About the Course and Tutors

The Complete Creative Writing Course was launched in 1998 by Maggie Hamand with Henrietta Soames (www.writtenwords.net) in response to the need for a professional and imaginative course for anyone who wanted to write fiction. The course is now in its 10th year and has become widely recognised as one of the best creative writing courses in the country. Several of our students have been published to critical acclaim and been nominated for literary prizes.

Maggie Hamand is a journalist, non-fiction author and novelist. She was the winner of the first World One-Day Novel cup and her novel, The Resurrection of the Body, (buy from Amazon here) was first published by Michael Joseph and has been optioned for television. She has also had short stories published and shortlisted for prizes. She taught creative writing at Morley College, was Writer in Residence at Holloway Prison, London and a Royal Literary Fund Fellow at London University of the Arts. She is founder and director of the acclaimed small independent publisher The Maia Press.

Shaun Levin's novella, Seven Sweet Things, was published in 2003, and his collection of short stories, A Year of Two Summers, in 2005. His short stories appear in anthologies and journals in the UK, the USA, Canada, Israel, and South Africa. He has been writer-in-residence in a school, a theatre, a bookshop, and on the island of Tasmania. He is a recipient of an Arts Council of England Writer's Award, and is the editor of Chroma, a literary journal. He has taught creative writing at several colleges in London, and run workshops around the UK, and in venues as diverse as The National Gallery, London Zoo, Richmond Park, Abney Park Cemetery, and a restaurant. See more at www.shaunlevin.com.

Dreda Say Mitchell was born in London's East End and studied African History at The School of Oriental and African Studies before taking an MA in education studies. She has worked as a teacher and local authority education consultant, an inspector, and freelance education consultant. Her first novel, Running Hot, was published to critical acclaim and won the Crime Writer's Association John Creasey Memorial Dagger Award for debut crime in 2005. Her second novel, Killer Tune, is published by Hodder. See her website: www.dredamitchell.co.uk

Karen Falconer is a writer, journalist and teacher. She has a Post-Graduate Diploma in Book Publishing from Oxford Brookes University and worked in book publishing before becoming a journalist and editor; her articles and life writing have been published in numerous national newspapers and magazines. She has an MSc in Developmental Psychology, which included a research dissertation evaluating the creative writing process in young people. She has trained as a teacher in the UK and at Angers University in France. She is currently completing her first novel.

Kolton Lee is a filmmaker and novelist. A graduate of The National Film and Television School, he has written episodes of the popular, long running BBC dramas Eastenders, Byker Grove and the series Brothers and Sisters. He has also written and directed a number of independent films including the award winning feature film, Cherps. 2007 saw the publication of his debut novel, the critically acclaimed crime thriller The Last Card, published by The Maia Press. Kolton has taught scriptwriting at a variety of institutions including the New York Film Academy and London’s Metropolitan University.

Caroline Holden Hotopf is a children's author and illustrator of a wide range of books for children and adults, including the 'Adrian Mole' series by Sue Townsend, as well as books by Michael Palin and Michael Rosen. She is author and illusrator of Securiskunk and Danger, God Working Overhead, and won an award for Albert Comes Back in the Lion and Albert series. She has worked as a cartoonist for many publications including Private Eye and The Observer. She has given workshops at many schools and venues for children of all ages.

Catherine Johnson has written fourteen books for young readers including Arctic Hero, selected as one of the twelve books distributed free to secondary school pupils in England in 2008. She has also written for film and tv, including screenplay for the the feature film Bullet Boy. She is an occasional columnist for The Observer, and she has been a Royal Literary Fund Fellow and a writer in residence in Holloway Prison. She has taught Creative Writing for the British Council in Albania, Malawi and Athens. Her latest book, A Nest of Vipers, is published this year by Random house.

Diane Samuels has worked as a professional writer and dramatist for over fifteen years, writing extensively for theatre and radio. Her play, Kindertransport won the Verity Bargate and Meyer-Whitworth awards and was first produced by Soho Theatre Company in 1993. It has since been performed in the West End, Off Broadway and all over the world. Diane is a qualified teacher and has wide experience of teaching creative writing to all ages at all levels of experience. She is attached as permanent writer-in-residence to Grafton Primary School in Islington and is currently a Royal Literary Fund fellow based at Westminster University.