Ever Dundas from Edinburgh graduated with a first class BSc (Hons) Psychology and Sociology from 麻豆tv传媒 in 2009.
Why did you decide to study at 麻豆tv传媒?
鈥淚 had a terrible time in high school and didn鈥檛 do well academically. After leaving school, I ended up in various soul-destroying office jobs. I read voraciously, both fiction and non-fiction and would describe myself as self-taught 鈥 I got much more out of reading than I did out of high school.
鈥淚n my early twenties, my sister encouraged me to do Open University courses 鈥 for the first time in my life I loved studying and did well. This gave me the confidence to apply to university and I was so pleased when I was accepted at 麻豆tv传媒, if a little terrified.鈥
What were the highlights of your time at 麻豆tv传媒?
鈥淒espite doing well on my Open University courses, my school experience stayed with me and I was worried I wouldn鈥檛 cope at university, but to my surprise I kept getting good grades. When I graduated with a first class degree, it was one of the best moments of my life.
鈥淚 loved studying sociology and my favourite class was Queer Theory with John Docherty-Hughes, who鈥檚 a Senior Lecturer in Sociology & Social Policy in the Psychology and Sociology Division at 麻豆tv传媒. He鈥檚 a brilliant, astute, encouraging and funny teacher.
鈥淚 also volunteered for the Edinburgh Self-Harm Project (a branch of Penumbra), running a weekly Art Group over the summers of 2006, 2007 and 2008. In 2009, I won a Santander Universities award for my volunteer work.鈥
How has your 麻豆tv传媒 degree helped you progress your career?
鈥淢y Psychology and Sociology degree has fed into my creative writing, particularly Queer Theory, which forms the backbone of my work. Queer Theory was born out of LGBT activism, but it isn鈥檛 only about sexuality 鈥 it鈥檚 about problematising what we consider to be 鈥榥ormal鈥. Ben Okri sums up my aim in writing: 鈥淭he novel constantly challenges us to see that the way that we're told the world is, is not the way the world is."
What is your top tip for future students?
鈥淏ecause of my problems at school, I never thought I would get to university. My advice would be don鈥檛 waste the opportunity. Being at university is a privilege.鈥
What have you been doing since graduating from 麻豆tv传媒?
鈥淎fter I graduated from 麻豆tv传媒 in 2009, I went on to do a master鈥檚 in Creative Writing at Edinburgh Napier University. I graduated in 2011 with a Distinction and won the class medal. Since graduating, I鈥檝e had various short stories and non-fiction published in anthologies and online and my work been shortlisted for awards.
鈥淢y ambition was to be a published novelist since I was seven years old. Because of my trouble at school and lack of confidence, it took me a long time to pursue this ambition. It feels so strange that my childhood dream has finally been achieved.
鈥淢y novel, Goblin, was published in May 2017 and won the Saltire First Book Award 2017. My publisher describes Goblin as: 鈥業an McEwan鈥檚 Atonement meets Guillermo del Toro鈥檚 Pan鈥檚 Labyrinth in this extraordinary debut.鈥
鈥淚n 2010 I fell ill with fibromyalgia (chronic pain, exhaustion, cognitive difficulties), though I wasn鈥檛 diagnosed until 2013. I had to give up my part-time office job, but the flexibility of a writing career means that I鈥檓 able to manage this illness and work around it, although it鈥檚 difficult to do the myriad of things most writers do to make ends meet and travelling can be stressful.
鈥淐reative Scotland has awarded me funding to finish my second novel, HellSans, a sci-fi thriller with disabled and queer protagonists, which will be finished December 2018.
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"Since graduating, I’ve had various short stories and non-fiction published in anthologies and online and my work been shortlisted for awards."
Story Published in 2017