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So maybe you’re a writer, and maybe you’ve been thinking: ‘Hey, my writing could be more intellectual/less intellectual/more commercial/less commercial if I got a degree in Creative Writing – and all the lit mags love those degree kids!’ As a recent Creative Writing MLitt graduate, I present to you my list of Nine Reasons Why A Creative Writing Degree Is Freaking Sweet. I have some extra letters after my name. Obviously I don’t use actually sign things ‘Kirsty Logan, BA…

Everyone I know has two job titles: the one they get paid to do, and the one they wish they got paid to do. I’m a waitress/writer. My girlfriend is a graphic designer/musician, and my brother is a lighting tech/filmmaker. They do the former to afford the equipment and studio time to do the latter, but as a writer I don’t need to pay for electronics or locations. Writers don’t really need tools to create their art. A paper and…

Okay, so I’m a bit late with this list, but it’s been a busy month. First, books. I read 86 books last year (30 novels, 11 short story collections, 11 poetry collections, 14 non-fiction, 13 young adult novels, and 7 graphic novels). The following is a short list of my favourites, only a couple of which were actually published in 2009. Books Rain – Kirsty Gunn (somewhere between poetry, short fiction, and a novel) The Blood of Strangers – Frank…

I am an inconsiderate writer. I never change names and I never disguise events. I never pretend that anything is fiction, because it rarely is. I write about my own hurts and the hurts I caused, on purpose and in revenge. I’d write about you, and I wouldn’t even ask you whether it was okay. I would never purposefully hurt someone’s feelings in my daily life, but in writing everyone I’ve ever met is just fodder for stories. For reasons…

Go here to read my article in The Skinny about how to tell the world that you’re a giant queer. It even got a shout-out on AfterEllen, which is the most exciting thing that’s happened to me ALL YEAR. I feel like a celebrity. An extremely minor, un-famous celebrity whom no-one knows. Which is still a step up.

It’s only when I finally give in and say I can’t possibly do something that I actually get off my arse and do it. Why is that? Anyway, here is my afore-promised: Two Thousand and Nine In Kirsty-Shaped Review I appear to have done nothing at all in January except be hungover and write bad poetry. So let’s skip quickly over it. February New work in Chronogram, Salome, Velvet. March Spent a week in Alicante New work in Membra Disjecta,…