Summer: Rutgers- Creative Writing
The Program
There and Back Again: Write Fantasy in Tolkien’s England in Oxford and Bath
See the real-world inspirations for Saruman’s Tower, the Barrow Downs, Weathertop, the Prancing Pony, the Doors of Durin, Amon Hen, the temple of Morgoth, and the jeweled caverns of Algaron. Plus King Arthur’s grave, the Bird & Baby, the Narnia lamppost, House of Frankenstein, sunrise at Stonehenge, and the “mama of Yoda!”
Program Locations
UK
Oxford
We'll start with a four night stay at Pembroke College in Oxford, where Tolkien served as a Professor of Anglo-Saxon from 1925-1945 (during which time he wrote The Hobbit and LOTR). In Oxford, we’ll attend the world famous “J. R. R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature,” visit the Eagle and Child, (Tolkien's local for over 30 years; where he and C. S. Lewis formed a literary club called the Inklings), the Bodleian Library (where many of Tolkien's manuscripts/original drawings are kept; also a prominent shooting location for Harry Potter), Faringdon Folly (which inspired Orthanc, Saruman's dark tower), Wayland Smithy's (an ancient chamber of the dead said to be the basis for the Barrow Downs), The Bell Inn (the real-world Prancing Pony), Stow-on-Wold (the Doors of Durin), Dragon Hill (Weathertop), and Wolvercote Cemetery (where Tolkien is buried). And more!
UK
Bath
In Bath, we'll kick off our ten day stay with dinner and drinks at The Raven with the great Joe Abercrombie (First Law Trilogy, Red Country, which Lev Grossman, writing for the Wall Street Journal, called "Lord of the Rings directed by Kurosawa”). We’ll also take day trips to Glastonbury Tor (said to be where King Arthur freed Queen Guinevere; home to the scared Chalice Well, which runs red, and is said to be the resting place of the Holy Grail), Cheddar Gorge (and the jeweled caves of Algaron, which Gimli called one of the marvels of the Northern World and which left Legolas speechless), the Devon studio of Brian & Wendy (the “mama of Yoda”) Froud (designers/fabricators for The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and Yoda in Empire Strikes Back), Tintagel Castle (King Arthur’s birthplace) and Merlin’s Caves, the charming Cotswold village of Lacock (where features numerous locations from Harry Potter: The Babberton Arms, Lily & James Potter’s House, Snape’s Classroom, Quirrel’s classroom, Hogwart’s hallways, Horace Slughorn’s Hideaway), and, of course, sunrise at Stonehenge ('nuff said). It all ends with a public reading at Bath Spa University in Corsham with local Creative Writing MFAs.
Academics
This course provides an opportunity for students to explore creative writing in locations that are rich with cultural and literary details. During the first part of the trip, students will stay at Pembroke College in Oxford and attend the annual “J. R. R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature.” We will also visit the Bodleian Library to view Tolkien’s manuscripts and drawings and the Wolvercote Cemetery (where Tolkien is buried). Along the way, students will read Tolkien’s work and the work of C.S. Lewis. Next, we will travel to Bath where students will meet and learn from contemporary fantasy writers such as Joe Abercrombie and tour locations that have inspired stories including Harry Potter, the legends of King Arthur, Star Wars stories, and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Throughout the trip, students will take part in daily writing exercise and craft lectures, and the trip will culminate in a collaborative public reading at Bath Spa University in Corsham with local Creative Writing MFA students
Students who participate in this program can either receive credit for the Introduction to Creative Writing course (01:351:211 and 212) or for Creative Nonfiction Writing (01:351:305). If students have the prequesite class, they can also apply the course toward Form and Technique in Fiction (01 351 307). The 211/212 also fulfills the AhR Core requirement. In keeping with these semester long classes, the summer course will require intensive writing and workshop participation and culminate in a final portfolio and reading after students return from the program.
PLANNED ITINERARY: (SUBJECT TO CHANGES)
DAY 1: Arrive Heathrow. Charter bus to Oxford for four nights @ Pembroke College. Short, informal walking tour of Oxford: Radcliffe Camera (temple to Morgoth), Bridge of Sighs, Lewis’s lamppost, Aslan’s door. Dinner @ White Rabbit (included), followed by visits to two historic Oxford pubs: The Eagle & Child and The Lamb & the Flag.
DAY 2: Breakfast in Dining Hall (included). Morning Lecture. Tour of Bodleian Library/Duke Humfrey's Library (included); Harry Potter tour of Christ Church Campus (included). Evening: Annual Tolkien Fantasy Lecture @ Pembroke (included).
DAY 3: Breakfast in Dining Hall (included). Morning Lecture. Charter bus to lunch at The Bell Inn (The Prancing Pony) in Moreton-on-Marsh (the real world Bree), followed by the Four Shire Stone (Three Farthing Stone), a visit o Edward's Church in Stow-on-the-Wold (Doors of Durin) and Broadway Tower (inspiration for Amon Hen, where the Company of the Ring camp until being attacked by Uruk-hai). Free time/Independent Dinner. Group Reading after Dinner. Followed by visits to two historic Oxford pubs: The Bear and The Turf Tavern.
DAY 4: Breakfast in Dining Hall (included). Morning Lecture. Charter bus to Uffington to visit Wayland Smith’s (Tolkien’s Barrow Downs), picnic lunch (included) on Dragon Hill (Tolkien’s Weathertop), White Horse of Uffinton (Tolkien’s Rohan), Faringdon Folly (Orthanc, Saruman’s Tower), Wolvercote Cemetery (Tolkien's grave) and early dinner @ Trout Inn (four-hundred-year old riverside pub, included). Free time after dinner.
DAY 5: Charter bus to Bath. Check into Abbey Hotel or Hotel Indigo Bath. Free Writing/Exploring Time. Dinner w. Joe Abercrombie @ The Raven (included).
DAY 6: Morning Workshop. Independent lunch. Free Writing/Exploring Time. House of Frankenstein (included). Independent dinner. Group Reading after Dinner.
DAY 7: Sunrise visit to Stonehenge (included). Independent lunch. Free Writing/Exploring Time. Independent dinner. Group Reading after Dinner.
DAY 8: Charter bus to Glastonbury. Hike up to the Glastonbury Tor. Lunch at George & Pilgrim's (a 700 year-old, haunted inn on High Street) with Liz Williams (a celebrated fantasy and sci-fi writer and the foremost authority on paganism in England). King Arthur's Grave, Glastonbury Abbey (included). Drive home through Cheddar Gorge. Independent dinner.
DAY 9: Morning Workshop. Independent lunch. Free Writing/Exploring Time (suggested: Roman Baths, Bath Cathedral Clock Tower, Jane Austen Center, The Crescent, bookstores). Independent dinner. Group reading after dinner.
DAY 10: Charter bus to Devon to visit with Teri Winding (World Fantasy Award Winning author/artist/Tolkien scholar) and the studio of Brian Stroud (conceptual artist for The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth) & Wendy Stroud (sculptor, puppet-maker, best known for fabricating creatures for The Dark Crystal & Labyrinth; as well as Yoda for Empire Strikes Back, for which she is known as "the mother of Yoda"). Lunch at Mason’s Arms (included). Continue on (via charter bus) to Tintagel Castle (King Arthur’s birthplace) & Merlin’s Caves. Charter bus from Tintagel back to Bath. Dinner (not included) en route.
DAY 11: Morning workshop. Independent lunch. Free Writing/Exploring Time. Independent dinner.
DAY 12: Charter bus to Lacock, a charming Cotswold town where much of Harry Potter was filmed. Lunch at The Sign of the Angel (included; Babberton Arms in Harry Potter). Free Time back in Bath. Independent dinner.
DAY 13: Free Writing/Exploring Time. Independent lunch. Independent dinner. Group Reading w. Bath Spa University creative writing students. Drinks with fantasy author Natasha Pulley, program chair Richard Kerridge, and Bath Spa University MFA students at Methuen Arms.
DAY 14: Depart. Group Cabs to Heathrow
Housing and Meals
Students will stay in individual rooms at Pembroke College, Oxford. Breakfast included in Pembroke. While in Bath, students will share double rooms in hotels. Most meals are not included.
Financial Information
Program Costs
| NJ Resident | non-NJ Resident | |
|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate | $4,920 | $5,250 |
| Graduate | $5,130 | $5,440 |
Program Cost includes:
- Tuition
- Housing
- Some meals
- Excursions
- Administrative Fees
- Emergency Medical Access Abroad
Out-of-Pocket Costs
| Airfare | $1,200 |
| Meals | $500 |
| Books and Classroom Materials | $50 |
| Local Transportation | $50 |
| Personal Expenses | $400 |
| Total | $2,200.00 |
Out-of-Pocket Cost includes:
The above costs are estimations and represent the known out-of-pocket costs students encounter during their time abroad.
Some of these expenses will be paid for prior to going abroad, such as an airline ticket, while some of these expenses, such as meals and personal expenses, will be paid in-country as part of your daily expenses. As you plan, you will need to budget these costs and spend wisely throughout your time abroad.
Scholarships
Faculty Leaders
Alex Dawson is full time faculty at Rutgers University, where he teaches creative writing courses geared towards fantasy, folklore, and weird fiction and curates/hosts "Inside the Writers House," a weekly video chat with authors from all over the world. He also helms a fantasy fiction winter workshop/retreat in Ireland and Scotland with authors Dave Rudden (12 Angels Weeping) and Lev Grossman (The Magicians).
Professor Dawson is a certified tour guide. He has led numerous trips with Rutgers alumni and students to many different locations, and recently led this very trip for alumni. He has also led groups to Scotland, Iceland, France, and hosted local trips. He has been the lead faculty member for the last two summer session to Lewes, England.
Aimee LaBrie’s short story collection, Wonderful Girl, was chosen as the Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Fiction and published by the University of North Texas Press. Her stories have appeared in Pleiades, Beloit Fiction Journal, Cleaver Magazine, Iron Horse Literary Review, The Minnesota Review, Permafrost, and other literary journals. In 2012, she won first place in Zoetrope’s All-Story Fiction contest. Aimee lives in Princeton, NJ and works as a lecturer and senior program administrator for creative writing at Rutgers University.