ae creative writing books

The 20+ Best Books on Creative Writing

If you’ve ever wondered, “How do I write a book?”, “How do I write a short story?”, or “How do I write a poem?” you’re not alone. I’m halfway done my MFA program at Vermont College of Fine Arts , and I ask myself these questions a lot, too, though I’m noticing that by now I feel more comfortable with the answers that fit my personal craft. Fortunately, you don’t need to be a Master’s of Fine Arts in Writing candidate, or even a college graduate, in order to soak up the great Wisdom of Words, as I like to call it. Another word for it is craft . That’s because there are so many great books out there on writing craft. In this post, I’ll guide you through 20+ of the most essential books on creative writing. These essential books for writers will teach you what you need to know to write riveting stories and emotionally resonant books—and to sell them.

I just also want to put in a quick plug for my post with the word count of 175 favorite novels . This resource is helpful for any writer.

Now, with that done… Let’s get to it!

What Made the List of Essential Books for Writers—and What Didn’t

So what made the list? And what didn’t?

Unique to this list, these are all books that I have personally used in my journey as a creative and commercial writer.

That journey started when I was 15 and extended through majoring in English and Creative Writing as an undergrad at UPenn through becoming a freelance writer in 2014, starting this book blog, pursuing my MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts , and publishing some fiction and nonfiction books myself . My point here is not to boast, just to explain that these books have all helped me better understand and apply the craft, discipline, and business of writing over the course of more than half my life as I’ve walked the path to become a full-time writer. Your mileage my vary , but each of these books have contributed to my growth as a writer in some way. I’m not endorsing books I’ve never read or reviewed. This list comes from my heart (and pen!).

Most of these books are geared towards fiction writers, not poetry or nonfiction writers

It’s true that I’m only one human and can only write so much in one post. Originally, I wanted this list to be more than 25 books on writing. Yes, 25 books! But it’s just not possible to manage that in a single post. What I’ll do is publish a follow-up article with even more books for writers. Stay tuned!

The most commonly recommended books on writing are left out.

Why? Because they’re everywhere! I’m aiming for under-the-radar books on writing, ones that aren’t highlighted often enough. You’ll notice that many of these books are self-published because I wanted to give voice to indie authors.

But I did want to include a brief write-up of these books… and, well, you’ve probably heard of them, but here are 7 of the most recommended books on writing:

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron – With her guided practice on how to rejuvenate your art over the course of 16 weeks, Cameron has fashioned an enduring classic about living and breathing your craft (for artists as well as writers). This book is perhaps best known for popularizing the morning pages method.

The Art of Fiction by John Gardner – If you want to better understand how fiction works, John Gardner will be your guide in this timeless book.

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott – A beloved writing book on process, craft, and overcoming stumbling blocks (both existential and material).

On Writing by Stephen King – A must-read hybrid memoir-craft book on the writer mythos and reality for every writer.

Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose – A core writing book that teaches you how to read with a writer’s eye and unlock the ability to recognize and analyze craft for yourself.

Steering the Craft by Ursula K. Le Guin – Many writers consider this to be their bible on craft and storytelling.

Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg – A favorite of many writers, this book takes an almost spiritual approach to the art, craft, and experience of writing.

I’m aiming for under-the-radar books on writing on my list.

These books are all in print.

Over the years, I’ve picked up several awesome books on creative writing from used bookstores. Oh, how I wish I could recommend these! But many of them are out of print. The books on this list are all available new either as eBooks, hardcovers, or paperbacks. I guess this is the right time for my Affiliate Link disclaimer:

This article contains affiliate links, which means I might get a small portion of your purchase. For more on my affiliate link policy, check out my official Affiliate Link Disclaimer .

You’ll notice a lot of the books focus on the business of writing.

Too often, money is a subject that writers won’t talk about. I want to be upfront about the business of writing and making a living as a writer (or not ) with these books. It’s my goal to get every writer, even poets!, to look at writing not just from a craft perspective, but from a commercial POV, too.

And now on to the books!

Part i: the best books on writing craft, the anatomy of story by john truby.

For you if: You want to develop an instinctive skill at understanding the contours of storytelling .

All I want to do as a writer, my MO, is tell good stories well. It took me so long to understand that what really matters to me is good storytelling. That’s it—that’s the essence of what we do as writers… tell good stories well. And in The Anatomy of Story , legendary screenwriting teacher John Truby takes you through story theory. This book is packed with movie references to illustrate the core beat points in story, and many of these example films are actually literary adaptations, making this a crossover craft book for fiction writers and screenwriters alike.

How to read it: Purchase The Anatomy of Story on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

The art of memoir by mary karr.

For you if: You’re writing a memoir book or personal essays .

Nobody is a better person to teach memoir writing than Mary Karr, whose memoirs The Liar’s Club and Lit are considered classics of the genre. In The Art of Memoir , Karr delivers a master class on memoir writing, adapted from her experience as a writer and a professor in Syracuse’s prestigious MFA program. What I love about this book as an aspiring memoirist is Karr’s approach, which blends practical, actionable advice with more bigger-picture concepts on things like truth vs. fact in memoir storytelling. Like I said in the intro to this list, I didn’t include many nonfiction and poetry books on this list, but I knew I had to make an exception for The Art of Memoir .

How to read it: Purchase The Art of Memoir on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

The emotional craft of fiction by donald maass.

For you if: Plot isn’t your problem, it’s character .

From literary agent Donald Maass, The Emotional Craft of Fiction gives you the skill set you need to master emotionally engaging fiction. Maass’s technique is to show you how readers get pulled into the most resonant, engaging, and unforgettable stories: by going through an emotional journey nimbly crafted by the author. The Emotional Craft of Fiction is a must-have work of craft to balance more plot-driven craft books.

How to read it: Purchase the The Emotional Craft of Fiction on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

How to Write Using the Snowflake Method by Randy Ingermanson

For you if: You need a quick-and-dirty plotting technique that’s easy to memorize .

I first heard of the “Snowflake Method” in the National Novel Writing Month forums (which, by the way, are excellent places for finding writing craft worksheets, book recommendations, and online resources). In How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method , the Snowflake Method is introduced by its creator. This quick yet thorough plotting and outlining structure is humble and easy to master. If you don’t have time to read a bunch of books on outlining and the hundreds of pages that would require, check out How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method for a quick, 235-page read.

How to read it: Purchase How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

Meander, spiral, explode: design and pattern in narrative by jane alison.

For you if: You want to do a deep dive understanding of the core theory of story, a.k.a. narrative.

A most unconventional writing craft book, Meander, Spiral, Explode offers a theory of narrative (story) as recognizable patterns. According to author Jane Alison, there are three main narrative narratives in writing: meandering, spiraling, and exploding. This cerebral book (chock full of examples!) is equal parts seminar on literary theory as it is craft, and it will make you see and understand storytelling better than maybe any book on this list.

How to read it: Purchase Meander, Spiral, Explode on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

The modern library writer’s workshop by stephen koch.

For you if: You’re wondering what it means to be the writer you want to become .

This is one of the earliest creative writing books I ever bought and it remains among the best I’ve read. Why? Reading The Modern Library Writer’s Workshop echoes the kind of mind-body-spirit approach you need to take to writing. The Modern Library Writer’s Workshop doesn’t teach you the nuts and bolts of writing as much as it teaches you how to envision the machine. Koch zooms out to big picture stuff as much as zeroes in on the little details. This is an outstanding book about getting into the mindset of being a writer, not just in a commercial sense, but as your passion and identity. It’s as close as you’ll get to the feel of an MFA in Fiction education.

How to read it: Purchase The Modern Library Writer’s Workshop on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

Romancing the beat by gwen hayes.

For you if: You write or edit the romance genre and want a trusted plotting strategy to craft the perfect love story .

If you’re writing romance, you have to get Gwen Hayes’s Romancing the Beat . This book breaks down the plot points or “beats” you want to hit when you’re crafting your romance novel. When I worked as a romance novel outliner (yes, a real job), our team used Romancing the Beat as its bible; every outline was structured around Hayes’s formula. For romance writers (like myself) I cannot endorse it any higher.

How to read it: Purchase Romancing the Beat on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

Save the cat writes a novel by jessica brody.

For you if: You have big ideas for a plot but need to work on the smaller moments that propel stories .

Jessica Brody’s Save the Cat! Writes a Novel adapts Blake Snyder’s bestselling screenwriting book Save the Cat! into story craft for writing novels. Brody reworks the Save the Cat! methodology in actionable, point-by-point stages of story that are each explained with countless relevant examples. If you want to focus your efforts on plot, Save the Cat! Writes a Novel is an excellent place to go to start learning the ins and outs of what makes a good story.

How to read it: Purchase Save the Cat! Writes a Novel on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

Story genius by lisa cron.

For you if: You’re a pantser and are terrified at outlining yet also realize you might have a “plot problem .”

More than any other book, Lisa Cron’s Story Genius will get you where you need to go for writing amazing stories. Story Genius helps you look at plotting differently, starting from a point of characterization in which our protagonists have a clearly defined need and misbelief that play off each other and move the story forward from an emotional interior and action exterior standpoint. For many of my fellow MFA students—and myself— Story Genius is the missing link book for marrying plot and character so you innately understand the contours of good story.

How to read it: Purchase Story Genius on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

Wonderbook: the illustrated guide to creating imaginative fiction by jeff vandermeer.

For you if: You’re writing in a speculative fiction genre—like science fiction, fantasy, or horror—or are trying to better understand those genres.

Jeff VanderMeer’s Wonderbook is a dazzling gem of a book and a can’t-miss-it writing book for sci-fi, fantasy, and horror writers. This book will teach you all the skills you need to craft speculative fiction, like world-building, with micro-lessons and close-reads of excellent works in these genres. Wonderbook is also one to linger over, with lavish illustrations and every inch and corner crammed with craft talk for writing imaginative fiction (sometimes called speculative fiction). And who better to guide you through this than Jeff VanderMeer, author of the popular Southern Reach Trilogy, which kicks off with Annihilation , which was adapted into a feature film.

How to read it: Purchase Wonderbook on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

Writing picture books by ann whitford paul.

For you if: You’re looking to write picture books and/or understand how they work .

This book is the only one you need to learn how to write and sell picture books. As an MFA student studying children’s literature, I’ve consulted with this book several times as I’ve dipped my toes into writing picture books, a form I considered scary and intimidating until reading this book. Writing Picture Books should be on the shelf of any writer of children’s literature. a.k.a. “kid lit.”

How to read it: Purchase Writing Picture Books on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

Writing with emotion, conflict, and tension by cheryl st. john.

For you if: You need to work on the conflict, tension, and suspense that keep readers turning pages and your story going forward .

Mmm, conflict. As I said earlier, it’s the element of fiction writing that makes a story interesting and a key aspect of characterization that is underrated. In Writing with Emotion, Tension, and Conflict , bestselling romance author Cheryl St. John offers a masterclass on the delicate dance between incorporating conflict, the emotions it inspires in characters, and the tension that results from those two factors.

How to read it: Purchase Writing with Emotion, Tension, and Conflict on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

Part ii: the best books on the productivity, mfas, and the business of writing, 2k to 10k: writing faster, writing better, and writing more of what you love by rachel aaron.

For you if: You struggle to find the time to write and always seem to be a chapter or two behind schedule .

If you’re struggling to find time of your own to write with competing obligations (family, work, whatever) making that hard, you need Rachel Aaron’s 2k to 10k . This book will get you in shape to go from writing just a few words an hour to, eventually, 10,000 words a day. Yes, you read that right. 10,000 words a day. At that rate, you can complete so many more projects and publish more. Writers simply cannot afford to waste time if they want to keep up the kind of production that leads to perpetual publication. Trust me, Aaron’s method works. It has for me. I’m on my way to 10k in the future, currently at like 4 or 5k a day for me at the moment.

How to read it: Purchase 2k to 10k on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

The 3 a.m. epiphany by brian kitele.

For you if: You’re going through writer’s block, have been away from writing for a while, or just want to loosen up and try something new .

Every writer must own an an exercise or prompt book. Why? Because regularly practicing your writing by going outside your current works-in-progress (or writer’s block) will free you up, help you plant the seeds for new ideas, and defrost your creative blocks. And the best book writing exercise book I know is The 3 A.M. Epiphany by Brian Kiteley, an MFA professor who uses prompts like these with his grad students. You’ll find that this book (and its sequel, The 4 A.M. Breakthrough ) go beyond cutesy exercises and forces you to push outside your comfort zone and learn something from the writing you find there.

How to read it: Purchase The 3 A.M. Epiphany on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

The 4-hour workweek by timothy ferriss.

For you if: You think being a writer means you have to be poor .

The 4-Hour Workweek changed my life. Although not strictly about writing in the traditional sense, The 4-Hour Workweek does an excellent job teaching you about how passive income can offer you freedom. I first heard about The 4-Hour Workweek when I was getting into tarot in 2013. On Biddy Tarot , founder Brigit (author of some of the best books on tarot ) related how she read this book, learned how to create passive income, and quit her corporate job to read tarot full time. As a person with a total and permanent disability, this spoke to me because it offered a way out of the 9-to-5 “active” income that I thought was the only way. I picked up Ferriss’s book and learned that there’s more than one option, and that passive income is a viable way for me to make money even when I’m too sick to work. I saw this come true last year when I was in the hospital. When I got out, I checked my stats and learned I’d made money off my blog and books even while I was hospitalized and couldn’t do any “active” work. I almost cried.; I’ve been working on my passive income game since 2013, and I saw a return on that time investment when I needed it most.

That’s why I’m recommending The 4-Hour Workweek to writers. So much of our trade is producing passive income products. Yes, your books are products! And for many writers, this means rewiring your brain to stop looking at writing strictly as an art that will leave you impoverished for life and start approaching writing as a business that can earn you a real living through passive income. No book will help you break out of that mindset better than The 4-Hour Workweek and its actionable steps, proven method, and numerous examples of people who have followed the strategy and are living the lifestyle they’ve always dreamed of but never thought was possible.

How to read it: Purchase The 4-Hour Workweek on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

Before and After the Book Deal: A Writer’s Guide to Finishing, Publishing, Promoting, and Surviving Your First Book by Courtney Maum

For you if: You’re serious about making a living as a writer and publishing with a Big 5 or major indie publisher .

Courtney Maum’s Before and After the Book Deal addresses exactly what its title suggests: what happens after you sell your first book. This book is for ambitious writers intent on submission who know they want to write and want to avoid common pitfalls while negotiating terms and life after your debut. As many published authors would tell you, the debut is one thing, but following that book up with a sustainable, successful career is another trick entirely. Fortunately, we have Maum’s book, packed with to-the-moment details and advice.

How to read it: Purchase Before and After the Book Deal on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

Diy mfa: write with focus, read with purpose, build your community by gabriela pereira.

For you if: You’re stressed out wondering if you really need an MFA .

The MFA is under this header “business of writing” because it is absolutely an economic choice you make. And, look, I’m biased. I’m getting an MFA. But back when I was grappling with whether or not it was worth it—the debt, the time, the stress—I consulted with DIY MFA , an exceptional guide to learning how to enrich your writing craft, career, and community outside the structures of an MFA program. I’ve also more than once visited the companion site, DIYMFA.com , to find a kind of never-ending rabbit hole of new and timeless content on the writing life. On DIYMFA.com and in the corresponding book, you’ll find a lively hub for author interviews, writing craft shop talk, reading lists, and business of writing articles.

How to read it: Purchase DIY MFA on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

Mfa vs. nyc by chad harbach.

For you if: You’re wondering how far an MFA really gets you—and you’re ready to learn the realities of the publishing world .

About a thousand years ago (well, in 2007), I spent the fall of my sophomore year of college as a “Fiction Submissions and Advertising Intern” for the literary magazine n+1 , which was co-founded by Chad Harbach, who you might know from his buzzy novel, The Art of Fielding . In MFA vs NYC , Harbach offers his perspective as both an MFA graduate and someone deeply enmeshed in the New York City publishing industry. This thought-provoking look at these two arenas that launch writers will pull the wool up from your eyes about how publishing really works . It’s not just Harbach’s voice you get in here, though. The book, slim but mighty, includes perspectives from the likes of George Saunders and David Foster Wallace in the MFA camp and Emily Gould and Keith Gessen speaking to NYC’s writing culture.

How to read it: Purchase MFA vs. NYC on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

Scratch: writers, money, and the art of making a living – edited by manjula martin.

For you if: a) You’re worried about how to balance writing with making a living; b) You’re not worried about how to balance writing with making a living .

Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living is alternately one of the most underrated and essential books on writing out there. This collection of personal essays and interviews all revolve around the taboo theme of how writers make their living, and it’s not always—indeed, rarely—through writing alone. Some of the many contributing authors include Cheryl Strayed ( Wild ), Alexander Chee ( How to Write an Autobiographical Novel ), Jennifer Weiner ( Mrs. Everything ), Austin Kleon ( Steal Like an Artist ), and many others. Recently a young woman asked me for career advice on being a professional freelance writer, and I made sure to recommend Scratch as an eye-opening and candid read that is both motivating and candid.

How to read it: Purchase Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

Write to market: deliver a book that sells by chris fox.

For you if: You don’t know why your books aren’t selling—and you want to start turning a profit by getting a real publishing strategy

So you don’t have to be an indie author to internalize the invaluable wisdom you’ll find here in Write to Market . I first heard about Write to Market when I first joined the 20Booksto50K writing group on Facebook , a massive, supportive, motivating community of mostly indie authors. Everyone kept talking about Write to Market . I read the book in a day and found the way I looked at publishing change. Essentially, what Chris Fox does in Write to Market is help you learn to identify what are viable publishing niches. Following his method, I’ve since published several successful and #1 bestselling books in the quotations genre on Amazon . Without Fox’s book, I’m not sure I would have gotten there on my own.

How to read it: Purchase Write to Market on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

And that’s a wrap what are some of your favorite writing books, share this:, you might be interested in.

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Sarah S. Davis is the founder of Broke by Books, a blog about her journey as a schizoaffective disorder bipolar type writer and reader. Sarah's writing about books has appeared on Book Riot, Electric Literature, Kirkus Reviews, BookRags, PsychCentral, and more. She has a BA in English from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Library and Information Science from Clarion University, and an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

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Language » Writing Books

The best books on creative writing, recommended by andrew cowan.

The professor of creative writing at UEA says Joseph Conrad got it right when he said that the sitting down is all. He chooses five books to help aspiring writers.

Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande

On Becoming a Novelist by John C. Gardner

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

The Forest for the Trees by Betsy Lerner

Worstward Ho by Samuel Beckett

1 Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande

2 on becoming a novelist by john c. gardner, 3 on writing: a memoir of the craft by stephen king, 4 the forest for the trees by betsy lerner, 5 worstward ho by samuel beckett.

How would you describe creative writing?

But because it is in academia there is all this paraphernalia that has to go with it. So you get credits for attending classes. You have to do supporting modules; you have to be assessed. If you are doing an undergraduate degree you have to follow a particular curriculum and only about a quarter of that will be creative writing and the rest will be in the canon of English literature . If you are doing a PhD you have to support whatever the creative element is with a critical element. So there are these ways in which academia disciplines writing and I think of that as Creative Writing with a capital C and a capital W. All of us who teach creative writing are doing it, in a sense, to support our writing, but it is also often at the expense of our writing. We give up quite a lot of time and mental energy and also, I think, imaginative and creative energy to teach.

Your first choice is Dorothea Brande’s Becoming a Writer , which for someone writing in 1934 sounds pretty forward thinking.

Because creative writing has now taken off and has become this very widespread academic discipline it is beginning to acquire its own canon of key works and key texts. This is one of the oldest of them. It’s a book that almost anyone who teaches creative writing will have read. They will probably have read it because some fundamentals are explained and I think the most important one is Brande’s sense of the creative writer being comprised of two people. One of them is the artist and the other is the critic.

Actually, Malcolm Bradbury who taught me at UEA, wrote the foreword to my edition of Becoming a Writer , and he talks about how Dorothea Brande was writing this book ‘in Freudian times’ – the 1930s in the States. And she does have this very Freudian idea of the writer as comprised of a child artist on the one hand, who is associated with spontaneity, unconscious processes, while on the other side there is the adult critic making very careful discriminations.

And did she think the adult critic hindered the child artist?

No. Her point is that the two have to work in harmony and in some way the writer has to achieve an effective balance between the two, which is often taken to mean that you allow the artist child free rein in the morning. So you just pour stuff on to the page in the morning when you are closest to the condition of sleep. The dream state for the writer is the one that is closest to the unconscious. And then in the afternoon you come back to your morning’s work with your critical head on and you consciously and objectively edit it. Lots of how-to-write books encourage writers to do it that way. It is also possible that you can just pour stuff on to the page for days on end as long as you come back to it eventually with a critical eye.

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Good! Your next book, John Gardner’s On Becoming a Novelist , is described as comfort food for the aspiring novelist.

This is another one of the classics. He was quite a successful novelist in the States, but possibly an even more successful teacher of creative writing. The short story writer and poet Raymond Carver, for instance, was one of his students. And he died young in a motorcycle accident when he was 49. There are two classic works by him. One is this book, On Becoming a Novelist , and the other is The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers . They were both put together from his teaching notes after he died.

On Becoming a Novelist  is the more succinct and, I think, is the better of the two. He talks about automatic writing and the idea, just like Dorothea Brande, of the artist being comprised of two people. But his key idea is the notion of the vivid and continuous dream. He suggests that when we read a novel we submit to the logic of that novel in the same way as we might submit to the logic of a dream – we sink into it, and clearly the events that occur could not exist outside the imagination.

What makes student writing in particular go wrong is when it draws attention to itself, either through bad writing or over-elaborate writing. He suggests that these faults in the aspirant writer alert the reader to the fact that they are reading a fiction and it is a bit like giving someone who is dreaming a nudge. It jolts them out of the dream. So he proposes that the student writer should try to create a dream state in the reader that is vivid and appeals to all the senses and is continuous. What you mustn’t do is alert the reader to the fact that they are reading a fiction.

It is a very good piece of advice for writers starting out but it is ultimately very limiting. It rules out all the great works of modernism and post-modernism, anything which is linguistically experimental. It rules out anything which draws attention to the words as words on a page. It’s a piece of advice which really applies to the writing of realist fiction, but is a very good place from which to begin.

And then people can move on.

I never would have expected the master of terror Stephen King to write a book about writing. But your next choice, On Writing , is more of an autobiography .

Yes. It is a surprise to a lot of people that this book is so widely read on university campuses and so widely recommended by teachers of writing. Students love it. It’s bracing: there’s no nonsense. He says somewhere in the foreword or preface that it is a short book because most books are filled with bullshit and he is determined not to offer bullshit but to tell it like it is.

It is autobiographical. It describes his struggle to emerge from his addictions – to alcohol and drugs – and he talks about how he managed to pull himself and his family out of poverty and the dead end into which he had taken them. He comes from a very disadvantaged background and through sheer hard work and determination he becomes this worldwide bestselling author. This is partly because of his idea of the creative muse. Most people think of this as some sprite or fairy that is usually feminine and flutters about your head offering inspiration. His idea of the muse is ‘a basement guy’, as he calls him, who is grumpy and turns up smoking a cigar. You have to be down in the basement every day clocking in to do your shift if you want to meet the basement guy.

Stephen King has this attitude that if you are going to be a writer you need to keep going and accept that quite a lot of what you produce is going to be rubbish and then you are going to revise it and keep working at it.

Do you agree with him?

He sounds inspirational. Your next book, Betsy Lerner’s The Forest for the Trees , looks at things from the editor’s point of view.

Yes, she was an editor at several major American publishing houses, such as Simon & Schuster. She went on to become an agent, and also did an MFA in poetry before that, so she came through the US creative writing process and understands where many writers are coming from.

The book is divided into two halves. In the second half she describes the process that goes from the completion of the author’s manuscript to submitting it to agents and editors. She explains what goes on at the agent’s offices and the publisher’s offices. She talks about the drawing up of contracts, negotiating advances and royalties. So she takes the manuscript from the author’s hands, all the way through the publishing process to its appearance in bookshops. She describes that from an insider’s point of view, which is hugely interesting.

But the reason I like this book is for the first half of it, which is very different. Here she offers six chapters, each of which is a character sketch of a different type of author. She has met each of them and so although she doesn’t mention names you feel she is revealing something to you about authors whose books you may have read. She describes six classic personality types. She has the ambivalent writer, the natural, the wicked child, the self-promoter, the neurotic and a chapter called ‘Touching Fire’, which is about the addictive and the mentally unstable.

Your final choice is Worstward Ho by Samuel Beckett .

This is a tiny book – it is only about 40 pages and it has got these massive white margins and really large type. I haven’t counted, but I would guess it is only about two to three thousand words and it is dressed up as a novella when it is really only a short story. On the first page there is this riff: ‘Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.’

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When I read this I thought I had discovered a slogan for the classroom that I could share with my students. I want to encourage them to make mistakes and not to be perfectionists, not to feel that everything they do has to be of publishable standard. The whole point of doing a course, especially a creative writing MA and attending workshops, is that you can treat the course as a sandpit. You go in there, you try things out which otherwise you wouldn’t try, and then you submit it to the scrutiny of your classmates and you get feedback. Inevitably there will be things that don’t work and your classmates will help you to identify those so that you can take it away and redraft it – you can try again. And inevitably you are going to fail again because any artistic endeavour is doomed to failure because the achievement can never match the ambition. That’s why artists keep producing their art and writers keep writing, because the thing you did last just didn’t quite satisfy you, just wasn’t quite right. And you keep going and trying to improve on that.

But why, when so much of it is about failing – failing to get published, failing to be satisfied, failing to be inspired – do writers carry on?

I have a really good quote from Joseph Conrad in which he says the sitting down is all. He spends eight hours at his desk, trying to write, failing to write, foaming at the mouth, and in the end wanting to hit his head on the wall but refraining from that for fear of alarming his wife!

It’s a familiar situation; lots of writers will have been there. For me it is a kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder. It is something I have to keep returning to. I have to keep going back to the sentences, trying to get them right. Trying to line them up correctly. I can’t let them go. It is endlessly frustrating because they are never quite right.

You have published four books. Are you happy with them?

Reasonably happy. Once they are done and gone I can relax and feel a little bit proud of them. But at the time I just experience agonies. It takes me ages. It takes me four or five years to finish a novel partly because I always find distractions – like working in academia – something that will keep me away from the writing, which is equally as unrewarding as it is rewarding!

September 27, 2012

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Andrew Cowan

Andrew Cowan is Professor of Creative Writing and Director of the Creative Writing programme at UEA. His first novel, Pig , won the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award, the Betty Trask Award, the Ruth Hadden Memorial Prize, the Author’s Club First Novel Award and a Scottish Council Book Award. He is also the author of the novels Common Ground , Crustaceans ,  What I Know  and  Worthless Men . His own creative writing guidebook is  The  Art  of  Writing  Fiction .

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Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre Reveals Shortlist for its 2024 Research Grants Programme

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The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, organizes an annual competition for Arabic language friends that includes native and non-native speakers. The competition consists of short videos that discuss topics which reflect a range of different experiences using Arabic. The works produced for the competition are designed to encourage young people to take an interest in and master Arabic as well as showcase the beauty of the language and its ability to express human experiences. The competition also aims to inspire non-Arabic speaking youngsters to learn the language and use it in their in daily life. The competition targets both Arabic and non-Arabic speakers. Click here for more information on ‘Arabic Pals’ Programme terms and conditions.

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اكتشف وجهتك الحقيقية

يساعدك هذا العمل الفذُّ عن القيادة على اكتشاف وجهتك الحقيقية، تلك الوجهة التي تمثِّل بوصلتك الداخلية التي توجِّهك بنجاح طيلة حياتك. وعندما تتَّبع وجهتك الحقيقية، ستتمكَّن من إماطة اللثام عن إمكاناتك الكاملة قائداً وإنساناً. ويقدِّم لك هذا الكتاب دليلاً ملموساً وشاملاً كي تصبح قائداً حقيقياً، ويكشف لك كيف يمكنك رسم دربك إلى النجاح. وإذ تنطلق في رحلتك، ستطَّلع على قصص عملية لـ 101 قائد من شتى أنحاء العالم، وستعرف كيف اكتشفوا وجهتهم الحقيقية. ومن بينها القصص المُؤثِّرَة والكاشفة لكلٍّ من وارِن بافت، وهوارد شولتز، وبول بولمان، وإندرا نويي، وأريانا هافينغتون، وجاك ما، ومايكل بلومبرغ، ومارك زوكربيرغ، إضافةً إلى قصص بعض الذين ضلُّوا طريقهم، أمثال راجات غوبتا ولانس آرمسترونغ.

الآباء والبنون

وهل يُعقل أن صلواتهما ودموعهما عقيمةٌ يا ترى؟! وهل يُعقل أن الحب المقدس، الحب المخلص، عاجزٌ يا ترى؟! كلا! فمهما كان القلب الذي أطبقت عليه ظلمة القبر متحمساً متمرّداً خاطئاً، فإن الزهور التي تنمو على ترابه تتطلّع إلينا مطمئنةً بعيونها البريئة: فهي لا تحدثنا فقط عن السكون الأبدي، عن لجة سكون الطبيعة "اللامبالية"، بل تحدثنا أيضاً عن الرضوان الأبدي، وعن الحياة اللانهائية.

اثنا عشر عاماً من العبودية

يكشف هذا النص كيف عاش نورثوب في ظروف العبودية القاسية، وكابد المرض والجَلْد وتعرّض لمحاولة شنق. ويصف الحياة اليومية للعبيد في لويزيانا، ونظامهم الغذائي، وظروف حياتهم، والعلاقة بين السيّد والعبد، وكيف كان مطاردو العبيد يلاحقون الفارّين ويعيدونهم إلى نير العبودية. كما يوضح الظروف التي أحاطت باستعادته الحرّية بعد سنوات العبودية الطويلة. سجل «سولمون نورثوب» سيرته الذاتية بعد أشهر قليلة من عودته إلى الحرية، بمساعدة ديفيد ويلسون الذي قام بتحرير هذا الكتاب الصادر في عام 1853، وكان من الكتب التي أسهمت في النقاش الوطني بشأن العبيد في السنوات التسع التي أفضت إلى الحرب الأهلية الأمريكية.

الأدب الإيطالي

يُعد هذا الكتاب مدخلاً إلى عالم الأدب الإيطالي الثَّري، وهو يحاول تشكيل صورة واضحة لنشوئه وتطوره، عبر أجيال متعددة من الكُتَّاب. ويلقي المؤلفان الضوء على أعمال مهمة من الروائع الإيطالية، ليناقشا عبرها القضايا المطروحة، وفق مواضيع الفصول الستة، وهي: التاريخ، والتقليد، والنظرية، والسياسة، والعلمانية، والمرأة. ويعرض الكتاب أعمال أهم المبدعين الإيطاليين، ابتداءً من تيجان الأدب الإيطالي الثلاثة: دانتي، وبترارك، وبوكاتشيو، وانتهاءً بالكتّاب المعاصرين ككالفينو وإيكو. ولا يكتفي المؤلفان بالحديث عن الأدب وحده، وإنما يربطانه بالأحداث الكبرى التي عصفت بإيطاليا كالحروب والانقسامات والتجاذبات السياسية والفكرية، فضلاً عن الاضطهاد الديني والفاشي والنهضة والتحرر.

أنا وفوفكا

إنّ فوفكا وصديقه المفضّل فلاديان لا يعرفان كلمة "الضّجر" نهائياً. هذان البندلولان دائماً يتفتّق خيالهما الواسع عن فعلٍ ما. ذات مرة، وهما يلعبان لعبة "الحرب" يصيب فوفكا عين صديقه فلاديان بأذى عن غير قصد، ثمَّ يغبطه بقلبٍ أبيض. وكيف لا، والجريح يحظى بالاحترام! يتابع يوري نيكيتِنسكي في هذه القصة الموروث التّعليمي والفكاهيّ لسلفه نيكولاي نوسوف (1976-1908) ، فيتناول عدداً كبيراً من المواضيع المهمة، وفي مقدمتها الحرب. طبعاً، إنّ القصف المدفعي المنتظم يغيّر حياة الصبيَّين، ولكنه يظل وكأنّه خلفية، أو شيء - لبعض الوقت- ليس له صلة مباشرة بتلك الحياة.

الإنسان الإله تاريخ وجيز للمستقبل

في عام 2016 نشر البروفيسور هراري كتابه «الإنسان الإله: تاريخ وجيز للمستقبل»، وهو كتابٌ نالَ استحساناً كبيراً لدراسته التحوّلات الكبرى التي تواجه مستقبل البشرية في القرن الحادي والعشرين. يستنطق الكتاب ما يمكن أن يحدث للعالم حينما تقترن الأساطير القديمة بالتقنيات الحديثة ذات القدرات الخارقة، مثل الذكاء الاصطناعي والهندسة الجينية. ما هي المصائر التي تنتظرُ الإنسانَ بتحوّله من إنسان عاقلٍ إلى إنسانٍ إله؟ ما الذي يتوجب علينا فعله، وكيف نحمي هذا الكوكب، بل كيف نحمي الإنسانية، من قدراتنا الخارقة على هذا الكوكب؟ يمنحنا كتاب «الإنسانُ الإله» لمحةً كاشفةً عن الأحلام والكوابيس التي سوف تشكّل القرن الواحد والعشرين.

الحياة الباطنة

من خلال رحلة داخل عالم الانفعالات والأحاسيس يطرح هذا الكتاب عدة تمرينات نفسية هدفها هو خلق حالة من السلام الداخلي للإنسان، فيتصالح مع ذاته ومع العالم المحيط. وكلّ فصل في هذا الكتاب عبارة عن تمرين عمليّ يستعرض فيه الكاتب إحدى التجارب أو أحد المشاعر والأحاسيس التي يعايشها كلّ منّا، ثمّ يدعونا إلى ممارسة التمرين المناسب إمّا لتعزيز تجربة إيجابية أو للتغلّب على انفعال سلبيّ. وفي مقدّمة كتابه أوصى المؤلّف بقراءة فصل واحد يوميّاً وتطبيق التمرين النفسيّ المصاحب له. صدر كتاب "الحياة الباطنة" في فرنسا في شهر يناير من العام 2018 وحقّق مبيعات هائلة وتُرجِم بعد مرور أقلّ من عامّ على صدوره إلى الإسبانية والإيطالية والبرتغالية.

البقوليات: تاريخ عالمي

الخليج شاعراً .. إبداعات رائدة وبواكير واعدة.

يحتوي هذا الكتاب مجموعة من العروض والقراءات لنخبة من دواوين شعراء الخليج، التي كان أغلبها وقت صدورها أو الكتابة عنها من أوائل ما عمّر مكتبة الخليج الأدبية، ثم صارت من بعد رموزاً مميّزة فيها. بعض هذه الدواوين كان طبعاً ونشراً لتراث أقدم نسبيّاً كان مهدّداً بالضياع والاندثار، وبعضها كان إبداعات رائدة لشعراء كبار لهم مقامهم السامي ومكانتهم الجليلة في التراث الأدبي العربي الحديث، وإن كان حظّهم من الأضواء قليلاً، وبعضها أو بالأحرى أغلبها كان من بواكير شجرة الشعر الخليجي، وبشارة بمواهب مبدعة واعدة، واصلت نموّها ونضجها وعطاءها، حتى صارت أسماء مضيئة في سجل الحركة الأدبية الخليجية والعربية المعاصرة.

الغراب الأسحم

يظلّ ديما، شأنه في ذلك شأن كثير من المراهقين الأبطال في أعمال يفغيني روداشيفسكي، معلّقاً بني عالم الطفولة وعالم الكبار. ثمة حوارٌ صامتٌ بين بطلين رئيسين هما الإنسان والحيوان. ثمة شيءٌ مشتركٌ يصعب التقاطُه في سلوك هذين «المتسامرَين » وفي مصيرهما. قد يكون هذا ضرورة لاجتياز لحظة صعبة من أجل الحياة القادمة، وقد يكون عُزلةَ الطير الذي انفصل عن السرب، عُزلة الكائن الذي غادر عشَّه الدافئَ المريحَ للمرة الأوّلى. تندرج قصة «الغُراب الأسحم » بيسر في صنف أعمال جيمس فينيمور كوبر وفيتالي بيانكي، وفي الوقت نفسه تظلّ لها سِماتها البارزة، وتظلُّ معاصِة بلا جدال. إن ديما مجبول من لحم القرن الحادي والعشرين ودمِه، والطبيعةُ بالنسبة له ليست ورشةً أو مِحراباً: فهو نفسه، والغُراب الأسحم، وأشجارُ التايغا التي لا تُعَدّ ولا تُحصى، كلُّ أولئك سكّانُ بيتٍ مشترك واحدٍ، لا وجود لغيره، ولهذا فإنه لا يُقدَّر بثمن.

أبناء بروميثيوس تاريخ البشرية قبل اختراع الكتابة

تاريخ الموريسكيين.

على إثر سقوط غرناطة، بدأت بالنسبة للموريسكيين، أي المسلمين الأندلسيين، مسيرة طويلة من المعاناة والتمزُّق، سجلها التاريخ في حقِّ فئة عانت الأمرّين من أجل البقاء والاستمرار في ظلِّ ثقافة مهيمِنة. كان الموريسكيون أقلية، ولكنها لم تكن منسية، فقد تصدروا موقعاً مشرفاً في التاريخ، وهذا التاريخ لا يمكن اختزاله في خروجهم من إسبانيا، إذ يسبقه تاريخ طويل ومؤلم، مليء بالصدامات، والتي كانت تحسم أمام محاكم التفتيش. من خلال أعمال قيِّمة ووثائق أصلية ذات قيمة تاريخية ثمينة -أُدرِج بعضها في ملحقات هذا الكتاب-، جمع كل من أنطونيو دومينغيث أورتيث وبيرنارد فانسون رصيداً تاريخياً زاخراً هو ثمرة لبحث طويل في هذا الميدان، ليقدِّما للقارئ عصارة هذا العمل، الذي يجمعان فيه ما بين وصف الأحداث وتحليل الديموغرافية الموريسكية والتوزيع المهني لهذه الساكنة ومواقفها الدينية والاجتماعية.

التــوت: تاريخ عالمي

تحرير تولستوي.

يجمع "تحرير تولستوي" بين عناصر الدراسة البيوجرافية، وأدب المذكرات، والدراسة النقدية، والعمل الأدبي. وليف تولستوي "18261910) واحد من مشاهير الأدب، ليس فقط في الأدب الروسي، بل في الأدب العالمي، وهو يعد من أكثر الأدباء إنتشاراً من حيث حجم ترجمات أعماله، وتأثيرها في الأدباء في روسيا وخارجها. حظيت مؤلفاته وأفكاره باهتمام كبير فى الشرق العربي، فقد ترجمت مؤلفاته إلى العربية، وظهرت لها أكثر من ترجمة، وكان لها تأثير في العديد من الأدباء العرب. جدير بالإشارة إلى أن تولستوي قد أولع بالأدب العربي، واهتم بالتراث الروحي الإسلامي، وتأثر بهما. بناء النص في "تحرير تولستوي" غير تقليدي، فأحياناً يتقاطع صوت بونين المؤلف مع صوت تولستوي نفسه، كذلك نجد بونين يتخلى أحياناً عن دوره بوصفه السارد الرئيس، ويترك المجال لروايات أفراد عائلة تولستوي، والمقربين، وبعض المعاصرين، وقد ينشب جدل بين المتحدثين عن تولستوي، يحاول بونين من خلاله الكشف عن أبعاد شخصية تولستوي المركبة، والتي قد تبدو أحياناً للبعض متناقضة. كذلك يُضمّن بونين "تحرير تولستوي" بعض الاقتباسات من روايات تولستوي، ومن الكتابات الدينية الداعمة لأفكار النص. نتعرف من خلال رواية بونين والآخرين عن تولستوي على ملامح من شخصية تولستوي، كما تتكشف أمام القارئ صفحات من سيرة تولستوي الذاتية: تولستوي الأديب المبدع، تولستوي المفكر الذي كان أرّقه بشدة التفكير في مغزى الحياة ، والموت، والوجود الإنساني. كما نتعرف أيضاً على لمحات من علاقاته بأسرته ولاسيما علاقته المتوترة مع زوجته في الفترة الأخيرة قبل هروبه، والتي كان من أهم أسبابها قرار تولستوي التخلي عن أرضه للفلاحين، وتوزيع ثروته، وتنازله عن حقوق طبع مؤلفاته.

تعلم الحياة

الجوائح: سلسلة مقدمات موجزة.

كريستيان دبليو ماكميلان، أستاذ التاريخ في جامعة فرجينيا الأمريكية، حيث يدرس مساقات حول تاريخ الهنود الأمريكيين (الهنود الحمر) وتاريخ الأمراض الوبائية والجوائح. وهو يشغل منصب عميد مشارك للعلوم الاجتماعية، جامعة كوركوران، وله عدة مؤلفات تضم: صناعة القانون الهندي، واكتشاف السلّ، وهذا الكتاب.

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Michael ende, nanna neßhöver, miriam cordes, mona golabek & lee cohen, *]:contents">international congress of arabic publishing and creative industries.

Congress PCI – Third Edition 2024

Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre at the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi, organizes the International Congress for Arabic Publishing and Creative Industries (Congress PCI), a pioneering annual forum in the Arab Region which showcases the latest trends in publishing through crucial cross-disciplinary conversations. Since the inaugural edition in 2022, the Congress has aimed to establish a knowledge-sharing hub for regional and global publishing and creative content developers in the Arab market.

The 2024 edition will bring together a distinguished ensemble of experts, business leaders, publishing pioneers, content creators, and investors from over 50 countries to engage in critical discussions about the rapid advancements of creative industries across all platforms, driven by emerging technologies and new business models to create opportunities for the globalisation of Arabic content.

The Congress programme for this year also includes specialised workshops and masterclasses aiming to enhance professional skillsets of publishers, authors, content creators, and university students. The Congress also hosts an exhibition of new technologies and digital innovations in publishing and content creation presented by leading global and regional brands.

Why you should attend:

• Knowledge and inspiration: Gain insights and inspiration from panel discussions and expert speakers and explore contemporary practices such as the transformation of written narratives into digital format.
• Intellectual exchange and networking: Connect and engage with thought leaders and industry professionals to learn about contemporary practices and innovation patterns, towards valuable partnerships, collaborations, and business opportunities.
• Professional Capacity Building: Enhance technical and creative skills and build capabilities through specialized tracks in various domains including audio content creation, digital journalism, scriptwriting, anime illustration, anime, comics and visual novels.

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Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi

*]:contents">Abu Dhabi International Book Fair

Abu Dhabi International Book Fair is a leading regional and international platform, bringing under its umbrella every year the major players of the publishing industry across the Middle East and North Africa. The Fair provides promising opportunities for those operating in the sector to enter into new partnerships, learn about the latest trends and developments of this growing market, and discuss its main priorities.

It also represents the most prominent and most attractive forum for avid readers and those passionate about buying books. The crow-puller event attracts every year more than 150 thousand visitors who come to the Fair hoping to get the special deals offered by more than a thousand exhibitors from around the world.

The exhibitors compete to provide carefully selected options in the international event which seeks to encourage the culture of reading and creativity in its various manifestations, with a special focus on books.

Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)

*]:contents">Al Ain Book Festival

Founded in 2009, the Al Ain Book Festival - formerly known as the Al Ain Book Fair - celebrates Al Ain’s rich cultural heritage and the inspiring work of Emirati writers, intellectuals and creatives, past and present.

Rebranded in 2022, the Festival, organised by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre under the auspices of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi, delivers a diverse programme which aims to foster the culture of reading and inspire people to connect with Emirati heritage, culture and creativity by bringing Emirati stories to life through poetry, performance, film, art and music for everyone, especially young people.

*]:contents">Al Dhafra Book Festival

Al Dhafra Book Festival was established in 2018 with an objective to encourage a culture of reading among visitors of all ages, as well as to support the cultural movement in the Al Dhafra Region. The event was previously known as Al Dhafra Book Fair; in 2022, it was transformed into a cultural festival that offers visitors a celebratory atmosphere rich in cultural, educational, and entertainment events and artistic performances, inspired by the local cultural heritage of the UAE, and designed to promote a sense of belonging, and encourage creativity and innovation. The Festival aims to contribute to the advancement of the Al Dhafra Region, empowering it to occupy its rightful place on the UAE’s cultural scene.

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The Best Student Writing Contests for 2023-2024

Help your students take their writing to the next level.

When students write for teachers, it can feel like an assignment. When they write for a real purpose, they are empowered! Student writing contests are a challenging and inspiring way to try writing for an authentic audience— a real panel of judges —and the possibility of prize money or other incentives. We’ve gathered a list of the best student writing contests, and there’s something for everyone. Prepare highly motivated kids in need of an authentic writing mentor, and watch the words flow.

1.  The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

With a wide range of categories—from critical essays to science fiction and fantasy—The Scholastic Awards are a mainstay of student contests. Each category has its own rules and word counts, so be sure to check out the options  before you decide which one is best for your students.

How To Enter

Students in grades 7-12, ages 13 and up, may begin submitting work in September by uploading to an online account at Scholastic and connecting to their local region. There are entry fees, but those can be waived for students in need.

2.  YoungArts National Arts Competition

This ends soon, but if you have students who are ready to submit, it’s worth it. YoungArts offers a national competition in the categories of creative nonfiction, novel, play or script, poetry, short story, and spoken word. Student winners may receive awards of up to $10,000 as well as the chance to participate in artistic development with leaders in their fields.

YoungArts accepts submissions in each category through October 13. Students submit their work online and pay a $35 fee (there is a fee waiver option).

3. National Youth Foundation Programs

Each year, awards are given for Student Book Scholars, Amazing Women, and the “I Matter” Poetry & Art competition. This is a great chance for kids to express themselves with joy and strength.

The rules, prizes, and deadlines vary, so check out the website for more info.

4.  American Foreign Service National High School Essay Contest

If you’re looking to help students take a deep dive into international relations, history, and writing, look no further than this essay contest. Winners receive a voyage with the Semester at Sea program and a trip to Washington, DC.

Students fill out a registration form online, and a teacher or sponsor is required. The deadline to enter is the first week of April.

5.  John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest

This annual contest invites students to write about a political official’s act of political courage that occurred after Kennedy’s birth in 1917. The winner receives $10,000, and 16 runners-up also receive a variety of cash prizes.

Students may submit a 700- to 1,000-word essay through January 12. The essay must feature more than five sources and a full bibliography.

6. Bennington Young Writers Awards

Bennington College offers competitions in three categories: poetry (a group of three poems), fiction (a short story or one-act play), and nonfiction (a personal or academic essay). First-place winners receive $500. Grab a poster for your classroom here .

The contest runs from September 1 to November 1. The website links to a student registration form.

7. The Princeton Ten-Minute Play Contest

Looking for student writing contests for budding playwrights? This exclusive competition, which is open only to high school juniors, is judged by the theater faculty of Princeton University. Students submit short plays in an effort to win recognition and cash prizes of up to $500. ( Note: Only open to 11th graders. )

Students submit one 10-page play script online or by mail. The deadline is the end of March. Contest details will be published in early 2024.

8. Princeton University Poetry Contest for High School Students

The Leonard L. Milberg ’53 High School Poetry Prize recognizes outstanding work by student writers in 11th grade. Prizes range from $100 to $500.

Students in 11th grade can submit their poetry. Contest details will be published this fall.

9. The New York Times Tiny Memoir Contest

This contest is also a wonderful writing challenge, and the New York Times includes lots of resources and models for students to be able to do their best work. They’ve even made a classroom poster !

Submissions need to be made electronically by November 1.

10.  Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest

The deadline for this contest is the end of October. Sponsored by Hollins University, the Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest awards prizes for the best poems submitted by young women who are sophomores or juniors in high school or preparatory school. Prizes include cash and scholarships. Winners are chosen by students and faculty members in the creative writing program at Hollins.

Students may submit either one or two poems using the online form.

11.  The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers

The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers is open to high school sophomores and juniors, and the winner receives a full scholarship to a  Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop .

Submissions for the prize are accepted electronically from November 1 through November 30.

12. Jane Austen Society Essay Contest

High school students can win up to $1,000 and publication by entering an essay on a topic specified by the Jane Austen Society related to a Jane Austen novel.

Details for the 2024 contest will be announced in November. Essay length is from six to eight pages, not including works cited.

13. Rattle Young Poets Anthology

Open to students from 15 to 18 years old who are interested in publication and exposure over monetary awards.

Teachers may choose five students for whom to submit up to four poems each on their behalf. The deadline is November 15.

14. The Black River Chapbook Competition

This is a chance for new and emerging writers to gain publication in their own professionally published chapbook, as well as $500 and free copies of the book.

There is an $18 entry fee, and submissions are made online.

15. YouthPlays New Voices

For students under 18, the YouthPlays one-act competition is designed for young writers to create new works for the stage. Winners receive cash awards and publication.

Scroll all the way down their web page for information on the contest, which accepts non-musical plays between 10 and 40 minutes long, submitted electronically. Entries open each year in January.

16. The Ocean Awareness Contest

The 2024 Ocean Awareness Contest, Tell Your Climate Story , encourages students to write their own unique climate story. They are asking for creative expressions of students’ personal experiences, insights, or perceptions about climate change. Students are eligible for a wide range of monetary prizes up to $1,000.

Students from 11 to 18 years old may submit work in the categories of art, creative writing, poetry and spoken word, film, interactive media and multimedia, or music and dance, accompanied by a reflection. The deadline is June 13.

17. EngineerGirl Annual Essay Contest

Each year, EngineerGirl sponsors an essay contest with topics centered on the impact of engineering on the world, and students can win up to $500 in prize money. This contest is a nice bridge between ELA and STEM and great for teachers interested in incorporating an interdisciplinary project into their curriculum. The new contest asks for pieces describing the life cycle of an everyday object. Check out these tips for integrating the content into your classroom .

Students submit their work electronically by February 1. Check out the full list of rules and requirements here .

18. NCTE Student Writing Awards

The National Council of Teachers of English offers several student writing awards, including Achievement Awards in Writing (for 10th- and 11th-grade students), Promising Young Writers (for 8th-grade students), and an award to recognize Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines.

Deadlines range from October 28 to February 15. Check out NCTE.org for more details.

19. See Us, Support Us Art Contest

Children of incarcerated parents can submit artwork, poetry, photos, videos, and more. Submissions are free and the website has a great collection of past winners.

Students can submit their entries via social media or email by October 25.

20. The Adroit Prizes for Poetry & Prose

The Adroit Journal, an education-minded nonprofit publication, awards annual prizes for poetry and prose to exceptional high school and college students. Adroit charges an entry fee but also provides a form for financial assistance.

Sign up at the website for updates for the next round of submissions.

21. National PTA Reflections Awards

The National PTA offers a variety of awards, including one for literature, in their annual Reflections Contest. Students of all ages can submit entries on the specified topic to their local PTA Reflections program. From there, winners move to the local area, state, and national levels. National-level awards include an $800 prize and a trip to the National PTA Convention.

This program requires submitting to PTAs who participate in the program. Check your school’s PTA for their deadlines.

22. World Historian Student Essay Competition

The World Historian Student Essay Competition is an international contest open to students enrolled in grades K–12 in public, private, and parochial schools, as well as those in home-study programs. The $500 prize is based on an essay that addresses one of this year’s two prompts.

Students can submit entries via email or regular mail before May 1.

23. NSHSS Creative Writing Scholarship

The National Society of High School Scholars awards three $2,000 scholarships for both poetry and fiction. They accept poetry, short stories, and graphic novel writing.

Apply online by October 31.

Whether you let your students blog, start a podcast or video channel, or enter student writing contests, giving them an authentic audience for their work is always a powerful classroom choice.

If you like this list of student writing contests and want more articles like it, subscribe to our newsletters to find out when they’re posted!

Plus, check out our favorite anchor charts for teaching writing..

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Best 2024 Competitions for Students in Grades K-12

Competitions in STEM, ELA and the arts, and more! Continue Reading

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Penguin Random House and We Need Diverse Books Congratulate Winners of the 2024 Creative Writing Awards!

June 3, 2024 by We Need Diverse Books

Penguin Random House grants $60,000 in scholarship awards to six exceptional high school senior literary voices from across the country

New York, NY, June 3, 2024 — Six exceptional public high school seniors from across the country have been chosen as winners of the 2024 Penguin Random House Creative Writing Awards in partnership with We Need Diverse Books, a national grassroots organization that advocates for diversity in literature. This year marks the first time the Freedom of Expression Award has been presented.

The Freedom of Expression Award was specifically created in response to the rise in book bans across the country, and to celebrate the power of books and stories. Applicants to the new award were asked to answer the prompt, “ Tell us about one banned book that changed your life and why .”

Book bans have reached an all-time high in recent years, according to the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, climbing 65 percent in 2023 versus 2022. Forty-seven percent of the 4,240 unique book titles targeted for removal in 2023 featured LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC characters.

Prizes were awarded in the following categories: the inaugural Freedom of Expression Award, the Michelle Obama Award for Memoir, the Amanda Gorman Award for Poetry, the Maya Angelou Award for Spoken Word, fiction & drama, and the NYC Entrant Award.

2024 Winners

To learn more about this year’s CWA winners and read their winning pieces, follow this link !

Claire von Schilling , EVP, Director Corporate Communications and Social Responsibility, Penguin Random House said, “Every year, we are blown away by the caliber of talent of our Creative Writing Award winners, and this year was no exception. Together with We Need Diverse Books, we are excited to uplift these captivating and diverse stories—and proud to champion young people’s voices in the face of rampant book bans and censorship efforts.”

Caroline Richmond , Executive Director of WNDB said, “We are thrilled to present the first Freedom of Expression Award, and to celebrate these outstanding young voices. These exceptional entries showcase valuable perspectives and remind us that diverse viewpoints are essential and life saving.”

More than 1,000 students from nearly 900 high schools across 50 states and two territories entered the competition, which is celebrating its 31st year. Each first-place recipient of the Penguin Random House Creative Writing Awards will receive a $10,000 college scholarship and a week of summer professional development from Penguin Random House, including a one-on-one coaching from some of the industry’s best editors, networking workshops, a panel about career opportunities in publishing, and a fireside chat with a Penguin Random House author. The week concludes with a virtual awards ceremony.

In addition, 78 honorable mentions are awarded to outstanding entries. These honorees will receive a “Creativity Kit,” which includes writing resources and books.

Every submission to the competition was given individual consideration via a rigorous scoring process by We Need Diverse Books and Penguin Random House. Judges for We Need Diverse Books included WNDB Executive Director Caroline Richmond, WNDB CEO and award-winning author Ellen Oh, and WNDB COO and New York Times bestselling author Dhonielle Clayton, along with a selection of educators and publishing professionals. Judges for PRH included members of the Penguin Random House Intellectual Freedom Taskforce: Dominique Cimina, Skip Dye, Carmela Iaria, Dan Novack; CWA Alumni: Kiora Brooks, Chloe Cramutola, Ife Martin, Melissa Vera, Maya Williams; Penguin Random House volunteers: Keline Adams, Isabela Alcantara, Tracy Bernstein, Allison Chan, Erin Colombo, Kristen Costa, Ximena Gonzalez, Megha Jain, Daniel Ortega-Venni, Mia Pulido, Miriam Tuliao, Sarah Turbin, Angela Rose West.

About Penguin Random House : Penguin Random House, the world’s largest trade book publisher, is dedicated to its mission of nourishing a universal passion for reading by connecting authors and their writing with readers everywhere. The company, which employs more than 10,000 people globally, was formed on July 1, 2013, by Bertelsmann and Pearson, who own 75 percent and 25 percent, respectively. With nearly 275 independent imprints and brands on six continents, Penguin Random House comprises adult and children’s fiction and nonfiction print and digital English- and Spanish-language trade book publishing businesses in more than 20 countries worldwide. With over 15,000 new titles and more than 600 million print, audio and eBooks sold annually, Penguin Random House’s publishing lists include more than 80 Nobel Prize laureates and hundreds of the world’s most widely read authors. www.penguinrandomhouse.com

About We Need Diverse Books : Founded by marginalized authors, We Need Diverse Books strives to diversify the publishing industry and make our bookshelves more equitable — all to promote literacy, build empathy, and reduce bias. Established in 2014, WNDB is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports diverse creators and publishing professionals via grants, mentorships, and workshops. We also serve educators and teachers nationwide, providing over 100,000 diverse books to schools and libraries. Learn more at www.diversebooks.org

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Creative writing for kids & teens in dubai pinnacle education offers face to face & online sessions in dubai (uae).

Watch your Child grow into an Author with PINNACLE’s Creative Writing Course for Kids

Our Creative Writing Course for Kids takes them on a trip through various writing styles. Putting together a toolbox to handle any piece of literature, from a thrilling script to a notable newspaper story. Additionally, this course can be completed either in-class or virtually. This course aims to support students in putting their ideas on paper and exploring the fascinating world of creative writing. Students will be able to express themselves freely and experience the thrill of being an author. Regardless of their writing ability, each student will engage in creative thinking and expression.

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For more details on the availability of our training program.

Every student grows into a creator of their own short tales, autobiographical writings, blogs and other works. In a fun and relaxed setting, the children will develop good writing abilities. As students immerse themselves in self-expression and creative imagery, their writing skills are improved. The students will start from a blank sheet of paper and over the duration of the course they will write, edit, proofread, illustrate and present their own work.

Benefits of Creative Writing skills for Kids

• Children are encouraged to utilize their ideas and express themselves through creative writing lessons.
• Creative writing improves communication by improving reading and language comprehension abilities.
• Creative writing assists in the development of self-esteem and builds a sense of identity.
• Creative writing teaches children about empathy and provides them with an emotional outlet.

Who should attend this Course?

Help your child unlock their imagination and encourage them to write constructively with our Creative Writing Course for Kids in Dubai. Whether it’s writing blogs, journalistic writing, short tales, or inventing characters, this course is recommended for children between the ages of 9 and 16 who wish to become excellent and influential writers. Children interested in cultivating the below skills are welcome to join this course, which is offered in person or online.

• Cultivate a writer’s voice and perspective.
• Stimulate out-of-the-box thinking.
• Enhance artistic expression.
• Express thoughts clearly.
• Develop a critical appreciation for different writing styles.

Learning Objectives of Creative Writing Course

• Learn basic techniques to confidently communicate through writing • Learn how books are created • Learn writing techniques, exploring the senses, and story starters • Learn how to hook the reader’s attention • Participants will learn how to create memorable characters and build story foundations

• Learn how to create story arcs • Learn what a storyboard is • Learn how to overcome writers’ block • Create story maps to help flesh out their characters’ worlds • Learn how to blend fact and fiction to create exciting and adventurous stories

How do we develop Creative Writing skills in your Child?

At PINNACLE Education, we present themes and concepts to get creative juices flowing among children, led by a professional trainer. Students are encouraged to share their ideas with each other. As a result, they obtain feedback from their peers and their trainer to subsequently work together and come up with fresh ideas and formats for their writing.

Each project will focus on a new skill such as developing a child’s journalistic writing, story writing or short stories to reflect the child’s opinions. Through videos and virtual experiences, children are tasked with creating attention-grabbing headlines, balancing fact and opinion as well as practicing direct and reported speech in their pieces. The finished product will be a collection of brilliant articles put together to create your child’s own newspaper, novel, short story collection, or article which we can’t wait to read!

Creative Writing  Training Outline

• Fundamentals of story writing
• Developing character arcs
• Developing story themes
• Writing Techniques
• Personal Narrative
• Realistic Fiction Writing
• Developing interesting personas and
• realistic characters.
• Narrative/Descriptive Writing.
• Presenting the author’s work.
• Developing full length characters’
• Creative thinking
• Short story creation.
• Writing arguments
• Supernatural story writing
• Mystery Story writing
• Input on vocabulary and language.
• Writing to create emotional impact
• Blogging and Writing for the Internet

 Creative Writing For Kids Training course Details

Creative Writing  Training Certification

• KHDA CERTIFICATION
• PINNACLE CERTIFICATE

Why choose PINNACLE for your Child’s Creative Writing skills training?

Creative Writing course at PINNACLE aims to support students in putting their ideas on paper and exploring the fascinating world of creative thinking. Students will be able to express themselves freely and experience the thrill of being an author.

We believe that a child’s confidence in his or her capacity to write, along with the skills taught in PINNACLE’s Creative Writing Course, prepares them for future academic, social, and personal success.

PINNACLE offers comprehensive sessions taught by experienced trainers. The goal of this course is to provide your child with a strong English language foundation so that they can put their knowledge and opinions into commendable compositions.

Achievements

Join our Creative Writing Course To Experience the Thrill of Being an Author!!

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Media Partner

The Largest Book Writing Competition in the Gulf Region

What is the National Young Authors Fair - UAE?

The National Young Authors Fair-UAE is the Gulf Region's largest book writing competition, presented by BriBooks and Gulf News.

• Using the AI-powered BriBooks platform, and guidance from renowned global authors and storytellers, students will learn various aspects of book writing, publishing, and promotion, aiming to become globally recognized authors and be featured in national media.
• The Participating schools have a chance to enhance their global ranking as literary leaders and win multiple awards for fostering literary excellence among students.

Learn Book Writing, Publishing & Selling from

Global Authors & Story-Tellers

International Comedy Writer

Summit Schools Founder, Teacher, Author

CNBC Anchor, Author, Journalist

Harvard PhD, Author, Entrepreneur, Scientist

Storyteller, Aspen Institute Moderator

How does it work?

Once the school registrations are complete, they will share the student registration URL with their students to participate in the National Young Authors Fair-UAE

After the book-writing journey is complete, the authors will start sharing their books with their friends and family and promote their books online. These aspiring authors have the chance to attain prestigious awards in various categories, earn author royalties up to 25% each time a copy of their book is sold, and become globally published authors.

Once the Promotion period is over, the schools/BriBooks will organize a Book Festival showcasing books of Young Authors.

Awards & Recognition

School & teachers.

To recognize and reward schools with a commitment to fostering a culture of writing and storytelling among its students, the following awards will be presented to schools

Leadership in Literature & Creativity Award for Top 10 National Schools with the most number of published authors*.

Literary Leadership Award in each Emirate for top Schools with the Most published Authors*.

Literary Leadership Award for Top 10 English Teachers Nationally and one in each Emirate with the most number of published authors*.

* Published Authors means , Authors with Books with atleast one copy sold

Young Authors/ Students

Published Author Certificate

Qualifier: 1 Copy Sold

Emerging Author Certificate & Silver Star Medallion

Qualifier: 15 Copies Sold

Amazing Author Certificate & Gold Star Medallion

Qualifier: 30 Copies Sold

Emerging Entrepreneur Author Certificate & Platinum Star Medallion

Qualifier: 45 Copies Sold

Nationally Published Author Certificate With ISBN issued.

Qualifier: 70 Copies Sold

Globally Published Author Certificate With listing on Amazon Global

Qualifier: 100 Copies Sold

The top Authors will get featured in Gulf News

School Registration Date 26th May 2023 to 9th June 2023

Student Registration Date 27th May 2023 to 27th June 2023

Book Writing 1st June 2023 to 5th July 2023

Promotion & Sales 6th July 2023 to 27th August 2023

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Department of English

M.f.a. creative writing.

English Department

Physical Address: 200 Brink Hall

Mailing Address: English Department University of Idaho 875 Perimeter Drive MS 1102 Moscow, Idaho 83844-1102

Phone: 208-885-6156

Email: [email protected]

Web: English

Thank you for your interest in the Creative Writing MFA Program at the University of Idaho: the premier fully funded, three-year MFA program in the Northwest. Situated in the panhandle of Northern Idaho in the foothills of Moscow Mountain, we offer the time and support to train in the traditions, techniques, and practice of nonfiction, poetry, and fiction. Each student graduates as the author of a manuscript of publishable quality after undertaking a rigorous process of thesis preparation and a public defense. Spring in Moscow has come to mean cherry blossoms, snowmelt in Paradise Creek, and the head-turning accomplishments of our thesis-year students. Ours is a faculty of active, working writers who relish teaching and mentorship. We invite you in the following pages to learn about us, our curriculum, our community, and the town of Moscow. If the prospect of giving yourself three years with us to develop as a writer, teacher, and editor is appealing, we look forward to reading your application.

Pure Poetry

A Decade Working in a Smelter Is Topic of Alumnus Zach Eddy’s Poems

Ancestral Recognition

The region surrounding the University of Idaho is the ancestral land of both the Coeur d’Alene and Nez Perce peoples, and its campus in Moscow sits on unceded lands guaranteed to the Nez Perce people in the 1855 Treaty with the Nez Perce. As a land grant university, the University of Idaho also benefits from endowment lands that are the ancestral homes to many of the West’s Native peoples. The Department of English and Creative Writing Program acknowledge this history and share in the communal effort to ensure that the complexities and atrocities of the past remain in our discourse and are never lost to time. We invite you to think of the traditional “land acknowledgment” statement through our MFA alum CMarie Fuhrman’s words .

Degree Requirements

Three years to write.

Regardless of where you are in your artistic career, there is nothing more precious than time. A three-year program gives you time to generate, refine, and edit a body of original work. Typically, students have a light third year, which allows for dedicated time to complete and revise the Creative Thesis. (48 manuscript pages for those working in poetry, 100 pages for those working in prose.)

Our degree requirements are designed to reflect the real-world interests of a writer. Students are encouraged to focus their studies in ways that best reflect their artistic obsessions as well as their lines of intellectual and critical inquiry. In effect, students may be as genre-focused or as multi-genre as they please. Students must remain in-residence during their degrees. Typically, one class earns you 3 credits. The MFA requires a total of 54 earned credits in the following categories.

12 Credits : Graduate-level Workshop courses in Fiction, Poetry, and/or Nonfiction. 9 Credits: Techniques and Traditions courses in Fiction, Poetry, and/or Nonfiction 3 Credits : Internships: Fugue, Confluence Lab, and/or Pedagogy 9 Credits: Literature courses 12 Credits: Elective courses 10 Credits: Thesis

Flexible Degree Path

Students are admitted to our program in one of three genres, Poetry, Fiction, or Nonfiction. By design, our degree path offers ample opportunity to take Workshop, Techniques, Traditions, and Literature courses in any genre. Our faculty work and publish in multiple genres and value the slipperiness of categorization. We encourage students to write in as broad or focused a manner as they see fit. We are not at all interested in making writers “stay in their lanes,” and we encourage students to shape their degree paths in accordance with their passions. 

What You Study

During your degree, you will take Workshop, Techniques, Traditions, and Literature courses.

Our workshop classes are small by design (typically twelve students or fewer) and taught by core and visiting MFA faculty. No two workshop experiences look alike, but what they share are faculty members committed to the artistic and intellectual passions of their workshop participants.

Techniques studios are developed and taught by core and visiting MFA faculty. These popular courses are dedicated to the granular aspects of writing, from deep study of the poetic image to the cultivation of independent inquiry in nonfiction to the raptures of research in fiction. Such courses are heavy on generative writing and experimentation, offering students a dedicated space to hone their craft in a way that is complementary to their primary work.

Traditions seminars are developed and taught by core and visiting MFA faculty. These generative writing courses bring student writing into conversation with a specific trajectory or “tradition” of literature, from life writing to outlaw literature to the history of the short story, from prosody to postwar surrealism to genre-fluidity and beyond. These seminars offer students a dynamic space to position their work within the vast and varied trajectories of literature.

Literature courses are taught by core Literature and MFA faculty. Our department boasts field-leading scholars, interdisciplinary writers and thinkers, and theory-driven practitioners who value the intersection of scholarly study, research, humanism, and creative writing.

Award-Winning Faculty

We teach our classes first and foremost as practitioners of the art. Full stop. Though our styles and interests lie at divergent points on the literary landscape, our common pursuit is to foster the artistic and intellectual growth of our students, regardless of how or why they write. We value individual talent and challenge all students to write deep into their unique passions, identities, histories, aesthetics, and intellects. We view writing not as a marketplace endeavor but as an act of human subjectivity. We’ve authored or edited several books across the genres.

Learn more about Our People .

Thesis Defense

The MFA experience culminates with each student writing and defending a creative thesis. For prose writers, theses are 100 pages of creative work; for poets, 48 pages. Though theses often take the form of an excerpt from a book-in-progress, students have flexibility when it comes to determining the shape, form, and content of their creative projects. In their final year, each student works on envisioning and revising their thesis with three committee members, a Major Professor (core MFA faculty) and two additional Readers (core UI faculty). All students offer a public thesis defense. These events are attended by MFA students, faculty, community members, and other invitees. During a thesis defense, a candidate reads from their work for thirty minutes, answers artistic and critical questions from their Major Professor and two Readers for forty-five minutes, and then answer audience questions for thirty minutes. Though formally structured and rigorous, the thesis defense is ultimately a celebration of each student’s individual talent.

The Symposium Reading Series is a longstanding student-run initiative that offers every second-year MFA candidate an opportunity to read their works-in-progress in front of peers, colleagues, and community members. This reading and Q & A event prepares students for the third-year public thesis defense. These off-campus events are fun and casual, exemplifying our community centered culture and what matters most: the work we’re all here to do.

Teaching Assistantships

All students admitted to the MFA program are fully funded through Teaching Assistantships. All Assistantships come with a full tuition waiver and a stipend, which for the current academic year is roughly $15,000. Over the course of three years, MFA students teach a mix of composition courses, sections of Introduction to Creative Writing (ENGL 290), and additional writing courses, as departmental needs arise. Students may also apply to work in the Writing Center as positions become available. When you join the MFA program at Idaho, you receive teacher training prior to the beginning of your first semester. We value the role MFA students serve within the department and consider each graduate student as a working artist and colleague. Current teaching loads for Teaching Assistants are two courses per semester. Some members of the Fugue editorial staff receive course reductions to offset the demands of editorial work. We also award a variety of competitive and need-based scholarships to help offset general living costs. In addition, we offer three outstanding graduate student fellowships: The Hemingway Fellowship, Centrum Fellowship, and Writing in the Wild Fellowship. Finally, our Graduate and Professional Student Association offers extra-departmental funding in the form of research and travel grants to qualifying students throughout the academic year.

Distinguished Visiting Writers Series

Each year, we bring a Distinguished Visiting Writer to campus. DVWs interface with our writing community through public readings, on-stage craft conversations hosted by core MFA faculty, and small seminars geared toward MFA candidates. Recent DVWs include Maggie Nelson, Roger Reeves, Luis Alberto Urrea, Brian Evenson, Kate Zambreno, Dorianne Laux, Teju Cole, Tyehimba Jess, Claire Vaye Watkins, Naomi Shihab Nye, David Shields, Rebecca Solnit, Gabrielle Calvocoressi, Susan Orlean, Natasha Tretheway, Jo Ann Beard, William Logan, Aisha Sabatini Sloan, Gabino Iglesias, and Marcus Jackson, among several others.

Fugue Journal

Established in 1990 at the University of Idaho, Fugue publishes poetry, fiction, essays, hybrid work, and visual art from established and emerging writers and artists. Fugue is managed and edited entirely by University of Idaho graduate students, with help from graduate and undergraduate readers. We take pride in the work we print, the writers we publish, and the presentation of both print and digital content. We hold an annual contest in both prose and poetry, judged by two nationally recognized writers. Past judges include Pam Houston, Dorianne Laux, Rodney Jones, Mark Doty, Rick Moody, Ellen Bryant Voigt, Jo Ann Beard, Rebecca McClanahan, Patricia Hampl, Traci Brimhall, Edan Lepucki, Tony Hoagland, Chen Chen, Aisha Sabatini Sloan, sam sax, and Leni Zumas. The journal boasts a remarkable list of past contributors, including Steve Almond, Charles Baxter, Stephen Dobyns, Denise Duhamel, Stephen Dunn, B.H. Fairchild, Nick Flynn, Terrance Hayes, Campbell McGrath, W.S. Merwin, Sharon Olds, Jim Shepard, RT Smith, Virgil Suarez, Melanie Rae Thon, Natasha Trethewey, Philip Levine, Anthony Varallo, Robert Wrigley, and Dean Young, among many others.

Academy of American Poets University Prize

The Creative Writing Program is proud to partner with the Academy of American Poets to offer an annual Academy of American Poets University Prize to a student at the University of Idaho. The prize results in a small honorarium through the Academy as well as publication of the winning poem on the Academy website. The Prize was established in 2009 with a generous grant from Karen Trujillo and Don Burnett. Many of our nation’s most esteemed and celebrated poets won their first recognition through an Academy of American Poets Prize, including Diane Ackerman, Toi Derricotte, Mark Doty, Tess Gallagher, Louise Glück, Jorie Graham, Kimiko Hahn, Joy Harjo, Robert Hass, Li-Young Lee, Gregory Orr, Sylvia Plath, Mark Strand, and Charles Wright.

Fellowships

Centrum fellowships.

Those selected as Centrum Fellows attend the summer Port Townsend Writers’ Conference free of charge. Housed in Fort Worden (which is also home to Copper Canyon Press), Centrum is a nonprofit dedicated to fostering several artistic programs throughout the year. With a focus on rigorous attention to craft, the Writers’ Conference offers five full days of morning intensives, afternoon workshops, and craft lectures to eighty participants from across the nation. The cost of the conference, which includes tuition, lodging, and meals, is covered by the scholarship. These annual scholarship are open to all MFA candidates in all genres.

Hemingway Fellowships

This fellowship offers an MFA Fiction student full course releases in their final year. The selection of the Hemingway Fellow is based solely on the quality of an applicant’s writing. Each year, applicants have their work judged blind by a noted author who remains anonymous until the selection process has been completed. Through the process of blind selection, the Hemingway Fellowship Fund fulfills its mission of giving the Fellow the time they need to complete a substantial draft of a manuscript.

Writing in the Wild

This annual fellowship gives two MFA students the opportunity to work in Idaho’s iconic wilderness areas. The fellowship fully supports one week at either the McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS), which borders Payette Lake and Ponderosa State Park, or the Taylor Wilderness Research Station, which lies in the heart of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area. Both campuses offer year-round housing. These writing retreats allow students to concentrate solely on their writing. Because both locations often house researchers, writers will also have the opportunity to interface with foresters, geologists, biologists, and interdisciplinary scholars.

Program History

Idaho admitted its first class of seven MFA students in 1994 with a faculty of four: Mary Clearman Blew, Tina Foriyes, Ron McFarland (founder of Fugue), and Lance Olsen. From the beginning, the program was conceived as a three-year sequence of workshops and techniques classes. Along with offering concentrations in writing fiction and poetry, Idaho was one of the first in the nation to offer a full concentration in creative nonfiction. Also from its inception, Idaho not only allowed but encouraged its students to enroll in workshops outside their primary genres. Idaho has become one of the nation’s most respected three-year MFA programs, attracting both field-leading faculty and students. In addition to the founders of this program, notable distinguished faculty have included Kim Barnes, Robert Wrigley, Daniel Orozco, Joy Passanante, Tobias Wray, Brian Blanchfield, and Scott Slovic, whose collective vision, rigor, grit, and care have paved the way for future generations committed to the art of writing.

The Palouse

Situated in the foothills of Moscow Mountain amid the rolling terrain of the Palouse (the ancient silt beds unique to the region), our location in the vibrant community of Moscow, Idaho, boasts a lively and artistic local culture. Complete with independent bookstores, coffee shops, art galleries, restaurants and breweries, (not to mention a historic art house cinema, organic foods co-op, and renowned seasonal farmer’s market), Moscow is a friendly and affordable place to live. Outside of town, we’re lucky to have many opportunities for hiking, skiing, rafting, biking, camping, and general exploring—from nearby Idler’s Rest and Kamiak Butte to renowned destinations like Glacier National Park, the Snake River, the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area, and Nelson, BC. As for more urban getaways, Spokane, Washington, is only a ninety-minute drive, and our regional airline, Alaska, makes daily flights to and from Seattle that run just under an hour.

For upcoming events and program news, please visit our calendar .

For more information about the MFA program, please contact us at:  [email protected]

Department of English University of Idaho 875 Perimeter Drive MS 1102 Moscow, ID 83844-1102 208-885-6156

Palouse Writers Guild

Books & Brews 2024

Join us to celebrate the successes of our local writers! Books & Brews is FREE, family-friendly, and open to the public. This event is an opportunity for the public to meet and greet local authors in a festive book fair atmosphere. Moscow Alehouse is our beverage provider. In addition to …

Call for Authors

The Palouse Writers Guild is hosting its 5th Annual Books & Brews event on Saturday, June 22, 2024. At this free, family-friendly event, authors can meet with the public and autograph their books. The event will be held at the 1912 Center, in Moscow, Idaho and will run from 4 …

2024 Writing Contests

It’s writing contest time! You spoke, we listened. This year there will be two categories for short stories: novice and general entry. Anyone who has been published (yes, even self-published) goes in the general entry category. The novice category is limited to those writers who have never been published in …

2023 Contest Winners

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 Palouse Writers Guild contests. Congratulations to all the winners and thank you to all who participated! Short Story Contest 1st Place The Void by Cora Irelan (Moscow, ID) Runner-up Now You See Me by James Foster (Potlatch, ID)   First …

2023 Books & Brews

Join us to celebrate the successes of our local writers! Books & Brews is FREE, family-friendly, and open to the public. This event is an opportunity for the public to meet and greet local authors in a festive book fair atmosphere. Moscow Brewing Company is the beverage provider and non-alcoholic …

2023 Palouse Writers Festival

The Palouse Writers Guild is pleased to present the line-up for our 4th Annual Palouse Writers Festival and Books & Brews events. Date: Saturday, June 17, 2023 Location:1912 Center, 412 East Third St., Moscow, ID 83843 Workshops What Teens Want: Exploring YA Fiction Time: 11:30 AM (75 min session) Location: Reception …

The Palouse Writers Guild is hosting its 4th Annual Books & Brews event on Saturday, June 17, 2023. At this free, family-friendly event, authors can meet with the public and autograph their books. The event will be held at the 1912 Center, in Moscow, Idaho and will run from 5 …

2023 Writing Contests

It’s writing contest time! Anyone may enter the first chapter contest, but the short story contest is limited to novice writers who have never been published before. Information for both contests is below. Submission guidelines are the same for both contests. Multiple submissions are allowed and can be mailed in …

NaNoWriMo 2022

Great news WriMos and Rebels–NaNoWriMo is back! After two years of being sequestered at home, writing alone, NaNoWriMo has returned to hosting in-person write-ins and the Palouse Writers Guild is encouraging local writers to connect and share. For those community members not familiar with the program, NaNoWriMo is the acronym …

NaNo Prep 101

Have you ever longed to write a novel? Well, now’s the time! NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month. Founded in 1999 with just 21 participants, this novel writing movement has grown to nearly a million writers annually. During the month of November, participants are encouraged to write an …

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The 11+ is an optional selective exam taken at the start of year 6, when pupils are either age 10 or 11.

What is the 11+ exam?

It was commonplace throughout England and Wales between 1944 and the mid-1970s. However, it is now only used in certain regions of England. The purpose of the exam is to select the children who would be most academically suited to studying at a secondary grammar school.

There are two main providers of the 11+ exam:  CEM (Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring)  and  GL Assessment (Granada Learning Assessment) .

The CEM exam covers English, verbal ability, non-verbal reasoning and numerical reasoning. These are mixed papers containing sections covering different subjects. This exam places strong emphasis on English skills, including comprehension, spelling and vocabulary.

The GL Assessment covers English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. These papers are often separated by subject, however certain areas are moving towards using mixed subject papers. In most areas, this exam gives equal weighting to all subjects.

The chosen exam board for each region or school is subject to change. We advise that you contact the local authority or school(s) for further information before selecting the books you require.

How AE Publications can help

We offer a wide range of 11+ books, focusing on techniques required for both types of exam. These can be purchased individually or as different sized bundles according to subject or exam-board.

Our Year 5-7 GL Assessment, CEM and  Mega Bundle  provide the most thorough means of preparation. They comprise a full course of books which should ideally be completed over a school year, ready for the exam the following September. This will give a child plenty of time to work through all elements of the exam requirements in a calm and steady way, avoiding cramming too close to the exam.

After completing a bundle, our  11+ GL Assessment or CEM specific testpacks  should be used for final exam preparation. These contain practice papers which simulate the format and content of the 11+ exams and may be completed as standard or multiple-choice tests.

We also provide  11+ preparation material  for children in years 3 & 4. These should be completed over the course of those school years, and children in year 4 can then move on to the testpacks. We do not offer exam board specific bundles for these age ranges to allow you to keep your options open. We have found that children who begin preparing in these years gain a firm foundation for the more complex techniques required in year 5.

Although we advise taking a full school year, it is never too late to begin; any preparation is beneficial, even working through the testpacks in the weeks before the exam.

Numerical Reasoning Workbooks, testbooks and testpacks providing a comprehensive maths programme for the 11+.

Techniques & Vocabulary Including our Spelling & Vocabulary, Comprehension & Semantics (Synonyms, Antonyms & Homonyms) workbooks.

Verbal Reasoning

Verbal Ability Including exam board specific workbooks and testbooks, covering cloze and all verbal reasoning techniques for GL Assessment & other test styles, and CEM tests.

Non-verbal Reasoning

Spatial Reasoning Covering all NVR techniques required for both exam boards, with full instruction on 3D elements.

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