Nearly Easter News 2025

It's been a while since our last News post, and lots has been happening in the last few months in the Centre for New Writing, so here is an update on student and staff news at Leicester. Congratulations and thanks to everyone who helps make this such a vibrant place to be! You can read our previous News article, from November 2024, here. 

News

Firstly, congratulations to all the MA Creative Writing students and MA Modern and Contemporary Literature and Creative Writing students who graduated in January 2025!

Congratulations to everyone involved in the hugely successful Literary Leicester Festival, 19th to the 22nd March 2025. It was an amazing celebration of literature, with lots of different events and authors. Special congratulations here to all the students involved in this year's Creative Writing Student Showcase, who made it such a brilliant event. Speakers included Sonya Hundal, Anna Walsh, Joe Bedford, Aidan Trulove, Laura Besley, Olivia Peachey, Kimaya Patil, Cate Morris, Shauna Strathmann, Daneil Hibberd, Nina Walker, Aarini Mehta, Sandra Shaji, Dave Clarke. 

There have also been lots of wonderful Centre for New Writing events this term with visiting authors and writing professionals. You can read about this term's guest masterclasses and workshops here. There are still more to come after Easter, including a public masterclass by Kit de Waal on Tuesday 13 May (see details here), a talk by author Sophie Haydock on 30 April (see details here), and the Annual Creative Writing Lecture, this year given by Eimear McBride on 6 May (see details here). 

Everybody's Reviewing, our review blog, has now had over 500,000 readers, and Creative Writing at Leicester has now had 350,000 readers! Thanks to all our authors, editors, students, reviewers, bloggers and readers. If you've not done so already, do have a look at our "Favourite Reads of 2024" round-up on Everybody's Reviewing here.  

Rosalind Adam, MA Creative Writing graduate, has had her poem "Decomissioned" published in Amethyst Review here. 

Kirsten Arcadio has reviewed Android Author by Sapphira Olson on Everybody's Reviewing here. Kirsten has now completed her PhD - congratulations! 

Congratulations to PhD Creative Writing student Laura Besley, who was named as a Top Tier Finalist in the Globe Soup Open Short Story Competition 2024. You can see more details here. She also won Second Prize in the Cranked Anvil Flash Fiction Competition. You can read her prize-winning story, "Perhaps on a Summer's Day," here. Her story "Like a Memory or Maybe Only a Dream" was shortlisted for the Mini Welkin Writing Prize. You can read it here. Laura's story "That meeting point where something is as close as it is far away" was runner-up in the Flash Fiction Festival Online Competition. You can read it here. Laura's story "When We Were Raucous" has been published by The Manchester Review here. 

Congratulations to New Walk Editions, which is co-directed by Nick Everett, and which was shortlisted for this year's Michael Marks Awards for poetry pamphlet publishers!

MA Creative Writing graduate Tracey Foster has reviewed The Path of Peace: Walking the Western Front Way by Anthony Seldon for Everybody's Reviewing here, and Fewer Better Things by Glenn Adamson here. Tracey's haiku was longlisted for the Haiku Foundation's competition on the theme of dreams. You can read her haiku and other longlisted entries here. 

Kim Wiltshire has reviewed The Granite Kingdom by PhD graduate Tim Hannigan on Everybody's Reviewing here. 

Kathy Hoyle, PhD Creative Writing student, has stories published in both the Northern Gravy Children's and Young Readers' Anthology and the Northern Gravy Fiction Anthology. Her story "Cockleshell Girl" has been nominated by South Florida Poetry Journal for Best Small Fiction 2024. Kathy's story "Humbug Shark" is published by Does It Have Pockets? here. Kathy's story "Gallows Pole" has also been nominated for Best Microfiction by New Flash Fiction Review. In March, Kathy chaired a discussion at Sunderland Museum with author Louise Powell about oral history and poetry. You can read more about this discussion here. Kathy has interviewed Louise Powell for Everybody's Reviewing here. 

BA Journalism student Saskia Kabongo undertook work experience on Everybody's Reviewing for a couple of weeks in February. She interviewed authors Lisa Bent and Rasheda Ashanti Malcolm for the site, and reviewed Loveless by Alice Osman here, Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid here, and Me Before You by Jojo Moyes here. Congratulations and thanks to Saskia! 

Congratulations to Amirah Mohiddin, who passed her viva for her PhD in Creative Writing in November. You can read more about Amirah's PhD project on Creative Writing at Leicester here. 

Congratulations to Creative Writing graduate Hannah Mitchell, whose essay "Three" has been published on The Audacity here.

Anna O'Sullivan, MA Modern and Contemporary Literature and Creative Writing graduate, has written about her MA Dissertation in Creative Writing here. 

Congratulations to PhD Creative Writing student Cathi Rae, who passed her viva in December! Congratulations too for the re-publication of her poetry collection, Your Cleaner Hates You, by Coalville C.A.N. You can read more about the collection here. One of the directors of the publisher is MA Creative Writing graduate Constantine. 

Sally Shaw has reviewed Red Runs the Witch's Thread by Victoria Williamson for Everybody's Reviewing here. 

Extracts from Jonathan Taylor's memoir, A Physical Education: On Bullying, Discipline & Other Lessons, have been published on MIT's Press Reader here.  His article "Ten Things I Wish I'd Known About Bullying" is in the Morning Star here. His article for the charity Kidscape, "Bullying Is ...", is published here. 

PhD Creative Writing student Jane Simmons has four poems featured in the new anthology Lincolnshire Folk Tales Reimagined, ed. Anne Milon and Rory Waterman (Five Leaves, 2025).

PhD student Nina Walker has written about Amateur Hour's second zine and her experience of workshopping with this group of graduates and students on Creative Writing at Leicester here.  

Anna Walsh, MA Creative Writing student, has written about the regular Leicester event "Rough Draft" on Creative Writing at Leicester here. 

Congratulations to Harry Whitehead, whose novel White Road will be published by Claret Press in September 2025! You can read more about it here. On the 22nd April 2025, Harry will be reading from his novel and talking to Kevan Manwaring as part of the "Writing the Earth" online event hosted by Bournemouth Arts University. You can sign up for this free event here. 

PhD Creative Writing student Lee Wright has reviewed Father's Father's Father by Dane Holt on Everybody's Reviewing here, The Viaduct by David Wheldon here, and Two Sisters by Blake Morrison here. His personal essay, "Old Oslo," is published by Cigarette Fire Literary Magazine here. 

November News 2024

We're now well into the second half of the Autumn term, and heading at full speed in the direction of Christmas, so it feels like a good time to share news from students and staff in the Centre for New Writing at the University of Leicester. Lots has been happening, as you can see below, since our last news round-up which you can read here. 

Student and Staff News

Firstly, if you haven't done so already, do have a look at the guest readings and masterclasses we're hosting this Autumn. All of them are free to attend and are open to everyone - staff, students and public alike. You can see the full list here. 

The dates for this academic year's Literary Leicester Festival have now been revealed: this year's amazing festival will take place 19-22 March 2025. All events are free and open to everyone. 

As many of you will know by now, THREE of our current PhD Creative Writing students were successful in this year's prestigious Bridport Prize. Joe Bedford won first prize for the Bridport Short Story Prize 2024. Jane Simmons was shortlisted for the Bridport Poetry Prize 2024, and Laura Besley was shortlisted for the Bridport Flash Fiction Prize 2024. This is an amazing achievement, and congratulations to them all! You can see the full results here. 

Congratulations to PhD Creative Writing student Kirsten Arcadio who passed her viva in October. You can read more about Kirsten's PhD on Creative Writing at Leicester here. 

Elizabeth Chell, MA Creative Writing graduate, has reviewed two new poetry pamphlets by Cathi Rae, PhD Creative Writing student, on Everybody's Reviewing here. 

The Mad Road by Laurie Cusack, PhD Creative graduate, has been favourably reviewed in The Morning Star. You can read the review here. Laurie originally drafted the short stories in The Mad Road as part of his PhD. 

New Walk Editions, which is co-edited by Nick Everett, has published two new pamphlets: Polly Walshe’s Silver Fold and Graeme Richardson’s Last of the Coalmine Choirboys. You can see more details on New Walk Editions' website here; and you can register here for the free online launch reading by both poets at 7pm on Wednesday 27 November.

Tracey Foster, MA Creative Writing graduate, has reviewed The Gallows Pole by Benjamin Myers for Everybody's Reviewing here, and The Mirror and the Palette: Rebellion, Revolution and Resilience by Jennifer Higgie here. 

Congratulations to PhD Creative Writing student Kathy Hoyle whose story "Cockleshell Girl" has been nominated for Best of the Net 2025 by South Florida Poetry Journal. You can read the story here. 

One of the key remits of the Centre for New Writing is an interest in interdisciplinary approaches. Felicity James is currently working both for the Centre for New Writing and the Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare to investigate how reading and writing can encourage and maintain empathy. Her role is to help embed Creative Writing and reading literature in the medical curriculum at Leicester. With Marianne Scahill-Pape from Attenborough Arts, she ran a special subject for fifth-year medical students in 2024, featuring art, Creative Writing, and Romantic, Victorian and contemporary literature. Their report on the course, "Creative Approaches to Empathic Healthcare: The Polyphony," has now been published, and you can read it here. 

Welcome to Maisie Ridgway, who has recently joined us as a Leverhulme post-doctoral research fellow. Her project is entitled "Coal Ecologies: Inscription, Inheritance and the Anthropocene."

Congratulations to MA Creative Writing graduate Karen Rust, who is now Festival Curator of the Oundle Festival of Literature. 

Sally Shaw, MA Creative Writing graduate, has reviewed Ghost Town by Jeff Young for Everybody's Reviewing here. 

Jonathan Taylor's memoir, A Physical Education: On Bullying, Discipline & Other Lessons, was published by Goldsmiths Press in September. You can read more about it on Creative Writing at Leicester here. Jonathan has also recently published related articles about bullying in The Times Higher here and The Morning Star here. Sally Shaw, MA Creative Writing graduate, has reviewed Jonathan's book for Everybody's Reviewing here. Jonathan will be reading from and talking about his memoir, along with author James Scudamore, at Five Leaves Bookshop Nottingham, on the evening of Monday 25 November from 7pm. Everyone is welcome. You can see more details about this event and book a place here. Jonathan also interviewed poet Louise Peterkin for Everybody's Reviewing here. 

Congratulations to Harry Whitehead, whose novel White Road has been contracted to publish in September 2025 in print by Claret Press and audiobook by WF Howe. 

 

Summer News 2024

It's been a busy Summer, with lots of good news building up since our last News post (which you can read here). So it feels like a good time to share some of the great things students and staff have been doing in the Centre for New Writing at Leicester. 

Creative Writing News, August 2024

Firstly, congratulations to all the final-year BA students who took Creative Writing either at programme or modular level, and who graduated this July! Many of the current MA Creative Writing students and MA Modern and Contemporary Literature and Creative Writing students are now approaching the end of their course, so good luck to them as they complete their dissertations.

Congratulations to second-year English with Creative Writing student Grace Klemperer, who won both this year's John Coleman Prize (for best undergraduate non-poetry submission) and G. S. Fraser Prize (for best undergraduate poetry submission). And congratulations too to Shauna Strathmann and Sara Waheed, who received Honourable Mentions in the G. S. Fraser Prize. 

In early May, we published all five of the winning of entries of the "Nature, the Environment and Sustainability Competition," which the Centre for New Writing ran earlier this year in conjunction with the Centre for Environmental Health and Sustainability, and was judged by celebrated author Mark Cocker. You can now read the winning stories on Creative Writing at Leicester by Carol Rowntree Jones, Sam Dawson, Alice Newitt, Lee Wright, and Sophie Sparham.

Congratulations to Laura Besley and Tina Jay, both of whom have been awarded Midlands4Cities AHRC Funding to undertake PhDs in Creative Writing at the University of Leicester. Congratulations to Maisie Ridgway, who has been awarded a Leverhulme Early Career Trust Fellowship for post-doctoral research in Creative Writing. 

Everybody's Reviewing, our book review sister site, has now had well over 400,000 readers. Congratulations and thanks to all concerned: our reviewers, interviewers, interviewees, editors and readers. Creative Writing at Leicester has had over 250,000 readers. Again, thanks to all our contributors, editors and readers. 

Student and Staff News, August 2024

Congratulations to MA Creative Writing graduate Jess Bacon, whose moving article about her father's illness was recently published in The Metro here. 

PhD Creative Writing student Joe Bedford has reviewed Hope Never Knew Horizon by Douglas Bruton for Everybody's Reviewing here, and The Son of Man by Jean-Baptiste Del Amo here. 

Congratulations to Laura Besley, MA Creative Writing graduate, whose story "The Pros and Cons of Conditioning" is published by Northern Gravy here. Laura's story "Oh, So Brightly" was shortlisted for the A4 Scratch Books Competition. You can read it here. 

Congratulations to Constantine, MA Creative Writing graduate, whose new novel Alien Boy was recently published. You can read more about the novel, and an excerpt from it, on Creative Writing at Leicester here. Constantine has also reviewed Legion of Lost Letters by Debasish Lahiri for Everybody's Reviewing here. 

MA Creative Writing graduate Lauren Foster has reviewed A Marginal Sea by Zoë Skoulding for Everybody's Reviewing here. 

Congratulations to MA Creative Writing graduate Tracey Foster, whose haiku was longlisted for the Haiku Foundation's "Magnificent Trees" Competition. You can read her entry here. Tracey also had three poems featured in Rhythm Zine, which was on exhibition in the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham in late May. Tracey has written a review of All Sorts of Lives by Claire Harman for Everybody's Reviewing here, a review of Wanderers by Kerri Andrews here, a review of Unravel Exhibition at the Barbican here, a review of Shadowlands by Matthew Green here, and a review of The Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd here. 

Beth Gaylard, PhD Creative Writing student, has written a review of God's Country by Kerry Hadley-Pryce for Everybody's Reviewing here. 

The Granite Kingdom by PhD Creative Writing graduate Tim Hannigan has now been published as a paperback. You can read more about this brilliant book on the publisher's website here. Tim's essay, "The Machinery of a Hare," was also recently published on The Clearing by Little Toller Books here. 

Congratulations to MA Creative Writing graduate Millie Henson, whose second play, Where You Go, was staged in the Etcetera Theatre in Camden. You can see more details here. 

PhD Creative Writing student Kathy Hoyle has had her story "Dreki" published by Roi Fainéant Literary Press. You can read it here. Her story "Gallows Pole" is in New Flash Fiction Review here. As part of Writer's HQ "Writing as Resistance Festival," she will be running a workshop on "Discovering Dialect" on Monday 16 September at 7pm. You can see details and book here. In Autumn, Kathy will be interviewed by Jen Bowden for her Northern Voices podcast, which you can find here. 

Congratulations to Felicity James, Associate Professor at the University of Leicester, whose story "Llewellyn, Last King of Wales: his role in the divorce" won first prize in the Westword Micro Fiction Competition! You can read it here.  

Sabyn Javeri, PhD Creative Writing graduate, has been invited to be one of this year's Writers in Residence for the University of Iowa's International Writing Program (IWP). The IWP is the "oldest and largest multinational writing residency in the world." You can read about the residency and Sabyn's work here. 

Congratulations to MA Creative Writing graduate Tionee Joseph whose work was featured at the International Working Class Story Festival, at Upstairs at the Western and online. 

Karen Powell-Curtis, PhD Creative Writing graduate, has had her poem "Mary Wilson" published in Allegro Poetry Magazine here. 

Congratulations to PhD Creative Writing student Cathi Rae, who has recently published two new poetry pamphlets, Just This Side of Seaworthy and Other Poems and Rock, Paper, Scissors and Other Poems. You can read more about them on Creative Writing at Leicester here. 

Congratulations to MA Creative Writing graduate Sally Shaw, whose story "A Blackbird, Bobble Hat and an Answer" has been published by Roi Fainéant Literary Press here. Sally Shaw has also written a review of Ghost Town: A Liverpool Shadowplay by Jeff Young for Everybody's Reviewing here, and a review of The Dark Within Them by Isabelle Kenyon here. 

In June, Jane Simmons, PhD Creative Writing student, gave a poetry reading at an online event with Imtiaz Dharker (who has previously been featured on this site here) run by the Wordsworth Trust in Grasmere. Jane has also reviewed The Strongbox by Sasha Dugdale for Everybody's Reviewing here. 

Megan Stafford-Adatia, BA English with Creative Writing student, has written a review of Maxine Hong Kingston's The Woman Warrior for Everybody's Reviewing here. 

Associate Professor Jonathan Taylor's new memoir, A Physical Education: On Bullying, Discipline and Other Lessons, will be published by Goldsmiths Press in September. You can read more about it on the publisher's website here. 

Rory Waterman, who gained his PhD at the University of Leicester and is now Associate Professor at Nottingham Trent University, has published his fourth poetry collection with Carcanet, Come Here to this Gate. You can read about it on Creative Writing at Leicester here. 

Harry Whitehead, Associate Professor at the University of Leicester, has written a review of Merchant by Alexandra Grunberg for Everybody's Reviewing here. 

Lee Wright, PhD Creative Writing student, has written a review of Our Island Stories by Corinne Fowler, Professor at the University of Leicester, for Everybody's Reviewing here. He has also reviewed The Observable Universe by Heather McCalden for Everybody's Reviewing here. 

Summer News 2023

Lots has been happening in the Centre for New Writing at the University of Leicester since our last News post (which you can read here), so we thought it was time for an update ...

Firstly, our well-known review site, Everybody's Reviewing, has recently passed 250,000 readers! Thank you to everyone involved over the years: our reviewers, interviewers, interviewees, readers and editors. We've also recently redesigned the site, and now have an Instagram account too (@everybodyreview). Creative Writing at Leicester has a new Twitter account: @cwaleicester.

Congratulations to MA Creative Writing graduate Rosalind Adam, whose poem "Market Square" has been published by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review here. 

Congratulations to PhD Creative Writing student Joe Bedford, whose story "Maria" won third prize in the Evening Standard's Stories Competition 2023. You can read Joe's story here. And not only that: Joe's story "The Christening" was shortlisted for the prestigious ALCS-Tom Gallon Trust Prize, run by the Society of Authors. You can see the shortlist here. Joe has also written an article for Everybody's Reviewing: "A Book That Changed Me: Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh," which you can read here. 

Congratulations to MA Creative Writing student Laura Besley, whose story "Safe" was shortlisted for the Free Flash Fiction Competition. You can read Laura's story here. Laura's story "More Than Sleep" has also been published by 50-Word Stories. You can read it here.

Louise Brown, MA Creative Writing graduate, has reviewed Eastmouth and Other Stories by Alison Moore on Everybody's Reviewing here. 

Tracey Foster, MA Creative Writing graduate, has written a review for Everybody's Reviewing, "Punk: Rage and Revolution," which you can read here. She has also started a new writing blog called Small Sublime, which you can see here. 

Beth Gaylard, PhD Creative Writing student, is editor of Frontier, University of Leicester's journal for PGR students. You can read the current issue here, which also includes an essay by Joe Bedford, "‘Giving Succour’ to Fascism? Nationalism, Indigeneity and Conspiracy in the work of Paul Kingsnorth."

Congratulations to PhD Creative Writing student Kathy Hoyle, whose novella-in-flash, Chasing the Dragon, has been published by Alien Buddha Press. Kathy launched the book at a brilliant online event co-hosted by Writers' HQ on Thursday 6th July. You can watch a recording of the launch event on Youtube here. You can read more about Chasing the Dragon on Creative Writing at Leicester here. Kathy has also interviewed author Lisa Blower for Everybody's Reviewing here. 

Congratulations to undergraduate Creative Writing students Joseph Joyce, Mariam Lulat, and Emily Wood, who are joint winners of this year's John Coleman Creative Writing Prize for undergraduate prose submissions. 

Congratulations to PhD Creative Writing graduate Hannah Stevens, whose book of stories, In Their Absence, has been translated into Bulgarian by Ana Pipeva, as Когато ги няма. It's published by Altera and is available from Helikon books.

Congratulations to Shauna Strathman, BA English with Creative Writing student, who is winner of this year's G. S. Fraser Poetry Prize. 

Jonathan Taylor, Associate Professor of Creative Writing, has published his new book of short stories, Scablands and Other Stories. You can read a complete story from the collection on Creative Writing at Leicester here. 

Paul Taylor-McCartney, PhD Creative Writing graduate, has written a review of Connective Tissue by Jane Fraser, which you can read on Everybody's Reviewing here. 

Harry Whitehead, Associate Professor of Creative Writing, has published a piece of creative non-fiction in Hinterland Magazine, called "On Dead Chickens." 

Lisa Williams, MA Creative Writing graduate, has published her story "Swipe and Pay on the Last Bus of the Day" on Friday Flash Fiction here. She has reviewed The Last Dance by Mark Billingham on Everybody's Reviewing here. Lisa will be featured on Leicester Community Radio every Thursday, reading her 100-word stories. 

Christmas News 2022

It's been a busy term, and before we break up for the holidays, we'd like to share some of the recent news from students and staff at the University of Leicester.

 

Third-year Journalism with Creative Writing student Ayan Artan continues to publish non-fiction articles. You can read two recent articles by Ayan here and here. 

MA Creative Writing graduate Jess Bacon continues to write and publish numerous articles for magazines and newspapers, including an article on Matilda the Musical, storytelling and trauma for the Metro, which you can read here. 

Congratulations to MA Creative Writing student Laura Besley, whose story "No Matter What" has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize by Sunlight Press. You can see more details here. Laura's micro-fiction, "At the fairground," was recently published by Paragraph Planet, and Laura's story, "A Closed Book," was published by 101 Words here. 

Congratulations to PhD Creative Writing student Andrew Craven-Griffiths, who recently passed his PhD viva. 

Congratulations to Kit de Waal, whose memoir Without Warning and Only Sometimes was recently named by The Guardian as one of their "Best Memoirs and Biographies of 2022." More details here. 

November saw the publication of the two latest New Walk Editions pamphlets of poetry, co-edited by Nick Everett in the Centre for New Writing: Rebecca Farmer’s A Separate Appointment and William Thompson’s After Clare. See here for further details - and to order copies!

MA Creative Writing graduate Tracey Foster has reviewed Modern Nature by Derek Jarman for Everybody's Reviewing here. 

MA Creative Writing graduate Thilsana Gias has reviewed The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly by Sun-Mi Hwang for Everybody's Reviewing here. 

Undergraduate English with Creative Writing student Jess Hollis recently performed her poetry at Word! in Leicester. 

Congratulations to PhD Creative Writing student Kathy Hoyle, winner of the prestigious Bath Flash Fiction Award. You can read her winning story, "The Metamorphosis of Evaline Jackson" here.

Felicity James's essay on Elizabeth Gaskell, "String Is My Foible," has been published by Slightly Foxed Quarterly. 

Congratulations to Karen Powell, who recently passed her PhD in Creative Writing. Her thesis was entitled Bloodlines: Exploring Family History in Poetry. 

Congratulations to English with Creative Writing student Georgia Sanderson, winner of the inaugural Belvoir Prize for Poetry. 

PhD Creative Writing student Jane Simmons has reviewed Standing Up with Blake by Philip Dunn on Everybody's Reviewing here and Kathryn Simmonds's Scenes from Life on Earth here. 

Congratulations to second-year English with Creative Writing student Shauna Strathmann, winner of this year's G. S. Fraser Prize. You can read two of her winning poems here. 

Jonathan Taylor's book of short stories, Scablands and Other Stories, will be published by Salt Publishing later in 2023. 

Congratulations to second-year English with Creative Writing student Sara Waheed, winner of this year's John Coleman Prize. You can read her winning story here. 

Harry Whitehead's groundbreaking research project, Creative Climates: Creatively Communicating the Climate and Biosphere Emergency, which links artists and writers with climate change researchers to create new art, received developmental funding from Leicester Institute of Advanced Studies (LIAS). 

MA Creative Writing graduate Lisa Williams's seasonal story, "I Believe," has been published by Friday Flash Fiction here. Her story "The Split" has also been published by Friday Flash Fiction here. 

Wishing everyone a happy Christmas and New Year from Creative Writing and the Centre for New Writing at the University of Leicester!

Good News for the Start of the Autumn Term

Since our Summer News post in July, which you can read here, a lot has happened, so I thought I'd update you on some recent student and graduate successes. It's great to be able to usher in the new academic year with some good news!

Firstly, a remarkable double success: not just one, but two of our graduates, Figen Gungor and Hannah Stevens, were shortlisted for this W&A Working-Class Writers' Prize. Figen was subsequently named as a runner-up. Figen is a graduate of English with Creative Writing at the University of Leicester, and Hannah a PhD Creative Writing graduate. Congratulations to both of them!

Congratulations to PhD Creative Writing student Joe Bedford, who recently won the national Leicester Writes Short Story Prize 2022 with his story "On Tuesdays I Clean the House." You can see details here. Incidentally, Joe is the second PhD Creative Writing from Leicester to have won the competition in recent years. In 2020, now-PhD graduate Dan Powell won the competition - see here. 

Congratulations to Paul Taylor-McCartney, who not only recently finished his PhD in Creative Writing, but has now published his debut children's novel, Sisters of the Pentacle. You can read more about it here. 

Congratulations to PhD alumna Anita Sivakumaran whose new novel, Black Rain - set mostly in Leicester - will be published by Little Brown in November 2022. You can read about her earlier novel, Cold Sun, on Creative Writing at Leicester here. 

Congratulations to MA Creative Writing graduate Lisa Williams, who has had two 100-word short stories, "Missing Dad" and "Gambling Lives," published by Friday Flash Fiction here and here. 

Congratulations to MA Creative Writing graduate Sally Shaw, whose story "A Deckchair on Southport Beach" has been published by Ink Pantry here. 

Congratulations again to PhD Creative Writing graduate Hannah Stevens, whose story "Something You Can Feel in Your Teeth" is published by Porridge Magazine here. 

Congratulations to MA Creative Writing graduate, and soon-to-be PhD Creative Writing student Kathy Hoyle, on the publication of her short story "Shh, Bairn" in The Forge Literary Magazine here. 

Congratulations to Sara Waheed, winner of this year's John Coleman Prize, for highest mark in an undergraduate Creative Writing assignment, and Shauna Strathmann, for winning this year's G S Fraser Poetry Prize. 

Everybody's Reviewing, in conjunction with the Centre for New Writing, is currently running a series of author interviews, in which PhD Creative Writing students interview well-known authors about their research and writing process. The first three interviews in the series are now published on Everybody's Reviewing. You can read PhD Creative Writing student Joe Bedford's interview with Melissa Harrison here, Mathew Lopez-Bland's interview with Susan Napier here, and Rob Reeves's interview with Kevin Fegan here. Congratulations and thanks to everyone involved! It's shaping up to be a really great series. 

And finally congratulations to Alex Lee, Danny Stringer and Miriam Waters, who wrote the the winning, runner-up and highly commended "Mrs. Edna Welthorpe" letters for this year's Joe Orton Creative Writing Competition, run by the University of Leicester. You can see details here. 

Best wishes to everyone for the new academic year!