A course may be the first step towards a writing career, or a chance for more experienced writers to develop their work from a new perspective. The School of English at Bangor University offers a range of opportunities for postgraduate study in a dynamic critical and creative environment. One of the first institutions in the UK to offer creative writing at degree level, Bangor has significant experience in this discipline and a flourishing postgraduate community.

Specialist writing staff are closely involved in teaching and supervision, and have a range of expertise in poetry, fiction, literary editing and the interface between creative and critical writing. Staff members are published and award-winning authors, and are also involved in a variety of editing and judging activities; Zoe Skoulding is editor of Poetry Wales, Ian Gregson is editor of Salt Wales and Kachi Ozumba was a judge for the Commonwealth Short Story competition in 2010 and 2011. The school benefits from the presence of the poet Professor Carol Rumens as a visiting professor, and the frequent visits of honorary professor Philip Pullman, who offers both readings and workshops.

Our students are successful. A number of recent or existing postgraduate students have successfully published collections of poems or short stories that have arisen from their studies here at Bangor. These include John Tanner, Zoe Skoulding, and Nessa O’Mahoney. Others have published stories including Terri Lee Hackman, Zoe Perrenoud, and Lisa Blower (who won the 2009 Guardian Short Story Competition) or individual poems and other forms of writing.

The environment in Bangor couldn’t be better for studying creative writing, situated as it is between the mountains and the sea. It is a place where creativity is the norm rather than the exception.