Author: brunelwriter
The Brunel Creative Writing Prize 2024
At Brunel Winter Graduation I was delighted to learn that I had been awarded the 2024 Creative Writing Prize in partnership with literary agency Johnson & Alcock.
I began studying Creative Writing part-time at Brunel University in 2022 after leaving a job in Marketing and Communications. I began the course feeling burnt out and hungry for inspiration. Over the next two years I found plenty – from reading George Saunder’s A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, Benjamin Zephaniah’s Refugee Boy and Helen Cullen’s The Truth Must Dazzle Gradually in my Elements of Fiction class and gaining invaluable feedback from my peers in our group discussions; laying the foundation for what would later become my dissertation in Planning a Novel; and returning for my second year to study The Art of the Monologue with Bernardine Evaristo and Angela Ekaette Michaels. I have never been particularly good at public speaking – before taking the class I would often feel my throat close up when addressing a crowd. I remember once, during my undergraduate at Leeds University, watching the piece of paper I was reading from shaking like it had a life of its own. But the techniques I learnt during our classes changed that, and in August of 2024, I was able to feel genuinely relaxed on stage when reading at the launch party of Borderless – an anthology I co-created alongside five other students at Brunel University (Alexia Guglielmi, Sundus Hassan-Nooli, Mahjaben Hussain, Harshita Kaushik and Neelam Sharma) in tribute to Benjamin Zephaniah.
Before it was time to start my dissertation, I learnt about the publishing world in Writers at Work where we gained insights about traditional and self-publishing routes, as well as other work avenues that writers often explore. For my project, I dived into the archives at the Bishopsgate Institute, which later helped bring the historical aspects of my novel to life.
My novel, which I plan to finish by the end of 2025 (now it’s in writing I’ll have to hold myself accountable), is split between two perspectives – Zoya and her daughter Guddu. Zoya leaves India after Partition and tries to forget the life she left behind, but Guddu, who wishes to unearth what has been hidden, immerses herself in a world of punk, activism and rebellion. In the first section of my novel, the reader follows Zoya through 1950s London as she tries to build a home in a hostile environment. My dissertation supervisor, Daljit Nagra, was able to guide me through areas I found difficult and advise me on ways to improve the flow of my writing.
However, post-dissertation, I found it challenging to continue writing without the structure and deadlines my MA gave me. I believe having the Creative Writing Prize is a testament to the ongoing support Brunel shows their student post-graduation, as meeting with Charlotte Seymour at Johnson & Alcock has rekindled my drive to write. Charlotte has encouraged me to look at my work from different perspectives, as well as pinpointing parts I could develop. The prize also means that once I have finished my manuscript, I gain a full readthrough, editorial feedback, and the possibility of representation by Johnson & Alcock. Knowing this has taken the pressure off what can seem like an overwhelming process of writing a manuscript to completion and sending it off into the ether hoping someone, somewhere will read it. However, even without the prize, attending Brunel has meant that I have gained a very supportive network of creative writers, where we send one another passages for feedback and make sure we meet our self-imposed deadlines.
Prior to attending Brunel, completing and publishing my own novel seemed a bit like a pipedream, but post-graduation it feels far more obtainable.
(Mira Mookerjee)
(image copyright Mira Mookerjee)
Congratulations to Brunel University of London Creative Writing Prize Winner Mira Mookerjee and to Runner-up Lauren Earle, from the Brunel University of London Creative Writing Team and all at Brunel Writer!
The Creative Writing Prize in partnership with Johnson & Alcock
Creative Writing at Brunel University of London is pleased to announce the Creative Writing Prize in partnership with literary agency Johnson & Alcock.
The competition gives aspiring writers the opportunity to flex their creative muscles and potentially gain representation from a literary agent.
Dr Frazer Lee, Postgraduate Programme Lead and Reader in Creative Writing said: “The Creative Writing department is thrilled to partner with Johnson and Alcock literary agency for the Creative Writing Prize. The prize represents a truly fantastic opportunity for our talented postgraduate taught students, and we are excited to announce the winner at Winter Graduation.”
Here’s all you need to know:
About Johnson & Alcock:
Johnson & Alcock is a leading literary agency, now in its seventh decade and constantly expanding and innovating. Our four book agents work with our head of rights and a full administrative team for a vibrant list of authors from all over the world, both new and emerging writers and the long-established, in fiction and non-fiction. These include prizewinning and bestselling authors and literary estates across genres and in all forms of media, both in the UK and internationally.
Am I eligible?
Entries will be accepted by:
- Students on Brunel’s Creative Writing MA course who are submitting a book project for the dissertation module in the current (2024 – 2025) and next academic year (2025 – 2026).
What’s up for grabs?
The winner receives:
- A 1-to-1 session with an agent (in person or online)
- A full manuscript read (should you decide to complete the book) and editorial feedback
- The potential to be offered representation by Johnson & Alcock once the MS is completed (NB: subject to suitability. Please note that no guarantee of representation is made and the agency’s decision is final)
Runners up (up to two students) will receive:
- An online consultation with an agent
How will the winner be chosen?
Literary agents from Johnson & Alcock will make their decision based on the sample chapters submitted as part of your final dissertation project.
When will the winner be announced?
At Winter Graduation in December. Keep an eye on #BrunelWriter socials for the announcement.
Honouring the Memory of Professor Benjamin Zephaniah: A Literary Anthology by Brunel Creative Writing Students
by Sundus Hassan Nooli (on behalf of the Brunel Literary Anthology)
A few days before the MA Creative Writing 2023 Winter Graduation, everyone – students, professors, readers – was rocked by the passing of Benjamin Zephaniah. His passing was felt around the world. And as the other side made way to greet him, it was beautiful to witness how many people were honouring his memory and art.
Benjamin Zephaniah was and still is a towering figure in the literary space, whose shoulders many of us, pupils, friends, and otherwise, stand upon.
To honour his powerful work in championing refugees, migrants, Blackness, humanity, justice, freedom, and street politics, the Brunel Literary Anthology invites former and current Creative Writing students from Brunel University London to submit their prose and poetry to BLA.
All are welcome to submit multiple works within a single submission, as long as they keep to the overall word count (further details below).
We welcome submissions of both poetry and short stories of any genre, including abstract and experimental fiction.
The submission guidelines are:
PROSE: 1,500 word limit, original piece, must not have been published elsewhere (personal websites and blogs included).
POETRY: Up to 4 poems.
For simultaneous submissions, in different genres, see example below:
You can submit up to:
• 2 short stories
OR
• 4 poems
OR
• 1 short story and 2 poems.
Deadline: February 26, 2024. Any and all questions and inquiries can be sent to blabla24@gmail.com. Submission link and further information can be found on our Instagram page.
With the blessing of Prof Zephaniah’s wife, all proceeds BLA makes will go directly to a charity of her choice.
The Brunel Writer Prize 2023
Every year, The Brunel Writer Prize is awarded to the student with the highest graded article submission for the Creative Industries module on Brunel University’s Creative Writing Programme. This year’s winner is Jess Mival – congratulations Jess! Jess draws on her experience of freelancing to provide her fellow students with some excellent advice on…
How Not to Freelance at Uni
It’s 2am on a Wednesday night or, I suppose, a Thursday morning. You have a lecture in seven hours but haven’t slept because you have a work deadline in twelve hours. You’re hungry; you’ve only had three potato waffles and four diet cokes in the last fourteen hours.
What’s wrong with this picture?
Juggling work alongside university is hard. Anyone who says it is easy, is lying. Anyone who says it is manageable, is not lying. They’re annoying, but they’re not lying. I decided to #girlboss my way through uni and start freelancing, for many reasons. Working for myself? Amazing. Choosing my own hours? Stunning. Getting to say things like ‘just need to hop on a call with one of my clients’? Sensual. I signed up with Paperound, a website that helps students get freelance jobs, and started getting work quickly, saying ‘yes’ to pretty much any task requests that came my way.
Flash forward a couple weeks and the work is piling up. It’s only the beginning of term so it’s fine for me to prioritise work at the moment, right? I’ll just miss that lecture; I can watch it back online and I really want to take on this new client and I know I missed last week but I’m not feeling very well at the moment anyway.
And it’s all going great! It’s so great and fine and great! I’m drowning in uni deadlines and one of my clients wants me to rewrite the last 1000-word article and another wants me to create six more social posts by 5pm and I’ve had a headache for two weeks and I’ve run out of diet coke but I’m great!
Again. what’s. wrong. with. this. picture?
Spoiler alert: everything wasn’t fine. The classes I missed, or slacked to prioritise work, were the ones I ended up getting my lowest grades in, and I wasn’t producing the best quality work for my clients either. This is what I mean when I say working alongside uni isn’t easy, but it is manageable. You can juggle both whilst staying (sort of) sane, it just requires a little bit of that dreaded time management.
Now that you’ve seen how not to do it, I’ll try and actually be helpful. Something that really made a difference to me was completely separating my uni time from my work time. If you have a class 9-12, try and spend the afternoon doing uni work rather than work work. Realistically, you shouldn’t put yourself in a situation where you are having to spend every hour outside of your classes doing your freelance work. If you have classes all throughout the week, spend time at the weekend doing your freelance jobs or, if you have a weekday off, spend that day doing them.
If you really want to make it all work, I’d suggest getting a planner or at least writing stuff down on your notes app. Doing a to-do list might sound like the most mundane of solutions, but they’re so much more helpful than you think! Plus, if you write down things like “eat lunch” and “brush hair” you get to tick more off, which is way more fun than it should be.
Let’s head over to present day, shall we? It’s 6pm on a Thursday night and you’re closing your laptop. You’ve finished up an article for one client and four social posts for another and you’re now getting to tick those bits off your list. Your list for tomorrow is completely university-related, plus watching an episode of whatever terrible reality TV show is on. You’re going to make your dinner. It will be pasta, but it will have vegetables in it. Probably. Your life is not 10000% together but you are managing. That’s all you can do, really, is manage, and you’re doing it pretty well.
London Book Fair 2023: First Impressions
By Emma Lindsey
If you accept as I do, that ‘being a writer’ is akin to a form of mental illness, whose symptoms include (but aren’t restricted to): inventing places and people, spending such long periods in isolation that, ideally, you are able to draw maps, form relationships and hear their voices – then the London Book Fair, (LBF), the largest spring book trade and publishing event in the world, offers a mix of immersion therapy and respite from the confines of your own head.
A newbie, I have few expectations of LBF23, beyond imagining that it will offer the chance to meet famous authors, hunt down hungry agents and publishers, to whom I can pitch my novel, hand over my synopsis and maybe even get an on-the spot, international publishing deal – or at least secure a date for a meeting.
Day one. Armed with a pass and lanyard, I follow the smart but casually dressed herd from Baron’s Court tube, then enter, blinking into the bright lights, where I quickly feel as if I’ve gained access to a literary banquet. Thousands (25,000 over the three days), have converged, from 135 countries, across Europe (Ukraine is in the spotlight this year); the US, South America, Africa, UAE, China and India.
If you’ve never been to Kensington Olympia – which I hadn’t before – imagine Kings Cross station, but crammed with stalls from not only every component of publishing, but variety of publisher. Lots of purple, blues and reds, along with vast, technicolour hoardings promoting best-selling and soon-to-be, book covers, from just about every genre.
Hungry agents and publishers there are aplenty, albeit safely roped off from the public, and with an extra layer of security thrown in. From afar, we’re able to look but not touch the inner sanctum, where behind Perspex screens and hunched over laptops, they negotiate rights deals. From the harried body language and the buzz, big numbers are being crunched.
For once, I’ve been super-organised, put together an itinerary of seminars, and despite the surging hoards, manage to find Making my WiP stand out, then a group of friends, who’ve also noticed how strangely lacking in diversity the event seems to be. Then onto Keeping up with social media , which I leave early to listen to Author of the Day, Colson Whitehead and then need to refuel with extortionately priced coffee and a thin sandwich. Our group splits up, some to find out How to get a Badass Book Deal, another to chat to TikTok about reaching ‘hard to reach’ readers, and others to Creating a writing community. I do manage to meet a couple of agents and editors at a pop-up networking session, organised by a kind author and inclusivity champion. Duly I reel off my pitch and am asked to submit my proposal. Feels like a gazillion bees buzzing in my head by the time I get home.
Day two. Today I’ve brought my own snacks and head to Chelsea, for a one-day writer’s summit only to discover it’s not included, will cost £199, so it’s back to Olympia where I catch Leone Ross and Irenosen Okojie in conversation. They’re amazing on making magical realism and speculative fiction; refreshingly honest and upbeat about the rollercoaster ride to publication, the obstacles and ways to get past them. Writing in ferocity (aka ignoring the urge for coffee to get that next sentence down), is Ross’s tip – that and stubbornness in the face of rejection. British black publishing pioneer and now President of PEN, Margaret Busby is in the audience, along with a raft of independent booksellers, publishers, screenwriters and poets, all sharing stories which show that the industry is moving, albeit like an oil tanker, very slowly, towards diverse stories. It’s an oasis in the desert which no-one seems keen to leave, but socials are swiftly swapped before the next session starts. Then it’s onto a panel chaired by Dialogue Books’ director, Sharmaine Lovegrove, about celebrating inclusivity and representation in the book and publishing world, with the caveat, “It’s really hard to keep having to explain why our stories matter”.
There is a day three but I can’t take in another thing so give it a miss. Sensory overload aside, (there are no quiet spaces, nor a crèche, interestingly), it’s been fascinating to not only see all the components of the publishing business under one roof and how they fit together, but also to be there and feel part of it. Seeing the major and minor players; who’s talking to whom and about what, is a protein-shake boost to my sense of, ‘being a writer’ and an author. Now I understand what I’m up against, I have more tools at my disposal, including the most important: hope tempered with ferocity.
A former journalist and digital producer, Emma Lindsey is in the final stretch of a part-time MA in Creative Writing at Brunel University London.
21 Miles Publishing Opportunity
Short poetry on the themes of migrants and refugees is sought for a new photobook by Brunel University photographer and artist, Chris Dundon-Smith. Brunel University is currently supporting Chris on the photojournalism project, 21 Miles. The photobook and poetry will form part of a multi-media installation at Ambika P3 Gallery in London (Nov 2022) and will then go on tour at a selection of galleries in 2023.
21 Miles is a multimedia documentary project that aims to describe the experience of the perilous twenty-one-mile journey across the English Channel, made by those seeking safety and asylum in the United Kingdom.
The video and audio installation uses a single photograph taken in the middle of the English Channel and combines it with over 400 smart-phone audio recordings taken from actual Chanel crossings, and the artist’s own recordings while on location.
In addition, the video installation is supported by a photobook that focuses on the physical and emotional signs and traces this demanding and terrifying journey leaves behind.
Some of the work can be viewed here.
https://chrisdundonsmith.myportfolio.com/21-miles
This is a non-profit passion project to raise awareness of the current situation and dangers facing people crossing the English Channel. Unfortunately, this is not a paid opportunity and very much aimed at those seeking to contribute to the cause due to an interest in the project or in writing poetry on the subject. There will however be the opportunity to feature in the photobook and the installation, and attend shows, as the work tours after the Ambika P3 show. There will also be a copy of the photobook provided to any successful applicants.
The poetry can be already existing work on these themes, or something new based on the work itself. The deadline for submitting will be 4th October 2022.
For more information, please contact Chris:
chris.dundon-smith@brunel.ac.uk
Thank you.
The Brunel Writer Prize 2022
Every year, The Brunel Writer Prize is awarded to the student with the highest graded article submission for the Creative Industries module on Brunel University’s Creative Writing Programme. This year’s winner is Nathalie Brundell who provides creative writers with some useful tips on the thorny issue of transferring fictional characters from one’s imagination to the page. Congratulations Nathalie!
Hearing Voices? Fear not, Writer
Like a search history filled with creative torture techniques, a writer with voices in their head is usually a good thing.
Usually.
But sometimes, those voices can get a little too loud. We’ve all been there. Scented candles burning, movie scores playing softly, a steaming cup of your favourite drink – yeah, you’re ready. In fact, your fingers are itching, so you open the document and…
There it is. The dreaded, blank page. And that blinking cursor – the worst torture technique discovered yet. Well? Come on, then, it says. Show me what you got. I can do this aallll day.
As the seconds pass, your palms grow sweaty. Maybe… Maybe you’re not cut out for this, after all. You can’t even come up with one sentence that doesn’t sound like complete, utter garbage. And what if people hate it? Who could blame them – you have no clue what you’re doing! And…
Yeah – those voices.
Of course, none of the garbage they spew is actually true. It’s just fear, worry, perfectionism – whatever you want to call it. And while that ancient reptile brain of yours is just trying to protect you from excruciating, public shame… it’s also keeping you from actually writing.
In other words – you wanna finally finish a manuscript? Here’s how to beat those nasty voices in your head.
1. Create a Character
If there’s one thing we writers love, it’s a flawed character. So, get to it – give that shrill voice a name, a face, a personality. Who are they, and what are they afraid of?
Like that voice that just won’t stop criticizing you. Let’s call him Curt, shall we? Can you see those thin glasses he’s wearing, and that slick, villainous suit? Looking down at literally everyone?
Well, look closer. Maybe, someone told him long ago that the only way to make your way in the world is through perfection. Flaws and weaknesses? He sniffs them out like a trained dog, because if he can keep pointing out other people’s faults, maybe he doesn’t have to deal with his own.
A pure ray of sunshine.
But I’m sure you can do even better than that. So, crack open your notebook. You don’t have what it takes. People will hate it. Your dream is silly and embarrassing. Who are the people saying these things, and why?
Take your time with it, and make it good – after all, you’ll be seeing a lot of these guys in the future
2. Make Friends
Alright, so you’ve got your characters. Now what?
Curt, the haughty, judgy critic. Selma, the middle-aged woman with enough worries to give her a heart attack. Gordon, the “lazy” slug who would rather scroll social media, because if he actually tries something he might just fail at it.
Shake hands, acknowledge them. These people aren’t going anywhere, so there’s no point ignoring them anymore. Instead, get comfortable around them.
3. Take Back Authority
These flat, nasty characters – are they the ones writing the book, poem, script? No. You are.
So, establish your authority. They can stay, sure, but they better know their place.
They likely won’t back down at first. But in time, you’ll learn how to recognize who is speaking, and how to talk them off their ledge. Selma, for example, probably just needs someone to settle her nerves – some kindness and reassurance goes a long way.
Curt, on the other hand, just needs to be told to shut up every once in a while. And Gordon? No distractions for him. That comfort zone really is his kryptonite.
In other words, put them in their place. ‘Cause if you can learn how to take control over those inner voices?
You’ll finish that manuscript in no time.
The Good Literary Agency Prize 2022
The Creative Writing team at Brunel is thrilled to announce The Creative Writing Prize in partnership with the Good Literary Agency. The prize is open to all Brunel MA Creative Writing students who are submitting their dissertation projects in 2022. The Good Literary Agency is a social enterprise literary agency dedicated to increasing opportunities for representation for all writers under-represented in mainstream publishing including writers of colour, disability, LGBTQ+, working class and anyone else who feels like their story isn’t being told in mainstream publishing.
“We at TGLA are absolutely thrilled to be partnering with the MA in Creative Writing at Brunel University. As literary agents on the lookout for a diverse range of fiction & non-fiction, we are excited about the wealth of literary talent coming out of Brunel University. We hope we can provide invaluable industry insight that will equip the students with knowledge to take forward into their careers in publishing, and hope this is an amazing opportunity for the 2022 winner.”
Kemi Ogunsanwo at TGLA
The partnership comprises three key stages:
1. Demystifying Publishing
This online event in March will provide students with the opportunity to hear details about the book publishing industry and ask questions of TGLA agents. The event will also be open to Brunel third year BA single and joint honours Creative Writing students.
2. Pitch Session
MA students will be given the opportunity to pitch their work to an agent from TGLA. Each student will have approximately ten minutes to pitch their work and receive feedback or ask questions.
3. Sample submission
Students are invited to submit the first three chapters of their novel or memoir (to a maximum of 8000 words) with a one page synopsis. A shortlist of candidates will be drawn up before the winner is confirmed, likely just before Christmas 2022.
The Good Literary Agency Prize winner 2022 will receive:
- A full manuscript read (should they decide to complete the book)
- A comprehensive set of editorial notes
- A 1 on 1 session with an agent
- The potential to be offered representation by TGLA once the manuscript is completed
TGLA website: https://www.thegoodliteraryagency.org/
Brunel MA in Creative Writing programme: https://www.brunel.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/creative-writing-ma
Spring 2022: Brunel Writers Series
All events are online and FREE but please register via the links provided below
09.02.22: WRITING MOTHERHOOD – CLAIRE LYNCH AND PENNY WINCER IN CONVERSATION
Join Claire Lynch and Penny Wincer as they ask, why writing about motherhood matters? Claire and Penny will share their own experiences of writing about motherhood in memoir and non-fiction and discuss why challenging mainstream definitions of motherhood is so important in their work.
Claire Lynch is the author of Small: On Motherhoods. Her personal essays have appeared in the Washington Post and on BBC Radio 4. She is a Professor of English Literature at Brunel University London.
Penny Wincer is a Melbourne born, London dwelling, author, podcaster and non-fiction book coach. After 15 years as a freelance interiors photographer, Penny began writing about life as a single parent and unpaid carer whilst juggling a freelance creative career. She has written for Red Magazine, iPaper and regularly contributes to The Telegraph. Penny’s first book Tender was published by Coronet Books in 2020. She co-hosts the podcast Not Too Busy To Write.
Please register for the Penny Wincer event: HERE…
23.02.22: WRITING CLASS – DAVID ELDRIDGE AND HELEN CULLEN IN CONVERSATION
Regarded as one of the most important contemporary playwriting voices, David Eldridge will be in conversation with Helen Cullen, author and Brunel lecturer, about his journey to becoming one of Britain’s most successful playwrights, his creative process and writing about class for the theatre.
David Eldridge: Described as a “a poet of the east end overspill” by the Observer, David Eldridge is widely regarded as one of the prominent playwriting voices of his generation, whose productions have premiered across the UK at venues including The National, The Royal Court, The Royal Exchange and The Donmar. Television credits include the The Scandalous Lady W for BBC 2, and Our Hidden Lives, a BBC adaption of the Simon Garfield novel.
Helen Cullen has published two novels to date, The Lost Letters of William Woolf (2018) and The Truth Must Dazzle Gradually (2020) with Penguin Random House in Ireland and the UK and in the USA by Harper Collins. The novels have also sold in translation to numerous foreign markets and been optioned for TV adaptations. Helen’s debut novel also garnered her a Best Newcomer nomination at the 2018 Irish Book Awards. Helen is currently completing a PhD on Creative and Critical Writing at UEA and is a member of the creative writing faculty at Brunel University. She is a regular contributor to the the Sunday Times and is an Irish Times literary critic. You can find her on socials as @wordsofhelen.
Please register for the David Eldridge event: HERE…
16.03.22 WRITING MIGRATION – DAVID HERD AND WILLIAM WATKIN IN CONVERSATION
Poet, academic, and activist Prof. David Herd will be in conversation with Prof. William Watkin about his ground-breaking Refugee Tales project. They will be discussing how David has used creative practice and public spectacle as a constructive form of protest and celebration, and how his many years of working around issues of migration have impacted in his remarkable poetry.
David Herd’s books of poems include All Just, Outwith, Through, Songs from the Language of a Declaration, and Walk Song (forthcoming from Shearsman). His essays and poems have been widely published in magazines, journals and newspapers and his recent writings on the politics of human movement have appeared in From the European South, Los Angeles Review of Books, Paideuma, and the Times Literary Supplement. He is Professor of Modern Literature at the University of Kent and a co-organiser of the project Refugee Tales.
Prof. William Watkin is one of the leading voices in contemporary philosophy today and professor of contemporary philosophy and literature at Brunel University. William is very widely published with seven monographs to his name, including the recent Bioviolence: How the powers that be make us do what they want (2021). When he is not making the world a better place through philosophy, William is also a journalist, blogger, vlogger and painter.
Please register for the David Herd event: HERE…
Brunel Writer 