Alumni

The academic and study skills tutors and the learner development courses are super helpful.

Working with the Manchester Writing School helped me take my writing seriously. Devoting two years of study to the craft and practice of writing was invaluable to my growth as a writer.

Giving and receiving constructive feedback from fellow poets has been truly rewarding and enjoyable.

The biggest thing for me was working with lecturer Joe Stretch. His ability to interpret vague statements about writing — preferences, frustrations — and construct them into rules, helped me to build a philosophy, where previously I’d relied on intuition.

Do everything you can, because you can do almost everything. There are readings, award ceremonies, plays, performances, seminars, and that’s leaving out the theatres and libraries just a short walk away. Letting your interests guide you through the wealth of opportunities is a sure way to develop your work

I completed the MA distance learning; therefore, any interaction was entirely online. However, the tutors were very encouraging and professional, and it was wonderful to workshop my own writing and help other MA students work on theirs.

The tutors all have first-hand experience of writing and publishing, so they have great insights that not only help you to improve your writing and hone your craft, but to also start thinking about getting your work ready for publication.

I was impressed by the MA Creative Writing programme at Manchester Writing School not only because of the number of published graduates and the breadth of the courses, but by the flexibility. 

My visionary teachers at the Manchester Writing School have helped me decode novel writing and see the architecture of fiction from the inside.

It helped me find my strengths with my writing. I thought the what I was writing was the key, but through this programme I found out, the why was much more important. And when you get that right, the rest is just easy.

The MA has given me valuable time and space to hone my work and I’m now at the stage where I have the confidence to start approaching agents.

Learning from a great crop of writer-lecturers has been truly wonderful. I found the staff at the Manchester Writing School to be generous with their time and insights, and I feel I have established long-term relationships as a result.

I found the regular weekly tutorials and peer to peer workshops to be extremely valuable and enjoyable.

The MA allowed me to engage in some literary criticism and analysis. The MA provided me with the opportunity to read from my second pamphlet 'The Days that Followed Paris' (HappenStance 2016) as part of the Carol Ann Duffy evening reading series.

I believe the experience really helped me understand the world beyond my own in India. Being an international student, understanding different cultures and learning various techniques to improve my work was the highlight during my time there.

If you are looking for a strong community of fellow writers to be inspired by, challenged by and nurtured by, then the Manchester Writing School is the place.