UCF's 21st Century Boy comes of age

Monday, 15 December 2008

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A former MA Professional Writing student at University College Falmouth has landed a contract with a leading international publisher for a non-fiction book based on a project started while on the course.

21st Century Boy charts Gareth May's action-packed quest to discover the meaning of modern manhood, and will be published by Square Peg, an imprint of Random House, in 2009.

The idea came to Gareth when a burst tyre revealed the stark truth that "I was clueless about pretty much every skill that I perceived to be key to coming of age as a modern man." To remedy this situation, he decided to personally tackle all those things that young men need to know but nobody ever bothers to actually tell them - everything from how to get served at a busy bar to how to remove a bra with one hand - and then share his hard-won wisdom with the world via a website, http://www.21st-century-boy.co.uk

The site was soon notching up thousands of hits from people eager to watch videos of Gareth demonstrating the art of intimate waxing or learn the secret of how to impress your girlfriend's parents.

Urged by staff on the Professional Writing course not to let things rest there, Gareth issued a press release about the site. This was picked up by The Independent, who commissioned him to write a feature in August.

Gareth takes up the story: "After the Indy piece I got some radio interviews, was contacted by an agent at MBA and then by the end of that week - within five days of the piece being published - I was on the phone to Rosemary Davidson, editorial director of Square Peg, about the possibility of a book. About a month later I was signed, for rather a decent amount of money."

Gareth's book is in the best possible hands with Davidson, who is not only a rising star of the publishing world but also a bestselling writer herself, having co-authored The Great Big Glorious Book for Girls.

In an email thanking staff on the course for their support, Gareth writes: "Without your persistence and more than generous advice, I'd be nowhere near where I am today."

One of the UK's most dynamic writing courses, the MA in Professional Writing at University College Falmouth has many alumni working across a whole range of media, from magazines to television and online content creation. From January, a new, online version of the course will allow talented writers to combine studying for the MA with work or family commitments.

For further information about MA Professional Writing at University College Falmouth, visit www.falmouth.ac.uk/professionalwriting, email admissions@falmouth.ac.uk or telephone Admissions on 01326 214374.

In April 2008, University College Falmouth merged with Dartington College of Arts to create a new institution focusing on the expansion of Falmouth's expertise in Art, Design and Media and Dartington's expertise in Choreography, Music, Theatre, Art and Writing.

The merger will pave the way for a new specialist Arts University in Cornwall in 2012, creating a Higher Education institution unique to the South West.

University College Falmouth is a founding partner in the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC), a unique initiative to promote regional economic regeneration through Higher Education, funded mainly by the European Union (Objective One), the South West Regional Development Agency, and the Higher Education Funding Council for England, with support from Cornwall County Council.

Ends

For further information about University College Falmouth, please contact Jilly Easterby, Head of Public Affairs, Telephone: 00 44 (0)1326 213792; or email: jilly.easterby@falmouth.ac.uk

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