Fancy yourself a budding author? A clandestine poet? A scriptwriter, lyricist, or even a rapper?

Whether you’re set out to change the world with your prose, or whether you simply love the feeling of tinkering around with words, the Reach Cambridge Creative Writing Taster Course is the perfect way to further your passion. This extracurricular course is ideal for anyone who has always fancied themselves as a writer but has, until now, not been given the opportunity or has not had the courage to ‘give it a go’. It will introduce you to the various types of creative writing, and you will get the chance to critically study other works as well as writing your own.

Whilst we find that a lot of the students who add a Creative Writing taster opted to study English Literature as their main academic course during their time at Reach, there are also students taking related Humanities subjects, such as Politics or Law… and even some scientifically-minded students too! In short: everyone who wants to, can. It maybe you want to take the opportunity to sample Chemistry at university-level, but still love the short stories you pen in your free time… At Reach, you can do both! Balancing the timetable is also a key part of what we do, so your primary studies will not clash or suffer. It’s the perfect way to learn some new techniques and expand your literary horizons in a way that will only complement your chosen subject pathway, whatever that might be.

Cambridge is a magnificently inspiring environment, and the university city also has a rich literary history, being featured in many works of fiction; such as William Wordsworth’s poem Residence at Cambridge (1850), The Longest Journey by E. M. Forster (1907) and Ian McEwan’s famous novel Atonement (2001). In addition to this, many of the world’s most renowned writers are affiliated with the university:

• Alfred, Lord Tennyson (Poet Laureate for much of Queen Victoria’s reign) studied at Trinity College
• William Wordsworth (who famously ‘wander’d lonely as a cloud’) attended St John’s College
• A. Milne (author of the Winnie the Poohbooks – the Wren library still holds precious manuscripts of the childhood classic!) gained a Mathematics scholarship to Trinity College 
• Julian Fellowes (creator and screenwriter of the quintessentially English – but now global – televisual phenomenon that is Downton Abbey) attended Magdalene College
• Douglas Adams (author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) read English Literature at St John’s College
• John Milton (who wrote the epic poem Paradise Lost) studied at Christ’s College
• Zadie Smith (author of White Teeth, which made Time’s List of Best 100 Novels between 1923-2005) studied at King’s College, and is reported to still miss her time at Cambridge
• Sylvia Plath (poet and author of the semi-autobiographical novel The Bell Jar) attended Newnham College. Coincidentally, Cambridge was also where she met another future-famous poet, Ted Hughes, whom she would later marry.
• S. Lewis (creator of The Chronicles of Narniaseries) was a Fellow at Magdalene College
• Lord Byron (famous for being a prolific poet, leading figure of the Romantic movement, and for keeping a pet bear in his room in Trinity College!)

And that’s just a selection!  Clearly, Cambridge is the place to come if you want to be encouraged and inspired to let your imagination take flight.  Lost for words at such an exciting prospect? Join us for a Cambridge summer course - there’s nothing quite like walking along cobbled streets where so many literary legends have trodden before to set your creative juices flowing!