Creative writing
Passionate about English Literature and interested in pursuing your own writing across a broad range of genres? Birkbeck provides a range of courses and events for talented writers, whether you are just starting out or would like help in developing your style.
Activities and events
- The Master's Programme in Creative Writing produces an anthology of students' writing, called The Mechanics' Institute Review.
- Students are eligible to take part in two extensions of the programme:
- writLOUD, a monthly readings event showcasing both new authors from Birkbeck’s creative writing courses and established writers
- Workshops on reading their work aloud in front of an audience.
- Contemporary Poetics Research Centre: a forum for the study and performance of contemporary poetries, and research into their historical, political and theoretical contexts.
- Writers' Hub: A new website for fiction, poetry, features, reviews and opinon on the world of writing. Run by the Birkbeck Writing Programme, membership is free and open to all. Register to post comments, create a profile, access our archive of resources and to submit work for potential publication on the site.
Departmental experts
- Julia Bell: Author of two novels – Massive (Young Picador, 2002) and Dirty Work (Young Picador, 2007), both of which have been widely translated and published in the US. Also Co-editor of the bestselling Creative Writing Coursebook (Macmillan 2001) and the short fiction anthologies Hard Shoulder (Tindal Street Press, 1999), England Calling (Weidenfeld & Nicholson, 2001) and Tell Tales 3 (Tell Tales, 2006).
- Russell Celyn Jones: novelist and critic, a Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize judge (2008), Booker Prize Judge (2002), John Llewellyn Rhys Prize judge (1998) and is a staff reviewer for The Times.
- Toby Litt: author of nine novels: Beatniks, Corpsing, deadkidsongs, Finding Myself, Ghost Story, Hospital, I play the drums in a band called okay and Journey into Space. His latest novel, King Death, was published in May 2010. He has also published two books of short stories: Adventures in Capitalism and Exhibitionism. His short story 'John and John' won the 2009 Manchester Fiction Prize.
Relevant courses
- Certificate of Higher Education in Creative Writing
- Creative writing short courses
- BA Creative Writing
- Postgraduate Certificate in Creative Writing
- MA Creative Writing
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