The International Institute of Modern Letters (IIML) hosts Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington's Creative Writing programme, offering both undergraduate and postgraduate courses. We are part of the Wellington Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University.
Application deadlines
We have specific application deadlines for undergraduate workshops in each trimester, and for our MA and PhD programmes.
Hear from our MA graduates
First-hand accounts of the MA Creative Writing year from former page and scriptwriting students.
Undergraduate courses
Discover your individual voice and develop your imaginative capacity within a lively community of writers.
Master of Arts in Creative Writing
Join the Creative Writing programme with a national and international reputation for developing many of New Zealand's best writers.
PhD in Creative Writing
Our PhD programme is designed for those who wish to write creatively and think in focussed and original ways about the critical contexts of their writing.
Damien Wilkins—IIML Director
Damien's new novel, Delirious, was published by Te Herenga Waka University Press in October 2024.
Sue Orr—Teaching Fellow
Award-winning short-story writer and novelist Sue Orr will convene one of our MA Writing for the Page workshops in 2025.
Joseph Trinidad—MA graduate
‘When I trusted the process and really listened…I learned more about the voice simmering in my subconscious and what it could do.’