Contemporary Cultures of Writing Research Group Linda Anderson, Fiona J. Doloughan, Derek Neale Dept. of English Faculty of Arts

Aims To create a dedicated research group for colleagues interested in the formation and evolution of contemporary cultures of writing To focus on recent developments in writing practice To offer opportunities for writers and academics to engage in critical dialogue

Genesis and Rationale Publication of Mark McGurl’s (2009) The Program Era: Postwar Fiction and the Rise of Creative Writing, described on Amazon as “a meditation on systematic creativity”. Need to examine the rise of CW and institutionalization of writing programmes in relation to current range and styles of literary production More broadly, desire to understand extent to which individual creativity is afforded and constrained by social, cultural, technological and institutional factors

Membership Current membership drawn from CW, CLAC and Open ELT Open to all with an interest in how contemporary writing is produced and shaped in relation to historical, literary, academic, generic and other conventions

Seminar Series 1, The Rise of CW Series of three seminars at IES examining effects of the rise of CW in the UK on the novel, short story and poetry Speakers included Andrew Cowan, Maureen Freely, Alison MacLeod, Gregory Leadbetter, Stephanie Norgate and Derek Neale

Questions raised in context of seminar 1 Have creative writing courses changed the nature and styles of what is written and published, of how literature is currently perceived, produced, and consumed? In what ways could the relationship between Creative Writing education and literary culture be considered beneficial? In what ways might it be considered restrictive or harmful? How does the British situation compare with the impact of writing programmes in the USA or elsewhere?

Seminar 2, Life-writing: Borderlands between fact and fiction October-November 2012 at IES, London Speakers secured so far include Rachel Cusk, Blake Morrison, Adam Foulds, Nigel Warburton, Charles Fernyhough Pairing of writer presenting work with academic respondents to discuss ethical and other implications

Questions to be raised in context of seminar 2 Questions to be addressed include: Is it possible to establish a clear analysis of the discourse of ‘truth’, ‘reality’ and ‘fiction’? What is meant by the suggestion that fiction offers a greater truth than fact? What is the importance of narrative to memory and consciousness? What are the ethical issues surrounding writing about personal experience or revising versions of history?

Seminar Series 3, Translation, Creativity and Creative Writing Spring 2013 at IES, London Questions to be addressed include: To what extent can acts of translation be seen as creative? How, and to what extent, do contemporary writers engage with translation? To what extent can translation be seen as an enabling metaphor for all acts of writing and representation?

Further Information and Contact Details For further information, please see website: writing/index.shtml writing/index.shtml Alternatively, contact Dr. Linda Anderson for information on series 1; Dr. Derek Neale for series 2; and Dr. Fiona J. Doloughan for series