen, Sally Nicholls and C.J. Skuse and picture books by Karen Hughes have all been published in the last five years. 'Ways to live forever' by Sally Nicholls won the Waterstones Children's Book of the YEar Award and the Glen Dimplex New Writers Award 2008. Marie-Louise Jensen and Elen Caldecott were both shortlisted for the 2009 Waterstones Prize, and Elen was longlisted for the Carnegie award for 'How Kirsty Jenkins Stole the Elephant'. The course is for writers for children of all ages, from the picture-book age through to adolescent and 'crossover' writing which aims at markets among adults as well as young people. Though prose fiction is likely to be the main area studied, students will have the chance to look at writing in all forms, including poetry, picture book texts and non-fiction. The course supports students to create a significant body of writing, with practical plans for its place in the real world of publishing. It is based on the principle that most writers learn and benefit from working closely with their fellow writers, in a disciplined supportive setting, and with tutors who are practising and published writers in their field.

Additional Program Information

Accreditation:

The assessed coursework for each Writing Workshop is a folder of creative writing. For the first Context Module the coursework is an essay of approximately 2,500 words and a folder of creative responses. The second context module is assessed by a portfolio of writing tasks connected to the children's publishing industry, including to book proposals. The manuscript is 35,000-40,000 words, or the equivalent in poetry or picture book texts.

Requirements:

We offer places on the basis of our assessment of the student's quality, potential and commitment as a writer and their ability to benefit from the course. Normally, but not invariably, a student will have a degree. Applicants will need to submit a short piece of creative writing for young people with their application form: for example, six poems or two short stories or not more than 20 pages of a novel.

International Requirements:

Please contact internation[email protected] for more information.