MA IN CREATIVE WRITING FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA IN 2001-02

When I heard that the Canadian Chevening panel wanted to interview me, I was already a transatlantic transplant. I had been working on a doctorate in English Literature at Oxford University, and was about to finish my thesis. But I wasn't ready to leave England. I had decided to take my chances in applying to the University of East Anglia's M.A. programme in Creative Writing, whose reputation for producing good writing is unrivalled in the United Kingdom. Somehow I managed to get in. And even more happily, after my telephone interview I was awarded a Chevening scholarship to fund my tuition costs, which meant that I could study at another British university for a year. So, having finished my thesis and survived its defense, I left Oxford for East Anglia, having been forewarned to pack wellies and a large umbrella.

Oxford, while a bizarre and wonderful world unto itself, does not fully represent the British higher education system. At East Anglia, I found a smaller, more intimate university, with a less traditional emphasis. The campus is in Norwich, whose slogan is "A fine city," which says it all. The university's modern buildings remind me of the University of British Columbia campus, where I did my B.A. (yes, especially when it rains-which is probably less often than in Vancouver!). The academic culture is relaxed, with the onus on self-motivation. Andrew Motion, the Poet Laureate, who taught my main writing seminar, created a lively, friendly atmosphere, as did my other professors.

Class discussions would often continue in that most British of institutions, the pub. My fellow students are an international mix, which makes for a broad range of writing and critical styles. I know that my writing has improved hugely this year, thanks to their responses, and the experience of living in a new literary climate. The school recently organized an event in London at which I was one of the readers. Various agents and publishers were there, a fact that demonstrates the programme's reputation. I'm currently discussing my work with a London agency that has North American connections. I'm very grateful that the Chevening panel sees the importance of supporting international relations in terms of the arts. If my writing is published one day in both Britain and Canada, I would have the Chevening scholarship to thank for having given me the best of both worlds.