A sunny summer round-up of UEA Creative Writing alumni achievements in the first half of 2023
DEBUTS
Yan Ge (MFA 2020) published her debut collection of short stories in English.
Jo Leevers (BA 1985), Jack Byrne (BA 2003), Buku Sarkar (MA 2011), Alice Slater (MA 2011), Anna Metcalfe (MA 2012; PhD 2016), Jyoti Patel (BA 2014; MA 2021), Megan Davis (MA 2017), Stephen Buoro (MA 2018; current PhD), Natalie Marlow (MA 2018), Grace Curtis (BA 2019), Bridget Walsh (MA 2019) and Rajasree Variyar (2020) published their debut novels.
Julia Bell (MA 1996) published her debut collection of poetry.
Jo Leevers (BA 1985) and Eliza Robertson (MA 2012; PhD 2016) published debut books of non-fiction. Ike Anya (MA 2017) published his debut memoir.
NEW WORKS
Deborah Davis (MA 2012) scripted Marie Antoinette, an eight-part TV series for BBC2.
Josephone Corcoran (MA 1997) and Rebecca Goss (PhD 2019) published new collections of poetry. Charlie Baylis (MA 2019) published a new pamphlet of poetry. Jen Calleja (current PhD) published a new book-length poem and a novel in verse.
Mark A. Radcliffe (MA 1994), Fflur Dafydd (MA 2000), Paul Murray (2001), Diana Evans (MA 2003), Ann Morgan (MA 2004), Kim Sherwood (BA 2011; MA 2014), Catriona Ward (MA 2011), Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ (MA 2014), Cathleen Davies (BA 2016; current PhD), Kate Simants (MA 2017), Trevor Wood (MA 2017), Antony Dunford (MA 2019), Rowan Hisayo Buchanan (PhD 2019) and Mandy Byatt (MA 2022) published new novels.
Sara Barnard (BA 2010) published a new novel for children.
Toby Litt (MA 1995) published a new work of autofiction. Cherry Smyth (MA 2000) published a new book of poetry and prose (with Craig Jordan-Baker)
Annabel Street (aka Annabel Abbs) (BA 1987) and Jennifer Wong (MA 2009) published new works of non-fiction. Deepa Anappara (MA 2017; current PhD) and Taymour Soomro (MA 2016; PhD 2021) co-edited a collection of essays. Rowan Hisayo Buchanan (PhD 2019) co-edited a collection of essays.
AWARD WINNERS (BOOKS, PRODUCTIONS):
Lynne Bryan (MA 1985) won the Biography & Memoir category of the East Anglian Book Awards and the overall East Anglian Book of the Year Award. Tom Benn (BA 2009; MA 2010) won the Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Young Writer of the Year Award. Catriona Ward (MA 2011) won the International Thriller Writers (Best Hardcover Novel) Award. Mitch Johnson (BA 2014) won the Mal Peet Children’s Award at the East Anglian Book Awards. Malachi McIntosh (MA 2015) was awarded a Royal Society of Literature (RSL) Giles St Aubyn Award for Non-Fiction. Ayanna Lloyd Banwo (MA 2018; current PhD) won the Fiction category of the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature and the overall OCM Bocas Prize and was the winner of the Authors’ Club First Novel Award. Daniel Wiles (MA 2020) won a Society of Authors / Betty Trask Award and was shortlisted for the overall Betty Trask Prize. Linda Temienor-Vincent (MA 2022) won the Adventures in Fiction Spotlight First Novel Award.
AWARD NOMINATIONS (BOOKS, PRODUCTIONS):
Diana Evans (MA 2003) was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction. Anjali Joseph (MA 2008; PhD 2014) was shortlisted for the Society of Authors / Gordon Bowker Volcano Prize. Tom Benn (BA 2009; MA 2010) was longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger Award. Priscilla Morris (MA 2009; PhD 2013) was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, the Royal Society of Literature (RSL) Ondaatje Prize, the Authors’ Club First Novel Award, and the Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation Best Published Novel Award; Natasha Pulley (MA 2012) and Emma Styles (MA 2020) were also shortlisted for the Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation Best Published Novel Award. Catriona Ward (MA 2011) was shortlisted for the Locus Best Horror Novel Award. Taymour Soomro (MA 2016; PhD 2012) was shortlisted for the Society of Authors’ McKitterick Prize. Neon Yang (MA 2016) was shortlisted for Locus Best First Novel Award. Ayanna Lloyd Banwo (MA 2018; current PhD) was shortlisted for the Jhalak Prize, the Kitschies Award, and the Society of Authors’ McKitterick Prize, and was longlisted for the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award; Tom Watson (MA 2017) was also longlisted for the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award. Sussie Anie (MA 2019) and Emma Styles (MA 2020) were longlisted for Authors’ Club First Novel Award, and Emma was also shortlisted for the CWA/ILP John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger Award. Vijay Khurana (MFA 2019) was shortlisted for the Fitzcarraldo Novel Prize. Delwar Hussain (MA 2020) was longlisted for the the Felicity Bryan Associates New Voices competition. Lillie Lainoff (MA 2021) was shortlisted for the ReadsRainbow Best Young Adult Historical Fiction Award. Louise Tucker (MA 2022) was shortlisted for Penguin Michael Joseph Undiscovered Writers’ Prize in the Crime and Thriller category.
AWARD WINNERS (COMPETITIONS):
Olivia Tuck (MA 2022) won second prize in the Jane Martin Poetry Prize. Naoise Gale (current MA) won the Ledbury Poetry Competition.
AWARD NOMINATIONS (COMPETITIONS):
Toby Litt (MA 1995) and Stephanie Y Tam (MFA 2020) were longlisted for the Royal Society of Literature V.S. Pritchett Short Story Prize. Kathryn Simmonds (MA 2002) was shortlisted for the Comedy Women In Print Short Story Prize; Louise Mangos (MA 2019) was longlisted. Naomi Wood (MA 2008; PhD 2013) and PJ Johnson (BA 2021; MA 2022) were longlisted for the Galley Beggar Short Story Prize. Laura Cooper (MA 2022) was longlisted for the Fish Publishing Short Story Prize. Sabina Dosani (PhD 2022) was shortlisted for the Lancet Wakley Prize. Freya Bantiff (current MA) came third in the National Poetry Competition.
BOOK DEALS:
Kate Weinberg (MA 2000) sold her second novel to Bloomsbury (UK) and Putnam (US). Christie Watson (MA 2008) signed a three-book deal with Weidenfeld & Nicolson. Naomi Wood (MA 2008; PhD 2013) sold her debut collection of short stories to Phoenix. Sarah Marsh (MA 2009) sold her debut novel to Tinder Press (UK) and Harper Collins (US). Thomas Morris (MA 2013) sold a collection of stories to Faber & Faber. Ferdia Lennon (MA 2014) sold his first novel to Fig Tree/Penguin. Nicolas Padamsee (MA 2014; PhD 2022) sold his first novel to Serpent’s Tail. Rosalind Brown (MA 2016; PhD 2022) sold her first novel to Weidenfeld & Nicolson. Nina Bhadreshwar (MA 2022) signed a two-book deal with HarperFiction. Ashley Hickson-Lovence (PhD 2023) signed a two-book deal with Penguin Random House.
ALSO:
Monique Roffey (BA 1987) and Ayanna Lloyd Banwo (MA 2018; current PhD) were nominated for the Loop Barbados Author of the Year Award. Sarah Hesketh (MA 2007) was awarded a Royal Society of Literature (RSL) Literature Matters Award. Anna Metcalfe (MA 2012; PhD 2016) and Thomas Morris (MA 2013) were selected for Granta’s Twenty Best Young British Novelists. Jyoti Patel (BA 2014; MA 2021) and Stephen Buoro (MA 2019; current PhD) were selected for The Observer’s 10 Best New Novelists for 2023. Jade Cuttle (MA 2019) won the 30 To Watch Journalism Award in the Culture, Entertainment & Lifestyle category. Mahreen Sohail (Charles Pick Writing Fellow 2014) was shortlisted for the Galley Beggar Short Story Prize.
MISSED LAST TIME:
David Flusfeder (MA 1988) published a libretto and essays, and a new work of non-fiction. Molly Morris (MA 2015) published her debut YA novel. April Yee (MA 2022) was a notable selection for Best American Essays 2022. Cathleen Davis (current PhD) published a debut collection of short stories.
COMING UP VERY SHORTLY:
Phil Whitaker (MA 1996) will publish a new work of non-fiction. Thomas Morris (MA 2013) will publish a new collection of short stories. Paula Cocozza (MA 2015) and Greg Buchanan (MA 2018) will publish new novels. Margaret Meyer (MA 2020) and Abhishek Prasad (MA 2020, writing as AP Firdaus) will publish their debut novels.
AND NOT FORGETTING:
Professor Stephanie Bishop published her fourth novel, The Anniversary. Iron Curtain: A Love Story by Professor Vesna Goldsworthy was longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award and shortlisted for the Society of Authors / Gordon Bowker Volcano Prize. Song of the Reed by Professor Steve Waters was nominated for ‘Best Original Series or Serial’ in the BBCRadio4 Audio Drama Awards. And because it’s worth saying twice, Tom Benn won the Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Young Writer of the Year Award, and Naomi Wood sold her debut collection of short stories to Phoenix.
Congratulations to all, and goodbye!
Andrew Cowan
