OCA has broken with convention by appointing a religious studies scholar as its new curriculum lead for creative writing. Northern Irish essayist and poet Chris Arthur has a background in religious studies, first as an undergraduate and postgraduate at Edinburgh University and subsequently at Lampeter University, where he taught for more than 20 years. Fellow Irish writer Patrick O’Sullivan has credited him with ‘rescuing the meditative essay for the twenty-first century’.
Tag Archive for creative writing
Copycats
by Elizabeth • • 7 Comments
Last week’s Wikipedia blackout and journalist Johann Hari’s decision not to return to ‘The Independent’ put plagiarism in the news. But plagiarism, imitation, forgery, flattery, call it what you will, the discipline of writing in the voice of another writer is a good way to find your own voice.
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Good beginnings: the best of Saki
by Elizabeth • • 6 Comments
I have just re-read ‘The Lumber Room’, a short story by the former Burma police officer H H Munro, who wrote under the name of Saki. More than 30 years after having the story read aloud to me when I…
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Writing a five fingered exercise
by Nina • • 5 Comments
When I was a small child, just starting school, my favorite moment in each day was the one, after we’d finished our tea, when my father went into the front room. He’d say to me, ‘don’t pull the curtains and don’t…
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Two more degrees…
by Alison • • 5 Comments
Aspiring writers and textiles enthusiasts take note! The OCA has just had two new degrees validated — a BA(Hons) Creative Writing degree and a BA(Hons) Textiles degree. The BA(Hons) Creative Writing degree offers a wide range of specialist modules, including…
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Faulks on Fiction
by Paul • • 3 Comments
A new BBC series, Faulks on Fiction (based on Faulks’ book, available from the BBC website), starts this Saturday (5th February) at 9pm on BBC2. Sebastian Faulks will be looking at the heroes of the British novel in early works…
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Liz Cashdan reading two of her Icelandic Poems
by Gareth • • 0 Comments
OCA Creative Writing tutor Liz Cashdan was in the office a few weeks ago. and we took the opportunity to record her reading two of her poems. Of particular interest is that Liz traveled to Iceland Last year with another…
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Nina Milton
by Paul • • 8 Comments
OCA Creative Writing tutor Nina Milton talks about finding your voice. Paul Vincent and Gareth Dent discuss post-production.
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Jane Rogers
by Gareth • • 0 Comments
Jane Rogers from Open College of the Arts on Vimeo. Jane Rogers, Course Leader for Creative Writing was in the office last week, so we took the opportunity to ask her what she was working on and what she was…
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Walking through stories
by Nina • • 4 Comments
Many writers walk to invent their stories. Dickens apparently wrote most mornings and walked every afternoon. I think his characters and their senarios walked with him, ready for their creation by pen the following morning. I’ve used this method for…