Creative Non-Fiction

‘Writers turn to the creative nonfiction genre because they feel passionately about a person, place, subject, or issue ... because they have a true story to tell . . . ’
Lee Gutkind, The Art of Creative Nonfiction

Creative Non-Fiction: Autobiography, Biography, Green Writing, Memoir, Travel Writing, Literary Journalism, Nature Writing, Quest Biography, Place Writing, Digital Writing, Long Form Essay, Historical Non-Fiction…

Creative Non-Fiction is a new online Masters course at Manchester Metropolitan University that explores the writing and reading of true stories. This course will encourage you to open up further thinking about the possibilities and range of creative nonfiction writing then develop your own creative skills through a blend of workshops and reading units. During this course you will also learn creative techniques and strategies to transform ordinary events into your own compelling true stories about people and the world.

Students will explore a diverse range of twentieth and twenty-first-century creative non-fiction texts, examining the many sub-genres within this popular form. Building upon these literary contexts, students will then develop their own creative practice through practical workshops with leading writers based in the Manchester Writing School. The course is taught by an experienced team of award-winning writers from Manchester Met, whose overlapping research specialisms cover place writing, journalism, memoir, biography, historical nonfiction, green writing, long form essays, digital writing and more. The core team consists of Paul Evans, Rachel Lichtenstein and Jean Sprackland as well as leading literary critic David Cooper. 

In addition to peer review workshops some guided practical sessions will cover subjects ranging from researching in archives, creating pace and setting the scene, finding your voice, organising material, the ethics of writing creative nonfiction, editing and reviewing your work, as well as preparing your manuscript and/or article for publication.

Furthermore, through guest speaker slots students may have the opportunity to interact with other creative non-fiction writers from the Departments of English and History including Minoli Salgado, Catherine Wilcox, Heather Shore, Monique Roffey, Catherine Fletcher and Andrew Biswell. Alongside these guest slots, in-conversation events provide students with the opportunity to speak to other international practioners in the field, including award winning authors and journalists, as well as publishers to learn more about current trends and practises as well as tips and techniques of how to create topical and engaging articles, essays and books.

Students may also have the opportunity to explore the techniques of poetry, scriptwriting and fiction through the wider Manchester Writing School offering. There may also be the opportunity to attend cross-over events across the writing school, such as joining in lectures on the MA Multimedia Journalism route or coming along to international events organised by the Centre for Place Writing.

Read more about the MA (Master of Arts) and the MFA (Master of Fine Arts) in Creative Non-Fiction at Manchester Met.

MA / MFA Creative Writing

For more information on our courses, visit a Postgraduate Open Day. We hold Open Days in September, November, February and May.