Students Unveil Spooky Anthology Set in Suffolk Ahead of Halloween

The fourth and final book in a series of anthologies written by students at the University of Suffolk and celebrating the landmarks and stories of the county was officially launched at an autumnal reception on Tuesday night.

Suffolk Haunts is inspired by some of the county’s spooky stories, and concludes a project launched four years ago to give MA Creative and Critical Writing students the opportunity for their work to be published. 

The project began in 2020 when the first book of tales penned by master’s students, Suffolk Folk, was published.

The book celebrated local folk tales and was followed by Suffolk Arboretum – stories about trees and nature in the county – before the release of Suffolk Reflections about the county’s lakes, rivers and waterways last year.

Suffolk Haunts: Original Stories Inspired by the Landscapes and Legends of Suffolk, was published last month and officially launched at a reception evening at the University’s Waterfront campus on Tuesday evening with staff, students and guests from the community.

The book is the fourth and final volume in the Suffolk Anthology Collection, with a new anthology series set to be launched from next year for future MA students.

The latest volume features the work of 27 contributors, including tales of a friendly ghost in a Lavenham pub, a mystery letter in Bury St Edmunds, a movie star ghost in Stowmarket's Regent Cinema and Suffolk’s most eastern town, Lowestoft, where a woman meets the ghosts of her family in places she thought she had forgotten.

With stunning end pages created by artist Chrissie Nicholls of Inkpot&Pen, and a striking cover design and beautiful illustrated pages, Suffolk Haunts also features a specially designed QR code which links to a map of the stories allowing the reader to connect with the actual places the stories were inspired by.

Roy Haddock, an Ipswich-based student who contributed one of the stories, said: “I am a mature student and at the age of 62 I didn’t think contributing a story to a published anthology was something I would ever see.

“This has given me the opportunity to work with incredibly talented people – not only the lecturers but also the fellow students.”

Each anthology features one of the students as an editor, with Sarah Waterson from Washbrook taking on the role this year.

Sarah, who also contributed one of the stories for Suffolk Haunts, said: “It is lovely to explore an idea I had and write a short piece. I have such deep roots in Suffolk, and I think a lot of people that have contributed stories to the anthology have profound connections that they have celebrated in their stories. The MA is a wonderful course that has changed the way I think and write.”

The MA Creative and Critical Writing course offers students hands-on experience of writing, editing, marketing and publishing. 

Many alumni have gone on to work in the creative industries, study at PhD level and work on novels, while some have secured interest from literary agents, gained places on professional writing mentoring courses and been shortlisted for the Women's Prize Discoveries Award 2024. 

Dr Amanda Hodgkinson, Associate Professor English and Creative Writing at the University of Suffolk, award winning novelist and publisher of the Talking Shop Press which publishes the volumes, said: “Our course offers students the academic and creative support they need alongside professional networks and an exceptional experience of publishing and presenting their work as part of their MA experience. 

“We are so proud to be running a master’s course which attracts and develops the new writers of the future.”

Dr Lindsey Scott, Course Leader for the MA Creative and Critical Writing, said: “Seeing our students apply their imagination to form dramatic and compelling stories around landmarks in our county is a huge pleasure. 

“With each anthology we have been able to celebrate their successes, and we couldn’t be more proud of the hard work and dedication they put into their work.”

Suffolk Haunts is available to buy from Waterstones and independent bookstores in the county, as well as online retailers.

To find out more about the Creative and Critical Writing MA, visit the University website here.