Don’t go stir crazy – get creative with University Centre Peterborough!
Here at ESP we’ve been trying to keep you positive and we think the new creative writing workshops that UCP are offering could be just the thing to get you through. Could it be time to channel your inner JK Rowling, Jane Austen, Roald Dahl or Zadie Smith?
While we’re huddled up inside this could be the perfect time to explore your inner-writer over the coming weeks if reading and writing lights your fire.
On Wednesday evenings through until March while the nights are still dark and we’re tucked up at home, there are online creative writing workshops that can get you started with writing as well as exploring novels, short stories, poetry and personal writing.
The online sessions have been created by Andrew McDonnell who is a lecturer and course leader for the English Literature degrees at University Centre Peterborough. Andrew is also a writer, having published short stories and poetry across a range of journals and anthologies.
The idea of these workshops is to inspire your creativity and get you thinking and developing as each session will include a carefully curated series of tried and tested creative writing exercises. After each workshop you’ll leave with a new idea for a story, a character, a setting; a brilliant new line of poetry or a great opening sentence for a piece of prose.
Andrew McDonnell, Course Leader for the BA (Hons) English Literature at University Centre Peterborough said: “Most of us need a creative release, somewhere else to direct our thoughts away from the world for a few hours a week, and creative writing is often a way to do this. By creating storyworlds, we get to explore other realities and express ourselves. These courses are opportunities to have a window we can stick our head out of and breathe.”
The workshops are suitable for all abilities and ages from 16 to 60+ and will take place in a small relaxed group to encourage interaction and contributions.
University Centre Peterborough run BA (Hons) degrees in English Literature and English Literature with Creative Writing and promote a series of annual Literary Festival events at their Peterborough campus. The degrees can be studied full-time or part-time and are structured into full days to make it easier to study with work, family or personal commitment.
For more information about the Creative Writing workshops, please visit www.ucp.ac.uk/news/introduction-to-creative-writing