creative writing university of exeter

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Undergraduate Study

BA English and Creative Writing - 2025 entry

Undergraduate home
Courses - 2025 entry
English and Creative Writing BA

With Study Abroad

With Employment Experience

With Employment Experience Abroad

This degree offers an exciting opportunity to study both English Literature and Creative Writing at undergraduate level.
In English Literature, you’ll develop your knowledge in subjects ranging from medieval to contemporary literatures. We offer diverse optional modules so you can build a programme reflective of your literary interests.
In Creative Writing , our team of prize-winning and best-selling authors will help you develop your writing skills, in response to the new work of a diverse range of cutting-edge contemporary writers.
Whether you are interested in fiction, non-fiction, prose, poetry, drama, life-writing or screen writing, Exeter offers you a thriving and supportive writing community.
Excellent facilities on campus include our Special Collections relating to world-renowned writers, The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum which is a unique film and popular culture resource and our Digital Humanities Lab. Exeter has also recently been awarded UNESCO City of Literature status.
Participate in events involving internationally acclaimed authors, actors and filmmakers.

View 2024 Entry

Request a prospectus

Open Days and visiting us

How to apply

Web: Enquire online

Phone: +44 (0)1392 72 72 72

Top 10 in the UK for English

9th in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024

Top 50 in the world for English Language and Literature

QS World University Subject Rankings 2024

A thriving and supportive writing community - our team of prize-winning and best-selling authors will help you develop your creative writing skills

Opportunities for Study Abroad and Employment Experience in the UK or abroad

Entry requirements (typical offer)

NB General Studies is not included in any offer.

Grades advertised on each programme webpage are the typical level at which our offers are made and provide information on any specific subjects an applicant will need to have studied in order to be considered for a place on the programme. However, if we receive a large number of applications for the programme we may not be able to make an offer to all those who are predicted to achieve/have achieved grades which are in line with our typical offer. For more information on how applications are assessed and when decisions are released, please see: After you apply

Whilst my studies here at the University of Exeter have been incredible (I cannot speak highly enough of my English course), my time at Exeter has been defined by what I do away from the books.

I have taken managerial roles within societies, broadening my circle of peers and allowing me to develop my leadership skills. Not only have I been involved in voluntary positions, the University’s broad internship programme has allowed me to take paid work in the Digital Humanities Labs, assisting academics on world leading research and pioneering and fostering new relationships between the University and the rest of the world.

This internship has let me interact with texts like the first edition of William Golding’s ‘Lord of the Flies’ (with the rarely seen first chapter) and even taken me to Canada, all of which is incredible experience, and will stand me in good stead for further study. I chose the study abroad option at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia, as I believe that having international experience is key to success as work between countries continues to become more globally significant and the world is becoming smaller through communication and travel,’

Course content

You will explore the work of some of the giants of English literature as well as discovering more unusual works from the past and engaging literary and cultural works from the contemporary moment.

At Streatham, our team’s vast expertise offers plenty of choice so you can develop an understanding of many different genres and forms of writing. As well as covering the full breadth of the English literary landscape from the Middle Ages to the 21st century, our degree programmes give you the opportunity to learn about the history of cinema, study creative writing (poetry, prose and screenplays), and you’ll also encounter global literatures and digital media.

Indeed, the range of media we cover on our modules is vast: as well as plays, novels, poetry, and short stories, we engage with film, television, video games, graphic novels and the creative industries.

The modules we outline here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.

90 credits of compulsory modules, 30 credits of optional modules

Compulsory modules

a – You may pick one of these modules

Optional modules

60 credits of optional English modules and 60 credits of optional Creative Writing modules

Subject to choosing 120 credits for the stage overall, you must:

a select 60 credits from this list of optional Creative Writing modules. You must choose one of EAS2031 or EAS2032 (you may choose both modules).

b select 0-30 credits of optional modules from this group (subject to choosing 60 credits in total from groups 1, 2 and 3 of English options).

c You may select 0-30 credits of optional modules from this group (subject to choosing 60 credits in total from groups 1, 2 and 3 of English options).

d You may select 0-30 credits of optional modules from this group (subject to choosing 60 credits in total from groups 1, 2 and 3 of English options).

NB EAF2510 Adaptation: Text, Image Culture can be taken as either Creative Writing or English credits.

Placement year (if taken)

Typically, any placement year will take place in Year 3. If you are not taking a placement year please see the Final Year modules for year 3.

30 credits of compulsory dissertation modules, 90 credits of optional modules ensuring you take 60 credits of Creative Writing module and 60 credits of English modules.

e select either EAS3003 or EAS3122 or EAS3510 (you can only select one of these modules). If you select EAS3003 or EAS3510 you must take 60 credits from this list of optional Creative Writing modules. If you select EAS3122, you must take 60 credits from this list of optional English modules.

f select 30-60 credits from this list of optional Creative Writing modules (if you select EAS3003 you must take 60 credits from this list of optional Creative Writing modules; if you select EAS3122, you must take 30 credits from this list of optional Creative Writing modules).

g select 30-60 credits from this list of optional English modules (if you select EAS3122 you must take 60 credits from this list of optional English modules; if you select EAS3003, you must take 30 credits from this list of optional English modules).

Course variants

Ba english and creative writing with study abroad.

UCAS code: Q318

Our four-year ‘with Study Abroad’ degree, offers you the possibility of spending your third year abroad, studying with one of our many partner universities.

Why Study Abroad?

Living and studying in a different country is an exciting experience that broadens your academic and cultural horizons, as well as giving you the opportunity to widen your circle of friends. Students who have studied abroad demonstrate initiative, independence, motivation and, depending on where they stay, may also have gained a working knowledge of another language – all key qualities that employers are looking for in today’s competitive employment environment.

Where can I Study Abroad?

We have partnership arrangements with many prestigious institutions across the globe. Exactly where you can apply to study will depend on the subjects you are studying at Exeter. For a full list please visit the Study Abroad website .

Does it count towards my degree?

Credit for academic work during your year abroad is arranged by agreement between the University of Exeter and the host institution. These marks are then translated back into your degree at Exeter. If you are Studying Abroad for a semester or full year, your time abroad will count toward your final degree. Please refer to your Study Abroad co-ordinator for further details.

How does it affect my tuition fee and funding?

For the year that you spend studying abroad you will pay a significantly reduced tuition fee to Exeter, but nothing to your host university – for more information visit our fees pages . If you were previously eligible, you will continue to receive a maintenance loan whilst on your Study Abroad year.

BA English and Creative Writing with Employment Experience

UCAS code: Q319

Our four-year ‘with Employment Experience’ degree, offers you the possibility of spending your third year carrying out a graduate-level work placement or placements within the UK as part of your degree.

Why choose to include Employment Experience?

Undertaking graduate-level work during your degree unlocks a world of experience that allows you to develop essential employability and interpersonal skills that relate to your degree and future career. A work placement will dramatically boost your confidence, enhance your CV and develop graduate level skills and competencies that employers are looking for.

Where will I do my work placement?

The sector you choose to work within is very much your choice as you will be responsible for finding and organising your placement. We will provide plenty of guidance and support during your first and second years which will prepare you to research and apply for placements. Ultimately, the university will give final approval to your placement to make sure you have a valuable experience.

How does it affect my tuition fees and funding?

For your ‘Year In Industry’ you will pay a significantly reduced tuition fee to Exeter – for more information visit our fees pages . If you were previously eligible, you will continue to receive a maintenance loan whilst on your year of work placement/s.

Find out more

Visit our website to learn more about employment experience opportunities.

BA English with Employment Experience Abroad

UCAS code: Q320

Our four-year ‘with Employment Experience Abroad’ degree, offers you the possibility of spending your third year abroad, carrying out a graduate-level work placement or placements as part of your degree.

Why choose to include Employment Experience Abroad?

Spending up to a year living and working in a different country is an exciting experience that broadens your academic and cultural horizons, as well as giving you the opportunity to widen your circle of friends. By carrying out a graduate-level work placement or placements abroad you can demonstrate to employers your adaptability, cultural awareness, independence and resourcefulness and, depending on where you stay, may also have gained a working knowledge of another language.

The sector and country you choose to work within is very much your choice as you will be responsible for finding and organising your placement. We will provide plenty of guidance and support during your first and second years which will prepare you to research and apply for placements. Ultimately, the university will give final approval to your placement to make sure you have a valuable experience.

How does it affect my tuition fee?

Is the placement paid.

You will be paid in accordance with the rules of the country you work in and there may be visa restrictions or requirements which you need to consider when applying.

Tuition fees for 2024 entry

UK students: £9,250 per year International students: £23,700 per year

* Please note that the fees for students starting in 2023 have yet to be set. The fees provided above are the fees for students starting in 2022 and are for guidance only. We will post the fees for 2023 entry shortly.

Scholarships

The University of Exeter has many different scholarships available to support your education, including £5 million in scholarships for international students, such as our Global Excellence Scholarships *. Financial support is also available for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, lower income households and other under-represented groups to help them access, succeed and progress through higher education.

* Terms and conditions apply. See online for details .

Find out more about tuition fees and scholarships

Learning and teaching

How will i learn.

The nature of learning at university involves considerable self-guided study and research. You will be taught through a combination of lectures and discussion-based seminars. We also support the development of team-based learning by organising students into study groups, and we make full use of both traditional learning resources and our virtual learning environment. Lecturers and tutors are all available to provide further support in one-to-one consultations.

Most of your work will be done in group and self-directed study: reading or viewing module material, writing essays or preparing for your seminars. Active participation in seminars develops important transferable skills such as good verbal and visual communication and effective interaction with other people. You will also develop a range of professional abilities, such as time management and team working, plus valuable critical, analytical and communication skills.

We are actively engaged in introducing new methods of learning and teaching, including the increasing use of interactive computer-based approaches to learning. Through our virtual learning environment, you can access detailed information about modules, and interact through activities such as discussion forums. You will also have access to online subscription databases and websites, such as Early English Books Online (EEBO), Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO), MLA FirstSearch and JSTOR.

How will I be assessed?

You will be assessed in a variety of ways but primarily through exams and coursework. Coursework includes essays, a dissertation and presentation work. The ratio of formal exam to coursework is on average 40:60. Your first year doesn’t count towards your final degree classification, but you do have to pass it in order to progress.

Other/extra-curricular opportunities

We provide an exciting range of special lectures and seminars by visiting academics and renowned writers, actors and film directors. In addition to your academic work, the student-run English Society organises book and poetry readings, film screenings and social events, providing an opportunity to meet students who share a love of literature, culture and the arts. Students from the English department are always active on the University student newspapers, radio and TV station and in the University’s drama groups.

Optional modules outside of this course

Each year, if you have optional modules available, you can take up to 30 credits in a subject outside of your course. This can increase your employability and widen your intellectual horizons.

Proficiency in a second subject

If you complete 60 credits of modules in one of the subjects below, you may have the words 'with proficiency in [e.g. Social Data Science]' added to your degree title when you graduate.

A Foreign Language
Data Science
Entrepreneurship
Social Data Science

Find out more about proficiency options

Expand text

Your future

Employer-valued skills this course develops

An English degree puts you in a great position to succeed in a range of careers. Oral and written communication is at the heart of our programme and you will learn to present your ideas in a variety of formats. You will also develop strong research and analytical skills and the ability to problem solve and make informed decisions. Through a balance of independent study and teamwork you will learn to manage your time and workload effectively.

Professional experience

With practical modules on offer and opportunity to undertake professional placements, a degree in English will give you plenty of opportunity to develop your professional portfolio which will give you the skills and experience needed to be successful in your chosen career.

Career paths

Our students have progressed to a broad range of work sectors including education, arts management, publishing, journalism, marketing, finance and events management, working for companies such as:

Recent Graduates are now working as*:

Assistant Brand Manager
Assistant Director
Data Analyst
Policy Adviser
Product Manager
Radio Producer
Youth Worker

Recent Graduates are now working for*:

European Parliament
Rolls Royce
Oxford University Press
Estee Lauder

Other recent graduates have progressed to postgraduate courses in:

MA Cultural Heritage Management
MA English Literary Studies
PGCE English primary
MA Magazine Journalism
Postgraduate Certificate in Counselling Skills

* This information has been taken from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) Surveys 14/15, 15/16, 16/17 and 17/18 . Please note that, due to data protection, the job titles and organisations are listed independently and do not necessarily correspond.

Related courses

English with study in north america ba.

Streatham Campus

English and Drama BA

English and film & television studies ba, flexible combined honours ba/bsc (exeter), flexible combined honours ba/bsc (cornwall).

Penryn Campus

View all English courses

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Streatham Campus in Exeter

The majority of students are based at our Streatham Campus in Exeter. The campus is one of the most beautiful in the country and offers a unique environment in which to study, with lakes, parkland, woodland and gardens as well as modern and historical buildings.

Find out more about Streatham Campus.

St Luke's Campus in Exeter

Located on the eastern edge of the city centre, St Luke's is home to Sport and Health Sciences, the Medical School, the Academy of Nursing, the Department of Allied Health Professions, and PGCE students.

Find out more about St Luke's Campus.

Penryn Campus near Falmouth, Cornwall

Our Penryn Campus is located near Falmouth in Cornwall. It is consistently ranked highly for satisfaction: students report having a highly personal experience that is intellectually stretching but great fun, providing plenty of opportunities to quickly get to know everyone.

Find out more about Penryn Campus.

Module details

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English and Creative Writing
Royal Literary Fund Fellows

Welcome to the Department of English and Creative Writing! I am Professor Sinéad Moynihan, the Director of Education and Student Experience, which means that I oversee all the taught programmes in the Department, both undergraduate and postgraduate. The curriculum at Exeter covers all periods from the Middle Ages to the contemporary moment with the “literary text” conceived in the broadest possible terms.

We aim to create a supportive environment in the classroom to ensure that our students are empowered to explore their ideas and develop into open-minded critical thinkers. Every member of our large Department brings their particular research expertise into lectures and seminars, and we believe that the breadth of their scholarship and methodological approaches helps students to negotiate their own paths as independent researchers. I look forward to welcoming you to Exeter in the not-too-distant future!

Read more from Professor Sinéad Moynihan

Professor Sinéad Moynihan

Director of Education and Student Experience

Our programmes

Undergraduate

Postgraduate Taught

Postgraduate Research

The undergraduate programmes we offer span Single Honours English and various Combined Honours (including Flexible Combined Honours) programmes. English and Creative Writing is also home to the University of Exeter’s Liberal Arts programme. Single Honours English students typically undertake a number of core modules in their first year, focusing on foundational texts of English literature, critical theory and literary genres. As you proceed through the programme, there is increasing flexibility (for both Single and Combined Honours students) in terms of what you select: you can choose to follow an informal pathway, depending on your burgeoning interests; or you can maintain a breadth of study across different historical periods and geographical settings. Many of our students undertake a four-year programme, incorporating a year of employment experience, employment experience abroad or study abroad. We also offer a bespoke three-year English with Study in North America programme.

English and Creative Writing may also be studied under the Flexible Combined Honours scheme or within our Liberal Arts degree programme.

BA English with Study in North America
BA English and Creative Writing
BA English and Communications
BA English and Drama
BA English and Film & Television Studies
BA English and History
BA English and Modern Languages
BA Art History & Visual Culture and English
BA Classical Studies and English

Our English department has an outstanding reputation and is recognised as one of the best in the country. We are a world leader for research, with strengths in diverse areas and periods of literature and culture, including particular expertise in American Literature and Culture, Film Studies, Critical Theory, World and Postcolonial Literatures, Medical Humanities, Victorian Studies, Renaissance Studies, Romanticism, Modernism and Creative Writing.

Creative Writing MA
English Literary Studies MA
MA Modern and Contemporary Literature
MA Nature Writing
Publishing MA
MA Shakespeare and Renaissance Studies

Our research is characterised by world-leading and internationally excellent research centres over a wide range of sub-disciplinary fields.

MPhil/PhD English Studies
MPhil/PhD Creative Writing
MA by Research English Studies

Connect with us

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Current students
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Data Protection
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Privacy & cookies

Creative Writing Subject Guide: Home

Welcome to the Creative Writing Subject Guide

Use this guide to help you make the most of the library and information resources and services.

Introduction to the library

MA Creative Writing - introduction to the library

Chat in Microsoft Teams

Browzine This link opens in a new window Browseable access to digital journal issues, organised by subject

Connect to the platform with your Exeter IT login, and create a free account to save and organise journals and articles.

Find out more

Use LibKey to help you get access to full text articles.

Click the LibKey icon above to add the extension to your web browser. Select 'University of Exeter' as your institution and login using your Exeter IT login when prompted.

LibKey Nomad Quick User Guide

Reading for leisure

More information can be found on the Libby guide .

Library Essentials @ Exeter

Email: [email protected]

Book study space
Library website - Exeter
Library Accessibility
Recommend a book for Library purchase
Library Induction
Events & Training
Referencing Guide

Where to start your search

Library search.

For more in depth research in databases and archives, use the A-Z Databases List .

Key resources

Journal and magazine articles
Short story collections
Dramatic writing
Writing fiction
Books on creative writing
Research databases
News sources
Archives/primary sources
Reference resources
Audio-visual
Availability of materials

Most of our journal articles are available in digital format.

For targeted searching, select a research database and explore the published literature in your field. Key databases are flagged in the Research Databases tab above.

On the app (or via your browser) you can save your favourites to your bookshelf, get notified about new issues, sort your articles into collections and connect to Library Search.

Granta Literary magazine for new writing
Mslexia Magazine for women writers, containing articles and resources on writers, writing, and publishing
New Yorker A national weekly magazine that offers a signature mix of reporting and commentary on politics, foreign affairs, business, technology, popular culture and the arts, along with humor, fiction, poetry and cartoons.
Paris Review The Paris Review is a literary magazine featuring original writing, art, and in-depth interviews with famous writers.
Wasafiri Magazine for international contemporary writing. One of its inaugural aims was to provide much needed literary and critical coverage of writers from African, Caribbean, Asian and Black British backgrounds who often struggled to get adequate attention in the mainstream press.

These are just a few examples of the titles available to you. Look on Library Search or your module's reading list for more.

How to search Proquest One Literature
How to search JSTOR
How to search Gale Literature

Some useful resources for creative writing modules may include literary reviews. You can find these in the sources below:

London review of books a journal of literary essays
New York Review of Books literary essays and reviews
Times Literary Supplement a weekly literary review

You can narrow your search results to book reviews when searching JSTOR:

Go to advanced search
Under Item Type, select Reviews

You can narrow your search results to book reviews when searching ProQuest One Literature:

Click on Advanced Search
Select Criticism from the options on the left

Select 'review' from document type:

News sources can be invaluable research resources.
They provide contemporaneous accounts of events as they emerge and unfold, affording a snapshot of developments at a point in time.
You can engage in historical research by tracing commentary on issues over time, to identify and track changing political, economic and social trends.
The availability of news resources online allows for very effective and comprehensive searching, in a way that was impossible with print or microfilm / microfiche editions of the newspapers
Poetry Foundation Poems, readings, poetry news and the entire 100-year archive of Poetry magazine.
Paris Review interviews In depth interviews with famous writers.

Online and print access to the interviews and articles in Paris Review is available via Library Search

Literary awards and award-winning titles that we have in the library collection

The University has access to an extensive range of online primary source materials. These contain digitised copies of documents, letters, books, photographs and other primary sources.

The Primary Sources Libguide will help you identify the best databases for your research.

We have literary manuscripts, reviews and literary magazines, collections of novels, short stories and poems. See the Art and Literature section on the Primary Sources guide for some more resources.

These are just some of the online collections you can access - there are many more!

We have a small collection of audiobooks, available for you to borrow from our Overdrive platform and the Libby app .

Where available, links to Overdrive e-books and/or audiobooks will appear on your reading list.

You can also see our collection here: https://exeteruk.overdrive.com/

How do I use Overdrive?

To search for books and borrow items you need to sign in to Overdrive using your University email address and password.

Check out up to 3 titles at a time
Borrow titles for up to 14 days
Place up to 3 holds on titles that are currently checked out

N.B. This is separate to your borrowing allowances on your University library account.

Click on your account or the bookshelf icon to view your loans, holds, and borrowing history.

Alternatively, you can do this in the Libby app - there are more instructions here .

A reference resource, such as an encyclopedia, dictionary, guide, or volume of literary criticism, provides general background information on a topic. High quality reference works produced by scholars are an excellent place to start your research, and can give you give a useful overview of a subject.

Includes the Historical Thesaurus, where you can explore synonyms of a word over time, arranged chronologically. Use the OED video guides for more information.

A wide range of sound, video and audio resources are available to help bring drama, poetry and prose to life.

Find out more on the English: which resources do I use? guide

In some cases, material you want to consult may not be available to you at Exeter.

This service can be used to request books/journal articles from other libraries.

Students can make book suggestions to the Library. Submit requests online and they will be reviewed by the library. If the book is unlikely to be used by others after your dissertation work, then you may be directed to the Document Delivery scheme instead, for short term access to material.

Use this service to search across the book and journal collections of the UK research and specialist libraries.

You can search to see if copies of books/journals are available in other libraries that you could visit whilst at home over the vacation, or by a special trip. Always check the access requirements before you travel, if you wish to visit another library. Find out more about visiting other libraries.

Find poetry via the library
Literary magazines
Books on writing poetry
Books on reading and studying poetry
Contemporary poetry collections
Award winning poetry
Poetry audio recordings

Use Library Search to look for particular works of poetry.

You can also try searching some of our databases, such as:

American Poetry Review The American Poetry Review is dedicated to reaching a worldwide audience with a diverse array of the best contemporary poetry and literary prose. The American Poetry Review has been in continuous publication since 1972 and has presented the work of over 8,000 writers.
PN Review Launched as Poetry Nation, each issue includes an editorial, letters, news and notes, articles, interviews, features, poems, translations, and a substantial book review section.

Keep up to date with the work of the most recent award-winning poets, and look back on previous winners of these prizes.

Forward Prize Forward Prizes for Poetry honour excellence in contemporary poetry published in UK and Ireland.
T.S. Eliot Prize Award for the best new poetry collection published in the UK or Ireland
Books in the Guardian Includes poetry roundup - the best recent collections of poetry
Poetry Archive
National Poetry Library
Scottish Poetry Library
Poetry on vinyl
The poet speaks (vinyl)

We have a selection of recordings of poets reading their own works , on vinyl.

This collection is reference only and can't be borrowed, but we have a listening booth and record player available for you to use at the Old Library on the Streatham campus.

Just let us know if you'd like to arrange to listen to any of the recordings; email [email protected] or use Library chat to get in touch.

Click here to listen to some radio programmes discussing form in poetry . Click on Sign in and then search for University of Exeter

In this series, free verse poet Andrew McMillan meets a diverse group of contemporary British poets who are re-framing traditional techniques to write about the modern world, exploring why form is fashionable again.

2016 BBC Radio 3 programme The Verb: On Form

Ian McMillan looks at form with guests Claudia Rankine, Don Paterson and AL Kennedy.

Writing for children and young adults

Primary sources
Author biographies

You have access to hundreds of online books that cover creative writing and wider topics.

Use Library Search to search by topic to discover relevant content.

Some of the titles highlighted below may be of interest to you.

The best way to find articles is to search by keyword using Library Search or a database. This method will searches across a large number of journals at one time, helping to ensure that you don't miss a useful piece of research/

However, you may want to view and keep up to date with a particular journal if it is key to your subject area.

The following journals relevant to Children's literature are available via Library Search.

Children's literature association quarterly
Children's literature
Children's literature in education
Bookbird: a journal of international children's literature

We have access to many collections of online primary sources, covering a wide range of topic areas, historical periods and encompassing a variety of different types of digitised material.

You can see the full range on the Primary Sources guide .

The following collections of online primary sources would be of interest to those studying the history of children's literature.

Children's Literature and Culture This link opens in a new window Rare books, games, ephemera, and artwork from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the golden age of childrens literature. From mass-produced chapbooks to richly illustrated book-beautifuls, this resource examines the way in which new concepts were introduced to young readers, encouraging an engagement with the imagination which went on to fundamentally shape established notions of childhood.
Gale Literature This link opens in a new window 'Something about the author' includes biographies of children and young adult authors and illustrators
Last Updated: May 16, 2024 7:59 AM
URL: https://libguides.exeter.ac.uk/creativewriting

For students

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Popular links

Accommodation
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Temporary workers
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New and returning students

New students website
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Wellbeing, Inclusion and Culture

Wellbeing services for students
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Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Israel, Palestine, and the Middle East
English and Creative Writing

Research projects

Publications

Our research is characterised by world-leading and internationally excellent research projects over a wide range of sub-disciplinary fields.

Featured projects

Old fashioned text font reading 'The Busy Bee.'

The Art of Fiction

Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, ‘The Art of Fiction: Women Writers and the Decorative Arts’ investigates the connections between women’s writing and the decorative arts in the second half of the nineteenth century. The project considers how judgements of literary, aesthetic, and professional value affect women’s creative identities, and explores forms of artistic production that historically were neglected or considered inferior because associated with the feminine, the popular and the everyday. Until the later decades of the 20th century, decorative and ornamental craft work was often deemed nice but frivolous, a pastime followed by mainly female practitioners as a way of filling time. Dr Tricia Zakreski is working with project partners at MAKE Southwest and Killerton House to co-create contemporary embodied research in heritage and creative environments. In this way, the project involves participatory research and knowledge exchange with professionals and the wider crafting community.

Project Website Upcoming events

Buzzard View and Riverlandia

Dr Ellen Wiles was commissioned by The National Trust to create two immersive literary audio works designed to engage diverse audiences in the landscape of the 12,500-acre Holnicote Estate and in their pioneering work to increase its environmental resilience. Buzzard View, a literary soundwalk, follows a route around the estate, exploring its history, wildlife, and the various ways in which the Trust has been working, including in partnership with local farmers, to increase biodiversity and reduce flood risk. Riverlandia is a fictional sound story inspired by the Trust’s landmark river restoration project at Holnicote. It tells a tale of a changing river valley, narrated by ten of its human and non-human inhabitants including a beaver, a sheep, a dragonfly, a ranger, and a teenage girl. Voiceover actors include Gemma Whelan (Game of Thrones), Mike Wozniak, Tom Parry, Spencer Jones, and Bethany Antonia. Riverlandia was launched with a 5-day sound installation at The British Library in July 2023. In producing the immersive soundscapes for both works, Ellen collaborated with nature sound recordist Ellie Williams and sound designer Nicholas Allan.

Listen to the audio and find more information at www.ellenwiles.com .

Impact case studies

A million pictures: enhancing the curation, dissemination and re-use of neglected magic lantern media heritage

The magic lantern was the most important visual medium for entertainment and instruction across Europe and the world between 1860 and 1920, but its significance has been largely overlooked. Though magic lantern slides surviving in public collections contain a wealth of historically significant and beautiful imagery, they are fragile, costly to preserve and difficult to exhibit, meaning that the existence of much material remains unknown.

Student stories

A History of Storms: New Approaches to Climate Fiction and Climate Literacy

(AHRC Research Development and Engagement Fellowship)

This project brings together Creative Writing and Climate Science, exploring new approaches to climate fiction and climate literacy through a partnership with the UK Met Office. The two-year fellowship, will allow for the completion of a new work of 'historical climate fiction' which will engage with both cutting-edge climate science and little-known documents from the Met Office archives that chart the history and development of this science. It will take as its starting point the human stories that emerge from the Met Office archives, asking what these stories can tell us about the discourses, structures and foundational narratives that underpin modern science, and how they might be adapted to engage with our changing world.

Central to this fellowship will be a sustained process of interdisciplinary collaboration, through a programme of creative workshops at the Met Office. These workshops will engage scientists with the ongoing research and practice of this fellowship and will be used to develop and test ideas which will inform a work of fiction as well as the Met Office's new 'climate literacy' strategy. In this way, the fellowship will not only generate new fictional narratives to engage the wider public, it will also show the potential for creative writing to help shape policy and practice at a major scientific institution, providing an exciting and innovative model for future interdisciplinary work that puts Arts and Humanities research at the centre of the strategic response to climate change.

Reservoir Stories

Ellen Wiles has been awarded a grant of £150,000 to be an artist in residence at CREWW , the University’s new Centre for Resilience in Environment, Water, and Waste, funded by South West Water, from 2024-2026. Ellen’s project, ‘Reservoir Stories’, will include creating new literary audio work and an informative podcast series exploring the environmental resilience of the water system, and co-writing an article on interdisciplinary collaboration between the arts and sciences in addressing the climate and biodiversity emergency with Prof Richard Brazier, Co-Director of CREWW. Ellen recently chaired a panel at the South West Innovation Expo on the future of water, featuring senior scientists at the University and representatives from South West Water and a leading engineering consultancy.

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Craft of Writing Resource Pack

This resource draws on the Craft of Writing Project, conducted in partnership with Arvon and the Open University. It provides information and resources about the Craft of Writing Framework developed from the project, about ways to stimulate dialogic reflection on writing and being a writer through effective feedback, and some examples of starting points for creative writing used in the project.

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BA English and Creative Writing - 2025 entry

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English and Creative Writing BA

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This degree offers an exciting opportunity to study both English Literature and Creative Writing at undergraduate level.
In English Literature, you’ll develop your knowledge in subjects ranging from medieval to contemporary literatures. We offer diverse optional modules so you can build a programme reflective of your literary interests.
In Creative Writing , our team of prize-winning and best-selling authors will help you develop your writing skills, in response to the new work of a diverse range of cutting-edge contemporary writers.
Whether you are interested in fiction, non-fiction, prose, poetry, drama, life-writing or screen writing, Exeter offers you a thriving and supportive writing community.
Excellent facilities on campus include our Special Collections relating to world-renowned writers, The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum which is a unique film and popular culture resource and our Digital Humanities Lab. Exeter has also recently been awarded UNESCO City of Literature status.
Participate in events involving internationally acclaimed authors, actors and filmmakers.

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A thriving and supportive writing community - our team of prize-winning and best-selling authors will help you develop your creative writing skills

Opportunities for Study Abroad and Employment Experience in the UK or abroad

Entry requirements (typical offer)

NB General Studies is not included in any offer.

Whilst my studies here at the University of Exeter have been incredible (I cannot speak highly enough of my English course), my time at Exeter has been defined by what I do away from the books.

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You will explore the work of some of the giants of English literature as well as discovering more unusual works from the past and engaging literary and cultural works from the contemporary moment.

90 credits of compulsory modules, 30 credits of optional modules

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a – You may pick one of these modules

Optional modules

60 credits of optional English modules and 60 credits of optional Creative Writing modules

Subject to choosing 120 credits for the stage overall, you must:

a select 60 credits from this list of optional Creative Writing modules. You must choose one of EAS2031 or EAS2032 (you may choose both modules).

b select 0-30 credits of optional modules from this group (subject to choosing 60 credits in total from groups 1, 2 and 3 of English options).

c You may select 0-30 credits of optional modules from this group (subject to choosing 60 credits in total from groups 1, 2 and 3 of English options).

d You may select 0-30 credits of optional modules from this group (subject to choosing 60 credits in total from groups 1, 2 and 3 of English options).

NB EAF2510 Adaptation: Text, Image Culture can be taken as either Creative Writing or English credits.

Placement year (if taken)

Typically, any placement year will take place in Year 3. If you are not taking a placement year please see the Final Year modules for year 3.

30 credits of compulsory dissertation modules, 90 credits of optional modules ensuring you take 60 credits of Creative Writing module and 60 credits of English modules.

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Ba english and creative writing with study abroad.

UCAS code: Q318

Our four-year ‘with Study Abroad’ degree, offers you the possibility of spending your third year abroad, studying with one of our many partner universities.

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UCAS code: Q319

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UK students: £9,250 per year International students: £23,700 per year

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Each year, if you have optional modules available, you can take up to 30 credits in a subject outside of your course. This can increase your employability and widen your intellectual horizons.

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If you complete 60 credits of modules in one of the subjects below, you may have the words 'with proficiency in [e.g. Social Data Science]' added to your degree title when you graduate.

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Our students have progressed to a broad range of work sectors including education, arts management, publishing, journalism, marketing, finance and events management, working for companies such as:

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Creative Writing PhD student prepares for international launch of her debut novel

English and Creative Writing

A PhD candidate whose critically acclaimed debut novel has been released this week says she is still struggling to comprehend how much her life has changed since the completion of her book.

Fiona Williams has been catapulted into the realm of publishing deals and author speaking tours by the success of The House of Broken Bricks , which she finished in 2021 despite having little creative writing experience.

Signed by Faber after she won the prestigious Bridport Prize, Fiona has spent the past two years working with the publisher preparing for the book’s launch in the UK, with further releases taking place later this year in the United States of America and Germany.

Now, following its official UK publication on Thursday, the author – who has been a PhD candidate in Creative Writing at the University of Exeter since 2022 – admits she is still coming to terms with her new reality.

“It’s intimidating, overwhelming, fun and scary and the imposter syndrome is off the scale right now,” she says, candidly. “I keep waiting for someone to tell me that this isn’t real!”

The House of Broken Bricks tells the story of a mixed-heritage family of four who live in Somerset. Narrated over the course of a year from the viewpoint of each member, the story blends different genres and themes, from nature to nurture, the comedy of rural idiosyncrasies to the drama of a family repairing itself from past trauma.

“It tackles some pretty heavy topics, but I also hope that people feel it is also uplifting, especially in its observations of village life and community,” Fiona says. “It is also a love story, both about the landscape and the central couple. One of the reviews described it as simultaneously urban and medieval, and I love that.”

The eponymous house was inspired by a riverside cottage on the Somerset Levels where Fiona, her husband and two children lived for several years prior to moving, first to a smallholding on the other side of the village and then, most recently, to Exeter. She wrote the novel, sat at her kitchen table while the seasons passed outside the window – a sense of natural circularity that she says is reflected in the story.

And while the plot is not autobiographical, Fiona says there are some parallels between her family and the lives of her characters Tess, Richard and their twin children Max and Sonny, not least her shared migration west from her home city of London. Though in Fiona’s case, this move took a more circuitous route, one which has included stops in Singapore and Australia thanks to her career as a medical writer, and seven years aboard a narrow boat that she and her husband built on the waterways between Oxford and Bath. And Fiona and Tess are also twinned in grief, with Fiona losing her mother in 2014, a long-lasting trauma that pushed her to begin writing creatively as a form of therapy.

“I was a bit of a wreck at the time, and I came to recognise both my own mortality and my tendency to be a bit of a ‘surface dweller’,” she says. “This prompted me to begin writing. Despite being an avid reader, and having many people tell me that I should write something, I’d never done anything creative like that, but I found it to be cathartic.”

This experience also revealed to Fiona a desire to learn more about creative writing and how to structure a story. Biting down on her insecurity over the lack of humanities in her past education, she applied to Bath Spa for their MA in Creative Writing. Nervously, she attended an interview and submitted several pieces of work, and to her immense surprise she was accepted onto the programme for the 2019/20 academic year.

It proved to be a transformative experience, and despite the interruption to her studies wrought by the pandemic, not to mention juggling the needs of her young family, she achieved a Distinction. Fiona also emerged from Bath with the makings of a book, which she was encouraged to submit to agents by her former tutors. The response, however, could easily have derailed her dreams there and then, for while she received some positive feedback, there were rejections as well, with one telling her the book was “unmarketable”.

“It did knock me back,” she said. “And it would have been very easy to just walk away at that point, what with a career and a family, and the routine of life. But that criticism also proved to be constructive, in that it made me stop trying to please others. I realised that I was writing the book as I thought a book should be written. It was artificial, and not my voice. So, I literally deconstructed it and rebuilt it into the story I wanted it to be.

“And it probably helped at this point that I didn’t have a formal writing background. Perhaps if I had ‘known the rules’, I wouldn’t have been quite so experimental.”

Fiona submitted three chapters of this revised version to the Bridport Prize in 2021, the international creative writing competition for new writers, and to her amazement, it was longlisted in the Novel category. She was asked to develop the work a little further for the next stage, and again, defying her expectations, she was shortlisted. A few weeks later, she was informed that she’d won.

“It was a shock, and it resulted in three-to-four weeks of utter chaos, with emails from agents, offers, and then going to London to meet people – all the while juggling family and work,” she says. “I ended up spending Christmas writing like crazy to finish the book.”

With an agent now supporting her, the completed manuscript was sent out in time for the London Book Fair, and publisher Faber immediately agreed a pre-emptive deal. A relatively smooth editing process followed, and with early reviews lauding her work, Fiona is preparing for promotional speaking events across the country, as well as a Q&A organised by Quay Words at Custom House in Exeter on February 7. This has meant that Fiona has temporarily stepped away from teaching Creative Writing undergraduates – her first taste of lecturing – as part of her three-year PhD (for which she was awarded a scholarship).

“These past two years have felt like a rollercoaster, with remarkable highs, punctuated by periods of absolute silence where you’re left thinking ‘will the book actually be published?’” she says. “But now it’s finally here, I’m equally excited for and dreading the launch. And once the book is truly out there, I’ll be able to move on fully to the next project – and that excites me.”

Efforts to boost social mobility must move away escapist “helicopter” policies, experts warn

Languages, Cultures and Visual Studies

Language experts to translate acclaimed Ukrainian poet’s work

Archaeology and History
Societies and Cultures Institute

Acclaimed visual artist Naiza Khan to bring her latest documentary to Societies and Cultures Institute event at the University

Creative Writing Program Marks Three Decades of Growth, Diversity

Black and white photo shows old American seaside town with title 'Barely South Review'

By Luisa A. Igloria

2024: a milestone year which marks the 30 th anniversary of Old Dominion University’s MFA Creative Writing Program. Its origins can be said to go back to April 1978, when the English Department’s (now Professor Emeritus, retired) Phil Raisor organized the first “Poetry Jam,” in collaboration with Pulitzer prize-winning poet W.D. Snodgrass (then a visiting poet at ODU). Raisor describes this period as “ a heady time .” Not many realize that from 1978 to 1994, ODU was also the home of AWP (the Association of Writers and Writing Programs) until it moved to George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.

The two-day celebration that was “Poetry Jam” has evolved into the annual ODU Literary Festival, a week-long affair at the beginning of October bringing writers of local, national, and international reputation to campus. The ODU Literary Festival is among the longest continuously running literary festivals nationwide. It has featured Rita Dove, Maxine Hong Kingston, Susan Sontag, Edward Albee, John McPhee, Tim O’Brien, Joy Harjo, Dorothy Allison, Billy Collins, Naomi Shihab Nye, Sabina Murray, Jane Hirshfield, Brian Turner, S.A. Cosby, Nicole Sealey, Franny Choi, Ross Gay, Adrian Matejka, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Ilya Kaminsky, Marcelo Hernandez Castillo, Jose Olivarez, and Ocean Vuong, among a roster of other luminaries. MFA alumni who have gone on to publish books have also regularly been invited to read.

From an initial cohort of 12 students and three creative writing professors, ODU’s MFA Creative Writing Program has grown to anywhere between 25 to 33 talented students per year. Currently they work with a five-member core faculty (Kent Wascom, John McManus, and Jane Alberdeston in fiction; and Luisa A. Igloria and Marianne L. Chan in poetry). Award-winning writers who made up part of original teaching faculty along with Raisor (but are now also either retired or relocated) are legends in their own right—Toi Derricotte, Tony Ardizzone, Janet Peery, Scott Cairns, Sheri Reynolds, Tim Seibles, and Michael Pearson. Other faculty that ODU’s MFA Creative Writing Program was privileged to briefly have in its ranks include Molly McCully Brown and Benjamín Naka-Hasebe Kingsley.

"What we’ve also found to be consistently true is how collegial this program is — with a lively and supportive cohort, and friendships that last beyond time spent here." — Luisa A. Igloria, Louis I. Jaffe Endowed Professor & University Professor of English and Creative Writing at Old Dominion University

Our student body is diverse — from all over the country as well as from closer by. Over the last ten years, we’ve also seen an increase in the number of international students who are drawn to what our program has to offer: an exciting three-year curriculum of workshops, literature, literary publishing, and critical studies; as well as opportunities to teach in the classroom, tutor in the University’s Writing Center, coordinate the student reading series and the Writers in Community outreach program, and produce the student-led literary journal Barely South Review . The third year gives our students more time to immerse themselves in the completion of a book-ready creative thesis. And our students’ successes have been nothing but amazing. They’ve published with some of the best (many while still in the program), won important prizes, moved into tenured academic positions, and been published in global languages. What we’ve also found to be consistently true is how collegial this program is — with a lively and supportive cohort, and friendships that last beyond time spent here.

Our themed studio workshops are now offered as hybrid/cross genre experiences. My colleagues teach workshops in horror, speculative and experimental fiction, poetry of place, poetry and the archive — these give our students so many more options for honing their skills. And we continue to explore ways to collaborate with other programs and units of the university. One of my cornerstone projects during my term as 20 th Poet Laureate of the Commonwealth was the creation of a Virginia Poets Database, which is not only supported by the University through the Perry Library’s Digital Commons, but also by the MFA Program in the form of an assistantship for one of our students. With the awareness of ODU’s new integration with Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) and its impact on other programs, I was inspired to design and pilot a new 700-level seminar on “Writing the Body Fantastic: Exploring Metaphors of Human Corporeality.” In the fall of 2024, I look forward to a themed graduate workshop on “Writing (in) the Anthropocene,” where my students and I will explore the subject of climate precarity and how we can respond in our own work.

Even as the University and wider community go through shifts and change through time, the MFA program has grown with resilience and grace. Once, during the six years (2009-15) that I directed the MFA Program, a State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) university-wide review amended the guidelines for what kind of graduate student would be allowed to teach classes (only those who had already earned 18 or more graduate credits). Thus, two of our first-year MFA students at that time had to be given another assignment for their Teaching Assistantships. I thought of AWP’s hallmarks of an effective MFA program , which lists the provision of editorial and publishing experience to its students through an affiliated magazine or press — and immediately sought department and upper administration support for creating a literary journal. This is what led to the creation of our biannual Barely South Review in 2009.

In 2010, HuffPost and Poets & Writers listed us among “ The Top 25 Underrated Creative Writing MFA Programs ” (better underrated than overrated, right?) — and while our MFA Creative Writing Program might be smaller than others, we do grow good writers here. When I joined the faculty in 1998, I was excited by the high caliber of both faculty and students. Twenty-five years later, I remain just as if not more excited, and look forward to all the that awaits us in our continued growth.

This essay was originally published in the Spring 2024 edition of Barely South Review , ODU’s student-led literary journal. The University’s growing MFA in Creative Writing program connects students with a seven-member creative writing faculty in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction.

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This is a picture of Kevin Kwan standing in a verdant setting, flipping his hair off his shoulder. He's wearing a blue tie dye shirt unbuttoned over a dark shirt.

The Author of ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Can’t Go Home, Except in His Books

Kevin Kwan left Singapore’s opulent, status-obsessed, upper crust when he was 11. He’s still writing about it.

“I didn’t realize how privileged I was until I got to the U.S.,” Kevin Kwan said. Credit... Jessica Lehrman for The New York Times

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By Elisabeth Egan

Elisabeth Egan reported from Los Angeles

May 20, 2024

A reader of Kevin Kwan’s books could be forgiven for expecting him to make a grand entrance at lunch in Beverly Hills — in a Lamborghini, perhaps, or wearing a slick pair of shades.

Instead, on an unseasonably brisk Tuesday in April, Kwan walked into the private dining room at Crustacean with a tentative tilt to his head, as if clearing a low roof. He wore tortoiseshell glasses, a blue cardigan and hair cut for maximum pensive tucking behind ears. Picture David Foster Wallace minus the bandanna.

Kwan immediately moved a vase of white roses from one table to another — “Do you mind? So we can see each other?” — then hugged Crustacean’s chef, “the great Helene An,” whose garlic noodles make a cameo in his new book, “Lies and Weddings,” coming out on May 21.

To understand Kwan’s reputation for fabulousness, consider his oeuvre. His debut novel, “ Crazy Rich Asians ,” published in 2013, has sold more than 5 million copies worldwide and been translated into over 40 languages. A Broadway musical is in development. The movie version was the first major Hollywood film since “ The Joy Luck Club ” to feature a majority Asian cast .

Kwan’s next three novels covered similar territory: wealthy people behaving decadently and questionably, but usually with heart and always with panache. They were best sellers too. At one point, the “Crazy Rich Asians” trilogy occupied the top three spots on the paperback list, landing Kwan in an elite clique of authors including Colleen Hoover .

This is a picture of a party scene from the movie "Crazy Rich Asians." A crowd of people in evening finery are sitting outside, clapping and looking festive.

Kwan didn’t utter a word about these laurels at lunch, nor did he appear to have much in common with his over-the-top, entertainingly superficial characters. His relocation of the flowers showed a willingness to look a person in the eye. His hug was real, not an air kiss; Crustacean has been Kwan’s home away from home since he moved to Los Angeles from New York in 2019. As for his car, Kwan preferred not to go public with the make and model, but it’s not one a valet would be tempted to take for a joyride.

“I get tangential access to the world in my books, but I’m not part of that world,” Kwan said. “I feel like I’m always an outsider.”

Kwan has a habit of summarizing his characters’ educations — and, to an extent, their pedigree — in parentheses after their names. In “Lies and Weddings,” for instance, the heart throb is Rufus Leung Gresham “(Mount House/Radley/Exeter/Central St. Martins),” whose best friend Eden Tong “(Greshamsbury Nursery School/Mount House/Downe House/Cambridge)” secretly pines for him, much to the chagrin of his mother, Lady Arabella (Willcocks/Cheltenham/UWC Atlantic/Bard). You get the idea.

Kwan’s personal parenthetical is equally revealing. “Far Eastern Kindergarten/Anglo-Chinese Junior School,” he said, pausing for a swig of orange turmeric spritzer. “Clear Lake Intermediate School/Clear Lake High School/San Jacinto Junior College/University of Houston.”

The first two schools Kwan attended were in Singapore where, he said, “I grew up in a big house, with grounds, staff, all that.”

On weekends he boycotted Sunday school, preferring to sit with his parents in church (“ground zero for Singapore society”) while studying social machinations: “Who was seated where. Who dissed who.” Then he’d go to lunch with his aunt, Mary Kwan, an Auntie Mame-like figure who wrote for Singapore Tatler and “spared no fools.” Their dining companions were a roving salon of artists, architects, business people and royalty.

“I could hold my own,” Kwan said. “I didn’t behave like a kid. I would participate and listen to the gossip and feed off it from a really early age.”

If those meals were entry-level classes in the art of observation, Kwan graduated to the doctoral program when he moved, with three weeks’ notice, to Clear Lake, Texas. His father had spent his formative years in Australia and, Kwan said, “missed it when he went home to Singapore. He was a dutiful son; he gave his parents three grandsons. But he always wanted to have a different life.”

Clear Lake was NASA country and, circa 1985, home of “the last gasp of idyllic America,” Kwan said. “You went out and played with your friends till dinnertime. I think that’s really what my dad wanted us to have. He also wanted to toughen us up — toughen me up. He’d be like, Kevin, go mow the lawn. Kevin, take out the garbage. I became a really good lawn mower.”

Kwan’s new home, a suburban ranch, was a far cry from the protected luxury he’d left behind. His family lived within spitting distance of neighbors. His mother taught piano; his father was one of the original franchisees of Marble Slab Creamery.

In Texas, Kwan skipped two grades and was the youngest, smallest student in his class, earning the nickname “Doogie” (as in Howser). “I was a strange kid. I was smart and verbal. I could talk about high society,” Kwan said. “I was just trying to finish reading my biography of Margaret Thatcher.”

Among the children of engineers and astronauts, there was room for a creative type who liked to write and draw. But Kwan didn’t pursue either one with any intensity until he landed in Victoria Duckworth’s freshman composition class at San Jacinto Junior College.

“She encouraged my writing and my love of reading,” Kwan said. “She gave me Joan Didion’s ‘ A Book of Common Prayer ’ and that just blew up my world.”

The two lost touch years ago, but Duckworth was aware of Kwan’s success and sounded delighted to hear his name when she was reached by phone at her home in Buffalo. Even as a teenager, Duckworth said, “Kevin’s writing seemed effortless. He just had this wit.”

She recalled “preparing for the worst” when Kwan shared his poetry with her, but he turned out to be a gifted stylist with an “inner intellectual life.” Duckworth, who taught for more than three decades, said, “Out of the handful of students I remember, Kevin is one.”

At the University of Houston, Kwan started to take himself seriously as a writer and filmmaker. He also earned a new nickname: “the Designer Poet,” because he used words like “Armaniesque” in verse.

“I’ve always enjoyed the comedy of pretension,” he said. “I was hyper-aware of it as a child because I was in this world where there were all these high status people coming and going.”

Kwan said he has never been back to Singapore. In 2018, the country’s Ministry of Defense announced that he owed two years of national service and could face a fine or prison term if he returned. He used to dream about his home country when he was younger; now, Kwan said, “people show up from my childhood who become fully formed characters.”

Writing fiction, he said, is a way of “remembering and revisiting” that part of his life.

“Crazy Rich Asians” started as a lark, something Kwan planned to self publish for the amusement of friends. Midway through, he was working on a book about the Oprah Winfrey Show with Deborah Davis, the author of “ Strapless ,” and mentioned that he had a novel of his own in the works. Davis offered to read it.

“People were always asking me to read manuscripts and they were always dreadful,” Davis said. But she was fond of Kwan — “He was proper and courtly and had impeccable manners” — so, “I said, ‘Of course I’ll read it,’ half thinking that I probably wouldn’t.”

Davis was cooking Thanksgiving dinner for 25 people when the draft of “Crazy Rich Asians” arrived. “I looked at it and I thought, OK, I’ll read five pages,” she said. “I read five pages. I peeled five carrots. I read five pages more. Ten pages more. It was the worst dinner I ever made, but it was the best book. I could not stop reading.”

She encouraged Kwan to send “Crazy Rich Asians” to Michael Korda, a veteran biographer, novelist and longtime friend.

Kwan was reluctant. He said, “That would be like going to Michelangelo with a lump of coal and being like, ‘Look, I carved a little something, what do you think?’” — but Davis “would not let up.” Eventually he obliged.

Four days later, Korda called. He put Kwan in touch with Alexandra Machinist, then an agent at Janklow and Nesbit, who sold the book to Jenny Jackson at Doubleday.

“Crazy Rich Asians” was an instant hit in Asia, Kwan said. It was excerpted in the June 2013 issue of Vogue. Once it came out in paperback, it landed on the best seller list. And then, “Crazy Rich Asians” was the guest that never left, perched by the caviar for 41 weeks. Kwan’s ascent had begun.

Now, a dozen years and four books later, he admitted, “I wish I could have written under a pseudonym.” He was joking, sort of.

“I’m an introvert,” Kwan explained. “I grew up in a family where there were so many people who were public figures, and I saw the pressures they had to endure. I had no interest in that.”

Also, Kwan continued, “it takes a lot to write in this voice, to write in these characters’ voices. Actors always say, it’s a lot harder to make comedy. I feel the same way about writing fiction that’s funny. I can write you the saddest damn story you want; I could do that in my sleep.”

While working on “Lies and Weddings,” Kwan experienced writer’s block for the first time. The pandemic was at a low boil; the world was rife with uncertainty. “Those years changed me,” he said. “They changed everyone; how could they not? I was dealing with the new reality of, what do I even want to write anymore? There was a lot of soul searching.”

Unlike the “Crazy Rich Asians” trilogy, his new book doesn’t take place in Singapore. The story bounces from England to Hawaii to Morocco, with enough designer labels, priceless artwork and luxurious accommodations to make Beverly Hills seem folksy. But there’s an undertow beneath the froth.

“Kevin’s writing about mixed race heritage. He’s writing more about gender than he has before,” Jackson, his editor, said. “There’s this whole second layer that’s social commentary and astute cultural observation.”

The shift is intentional, Kwan said: “I’ve branched out. I’m inspired by this new generation of Asians who are so much more comfortable in their own skin.”

He went on, “I love looking at the theatricality of it all” — the art, the fashion, the food — “just like I did as a kid. I love sitting back and watching drama unfold. What happens when families get together? What happens when friends get together? What happens when someone new marries in?”

Now 50, the age his father was when the family moved to Texas, Kwan remains committed to his upper-crust characters. He still maintains folders of outfits, locations and foods for each one. He said, “I’m trying to show that authentic side to people who have rich people problems. Heartache is still heartache. Grief is still grief. That’s a through line you’ll see in all my books: what money does to families. How it can infantilize people. How it can be a prison.”

The garlic noodles arrived from the secret kitchen where An protects her family recipe from prying eyes.

“Hopefully I’m creating a faceted portrait of people and their issues,” Kwan said. “For better or worse, this is just what I know.”

Elisabeth Egan is a writer and editor at the Times Book Review. She has worked in the world of publishing for 30 years. More about Elisabeth Egan

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The Author of 'Crazy Rich Asians' Can't Go Home, Except in His Books. Kevin Kwan left Singapore's opulent, status-obsessed, upper crust when he was 11. He's still writing about it. "I ...