Creative Writing (M.Phil.)

Program Overview

Trinity College Dublin's M.Phil. in Creative Writing is a one-year program designed for aspiring authors. Through workshops, lectures, and personal tuition, students develop their writing skills within an Irish literary context. The program culminates in a final portfolio and prepares graduates for careers in writing, journalism, and other creative fields.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

The M.Phil. in Creative Writing program at Trinity College Dublin is a one-year, full-time course designed for students who are seriously committed to writing, are practicing, or are prospective authors. The program aims to develop students' writing skills within the framework of a university course and in the context of an Irish literary milieu. It involves the close and critical examination of the student's work in group workshops and under guided personal tuition.

Outline:

The program's content is delivered through lectures, group workshops, and personal tuition. The centerpiece of the program is the three-hour weekly workshop, where students bring their work and receive feedback from others. In the first term, students are encouraged to experiment with form and genre to break habits and open new vistas. The Structure in Fiction and Poetry module examines the shapes and uses of writing, while Writing for a Living addresses the demands of reviewing and essay writing. In the second semester, the weekly Briena Staunton lectures bring a series of established writers to talk about the practice of writing. A visiting Writer Fellow also leads a workshop, offering students a further chance to engage with a working writer in close-up. The creation of a final portfolio is the formal endpoint of the M.Phil., but the program also emphasizes the emergence of writers in rich, artistically textured, and diverse surroundings.

Assessment:

The program is assessed by means of various essays and portfolios, culminating in a final dissertation portfolio of 15-16,000 words.

Teaching:

The program is taught by a faculty that includes some of Ireland's leading contemporary writers, including Eoin McNamee, Deirdre Madden, Kevin Power, Harry Clifton, and Carlo Gébler. The program also hosts visiting Writer Fellows, who have included Claire Keegan and Colette Bryce in recent years.

Careers:

Graduates of the program have pursued careers in a range of areas, including journalism, scriptwriting, copywriting, advertising, publishing, editing, the arts and culture sector, broadcasting, librarianship, education, and research. Many alumni have also gone on to become successful writers.

Other:

The program is based in the Trinity Oscar Wilde Centre for Irish Writing, 21 Westland Row: the birthplace of Oscar Wilde. The Centre offers a supportive and sociable working environment for the School of English's creative writers.