Person writing at a desk

Creative Writing and Professional Writing 

Explore our Undergraduate Creative Writing and Professional Writing Courses

Find a CourseBook an Open Day

STUDENT PROFILE Lynn Tan

BA Professional Writing and Film

Lynn studies Professional Writing and Film. She tells us what's the best thing about the course and the life as a student at Bangor University.

Being Human Festival

Bangor University was proud to be one of only six regional hubs hosting last year’s Being Human festival, the UK’s national Festival of the Humanities.

Zoë Skoulding, Professor of Poetry and Creative Writing, talks about a project in conjunction with Llandudno Museum that brings together scientific and humanities perspectives in thinking about the environment at a time of ecological crisis.

How can writing change the way we see the natural world? What’s the difference between a bird’s eye view and a map? Creative writers, artists and scientists from Bangor University presented a unique workshop on Llandudno’s West Shore Beach and Llandudno Museum. It was based on the nature diaries of the late Dr Paul Whalley, recently acquired by Bangor University Archives, which are an extraordinary lifetime’s record of observation of birds and weather, much of it focused on north Wales and especially the Orme. Extracts from the diaries have been placed in a virtual reality map of the area along with poems by creative writing staff at Bangor. Members of the public were invited to add their own creative responses to the other species they encountered while walking.

The Being Human festival was led by the School of Advanced Study, University of London, with generous support from Research England, in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and The British Academy.

0:00 [Music]

0:41 So research was really integral to how this evening's come together we

0:44 wanted to look at this connection between Egypt and Afrofuturism which is

0:47 not much looked into and really experiment with new ways through our of

0:51 looking at that connection and trying to do new experimental things with it it

0:54 provides a really amazing I think platform not only for the work but I

0:59 think for audiences to really think through about how Humanities research

1:03 and work intersects with different institutions but also provides an

1:07 opportunity for audiences to kind of engage with that in a really live

1:10 interesting playful context I've lived here in Norwich for about 16 years and I

1:18 felt like today was the first time I felt really moved and warmed by Art in

1:27 this space you know there are these research centres and I think they can

1:30 feel sometimes a bit kind of removed and I think these public programming events

1:35 are really about opening that door and giving an invitation for people to kind

1:39 of come in and it's floor and engender curiosity.

1:51 [Music]

1:57 This particular project is about bringing together scientific and Humanities perspectives in thinking

2:06 about the environment and at the time of ecological crisis we really need to do

2:11 that and we need to bring people's imaginations into play and thinking

2:16 about where they are and how they live and who they live with including other

2:19 species anything that gets people to engage in the landscape and think about

2:24 it from the past and about the future as well I think is a really positive thing

2:29 I really enjoyed kind of looking closely at somewhere I'm familiar with I got a

2:34 lot out of it today I'm very excited to be doing this project in North Wales and

2:38 Llandudno because Bangor university has a really strong relationship with its

2:44 region it's an exceptionally beautiful area and very complex in all sorts of

2:49 ways our research engages with the people around us working with a

2:54 researcher can then often enrich your own research as well so the Being Human

2:59 Festival gives a fantastic visibility to the research that's happening in lots of

3:04 universities we make it more evident to people of what we're doing

3:10 [Music]

Student Profile - Aaron

Aaron Farell, is a mature student, originally from South Wales. He's studying Creative and Professional Writing, and tells us why he chose to study here.

Do you have a question about life as a Bangor University student? Our ambassadors will be happy to help you find the answer.

They can tell you more about studying here, about the amazing Clubs and Societies we have, and how they made friends and settled in to life at university. 

Chat to current students

If you have any questions about the course, our lecturers are on hand to help. Below are some examples of frequently asked questions. Can you think of any more? 

  • What are the qualities of a successful Creative Writing and Professional Writing student at Bangor?
  • How can I prepare myself to study Creative Writing and Professional Writing at Bangor?
  • How will I know that Creative Writing and Professional Writing at Bangor is the right choice for me?

Skills you'll gain whilst studying an English Literature degree

There are plenty of transferable skills you'll learn whilst studying English Literature, our graduates graduate with skills that are highly sought after in todays job market. Alongside the ability to write and to speak well, and to synthesise information effectively, our degrees provide you with;

  • time management and self-discipline skills
  • oral and written communication skills;
  • problem-solving abilities, including careful analytical evaluation;
  • critical thinking and assessment skills, including the ability to self-consciously examine your own and others’ writings;
  • independent and flexible thinking;
  • and an ability to synthesise, absorb and critique multiple and conflicting sources of information.

These skills you learn whilst studying English Literature can lead you into a range of different career paths. Some career paths you might want to consider include:

  • primary / secondary school educator;
  • academic librarian;
  • arts administrator;
  • archivist;
  • civil service;
  • librarian; 
  • proof-reader;
  • editorial assistant;
  • journalist;
  • public relations;
  • web content writer; 
  • advertising copywriter;
  • academia;
  • and creative writing.

Why Study Creative Writing and Professional Writing?

At Bangor University you will learn to develop your passion for language, storytelling and the written word into a career that will last you a lifetime.  

You will join a community of novelists, poets, screenwriters, journalists, publishers, academics, film makers and media professionals and creative students. We offer a range of courses designed to equip you with a solid grounding in the creative, the critical and the practical skills you will need to pursue a writing career. 

Our Creative and Professional Writing degree is an innovative, practical programme that encourages you work across a variety of disciplinary pathways. You may develop skills in the techniques and forms of the short story, the novel and poetry, looking at them both as critics and as practitioners.  You will have the opportunity to explore journalism, screenwriting, scriptwriting, storytelling, genre writing, writing for performance and for publication, writing for online and other digital media, and publishing.  

The study of writing at Bangor offers a balance of practical and analytical tasks. Modules are taught primarily through seminars and workshops with presentations by visiting writers and are assessed both on practical output and on the individual's ability to reflect critically on their practice. As you progress through your degree, much of your study will be done in small teaching groups as you build your portfolio of creative writing. In your third year you may choose a work placement, applying the skills you have developed as a writer to real-world requirements. In your final year you can develop a longer piece of creative work from initial concept to professional output. 

Our Research in Creative Writing and Professional Writing

The expertise of Creative and Professional Writing staff lies in the craft of language and storytelling within the broad context of professional practice. Our staff work across disciplines, including poetry, short story, the novel, social media fiction, digital fiction, journalism, screenwriting, and publishing.  

Staff are internationally recognised experts in their chosen field, bringing knowledge and enthusiasm to their teaching.  The department has an active community of research students and offers research supervision in a range of specialist areas, including Poetry, Short story writing, Creative Translation, Bookselling, The space of the book, Digital publishing, Experimental writing, Ecopolitics, Welsh writing in English, Concept development, Screenwriting, Nationalism in Wales, Welsh or Welsh language media, Digital media in minority languages, Political Journalism. 

Related Subject Areas

Find out about the range of course options in this subject area.

Related Subject Areas

Find out about the range of course options in this subject area.

It looks like you’re visiting from outside the UK, would you like to be redirected to the international page?