WRITING THE CITY - creative writing workshop on urban landscapes and the literary

This practical writing course encourages you to develop your own literary work in response to the contemporary urban environment. Stimulating lectures contextualise the writer in the city, the literary flâneur as urban explorer and the poetics of place, while tutor-led seminars and workshops allow you to experiment with form and hone your own writing. You’ll also discuss your work in depth at a one-to-one tutorial. As well as having dedicated writing time, we’ll be taking to the streets to explore some of the narratives of the built environment and the ways in which the wild takes root in the city. A visiting author will give a reading during the week, and you will also have a chance to perform your work if you wish.

The aim of this course is to bring writers together in a supportive environment in which they can learn about the wider context of urban and experimental writing and challenge themselves to produce accomplished pieces of literary non-fiction, fiction, poetry or hybrid work. You will also gain credits through assessment of original creative work.

Glasgow is a vibrant creative city with a thriving artistic scene that embraces numerous forms and disciplines – especially writing. It is also a city with incredible built heritage, including medieval houses from the 15th century, an atmospheric Victorian necropolis, enough parks to earn it the literary nickname ‘the dear green place’, hidden murals by Alasdair Gray, and the stunning Gothic university at which this course is based. The Creative Writing programme at University of Glasgow is the oldest and most prestigious in Scotland, with a strong ethos of encouraging a supportive community of writers and an openness to form and genre.

Key themes/topics to be covered:

• Creative writing in non-fiction, experimental and hybrid genres
• Close reading of short texts/extracts from relevant works
• Urban fiction
• The flâneur and flâneuse; cities and gender
• The poetics of place
• Experimental writing 
• Writers and the city

On completion of this you will have:

• Increased knowledge of urban writing including narrative non-fiction and experimental forms
• Developed editorial and peer critique skills
• Awareness of the theoretical underpinning of urban writing
• Enhanced confidence in the production of original creative work

Entry requirements

• GPA of 3.0 (or equivalent)

If your first language is not English, you must meet our minimum proficiency level:

• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module (not General Training) overall score of 6.0, with no sub test less than 5.5
• we also accept equivalent scores in other recognised qualifications such as ibTOEFL, CAE, CPE

ELIGIBILITY

To attend the International Summer School you must meet the following criteria:

• You should be a current student enrolled at an international higher education institution 
• If your first language is not English, we require a minimum IELTS score of 6.0 (or equivalent)
• Most courses require a GPA of at least 3.0. Please refer to the individual courses for details. 
  Special circumstances may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Please note that you should also refer to individual course descriptions as some courses may ask for additional requirements.