MA in Writing Poetry Alumni Profiles

Meet our MA in Writing Poetry Graduates, hear their stories and check out their achievements.

Kevin Scully MA, Class of 2024

Why and when did you start writing poetry?
As a child. I think my first poem was published (with payment) at the age of eight or nine! It’s been with me on and off ever since – like some medical conditions!

What sort of subjects do you like to write about?
God, sex and death, the holy trinity.

What have you been up to since you graduated?
I have picked up prizes in several poetry competitions, and had poems published in print and online journals and magazines. I have spent a long time working on Stations of the Cross (a Christian religious practice) and recently submitted this to publishers.

What is your main memory of the MA in Writing Poetry?
The camaraderie that flowed during sessions together. A real sense of common purpose, while respecting each person’s singular track.

Was there a particular moment in a workshop that affected your writing?
There was a ‘darling’, a favoured line which sank under the critique in the workshop. Deleting it improved the poem and it went on to publication.

How did studying on the MA in Writing Poetry affect your life and your poetry?
It reinvigorated me both in practice and personally. It was two of the happiest years of my life.