We're going to AWP 2015 in Minneapolis

It's official! The entire programme team for Edinburgh Napier University's unique Creative Writing MA is attending AWP 2015 this April in Minneapolis. What's AWP? Just the world's largest creative writing conference, attracting thirteen thousand people to more than 500 events. In the past our programme has sent individual observers - this year, we're all going.

If you are planning to visit AWP 2015 in Minneapolis, make sure you come along to see us at Table 754 in the official conference bookfair. Programme leader Sam Kelly will be happy to talk about our course and its unique approach to postgrad creative writing. [Spoilers: we love and teach genre fiction, graphic novels, creative non-fiction; and we don't have workshops.]

What's more, lecturer David Bishop has had a panel discussion accepted into the official AWP programme. "When worlds collide: how creative programs address popular fiction" will feature four speakers from different universities - three US, one UK - discussing the burning issue of how they approach the writing and teaching of genre fiction. Here's the pitch:

"Popular fiction and creative writing programs have long been worlds apart on both sides of the Atlantic. But what happens when students on such programs aspire to write popular fiction? This panel will discuss the challenges of opportunities of working with genre writing in an academic context, with speakers drawn from programs that tend to eschew popular fiction and those that embrace it."

The panel discussion is one of the first events at this year's AWP conference, starting at 9am on Thursday April 9th in Room 208 A&B, on Level 2. Alongside David on the panel will be Nicole Peeler from Seton Hill University, Barbara Duffey from Dakota Wesleyan University, and Vicki Stiefel from Clark University. It should be a blast - hope to see you there!