First-Year Reading Lists Sept 2025

First-Year Reading Lists 

As we’ve had a few inquiries about our first-year reading list, we thought we’d make a post addressing it. First, we believe that, in the current economic climate, we should keep the costs to you to a minimum, so we have arranged to be able to pay for and provide the majority of your readings across the degree. You’ll incur as few extra costs as possible. 

Our Creative Writing and English and Creative Writing Degrees have a shared first year, so all students take the same six modules across the year. 

For the 25/26 year we’re kicking off reading week with exercises and discussion based on Tim Hannigan’s tour through contemporary and historical Cornwall, Granite Kingdom (£10-£15 est.), as well as a chat with the author. You are encouraged to purchase and read this in advance so that you can get as much from these sessions as possible.  

And then: 

In Study Block One, you’ll take: 

WRJ130 Writing: Craft & Contexts 

  • All readings for this module are paid for and provided by the course. You’ll look at examples of short and contemporary fiction, non-fiction, poetry, scripts, and theory, and then produce your own of contemporary writing.  

WRJ120 Publishing Cultures 

  • All readings for this module are paid for and provided by the course. This is module considers multiple forms of production, publication, and dissemination, as well as ideas like taste, cultural value, image, gaze, and spectacle.  

WRJ110 Exploding the Canon: Writing Then & Now 

  • The Compulsory Purchases for this module are: 

  • Beloved - Toni Morrison £10 (est.) 

  • The Lesser Bohemians - Eimear McBride £7 (est) 

  • Heartstoppers Vol 1 (graphic novel). - Alice Oseman £6 (est) 

  • All other readings for this module are paid for and provided by the course, and might include fairy tales, nature writing, neo-Victorianism, or gods and myths.   
     

In Study Block Two, you’ll take: 

WRJ140 Breaking the Rules: Remix and Writing Back 

  • All readings for this module are paid for and provided by the course. You will be writing about, back to, and from texts of all kinds. This includes reversionary writing, collage, reviewing, adaptation, pastiche, parody, and critical responses. 

WRJ150 Literatures of Revolution 

  • All readings for this module are paid for and provided by the course. This module tracks revolutions in society and the texts that both depict and affect them, including subjects such as political overthrow, civil rights, gender, and sexuality, and the industrial, scientific, or digital revolutions. Texts may include Hamilton, Les Mis, Batman, Frankenstein, or others.  

WRJ160 Publishing Studio: Technologizing the Word 

  • All readings and trainings for this module are paid for and provided by the course. This is a practical, hands-on module that sees your training in your choice of things like a lead-type printer, a risoprinter, InDesign, audio recording and broadcasting equipment, creative events, or interactive fiction. 

Our course has few things you must purchase, and nothing you have to read ahead of time, although you’re welcome to get started on the compulsory purchases if you’d like. Our reading assignments are designed to be a reasonable amount for week-to-week progression through the module. 

 Please let us know if you have any questions! You can contact us either through Unibuddy or contact the course leader directly at Adrian.Markle@falmouth.ac.uk

We’re looking forward to seeing you in September.  

FalWriting Team