Writing the city
A creative writing workshop on urban landscapes and the literary flâneur/flâneuse
Applications are not open yet
A practical, one-week creative writing course that enables you to develop your own original literary work in response to the urban environment.
We contextualise the writer in the city by examining such concepts as the literary flâneuse as urban explorer and the poetics of place, as well as exploring some of the narratives of the built environment and the ways in which the wild takes root in the city. It is a chance to learn about the wider context of urban and experimental writing through seminars, workshops and the production of literary non-fiction, fiction, poetry or hybrid work.
Glasgow is a vibrant creative city with a thriving artistic scene that embraces numerous forms and disciplines – especially writing. It is also a city with incredible built heritage, including medieval houses from the 15th century, an atmospheric Victorian necropolis, enough parks to earn it the literary nickname ‘the dear green place’, hidden murals by Alasdair Gray, and the stunning Gothic university at which this course is based. The Creative Writing programme at University of Glasgow is the oldest and most prestigious in Scotland, with a strong ethos of encouraging a supportive community of writers and an openness to form and genre.
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Key information
Course length: One week
Arrival date: Thursday 18th June 2026
Orientation day: Friday 19th June 2026
Classes start: Monday 22nd June 2026
Classes end: Friday 26th June 2026
Accommodation check out: Sunday 28th June 2026
Credits: 12
Tuition fee: TBC
Accommodation cost: TBC
Application deadline: April 2026
What you will learn
This course aims to:
- Identify the concept of urban literature through reference to specific texts, authors and theories
- Examine genres employed in urban writing e.g. memoir, experimental writing, poetry, hybrid forms
- Develop the practical skills of close reading and workshop critique of creative works in progress.
By the end of this course students will be able to:
- Describe and analyse the role of place in informing literature relating to the urban environment
- Compose high quality original creative work
- Critique samples of creative work through close reading and discussion.
Teaching pattern and assessment
The course is taught in one week, with assessment being due in one week after course completion. In the taught week, there will be:
- 5 one-hour seminars
- 5 two-hours workshops
The portfolio assessment consists of one or more pieces of creative work (3000 words or equivalent for poetry or hybrid forms) plus critical commentary of 300 words: 100%.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements
- GPA of 3.0 (or equivalent)
- you should be currently enrolled at an international higher education institution.
If your first language is not English, you must meet our minimum proficiency level:
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module overall score of 6.0, no subtest less than 5.5
- we also accept equivalent scores in other recognised qualifications such as ibTOEFL, CAE, CPE and more.
This is a guide, for further information email internationalsummerschools@glasgow.ac.uk