Course Programme Autumn 2011
Faber Academy Creative Writing Courses
‘Making great things happen around books and writing.’ Jeanette Winterson
Faber Academy exists for writers – of novels and non-fiction, of poetry and short stories, from the first sentence to the finishing touch. In London, Dublin, Glasgow and Sydney, we offer a dynamic programme of creative writing courses to help you with whatever your project might be. We combine hard-learnt advice from the best writers with all the publishing experience of one of the world’s most iconic independent publishing houses, Faber and Faber. Faber Academy means small, supportive classes, inspiring venues and an unstintingly practical approach across all of our courses: from our six-month flagships Writing a Novel and Becoming a Poet through three-month classes on Getting Started, Memoir and Life Writing and Writing For Children to three- and one-day workshops on short stories, screenplays, and how to get published. Whether you are just starting out, considering a potential writing career or looking to develop your skills, the Faber Academy has a course to support you at every stage of your endeavour. Welcome.
faberacademy.co.uk
01 Six-Month Courses [p. 2—3] Writing a Novel Becoming a Poet
Dublin & London Dublin & London
Fiction Poetry
London London London London Glasgow
Memoir Fiction Fiction Children’s Fiction
Charleston Festival Dublin London London London London London London
Fiction Fiction Crime Poetry Drama Fiction Getting Published Drama
Three-Month Courses [p. 4—5] Memoir and Life Writing A to Z of Fiction Writing Short Stories Writing for Children Getting Started: Writing Fiction Short Courses [p. 6—8] Perspectives on Fiction Write a Short Story in a Weekend Writing Wrongs: Crime Poetry and Inspiration Writing a Screenplay Stuck in the Middle The Art of Publication The Art of Playwriting
Booking Information, Course Locations and Contact Details [p. 9]
Faber Academy Open Day 2011
Bloomsbury House 74–77 Great Russell Street London WC1B 3DA 2 July 2011 10am–2pm Whether it’s three days or six months, committing to a creative writing course can be a big decision. The Faber Academy Open Day gives you the chance to come into the Faber offices and meet our tutors – people like Marcel Theroux, Daljit Nagra, Tim Lott, Jo Shapcott and Esther Freud – to help you decide which course is right for you. All over a cup of tea. Call Fiona on +44 (0)20 7927 3868 to book your free ticket, or book online at faberacademy.co.uk We will also be hosting an Open Day at the Bloomsbury Festival, 21–23 October 2011 – more details to come.
Contents
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Six-Month Courses Autumn 2011 Writing a Novel (London)
Autumn 2011
Becoming a Poet (London)
London Starts 5 October 2011
London Starts 4 October 2011
Writing a Novel is aimed at writers who want structured tuition and practical help, with the flexibility of an evening class. Richard Skinner and Esther Freud, together with guest writers, editors and agents, will take you through all aspects of the novel-writing process, such as voice, dialogue and plotting. Regular peer presentations provide supportive critical insight into your progress. A printed anthology and a reading here at Bloomsbury House will then prepare you for the next step – getting published.
An intensive course aimed at poets looking to assemble a first collection of poetry, Becoming a Poet is designed to give you the conditions and support you need to produce a body of work that you can be proud of. Through individual feedback and weekly workshops with Daljit Nagra and Jo Shapcott, not to mention guest tutor sessions from poets including Simon Armitage and Andrew Motion, this course will push you – in output, craft and imagination.
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Writing a Novel (Dublin) Dublin Starts 11 October 2011 At the wonderful James Joyce Centre in the heart of Dublin, James Ryan and Éilís Ní Dhuibhne will take your idea and your passion for writing and work with you to transform them into a manuscript. Individual feedback sessions and full-day Saturday sessions form the core of this rigorous and practical course. Guest speakers from the writing and publishing community will give unique insights as well as invaluable, tailored advice as you strive towards finishing your first draft.
Becoming a Poet (Dublin) Dublin Part One: Writing New Poems Starts 5 October 2011 Led by acclaimed poet Paul Perry, Becoming a Poet – Part One is aimed at aspiring poets who want structured tuition in new poetry forms and techniques as well as supportive and honest assessment of their work, with an emphasis on creating new poems throughout the three months. Dublin Part Two: Towards a Manuscript Starts 11 January 2012 Part Two will then drive towards a first collection, taking on poets who have a body of work, but who want to expand and improve, edit and collect. Specialist classes such as ‘The City’ and ‘Versification’ will hone your skills, as you continue to write new poems and look to complete the jigsaw of a first collection.
Six-Month Courses
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Three-Month Courses Autumn 2011 Memoir and Life Writing
Autumn 2011
A to Z of Fiction
London Starts 3 October 2011
London Starts 3 October 2011
In 1997, Gillian Slovo wrote her extraordinary apartheid-era family memoir Every Secret Thing. The Guardian called it ‘a luminous achievement’: it went on to be an international bestseller. Drawing on this experience and her huge success as a novelist, Gillian’s Memoir and Life Writing will examine the essential elements of an increasingly popular but elusive genre. A series of seminars and practical workshops, plus two masterclasses from well-known memoirists, this course is aimed at both new and practising writers.
Under the guidance of acclaimed novelist Tim Lott, tour the key locations in fictionwriting – such as Dialogue, Plot and Structure – and stop off at some of the more colourful backroads: ‘The Psychology of Writing’; ‘Why Write a Novel in the First Place’ and ‘The System is Not Out To Get You’. Above all a practical guide on the essential ingredients of writing fiction, this course will include written exercises, informal discussions and structured seminars guided by Tim and guests.
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Writing Short Stories
Writing for Children
Getting Started: Writing Fiction
London Starts 5 October 2011
London Starts 4 October 2011
Glasgow Starts 5 October 2011
Join Marcel Theroux for this exploration of the most challenging – and most liberating – form of fiction. The aim is to write at least three new short stories (two short, one longer); the method is immersion – reading, writing, critiquing, and discussing classic short fiction punctuated with masterclasses from leading exponents of the genre.
Award-winning children’s writer Anthony McGowan gives new and apprentice writers the skills they need to write great children’s books, from dialogue and tight plotting to humour and performance. With practical workshops and peer review, plus great guest tutors like Michael Rosen, this course is a must-do for aspiring children’s writers.
Janice Galloway leads this course for new fiction writers seeking inspiration and guidance. Playful, serious and fun, it will explore what writing is and why we do it, and what it is that writers go through to make their writing not only readable but good – all the while putting every lesson into practice.
Three-Month Courses
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Short Courses Autumn 2011 Perspectives on Fiction
Writing Wrongs: Crime
Write a Short Story in a Weekend
Charleston Festival 20–21 May 2011
London 10–12 June 2011
Dublin 1–3 July 2011
What are the essential ingredients of brilliant fiction? How do novelists unlock their ideas and stay inspired? What are publishers and agents looking for? Over two days at Tilton House, join Jill Dawson, John Boyne, Judith Kerr and Faber Publishing Director Hannah Griffiths to explore these crucial questions.
International award-winning author RJ Ellory and guest tutor Sophie Hannah make Writing Wrongs perfect for anyone who is writing or interested in beginning a crime novel. This intensive course is designed to strip away the mysteries attendant to crime-writing, and identify the real reasons that crime fiction works, or doesn’t.
Our most popular short course comes to Dublin, with Éilís Ní Dhuibhne, Tobias Hill and Carlo Gébler. Study the form’s finest examples before embarking on your own, and leave with a completely new short story. After intensive tuition and constant review, you will go home longing to write more.
Autumn 2011
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Writing a Screenplay
Poetry and Inspiration
London 16–18 September 2011
London 23–25 September 2011
Walter Donohue – script editor on Paris, Texas, Orlando and 28 Days Later, now film and fiction editor at Faber and Faber – knows better than anyone that a successful screenwriter must understand the structure and goals of storytelling. Accordingly, the first part of this fascinating course will concentrate on how a story works, while the second will look at how to employ the techniques of screenwriting to tell the stories you want to tell in your own particular way. A must for budding screenwriters.
Jo Shapcott and Daljit Nagra are joined by Andrew Motion for our most popular poetry course, aimed at both new and experienced poets – whether looking for inspiration, seeking to boost their creative output or broaden their appreciation of poetic craft. The course focuses on four aspects of poetry: lyric, narrative, comic and dramatic. A series of practical workshops introduces participants to the best of contemporary poetry through discussions and innovative writing exercises designed to extend technique and approach.
Short Courses
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Stuck in the Middle
London 30 September – 2 October 2011 The journey towards writing a novel is an epic and sometimes dispiriting one. This course, run by novelists Sarah Dunant and Gillian Slovo, will offer support and instruction for those deep in the process or contemplating a second draft, wondering how they will ever make it to the finishing line.
Autumn 2011
The Art of Publication
The Art of Playwriting
London 1 October 2011
London 4–6 November 2011
Hannah Griffiths (Publishing Director, Faber) and Arzu Tahsin (Editorial Director, Weidenfeld & Nicolson) lift the lid on what really goes on inside a publishing house, how editors make their choices and how to improve one’s chances of publication, with sessions on editing your first page and why manuscripts get rejected.
Devised by award-winning writer Rebecca Lenkiewicz and Nina Steiger, director of the Writers’ Centre at London’s Soho Theatre, this course is for those who want to write a new play or develop an existing idea, and will involve a mixture of group work and one-to-one feedback.
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Booking a Course To book a course or for more information on our programme of events, please contact Fiona Buswell on: academy@faber.co.uk +44 (0)20 7927 3868 Or visit faberacademy.co.uk Course Locations London Bloomsbury House (Faber and Faber offices) 74–77 Great Russell Street London WC1B 3DA Dublin The James Joyce Centre 35 North Great George’s Street Dublin 1 Glasgow Glasgow Art Club 185 Bath Street Glasgow G2 4HU Coming Soon New courses are being announced all the time, but many of our courses happen every year. In 2012, look out for Writing a Novel, Becoming a Poet, and Writing Family History, our six-month genealogy course. Our hugely popular Getting Started course will also arrive in Dublin in February 2012. For more on our 2012 programme, visit us at the Bloomsbury Festival in October. Find Us Online Web: faberacademy.co.uk Facebook: /faberacademy Twitter: @faberacademy
About Us
Faber Academy Creative Writing Courses from Faber and Faber ‘This course achieved what it set out to do: kickstart the imagination, generate ideas or ways of encouraging oneself to generate ideas … I defy anyone who does the course not to walk away without at least four new pieces of writing to work on!’ Poetry and Inspiration (Short Course) ‘Exercises and advice were inspiring and thought-provoking … Talks were engaging, reassuring, encouraging and interesting.’ Getting Started: Writing Fiction (Three-Month Course) ‘I can’t imagine any aspiring writer not learning a tremendous amount … I came away feeling that I had saved time and heartache trying to circle a square.’ The Art of Publication (One-Day Course)
+44 (0)20 7927 3868 faberacademy.co.uk