Author Archives: Emma Claire Sweeney

About Emma Claire Sweeney

Lecturer in Creative Writing at the open University, Director of the Ruppin Agency Writer's Studio (a nationwide literary mentoring programme), and award-winning author of novel OWL SONG AT DAWN and co-author with Emily Midorikawa of non-fiction book A SECRET SISTERHOOD: THE HIDDEN FRIENDSHIPS OF AUSTEN, BRONTË, ELIOT AND WOLF.

‘Things we cannot know’: Julian Barnes’ The Man in the Red Coat

Posted on 7th September 2020 by Emma Claire Sweeney

Alistair Daniel, Associate Lecturer, Creative Writing In June 1885, three Frenchmen – the prince Edmond de Polignac, Count Robert de Montesquiou-Fezensac, and the ‘celebrity gynaecologist’ Dr Samuel Jean Pozzi – arrived in London. They went shopping, had dinner with Henry … Continue reading →

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Writing in Lockdown

Posted on 10th July 2020 by Emma Claire Sweeney

Jo Barnden, AL on A215 and A363 For those first, intense weeks of lockdown, I seemed to be out of step with the rest of the world. Everyone was telling Twitter how much time they had to walk through nature … Continue reading →

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Ed Hogan interview

Posted on 1st July 2020 by Emma Claire Sweeney

Ed Hogan is a Lecturer in Creative Writing at the Open University. His first novel, Blackmoor, won the Desmond Elliott Prize, and was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award. Other novels include The Hunger Trace, and Daylight Saving, … Continue reading →

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Cold Dark Matter: Writing a poetry collection during lockdown

Posted on 16th June 2020 by Emma Claire Sweeney

By Patrick Wright, PhD Student, Creative Writing As an introvert, and usually working from home, the lockdown has allowed much of my practice to go on unabated. Some aspects have intensified: developing an active imagination and reflection are two examples … Continue reading →

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Caron Freeborn (1966-2020): an appreciation

Posted on 11th May 2020 by Emma Claire Sweeney

Steve Padley, Staff Tutor, English Caron Freeborn, who died in April after a short illness, was a poet and novelist, and an AL in Creative Writing at the Open University. She taught on A215 and A363. She was also a … Continue reading →

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Escaping Jordan

Posted on 8th April 2020 by Emma Claire Sweeney

Dennis Walder, Emeritus Professor in English Last week my wife and I were in an SUV heading down the King’s Highway through the Jordan desert.  We had glimpsed the Promised Land, and were on our way to Petra, forty-five kilometres … Continue reading →

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A little literary tourism: in search of Hilary Mantel

Posted on 4th March 2020 by Emma Claire Sweeney

Shafquat Towheed, Senior Lecturer in English Hilary Mantel has been lauded for reviving the fortunes of the historical novel in English, for being the first woman writer to have won the Booker Prize twice (2009, 2012), and for selling over … Continue reading →

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George Eliot’s Piano

Posted on 21st November 2019 by Emma Claire Sweeney

Dr Delia da Sousa Correa, Senior Lecturer in English 22nd November 2019 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of novelist George Eliot, born Mary Ann Evans. Appropriately 22nd November is St Cecilia’s day, in honour of the patron saint … Continue reading →

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‘The Antipodes’ by Annie Baker at the National Theatre

Posted on 13th November 2019 by Emma Claire Sweeney

Alistair Daniel, PhD student and Associate Lecturer, Creative Writing In his monumental study, The Seven Basic Plots, Christopher Booker identified the seven types of story that, he argued, recur time and again, in everything from fairy tales to Hollywood blockbusters. … Continue reading →

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Creative Writing Workshops on Word/Image Relationships

Posted on 8th November 2019 by Emma Claire Sweeney

Patrick Wright, PhD Creative Writing Student Over the last year or so, I have been facilitating a series of creative writing workshops on the theme of responding to images or objects. I was interested in exploring some outreach opportunities, especially … Continue reading →

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