Queen's offer aspiring writers literary course

Queen's University Belfast is offering aspiring writers the chance to work with leading professionals in the fields of poetry, prose and drama.

Running for four years, the MA in Creative Writing has already made a major contribution to the literary scene in Northern Ireland and further afield, with many of its students going on to achieve great success.

Earlier this year current student Sinead NiCoitir won the First Fiction Prize in the prestigious Hennessey Awards, and just this week came confirmation that former student Deirdre Cartmill’s first collection of poetry is to be published later this year by Lagan Press.

The course has in fact established itself as such a successful training ground for new writers that the Dublin-based Lisa Richards Agency, one of the most important literary agencies in Ireland, has set up a special annual bursary to support the work of one Creative Writing student at Queen’s.

Three leading Northern Irish writers teach the course: novelist Glenn Patterson, poet Medbh McGuckian, and playwright Daragh Carville. The external examiner is Poet Laureate Andrew Motion.

Daragh Carville said: “As well as the creative work that the students undertake, we’re very keen to emphasise the professional demands of writing. Students need to learn how to present their work, they need to learn about the importance of developing good relationships with publishers and editors and agents and so on.

"They need to understand that there is a collaborative element to writing of all kinds. There’s no point just sitting in a garret working away at something no-one’s ever going to read. You need to get the work out there.”

Application forms for the MA in Creative Writing are available now from Queen's University.

(MB)