Creative Writing students gain inspiration at Durham Book Festival

This year’s exciting programme included Durham alumni Dame Pat Barker and broadcaster Jeremy Vine; in previous years the likes of Philip Pullman, Bill Bryson and Simon Armitage have graced the festival’s stage, in talks with Durham University academics. 

The close links between the Department and the Durham Book Festival allowed our Creative Writing MA students to receive complimentary tickets to the festival. Access to the festival not only inspires students’ creativity through hearing current authors speak about their work but also enables them to establish further connections with New Writing North, the predominant writing development agency in the North East. 

One of the highlights of this year’s festival for our MA students was the opportunity to see bestselling author Jonathan Coe in an exclusive interview with our director of Creative Writing, Professor Naomi Booth. In this festival event, Coe discussed his new novel The Proof of My Innocence, a satirical critique of politics and deception in the British government, wrapped up in a murder mystery. Coe also reflected on his long career as a novelist, from pursuing his MA and PhD in English Literature, to his prolific list of plaudits and prizes, such as the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Best Fiction Book, European Book Prize, and Costa Book Award. 

Durham Book Festival continues to be one of the highlights of the literary calendar for both North East attendees and our Creative Writing MA students. The opportunities offered by the Festival and New Writing North facilitate the ideal environment for stimulating and developing the creativity of our aspiring authors.