From Dr Bryan Walpert, Lecturer, Department of English & Media Studies:

Choose how and where you study: Many papers can be taken either extramurally or internally; some are available in Wellington and Albany as well as in Palmerston North. Many of these papers can contribute to either a Bachelor of Arts degree in English or a Bachelor of Communications degree. We also offer graduate papers in writing poetry, writing fiction, and community theatre. And we welcome graduate students interested in writing a longer creative work (such as manuscript of poems, book of stories, novel, or play) as part of an Honour's, Master's or Doctoral thesis.

Poetry-specific information:

The introductory course, Creative Writing, offers components in both poetry and fiction. It runs Semester 1 internally and as a double-semester course extramurally. The advanced paper in poetry, Writing Poetry: Love, Loss and Looking Around, runs Semester 2 internally and extramurally. Both are offered in 2008. The postgraduate poetry writing paper, Writing Lyric Poetry: Blurring the Boundaries, will be available in 2009, but a postgraduate fiction paper is available in 2008.

Enrolment for summer school papers (limited offerings) closes 5 November and for Semester 1 papers closes 15 February 2008. Full course details are available on the website, http://ems.massey.ac.nz/

The School of English & Media Studies hosts resident Visiting Writers and Directors from New Zealand and abroad, runs a Literary Evening reading series featuring award-winning NZ writers (past readers include Bill Manhire, Vincent O'Sullivan, Vivienne Plumb and Glenn Colquhoun), runs an Arts On Wednesdays series of national and international acts, produces a biannual Festival of New Arts as well as a popular annual Summer Shakespeare festival, and offers an annual cash prize for the best undergraduate writing. Bursaries and scholarships are available.

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