Two recent graduates of the UEA MA in Creative Writing (Prose Fiction) have been included on the longlist for this year’s Desmond Elliott Prize for first novels. Both began their novels while studying at UEA. Paula Cocozza is nominated for How to Be Human (Hutchinson) and Imogen Hermes Gowar for The Mermaid And Mrs Hancock (Harvill Secker). Paula (pictured) is a feature writer for the Guardian and graduated from the MA in 2015, when she was the recipient of the David Higham Award. Imogen gained a BA in Archaeology, Anthropology and Art History from UEA in 2012, and graduated from the MA in 2014, when she was the recipient of the Malcolm Bradbury Memorial Scholarship. Her novel was shortlisted for the MsLexia First Novel Competition and the inaugural Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers’ Award, as well as being longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. The Desmond Elliott Prize is worth £10,000 to the winner and was previously won by UEA graduates Anjali Joseph in 2011 and Edward Hogan in 2009. This year’s shortlist will be announced on 27 April and the winner on 20 June.
Paula Cocozza and Imogen Hermes Gowar longlisted for Desmond Elliott Prize
