Our Story begins…
“Writers give readers courage – the courage to be utterly your complete and complex self.”
Jackie Kay, Professor at The Northern School of Writing, University of Salford
A collaborative school of novelists, poets, screenwriters, dramatists, journalists, podcasters, video-game and film-makers, The Northern School of Writing at Salford is a community of staff and students at The University of Salford, who read, write, research and innovate in a tradition that is rebellious, risk-taking and brave.
Our teaching, mentoring and nurturing of writers extends beyond the 15 degree courses at the University where we work, to our literary community in the north of Britain and the 24 publishers of the Northern Fiction Alliance.
Inspired by our Professor, Jackie Kay, we empower voices by working with our community and schools in the North of England, enriching lives through reading and writing, with a focus on those too often left out of our cultural conversation.
Our professors and lecturers research in interdisciplinary and applied creative writing, language, and media, putting arts to work in the community, health and wellbeing.
Join the Northern School of Writing at Salford when you choose a course at The University of Salford, and make us the next chapter of your writing life.
Latest News
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The BBC’s First Homosexual is 5 star smash…Just Read the Reviews!
Northern School of Writing lecturer and playwright Stephen Hornby has just completed a tour of his new play The BBC’s First Homosexual. Previews of the show featured in The Guardian, BBC Radio Four’s The World Tonight and the Manchester Evening News. The director of the play is Oli Hurst, a performance alumni from the University…
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Award-Winning YA novelist visits Northern School of Writing Students
Multi-Award winning novelist Danielle Jawondo spoke to students at The Northern School of Writing on March 11th 2026. As an author from Manchester with a working-class background, Danielle inspired students studying Introduction to Children’s Literature with conversation about the vitality of YA publishing, its social influence on generations of readers and her own experience from…
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Professor Jackie Kay launches The National Year of Reading in Scotland and becomes ambassador
The Northern School of Writing’s Professor Jackie Kay was honoured to launch the National Year of Reading alongside Her Majesty The Queen in Scotland on Monday 19 January and take up the role of ambassador. The event featured other Scottish authors, local primary school children and Dennis the Menace (!), and took place at the National Library…
Spotlight Of The Month
Northern School of Writing English Multidiscipline Student Nyx Robertson has landed work in her dream career of Library Archivist. Find out more about Nyx’s inspiring story, about what this kind of career involves, how she used her work placement module to further her ambitions, what it takes to make it when you come from a marginalised demographic, and the best things about studying English Multidiscipline.
