News
JESS WORSDALE LONGLISTED FOR THE 2024 DISCOVERIES LONGLIST
Congratulations to Literary Kitchen alumna Jess Worsdale whose novel-in-progress has been longlisted for the 2024 Discoveries – the Women’s Prize’s writer development programme, run in partnership with Audible, Curtis Brown Literary Agency, and the Curtis Brown Creative writing school. More details here.
LAUREN MILLER WINS A SPREAD THE WORD/MUSHENS ENTERTAINMENT FEEDBACK OPPORTUNITY 2023
Congratulations to Literary Kitchen alumna Lauren Miller, one of five winning writers who received feedback on their novel manuscripts by a Mushens Entertainment agent, as part of the Spread the Word/Mushens Entertainment Feedback Opportunity 2023. Read all about it here.
LITERARY KITCHEN ALUMNI ON SHORTLIST + LONG-LONGLIST OF THE BRICK LANE BOOKSHOP SHORT STORY PRIZE 2023
Congratulations to Jess Worsdale whose story If You Hear the Ice Cream Van was long-longlisted for the Brick Lane Bookshop Short Story Prize 2023, and to Mel Carvalho, whose story Gybe was shortlisted and will appear in the anthology. More info here.
LAUREN MILLER LONGLISTED FOR THE RETREATWEST 2023 FIRST CHAPTER COMPETITION + SHORTLISTED FOR THE DINAH ALLIRAJAH PRIZE FOR SHORT FICTION 2023
Congratulations to Lauren Miller, whose novel: Jolly Old Hawk!, was longlisted for the Retreat West 2023 First Chapter competition, and whose short story, Modal Skulpt demo (no talking) has been shortlisted for The Dinah Allirajah Prize for Short Fiction 2023, run by Comma Press, in partnership with the University of Central Lancashire; both works were workshopped in the Literary Kitchen Writers Workshop course. Fingers crossed Lauren!
PHOEBE HURST PUBLISHED IN THE LONDON MAGAZINE
Delighted to share that Phoebe Hurst’s story ‘Sky Blue’, written on the Creative Writing for Beginners course has been published in The London Magazine. You can read it here.
MELANIE CARVALHO’S STORY ‘MUSHROOM’ SELECTED FOR LIARS’ LEAGUE
Delighted to announce that Melanie Carvalho’s story ‘Mushroom’ has been selected for the Valentine’s Day event, Agony & Ecstasy, February 14th, 2023. Full details here.
LAUREN MILLER INCLUDED IN DIALECT WRITERS 2022 ANTHOLOGY
Delighted to announce that Lauren Miller’s short story ‘Modal Skulpt demo (no talking)’ – workshopped on the Writers Workshop course – is included in the Dialect Writers 2022 Anthology. Available here. Congratulations Lauren.
MELANIE CARVALHO SELECTED FOR THE LONDON LIBRARY EMERGING WRITERS PROGRAMME 2022/2023
Delighted to announce that Melanie Carvalho has been selected as one of the 22/23 London Library Emerging Writers. Forty participants were selected from a field of almost 950 applicants by a panel of judges. Melanie is the second Literary Kitchen alumna to be selected, with Ana Soria having been selected in 2020/2021.
LAUREN MILLER LONGLISTED FOR MSLEXIA NOVEL COMPETITION 2021
Delighted to announce that Lauren Miller’s novel From Lost to the River, which Lauren workshopped on the Writers Workshop course has been longlisted for the MsLexia Novel Competition, 2021.
DENISE MONROE AND JESS WORSDALE WIN PLACES ON UEA MA CREATIVE WRITING COURSE
Delighted to announce that not one but two Literary Kitchen alumna will be taking up places on the prestigious UEA Creative Writing MA this year. Huge congratulations to Denise Monroe and Jess Worsdale.
DOREEN CUNNINGHAM’S ACCLAIMED MEMOIR SOUNDINGS: JOURNEYS IN THE COMPANY OF WHALES PUBLISHED 3 MARCH 2022 BY VIRAGO
Thrilled to announce that Doreen Cunningham‘s memoir Soundings: Journeys in the Company of Whales has been published to great acclaim, 3 March, 2022, by Virago Press. You can hear Doreen talking about the journey of the book here and here. Huge congratulations Doreen.
EMILY TOBIN TAKES RUNNER-UP IN GRINDSTONE SHORT STORY PRIZE 2021
Literary Kitchen alumna has been awarded Runner Up in the Grindstone Short Story Prize 2021, with her story ‘Baby Things’. Congratulations Emily. Well-deserved.
NOELLA MINGO WINS BEST PICTURE IN SHORT FILM CATEGORY
Noella Mingo’s short film, Forgotten, written and directed in 2020, has won best picture in the short film category at the International Black & Diversity Film Festival in Toronto. A second short film, When I Was Younger, written and directed in 2021, has been selected to screen at the BFI Southbank on Friday 30 July. Short film Elephant has achieved 16 festival selections, including an Oscar qualifying festival.
FARHA QUADRI LONGLISTED FOR THE BRISTOL SHORT STORY PRIZE, 2021
SARA LYON LONGLISTED FOR SPREAD THE WORD LIFE WRITING PRIZE, 2021
Literary Kitchen is delighted to announce that alumna Sara Lyon was longlisted for the Spread the Word Life Writing Prize, 2021. Details here. Congratulations Sara!
DOREEN CUNNINGHAM WINS THE GILES ST. AUBYN AWARD, 2020, WITH HER STUNNING MEMOIR, SOUNDINGS: A JOURNEY WITH WHALES
Literary Kitchen is thrilled to announce that Doreen Cunningham’s wonderful memoir, Soundings: A Journey with Whales, shortlisted for the Eccles Writers Award 2021, has won the 2020 Giles St Aubyn Award.
Described by judge Damian Le Bas as “fresh, brave and unique”, the book, which narrates the story of a climate researcher who learned how to be a mother and how to face a changing world while following the grey whale migration from Mexico to Alaska, is forthcoming with Virago in 2021, and with Scribner in the US.
Doreen worked with Literary Kitchen on the Novel in a Year course, as well as undertaking an MA in Creative Writing at Goldsmiths. Literary Kitchen is delighted at this success and can’t wait to read the published work.
JAMES MILLER’S ‘ALLAN + WASPY’ WINS LONELY WOLF: LONDON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2020 BEST SHORT FILM + OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
‘Allan + Waspy’ began life as a short story written for Creative Writing for Beginners in 2009. James went on to be a long time Writers Workshop student, producing many more wonderful stories. Literary Kitchen could not be prouder.
EMILY TOBIN’S ‘COME AWAY, O HUMAN CHILD’ SELECTED FOR LIARS’ LEAGUE
Emily Tobin’s short story ‘Come Away, O Human Child’, written on the Writers Workout course, has been selected for Liars’ League ‘Women & Girls’ event, 11 August, online. Details here.
FARHA QUADRI WINS LISP FLASH FICTION COMPETITION
Literary Kitchen is delighted to announce that alumna Farha Quadri has won the 2nd Quarter 2020 Flash Fiction competition with her story ‘Mum Knows Best’. Congratulations Farha. Details here.
LOCKDOWN FREEWRITE
For 10 weeks, from 30 March until 29 May, Literary Kitchen invited all to participate in a 5 minute daily freewrite, to support them through the lockdown period. This practice provided a much-needed sense of community, as well as a welcome boost to continued practice and discipline. It was also fun.
LISTEN TO STEVEN APPLEBY TALKING ABOUT GRAPHIC NOVEL DRAGMAN ON FRONT ROW
Steven Appleby talks to Samira Ahmed about his debut graphic novel, Dragman, a fictive blend of superhero thriller and auto-fictive flashbacks charting the hero August Crimp’s journey, who discovers that he is most himself when dressed as a woman. Steven’s section starts at 17:41 here with a prologue narrated by actor and Literary Kitchen Festival MC Andrew Alston.
ALUMNA ESTELLE BIRCH IS A BBC SOUNDS NEW CREATIVE
‘Wet & Dry’ is a short story (by Literary Kitchen alumna Estelle Birch) and immersive soundscape collaboration with Lung Dart presented by BBC Sounds as part of the New Creatives programme. An absolute joy.
EMILY TOBIN SELECTED FOR AESTHETICA CREATIVE WRITING ANTHOLOGY 2020
Literary Kitchen is delighted to announce that Emily Tobin’s story
I Am Not Grace – written for
Writers Workout – has been selected for publication in the 2020 Aesthetica Creative Writing Anthology. We are very proud and happy for you Emily. To buy a copy click
here.
JO COHEN LONGLISTED FOR REFLEX WINTER FICTION 2019 PRIZE
Literary Kitchen is delighted to announce that Joanna Cohen’s story
Empty Shoes, written for the recent
Writers Workout course, has been longlisted for the
Reflex Fiction Winter 2019 competition. One of 50 of 515 international entries. Longlisted stories will be published on the Reflex Fiction website 23 Feb – 31 March 2020.
CATHERINE ORME’S SPIN AT LIARS’ LEAGUE HONG KONG
Listen to Catherine Orme’s story
Spin – written for the
Writers Workout course – performed by Joyce Chan at the Oct 2019 ‘Yay & Nay’ event for Liars League Hong Kong. Congratulations Catherine.
ALUMNA NEWS: KIM DHILLON
Kim Dhillon receives an honourable mention in Room’s Creative Non-Fiction Contest 2019, with her piece Dazzle Camouflage. Judge Terese Marie Mailhot describes the piece as both personal and cerebral, poetic and full. Read it here.
LISTEN TO EMMA HUTTON AS PODCAST GUEST AT LCC
The top three writers from the London Short Story Prize 2018 are talk to students on the MA Publishing course at London College of Communication, part of University of the Arts London, on behalf of Spread the Word. Emma Hutton was highly commended for her fantastic story ‘Dead Shark’ in the London Short Story Prize 2018. Here, she talks to Abel Czekes about her writing life and she reads brilliantly from her highly commended story here.
EMMA HUTTONS WINS MAIRTIN CRAWFORD 2019 SHORT STORY AWARD
The ever brilliant Emma Hutton has won the Mairtin Crawford Short Story Award. Super well done, Emma.
EMMA HUTTON WINS TSS FLASH FICTION 400 CONTEST, SPRING 2019
Emma Hutton’s story Skyscraper Woman has won first prize in the TSS Flash Fiction 400 contest, Spring 2019. This is Emma’s first entry into a flash competition. We here at Literary Kicthen are very proud. Congratulations Emma.
HARPERCOLLINS BAME TRAINEESHIP 2019
HarperCollins are working to increase the diversity of the company, to better represent the readership and communities they serve, create the most inclusive culture and to be the best company to work at. In 2016, they launched their BAME traineeship, the first of its kind in the publishing industry. Applications for this year’s BAME Traineeship are now open. Details here.
EMMA HUTTON TAKES 3RD PLACE IN THE CAMBRIDGE SHORT STORY PRIZE
Emma Hutton’s story Hold Fast has taken third place in the 2018 Cambridge Short Story Prize and will be published in the prize winning anthology later in 2019. Emma has also been shortlisted for the TSS Publishing Spring Flash 400 competition. Emma, we cannot keep up with you. Way to go! 🙂
REBECCA SKIPWITH JOINS KATY DARBY AND CHERRY POTTS AT HITHER GREEN FESTIVAL, SAT 18 MAY
Rebecca Skipwith reads her story Surplus Women from the Anthology An Outbreak of Peace at Arachne Press’s Writing The Past Event for the Hither Green Festival. The event is FREE, starting at 7pm. Full details here.
ANA SORIA + JESS WORSDALE STORIES SELECTED FOR LIARS’ LEAGUE 9 APRIL ‘BEFORE & AFTER’ EVENT
Jessica Worsdale’s story, Last Rites, was written as part of Oct 2018’s Creative Writing for Beginners. Ana Soria’s story Namaste Bitches was workshopped as part of Writers Workout. “There are escapes and tipping points, cats and cows, sex and death, poetry and fistfights, yoga and porn, the Berlin Wall and a fishtank full of ghosts.” Can’t wait! Details of the event and how to book are here.
REBECCA SKIPWITH’S STORY ‘APOTHEOSIS OF MAYA AND BIBI’ PERFORMED AT LIARS’ LEAGUE
Watch here!
RECENT ‘NOVEL IN A YEAR’ TESTIMONIALS
“Novel in a Year taught me the importance of structure and mechanics when tackling my writing. I was constantly challenged and the course has enabled me to approach my working practice with awareness. A template I can use again and again.” Allyson Fisher 2019
“Working on the Novel in a Year programme was a joy from start to finish. The tutor provided the safety to be able to give meaningful, constructive and improving feedback, and the support and technique to develop as a writer. I’d never enjoyed writing and re-writing as much before the year as I do now.” Susanna Shepherd 2019
EMMA HUTTON’S STORY ‘SAL’ RECEIVES SPECIAL MENTION IN THE GALLEY BEGGAR SHORT STORY PRIZE 2018/19
Literary Kitchen is delighted and proud to announce that Writers Workshop student Emma Hutton’s story Sal received a Special Mention in the 2018/19 Galley Beggar Short Story Prize. The winner will be announced on 22 March, 2019.
EMMA HUTTON LONGLISTED FOR LONDON SHORT STORY PRIZE
Delighted to announce that Writers Workshop student Emma Hutton‘s story Dead Shark has been shortlisted for Spread The Word’s London Short Story Prize. Emma is on a roll.
EMMA HUTTON SHORTLISTED FOR THE SEAN O’ FAOLAIN SHORT STORY PRIZE 2018
Literary Kitchen is thrilled to announce that alumna Emma Hutton’s story The Dogs, was shortlisted for the Seàn O Faolàin International Short Story Prize 2018, run by the Munster Literature Centre and judged this year by Paul McVeigh.
LITERARY KITCHEN FEATURES IN PECKHAM PECULIAR CEZ PULL-OUT, JUNE/JULY
Literary Kitchen is honoured to have been selected by Peckham Pecuiar to feature in their 20 page Creative Camberwell & Peckham pull-out. Celebrating some of the area’s creative individuals and businesses, the pull-out highlights Southwark Council’s plan to create a Camberwell and Peckham Creative Enterprise Zone (CEZ). Literary Kitchen have also been surveyed as part of the consultation process, and we look forward to seeing this exciting development unfold.
ANNA MAZZOLA WINS EDGAR ALLAN BEST ORIGINAL PAPERBACK 2018 AWARD
Woo hoo! Super congratulations to the wonderfully talented, super hardworking Anna Mazzola, whose writing journey began at a Creative Writing for Beginners course. Anna’s debut novel The Unseeing, which began life as a short story written on the course, has won an Edgar Award for Best Original Paperback 2018. Look out for Anna’s second novel, The Story Keeper, forthcoming July 2018. Yeah!
ADHOC FICTION SHORTLIST
Writers Workout alumni Ross Fraser-Smith and Rebecca Towers were each shortlisted recently for the Adhoc Fiction flash fiction competition. Spring success!
MORE ALUMNI NEWS
Literary Kitchen alumni Peter Yeoh is highly commended in the 2017 Manchester Short Fiction Prize. Hurrah! Congratulations, Peter. Whoop whoop.
NEWS
Writers Workout student Emma Hutton’s short story, Flitter, has been selected for the forthcoming Sacred & Profane event, Liars League, Dec, 5, which is also their Xmas party night. The Wheatsheaf, Rathbone Place. Only 40 tickets. More details here.
MORE ALUMNA NEWS
Alumna Madeline Ionnadis’s short story Hooked has been selected as Editor’s Choice for the current issue of Red Fez magazine, an online literary and arts journal established in 2002. Read it here. Congratulations Maddie.
BECKY DANKS WINS CITY WRITES
Thrilled to announce that Literary Kitchen alumna, Becky Danks’s short story, The Anniversary, has won the City University City Writes Short Story Competition. Becky will read at the City Writes: Summer event alongside Luiza Sauma and fellow competition winners: Katy Darby and Bren Gosling. Becky wrote the story initially as a Creative Writing for Beginners student. Way to go Becky, we are very proud of you. Details of the event, which takes place on Wednesday July 12 at City University are here.
*STOP PRESS* PECKHAM PECULIAR FEATURE
Literary Kitchen is excited to be featured in the current issue, 21, June/July 2017 of The Peckham Peculiar.
CAMBERWELL ARTS FAIR, SAT 10 JUNE 2017
Literary Kitchen kicks off Camberwell Art Fair with a FREE Mini-Memoir creative writing workshop. There will be FREE PASTRIES, and FREE COFFEE! Join us 10am-noon in the Arts Tent on Camberwell Green. Bring a notepad and pens and let’s get those words on the page.
WORLD BOOK NIGHT 2017 – LATE NIGHT AT THE LIBRARY, GOLDSMITHS LIBRARY
Literary Kitchen was proud to showcase three alumni – Regina Freedman, Andrew Lewis and Ella Berny at Goldsmith’s Library’s World Book Night 2017 event, The Library at Night. We were treated to dadaist poetry, a sultry chanteuse, poetry, open mic, and “special guests: author, Irenosen Okojie and poet, Rachel Long as well as readers from Open Book, Intoart, the Black British Writing MA and Literary Kitchen”. Pure magic!
‘HAPPY HANUKAH’ REGINA FREEDMAN
Literary Kitchen alumna Regina Freedman’s story, Happy Hanukah, is published in the Oct 22 issue of the London Journal of Fiction. Hurray! Read it here.
MORE ALUMNI NEWS
Lauren Miller, graduate of several terms of Writers Workshop, and now a part-time creative writing MA student at Birkbeck, is featured in the forthcoming issue of The Mechanics’ Institute Review, Issue 13 (MIR13). The launch event, took place in the Keynes Library, Birkbeck School of Arts Building, 43 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PD on Tuesday 27 September.
Fellow Writers Workshop graduate Peter Yeoh has published a story in Visual Verse. Read it here.
Recent graduate of Writers Workout Andy J Lewis’s short story, The Witch’s House, written on the course, has been selected for publication in an anthology Writing Local/Thinking Global, produced as part of the forthcoming Hillingdon Literary Festival. See details here. The festival takes place 7 – 9 Oct, and you can pick up a free copy of the anthology.
Hats off to all of you.
MINIATURE STORY HAT TRICK
Hurrah! Writers Workout student Fran Beckett is featured miniaturestory for June 15, 2016. Fellow student Allyson Fisher is featured miniaturestory for June 22. Making it a hat trick, Mel Carvalho’s story is featured 21 July 2016. All three writers wrote their miniature stories as part of the Writers Workout course. Well done everyone!
WORLD BOOK NIGHT 2016
Literary Kitchen has curated the headliner section of an evening event for World Book Night at Goldsmiths Library. Our fantastic readers will be Eley Williams, Iphgenia Baal and Julia Calver. Book free tickets here.
PECKHAM WRITING MAP
All systems go to create the first Peckham Writing Map, a limited edition of 500 which will be available free for the week of the Literary Kitchen Festival 12-18 October at The Peckham Pelican. This will be Writing Maps first site-specific map. Let’s hope it is a fruitful long-term collaboration, since we plan to expand into Abergavenny and New York!
AUGUST 2015 – ANNA MAZZOLA GETS TWO-BOOK DEAL
Anna Mazzola is the first Literary Kitchen student to obtain a book deal. In fact, she bagged a two-book deal with Tinder Press for her debut novel The Unseeing, a story which began life at a Creative Writing for Beginners course in 2011. She subsequently undertook several terms of Writers Workshop before graduating on to courses at City University. Read more about Anna’s journey here. Needless to say Literary Kitchen is immensely proud.
LITERARY KITCHEN FESTIVAL 2015 KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN
The campaign has launched, and runs until August 22nd. To read all about it, make a donation, share with family and friends, click here.
MAY 2015
Literary Kitchen alumni and mentee, Lauren Miller, has been accepted onto the Birkbeck Creative Writing MA. Congratulations Lauren!
MARCH 19 2015
Another fine evening of poetry and prose at The Peckham Pelican with Lit Live. See it here: https://www.facebook.com/goldlitlive/photos_stream
DEC 11 2014
This Thursday evening saw 19 writers, poets, performers from Goldsmiths and Royal Holloway give their finest in a 3 Act extravaganza at The Peckham Pelican for Lit Live!, a Literary Kitchen/Goldsmiths Writers’ Centre collaboration.
“The new Bowery Poetry Club“, Marisa Carnesky. Hell Yes!
OCTOBER 2014
Literary Kitchen were invited to curate the final leg of Litcrawl 2014 on Sat October 11, alongside Clinic, The White Review, Review Bookshop and Liars’ League. 15 writers performed a flash fiction or poem. Singer/songwriter Trevor John finished the night with a bang, or rather a song. Our host with the most was Andrew Alston, and DJ for afterwards was F£rg Mon£y.
NB. Two performers, Ella Frears and Rachel Long, were both shortlisted for the Young Poet Laureate. Congratulations
JUNE 2014
Literary Kitchen hosted its inaugural writing festival, a week long programme of events, walks, talks and workshops at The Peckham Pelican. View the PDF of the programme Festival Programme, or look at the webpage here.
MAY 2014
Literary Kitchen are hosting Creative Writing Workshops at the Clerkenwell Design Week as part of Parkin Whitman‘s events programme for Milliken.
2013
More success for alumni Anna Mazzola, who has won the Retreat West short story competition 2013. Well done Anna. Look forward to the novel.
Read more student success stories here.
