New YA module led by author Laura Lam added to MA Creative Writing @EdinburghNapier

Laura Lam • photo © Elizabeth May

We're proud to announce an exciting new module in writing for young adult audiences on our genre fiction-focused MA Creative Writing programme  - and it will be led by Laura Lam, author of the acclaimed Micah Grey YA fantasy trilogy.

The MA at Edinburgh Napier University has always welcomed YA writers, especially those creating genre fiction. But a specialist moudle in YA writing practise is a bold new innovation.

Writing YA Fiction is launching in time for the 2017-18 academic year, with the optional module due to run in Trimester 2. Students will create narratives for YA audiences set in science fiction and fantasy worlds, but contemporary settings will also be part of the module.

"It's exciting to invent my own module for the Edinburgh Naper Creative Writing MA," says Laura Lam, who joined the course as a part-time lecturer in September 2016. "I've enjoyed teaching on the existing modules, but now I'm getting the chance to build my own."

Laura's first YA novel, Pantomime, was originally published in 2013 and reissued last year by Pan Macmillan. It was shortlisted for numerous prizes and won the 2014 Bisexual Book Award for Speculative Fiction. 

Six of Crows author Leigh Bardugo called Pantomime "a fantastical, richly drawn, poignant take on a classic coming-of-age story ... a vibrant tale told with surety and grace."

Shadowplay - the second book in the Micah Grey series - was first published in 2014 and also reissued by Pan Macmillan last year. The finale of Laura's YA trilogy - the long-awaited Masquerade - was unleashed in paperback just two months ago by Pan Macmillan. Students taking the module will benefit from Laura's professional and personal experience in this exciting area.