MLitt Creative Writing in Durham United Kingdom | Durham University

Durham's Creative Writing PhD program typically follows a 50:50 split between a creative portfolio and a literary-critical dissertation, though this balance can be adjusted based on individual project needs or research developments.

Over three years of supervision, candidates will develop a cohesive creative work in their chosen genre alongside a rigorous academic dissertation. The creative component varies by student, while the dissertation may examine any author(s), literary aspect(s), or theoretical works. While the critical analysis should reflect the student's creative approach, it shouldn't primarily focus on it. Both elements should form an integrated, mutually reinforcing body of work to be defended during the viva voce examination.

The English Studies department's Creative Writing faculty specialize in diverse areas of 19th-21st century literature, including English-language works and translations. We encourage PhD projects across multiple genres: poetry, short fiction, experimental novels, narrative nonfiction, memoirs, life-writing, and hybrid forms (like lyric essays, autofiction, or conceptual poetry). Faculty publications have recently explored themes of identity, emotional expression in writing, feminist theory, activist literature, poetic musicality, performance versus page formats, racial perspectives in lyric poetry, hip hop studies, elegiac writing, epistolary forms, and innovative textual repurposing techniques.