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Your creative writing modules are taught by practising, published authors working at the highest professional level, and you will learn from our expert academics in supportive, small groups.
You will also have the opportunity to publish your work - and gain experience in editing and publishing - participating in The Canvas Magazine, our online creative writing magazine.
We teach creative writing in a variety of ways. You will attend lectures, seminars and workshops - our workshops are small-group sessions and are at the very heart of Reading's writing community.
Your writing will be examined closely by one of the creative writing team as well as by your fellow students.
In the first year you will attend lectures given by our team of professional writers.
These lectures will lay the groundwork for your learning and focus on specific, practical issues, such as how to develop a character or how to structure a short story.
At the same time, you will learn in seminar groups - as you will throughout your degree.
The beating heart of our Creative Writing modules, seminars are practical workshops led by one of the teaching team, where you will generate and share new writing, and receive expert feedback from your tutor.
In these weekly meetings you will collaborate with a small group of fellow student writers, sharing work-in-progress and supportive feedback.
On your creative writing modules, you will be introduced to all the major forms, including fiction, drama, poetry and creative-non-fiction.
You will also have the opportunity to write a creative writing dissertation - a long creative piece in a genre of your choice and a reflective essay.
Our multi-talented, award-winning team will give you first-hand insights into the creative process, read and comment extensively on your work, and guide you towards your area of particular strength.
Shelley Harris is the Director of the Creative Writing programme.
Shelley is a bestselling novelist whose first book, Jubilee, was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Book Prize. It was featured on Radio 4's Book at Bedtime and selected as a Richard and Judy Book Club Choice.
She is also the author of Vigilante.
Creative writing at Reading was founded by Professor Peter Robinson. Peter was described in reviews as "the finest poet of his generation" and "a major English poet", and has been awarded the Cheltenham Prize and the John Florio Prize.
Leader of the Creativity research theme, Peter has also published a collection of stories and the novel September in the Rain.
Professor Conor Carville is a poet and critic.
In 2007 he won the Patrick Kavanagh poetry prize. His first collection of poems, Harm's Way, came out from Dedalus in 2013.
Professor Carville's second collection, English Martyrs, is published by Two Rivers Press.
He is currently at work on a novel.
On this episode of 'Things I wish I'd known', you'll hear from Gemma & Ava as they discuss Film & Creative Writing. Ava studies Film & Creative Writing at the University of Reading and is from Stratford-upon-Avon. She talks about how she chose the course and why she chose to study at the University of Reading. Ava gives advice on how to prepare before coming to university and divulges the one thing she wishes she had known before she started.
We work hard to foster a friendly, cohesive and committed community of writers in the Department of English Literature. As well as learning from your lecturers you will also learn from each other through sharing work in progress.
All of our teaching staff have strong links with professional communities of writers. We regularly invite published authors to come and read from their work. We also help our students to become published writers themselves. Every year we publish The Canvas Magazine, our own Creative Arts Anthology, edited by our own students, containing work by students, staff and visiting writers.
Learn from expert academics in small supportive groups in a department that has a century-long history of innovation in English studies.
Join our friendly and committed community of writers and learn from lecturers, published authors and your fellow students.