UEA Creative Writing Course

The University of East Anglia's Creative Writing Course was founded by Sir Malcolm Bradbury and Sir Angus Wilson in 1970. The M.A. is widely regarded as the most prestigious and successful in the country [1][2][3] and competition for places is notoriously tough.

The course is split into four strands: Prose, Creative Non-Fiction, Poetry and Scriptwriting (which is Skillset accredited). All four result in an M.A. qualification upon successful completion of the course. The Course Directors are currently Andrew Cowan, Kathryn Hughes, Lavinia Greenlaw and Val Taylor respectively. Course tutors include Amit Chaudhuri, Trezza Azzopardi, Giles Foden, Tobias Jones, James Lasdun, Jean McNeil, Margaret Atwood and George Szirtes.

Writers such as Angela Carter, Rose Tremain, Andrew Motion, W. G. Sebald, Michèle Roberts and Patricia Duncker have also taught on the course.

Writers-in-residence have included Alan Burns[4] and Margaret Atwood.

Notable alumni

Nobel Prize Winners

• Kazuo Ishiguro (MA, 1980), 2017 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate and Booker Prize–winning author

Booker Prize winners

Nobel Prize in Literature laureate Kazuo Ishiguro

Booker Prize winner Ian McEwan

Booker Prize winner Anne Enright

• Anne Enright (MA, 1987), Booker Prize–winning author
• Kazuo Ishiguro (MA, 1980), 2017 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate and Booker Prize–winning author[5]
• Ian McEwan (MA, 1971), Booker Prize–winning author

Costa Book Award winners

Costa Book Award winner Adam Foulds

• Tash Aw (MA, 2003), Whitbread Book Award–winning novelist
• Susan Fletcher (MA, 2002), Whitbread Book Award–winning novelist
• Adam Foulds (MA, 2001), Costa Book Award–winning poet
• Emma Healey (MA, 2011), Costa Book Award–winning poet
• Andrew Miller (MA, 1991), Costa Book Award–winning novelist
• Christie Watson (MA, 2009), Costa Book Award–winning novelist

Other alumni

Historical novelist Tracy Chevalier

Novelist John Boyne

• Naomi Alderman (MA, 2003), novelist
• Nicholas Allan (MA, 1981), children's author
• Mona Arshi (MA, 2012), Forward Prize-winning poet
• Trezza Azzopardi (MA, 1998), novelist
• Martyn Bedford (MA, 1994), novelist
• Brett Ellen Block (MA, 1998), author
• Peter Bowker (MA, 1991), screenwriter
• John Boyne (MA, 1996), novelist[6]
• Aifric Campbell (MA, 2003), writer
• Tracy Chevalier (MA, 1994), historical novelist
• Judy Corbalis (MA, 1990), novelist
• Andrew Cowan (MA, 1985), novelist
• Helen Cross (MA, 1998), novelist
• Fflur Dafydd (MA, 2000), writer
• Donna Daley-Clarke (MA, 2001), novelist
• Louise Doughty (MA, 1987), novelist
• Suzannah Dunn (MA, 1989), novelist
• Joe Dunthorne (MA, 2005), novelist
• Susan Elderkin (MA, 1994), author
• Oliver Emanuel (MA, 2002), playwright
• Diana Evans (MA, 2003), novelist
• Stephen Finucan (MA, 1996), short story writer
• David Flusfeder (MA, 1988), author
• Bo Fowler (MA, 1995), novelist
• Ruth Gilligan (MA, 2011), writer
• Tim Guest (MA, 1999), author
• Stephanie Hale (MA, 1993), writer
• Mohammed Hanif (MA, 2005), writer
• Jane Harris (MA, 1992), novelist and screenwriter
• Alix Hawley (MA, 2002), novelist
• Kathryn Hughes (MA, 1987), historian
• Mick Jackson (MA, 1992), novelist
• Christopher James (MA, 2000), poet
• Anjali Joseph (MA, 2008), author
• Panos Karnezis (MA, 2000), novelist
• Larissa Lai (MA, 2001), novelist
• Hernán Lara Zavala (MA 1981), novelist
• Joanna Laurens (MA, 2003), playwright
• Ágnes Lehóczky (MA, 2006), poet
• Frances Liardet (MA, 2000), translator of Arabic literature
• Toby Litt (MA, 1995), novelist
• Philip MacCann (MA), writer
• Deirdre Madden (MA, 1985), novelist
• Robert McGill (MA, 2002), writer
• Sarah Emily Miano (MA, 2002), author
• Neel Mukherjee (MA, 2001), writer
• Paul Murray (MA, 2001), novelist
• Sandra Newman (MA, 2002), writer
• Kathy Page (MA, 1988), novelist
• Glenn Patterson (MA, 1986), novelist
• Christine Pountney (MA, 1997), author
• Dina Rabinovitch (MA, 2000), journalist and writer
• Ben Rice (MA, 2000), novelist
• Eliza Robertson (MA, 2012), author
• Tom Saunders (MA, 1987), author
• Anthony Sattin (MA, 1984), writer
• Simon Scarrow (MA, 1992), author
• James Scudamore (MA, 2004), novelist
• Owen Sheers (MA, 1998), author, poet and playwright
• Jeremy Sheldon (MA, 1996), novelist
• Robert Sheppard (MA, 1979), poet
• Kathryn Simmonds (MA, 2002), poet
• Rob Magnuson Smith (MA 2010), novelist
• Paul Stewart (MA, 1979), writer
• Julia Stuart (MA, 2013), novelist
• Todd Swift (MA, 2004), poet
• Mark Tilton (MA, 1997), screenwriter
• Carol Topolski (MA, 2004), novelist
• Erica Wagner (MA, 1991), author and literary editor of The Times
• Craig Warner (MA, 2013), playwright and screenwriter
• Matt Whyman (MA, 1992), novelist
• Clare Wigfall (MA, 2000), writer
• Luke Williams (MA, 2002), author
• D. W. Wilson (MA, 2010), author
• Jennifer Wong (MA, 2009), writer and poet

External links

• UEA Creative Writing webpages

References

1. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2011/nov/16/uea-creative-writing-course-best
2. https://www.thebookseller.com/news/self-says-literature-becoming-giant-quilting-exercise-1001681
3. https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/creative-writing-courses-ian-mcewan
4. Ian McEwan (1995). "Class Work".
5. "The Nobel Prize in Literature 2017 - Biobibliographical Notes". www.nobelprize.org. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
6. Boyne, John (5 October 2017). "Kazuo Ishiguro deserves Nobel prize but others deserve it more". The Irish Times. Ishiguro will make a fine laureate and, from one graduate of the University of East Anglia's creative writing programme to another, it's hats off.