MA brochure - Creative Writing - Queen's University Belfast

Former&Students’&Success:
Many+of+our+students+have+gone+on+to+successful+
writing+careers+in+their+chosen+fields.+Some+examples+
of+student+successes+are+listed+below:
• Eoghan+Walls:+winner+of+an+Eric+Gregory+Award;+
first+collection,+The(Salt(Harvest,(Seren,+2011.
• Olive+Broderick:+winner+of+the+Hennessy+XO+
Literary+Award+(Emerging+Poet)+2009;+winner+of+
the+Templar+Poetry+Pamphlet+Competition+(2009).
• Sheena+Wilkinson:+first+novel,+Taking(Flight,(
published+2010+by+New+Island+Press,+winner+of+the+
Bisto+Honour+Award+for+Children’s+Book+of+the+
Year.
• Helen+Madden:+winner+of+the+inaugural+nonNfiction+
GQ+Norman+Mailer+Award,+2010.
• Vanessa+Pope:+winner+of+the+BBC+Tony+Doyle+
Bursary,+2010,+for+her+screenplay,+The(Eastside(
Princess.
• Sheila+Llewellyn:+winner+of+the+P.+J.+O’Connor+
Radio+Drama+Award,+2011,+for+The(House(on(
Shareni(Street.
• Patrick+Fitzsimons:+awarded+a+commission+as+part+
of+BBC+NI+TV+Drama’s+Prime(Time(slot,+2011.+
How&to&Apply&and&Funding
Applicants+should+apply+for+a+place+on+the+relevant+
programme+via+the+University’s+online+application+
system+at+N+https://dap.qub.ac.uk/portal/+N+and+may+do+
so+until+3+June+2012+for+September+2013+entry.++
Applications+submitted+between+2+March+and+4+June+
2013+will+not+be+eligible+to+be+considered+for+funding.++
The+application+requires+a+record+of+undergraduate+
academic+results,+a+sample+of+written+work,+and+two+
academic+references.
The+School+of+English+commits+a+proportion+of+its+
annual+budget+to+fund+postgraduate+taught+and+
research+students.++Home+and+EU+students+are+eligible+
for+awards+from+the+Arts+&+Humanities+Research+
Council+(AHRC)+and+Department+for+Employment+&+
Learning+(DEL).++International+students+can+avail+of+
awards+from+the+University,+amongst+other+sources.++
General+information+about+postgraduate+study+at+
Queen's+is+available+at:+http://www.qub.ac.uk/home/
ProspectiveStudents/PostgraduateStudents/.++
Funding&for&September&2013&Entry
Deadline+for+applications+to+be+considered+for+funding:+
February&22nd,&2013++
The+deadline+for+selfNfunding+applicants+is+June+3rd,+
2013.+
Towards+the+end+of+my+BA+in+English+Literature+at+
Durham+University,+I+knew+I+wanted+to+go+on+to+an+MA,+
but+felt+a+desire+to+shift+the+focus+slightly+–+from+
primarily+studying+poetry,+to+primarily+writing+it.+Of+
course,+as+is+often+stressed+by+more+cynical+
commentators,+nobody+needs+a+degree+in+Creative+
Writing+in+order+to+write+creatively.+However,+I+can+
safely+say+that+during+my+MA+at+the+Seamus+Heaney+
Centre+I+felt+a+vast+improvement+in+my+understanding+
of+poetic+craft+and+technique,+and+in+my+knowledge+of+
modern+and+contemporary+poetry.+This+was+not+only+as+
a+result+of+the+intensive+nature+of+the+course+with+its+
challenging+and+thoughtNprovoking+assignments,+but+
also+thanks+to+the+culture+of+creativity+that+exists+in+the+
Heaney+Centre.+Being+taught+by+outstanding+poets,+
novelists+and+scriptwriters,+in+the+company+of+likeN
minded+students,+was+nothing+short+of+inspiring.+
Towards+the+end+of+the+MA,+I+discussed+with+my+tutor+
the+option+of+applying+for+a+PhD.+I+had+never+really+
considered+doctoral+study+before.+However,+the+work+
completed+on+the+MA+course+was+so+invigorating+that+
the+PhD+suddenly+felt+like+a+natural+progression.+More+
than+anything+else,+it+presented+itself+as+a+chance+to+
expand+on+the+ideas+and+poetic+ambitions+which+the+
MA+had+fostered.+The+prospect+of+spending+three+years+
working+on+a+chosen+writing+project,+overseen+by
supervisors+I+respect+and+admire,+was+–+in+short+–+
irresistible.+
At+this+stage+of+proceedings,+it+has+already+lived+up+to+
its+promise.+I+can+only+look+forward+to+what+else+is+in+
store.
Ben&Maier,&a&doctoral&
student&in&his&second&
year,&reflects&on&why&he&
chose&Creative&Writing.