A world of opportunity

£2.25m Global Voices and ICCW fundraising target

Ayòbámi Adébáyò was the recipient of UEA’s International Scholarship for Creative Writing. © Tomiwa Ajayi

A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITY

UEA’s first International Chair of Creative Writing will be African. We reflect on how the programme will be truly life-changing.

Thanks to the enormous generosity of one visionary philanthropist, a respected and influential African writer will be invited to take up a newly-conceived position at UEA. Our inaugural International Chair of Creative Writing (ICCW) will be in post from the end of 2021, as the highlight of our Creative Writing programme’s 50th year celebrations. We also hope to welcome 10 talented African students to our campus, with all their course and living fees covered so that they can focus on writing and studying.

THE FREEDOM TO WRITE

Ayòbámi Adébáyò (LDC13) was the recipient of the International Scholarship for Creative Writing at UEA and is the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction nominated author of Stay With Me. She recalls how the course was a turning point in her literary career. “My time at UEA was the most productive year of my writing life up until then. For the first time, I didn’t have any other commitments apart from my writing and I could commit all my mental energy to it without interruptions or distractions. “It’s not just that you have all this time to focus on your work, you also become part of the truly international and stellar UEA Creative Writing cohort. Classmates challenge you and give you interesting and unique perspectives about your work. These are writers whose opinions, judgement and sensibilities I came to trust. “The International Chair and Global Voices scholarship programme is such an exciting and ambitious project. It could foster diverse voices that would go on to make a difference both here at UEA and globally. “I think the programme will be mutually beneficial because the Chair and scholarship students will both enrich, and will be enriched by, the experience.”

A GENEROUS PHILANTHROPIST

“We were all energised by the prospect of the ICCW programme,” continues Dr Jean McNeil, International Co-ordinator for the u

I DON’T KNOW ANYWHERE ELSE THAT OFFERS SUCH INTENSE IMMERSION AND ACCESS TO SOME OF THE BEST WRITERS IN THE WORLD.

u School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing. “It’s a pioneering initiative and not one that I believe any other university has ever done before – certainly not in the way we intend to. It will be unique in the context of global literature. “But we knew that, without support from our philanthropic community, there was little hope of it becoming reality. So I was delighted when we learned of an individual whose curiosity was piqued. “Their interests were aligned with ours, and they decided to fund the first year in its entirety. It’s a resounding endorsement of what we’re aiming to do, powered by the reputation of the Creative Writing programme. It’s more like a partnership of philanthropy – the enthusiasm coming from both sides means we are working together. We’re listening to and guiding each other, and they continue to be interested and involved.”

FINDING OUR FIRST CHAIR

With funding in place for year one, the team’s attention now turns to finding the most suitable candidate, who will be in post by the beginning of the 2021-22 academic year and based both in their region and at UEA. “The Chair is going to bring new perspectives and open up opportunities for UEA across their region and around the world,” says Ayòbámi. “In my year, Margaret Atwood taught us for a semester as the UNESCO City of Literature visiting professor and we had a masterclass with UEA Creative Writing alumnus Sir Kazuo Ishiguro OBE. Both experiences were incredibly inspiring. “This project continues UEA’s long tradition of intense immersion and access to some of the best writers in the world. I think it will be quite impactful.”

THE NEXT FIVE YEARS

Our African Chair is just the first. It launches in time to coincide with our season of 50th anniversary celebrations for the prestigious UEA Creative Writing programme in 2020-21 – marking half a century of nurturing talented new writers. Over the next five years, the programme will encompass five regions of the world, each with an International Chair of Creative Writing and 10 Global Voices scholars to enrich the international spirit of UEA. Look out for more updates in the next 12 months.

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