In this edition of UofG Community, we speak to Dr Colin Herd, Lecturer in Creative Writing in the School of Critical Studies. At the SRC Student Teaching Awards held in March 2023, Colin won “Outstanding Contribution to Teaching” for his support to the cohort of Creative Writing students when the department dealt with a prolonged period of staff illness and other disruptions.
Colin’s main passion in writing is poetry and before joining UofG had already published several works. After completing his PHD at the University of Edinburgh, Colin left his job as a copywriter to apply for lecturer in Creative Writing. Encouraged to apply by colleagues who commended the poetry workshops that Colin had facilitated in the School, Colin was successful and joined the department in 2015.
Initially nervous about teaching as a poet with less experience of writing in other genres, Colin quickly realised that teaching was not what he had anticipated: “As soon as I started teaching, I understood that teaching was not about imparting knowledge and expertise, but rather collaborating with the students to understand what about their writing is exciting, interesting and unique and how to help them emphasise these qualities.”
“The most valuable method of teaching I have found is to work closely with students and help them to appreciate what is working and how it can be strengthened. Often what a student assumes is a weakness can transform into a strength when they shift their perspective.”
Colin’s support throughout a period of disruption in the department early last year was a major factor in his nomination, though students were keen to recognise Colin’s overall contribution to their UofG experience.
In nominating Colin, one student in the department said: “Dr Colin is an incredible teacher not just because of his innovative and exciting methods to engage students in class, but also because of his kindness and how he is always ready to help anyone he can. He creates a rich educational and learning environment wherever he goes. Dr Colin was born to be a teacher and I along with many of my fellow classmates believe he should be recognised and awarded for his teaching methods and his kind and helpful personality.”
To be directly awarded by the students was special though Colin insists that the award is testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone in Creative Writing, including the students themselves.
“We are particularly lucky in creative writing to year-on-year have such talented, engaged students with a passion for writing. I am always amazed by the quality of the work and to see students continuously go on to do incredible things. I have read numerous works by students, current and former, that I could never hope to write.”
As with all unexpected award winners, Colin did not prepare a speech for the night, instead improvising by reading a poem originally written as a thank you to his students. “Of course, I didn’t think I would win. But when I arrived and saw that everyone else had written remarks or speeches, I realised I needed something just in case.”
“I had actually written a poem to my students in the days prior, thanking them for their efforts as part of the class. I ended up reading it off my phone and it worked perfectly as a speech on the night, though it ended up a little long!”
Outside of poetry, Colin is passionate about physical fitness, primarily long-distance running and Thai boxing, both of which he discovered during lockdown. He admits he is a bit obsessed with training and with setting tough, unique challenges for himself. Over the coming year this includes 40 training influenced targets, such as running from Glasgow to London and from Tokyo to Kyoto, to mark his 40th birthday.