"I hadn’t anticipated liking writing poetry as much as I did. I have always thought poetry was fantastic, but I didn’t imagine myself as a poet. Once you surrender and take a chance you learn a lot about yourself you didn’t know. I thrive when I can section off part of my time to be creative and I think more people should do it. I feel like we can all be many things."
Nuala Beahan, Writing Major
"I am keen to pursue a career in communications with a value-aligned organisation. I believe every person’s story is important, and I want to help them find the tools they need to share it."
Helen Gearing, Writing Major Graduate
"During COVID-19, I started a magazine for STEM Punks, called Future Learning Magazine, which goes into thousands of schools across Australia. As the editor and publisher I’ve been able to directly utilise the writing, editing and publishing program skills from my studies at UQ to take this idea from concept to commercialisation, and to drive the thought leadership of STEM Punks as an industry leader in Stem education in Australia."
Fiona Holmstrom, Master Writing, Editing and Publishing graduate (Co-Founder STEM Punks - STEM Education)
Practical Experience and Professional Networking
Our students have opportunities to volunteer or gain experience with a range of projects, including AustLit, a resource for Australian literary, print, and narrative cultures, and Corella Press, a UQ run not-for-profit small press committed to making beautiful, collectable editions of recovered nineteenth-century Australian Gothic, mystery, and crime stories. Graduates of the Writing major have found work as professional journalists, teachers, editors, ghost-writers, publishers, science communicators, copywriters, playwrights, corporate communicators, public relations managers, travel writers, arts reviewers, bloggers, columnists, critics, feature writers, fiction writers, poets, publishing coordinators, screen writers, speech writers, and digital content developers.
You will also become part of a network of UQ writing alumni that includes prize-winning writers such as Shastra Deo, Nick Earls, Melissa Ashley, and Jack Dann.