Diana Finch (Chile) Class of 2011

I had the privilege and pleasure of attending the SUISS 2011 Modernism and Creative Writing courses, after which an extract of my short story Fire was published in that year’s edition of Northern Lights. On my return to Chile, the British school in Santiago where I had taught for many years, commissioned me to write the school history.

The book, The Story of Craighouse School, was finally published by the school and launched in December 2012. As I needed somebody to edit the English version (the book is bilingual English-Spanish), I asked my SUISS tutor, Jane Alexander to recommend someone and was delighted when she agreed to edit the book herself. Although it is a work of non-fiction, it is told as a story, with the founding family as main protagonists against a background of 54 years of social and political upheaval in Chile.

I have worked as a teacher and translator all my life, and would never have undertaken this work if it hadn’t been for the skills learnt on the Creative Writing course and the self-confidence gained as a result. So this is to send a big thank you to my 2011 course mates, SUISS staff and specially to Jane herself and to wish you all every success for the future.