Writing at Downing

Downing College provides many opportunities for students to practice their creative writing. We offer annual prizes to recognise excellence: the John Treherne Prize for poetry, fiction and non-fiction, and A Festival of New Writing for drama.

Each year our student-edited literary journal, The Leaves, showcases the best writing from Downing students of all disciplines. The Leaves features prose, poetry, drama and visual art. We celebrate each volume with a launch event at The Heong Gallery where writers can read their work and chat to industry professionals.

The English Society and the English Directors of Studies, Dr Bonnie Lander Johnson and Dr Ewan Jones, organise writing workshops, opportunities for career development in publishing, literary agenting, TV and film, arts management and speech writing. Throughout their degree, Downing students, especially those in the English Tripos, are offered opportunities to have their work edited.