Alumni

DOREEN CUNNINGHAM

Doreen Cunningham undertook Novel in a Year remotely to work on 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. She is now a prize-winning memoirist with the book, titled Soundings: A Journey with Whales, acquired by Virago, UK, published in March 2022 and forthcoming with Scribner in the US.

Doreen Cunningham is an Irish-British writer born in Wales. After studying engineering Doreen worked briefly in climate related research at NERC and in storm modelling at Newcastle University, before turning to journalism. She has worked for the BBC World Service variously as a international news presenter, editor, producer and reporter, since 2000. Soundings won the RSL Giles St Aubyn Award 2020 and was shortlisted for the Eccles Centre 2021 and Hay Festival Writers Award 2021.

 

MELANIE CARVALHO

Melanie Carvalho is an artist and writer who also edits obituaries for the Guardian. Her first novel, Xim, was longlisted for the inaugural Cheshire Novel Prize. Her artwork includes a film about a blob living within World of Interiors magazine, and an expedition in search of tropical Scotland. In 2022 Melanie was selected for the London Library Emerging Writers Programme, one of 40 writers selected from a filed of almost 950 applicants.
Twitter: @MelanieCarval14

 

Lauren Miller

Lauren Alonso Miller has had writing placed in The Bridport Prize, The Cambridge Short Story Prize, the Fish Poetry Prize and the Dinesh Alllirajah Short Story Prize 2023. Her short stories are published in Mechanics’ Institute Review 13, Spread the Word’s City of Stories anthologies and online. Another will feature in CALYX Press Journal in 2023.

She’s written two novels that have been longlisted for the Mslexia Novel Competition and Retreat West’s First Chapter Prize.

She’s participated in several Literary Kitchen Writers Workshop courses and undertook the Novel in a Year course.

She studied Fine Art at Central Saint Martins then later an MA in Creative Writing at Birkbeck and was the Features Editor for MIR Online for three years. She also holds a PGCE from Goldsmiths, teaches and lives with her partner and son in East London.

 

PHOEBE HURST

Phoebe Hurst is a writer and journalist from Peterborough. Currently Assistant Editor at The Guardian, she was previously Managing Editor of Vice and has written for publications including the Quietus, Dazed and Wired. She has published short stories in The London Magazine and in the Aesthetica Creative Writing Anthology 2023 and was longlisted for the Brick Lane Bookshop Short Story Prize 2022. She is represented by Imogen Pelham at Marjacq.

 

FARHA QUADRI

Farha Quadri started her creative writing journey at Literary Kitchen with the Writers Workout course in 2019 and subsequently completed several terms of Writers Workshop courses in 2020. She was admitted onto the competitive Faber Academy Writing a Novel course in that same year. Farha’s flash fiction Mum Knows Best won the London Independent Story Prize for Flash Fiction in 2020 and appeared in Exon magazine, published by Exeter College, Oxford University.  Her short story Home is the Next Place was longlisted for the 2021 Bristol Short Story Prize out of 2,545 international submissions. She is a contributor to the literary magazine Wasafiri with a book review in Issue 108. Farha is currently studying for an MFA in Creative Writing at Birkbeck University (due for completion Summer 2023), through which she aims to finish her first novel A Garment of My Own. 

 

 

 

NOELLA MINGO

Noella Mingo worked as a stylist in TV and film before moving into filmmaking and writing. She has written and directed the short films, Forgotten and When I Was A Younger. Forgotten won the best picture award in the short film category at IBDFF 2021 and When I Was A Younger is selected to screen at the BFI as part of the Culture Shock programme in Summer 2021. Noella also wrote the short drama Elephant, which has been selected for sixteen festivals including three Academy Award qualifiers and two BAFTA qualifiers. Noella is working on a novel which she has workshopped on the Writers Workshop course.

 

JESS WORSDALE

Jess Worsdale lives in Dublin and writes short stories, flash fiction and music journalism. Her work has been published in Splonk and GoldenPlec Magazine. She was a finalist for ‘Best Writing Individual’ in the 2016 Irish Web Awards. She completed the Creative Writing for Beginners course in 2018, where her story, Last Rites, was selected for the Liars’ League Before And After event in London. Previously, her story The Grate was also read at Liars’ League in Hong Kong. Most recently her story Hometown Debut was selected for the Liars’ League Together & Apart Valentines event in London, 14 Feb 2021.

 

JAMES MILLER

James Miller’s short film ‘Allan + Waspy’, which began life as a short story written for Creative Writing for Beginners in 2009, won the Lonely Wolf: London International Film Festival 2020 Best Short Film and Outstanding Acievement in Directing. James is one of the first cohort of Literary Kitchen students, and undertook several Writers Workshop courses.

James is a producer currently living in LA.

 

EMMA HUTTON

Emma Hutton took Creative Writing for Beginners in 2017 and graduated onto the Writers Workout course where her story, Flitter, was chosen for the Liars’ League Sacred & Profane event. She undertook Writers Workshop in 2018, and was awarded third place in The Cambridge Short Story Prize 2018 for her story Hold Fast. Her story Sal received a special mention in the Galley Beggar Press Short Story Prize 2018/19, won first place in the 2019 Retreat West Short Story Competition and is included in the 2020 Retreat West anthology, alongside My Kind, shortlisted in the 2019 Retreat West Short Story Competition. Dead Shark was highly commended in the London Short Story Prize 2018 and published in the Spread the Word Anthology. Listen to Emma read Dead Shark on an LCC MA Publishing podcast for Spread the Word here. The Dogs was runner-up in the 2018 Seán Ó Faoláin International Short Story Competition. In 2019 Emma won the Mairtin Crawford Short Story Award and most recently was selected for the Best British & Flash Irish Fiction 2018/19. Also in 2020 Sinkh♡le (previously titled My Kind) was published in Outsiders and features in the 2020 anthology from 3 of Cups Press, edited by Alice Slater. Play Pretend (2020) was featured in Litro Magazine and Skyscraper Woman was selected for inclusion in Best Microfiction 2020.

She is working on her debut novel. Please visit her website for all her news.

 

 

ANA SORIA

Ana Soria has studied creative writing at Goldsmiths and undertook Literary Kitchen’s Writers Workshop in 2018 and 2019.

She is currently writing a novel about the beautiful terror of British coastal towns and studying for an MA in creative writing at Royal Holloway University, London.

She was recently awarded a place on the prestigious London Library Emerging Writers Programme for 2020.

Her short story, ‘Running Man, Sailing Boat, Skull and Crossbones’ was published in the Winter 2019 edition of The Moth magazine.

Her short story, ‘Namaste Bitches’ was performed by Liar’s League in 2018, see it performed here by Keleigh Wolf, and her flash fiction piece, ‘Claudine Is Drowning’ was shortlisted for TSS Publishing’s winter flash fiction prize in 2017.

When she’s not writing, Ana works as a freelance writer and digital producer with ten years experience working in television. Most recently, she directed and co-produced the web series Pie And A Pint for Comedy Central, which was nominated for a Broadcast Digital Award in 2019.

 

ANNA MAZZOLA

Anna Mazzola’s debut novel, The Unseeing, began life as a short story, written on the Creative Writing for Beginners course. Early drafts won the Brixton Bookjam Debut Novel competition and was runner up in the 2014 Grazia First Chapter competition judged by Sarah Waters. Published by Tinder Press in July 2016, longlisted for the 2017 HWA Debut Crown, in 2018 it won Best Paperback Original in the Edgar Allan Poe Awards. Her second novel, The Story Keeper, published July 2018, longlisted for the Highland Book Prize 2018, follows a folklorist’s assistant as she searches out dark fairytales and stolen girls on the Isle of Skye in 1857. Anna’s short fiction has also won or been placed in several competitions. Keep up with the latest news on Anna’s books and events on her website here. Anna is also a criminal justice solicitor.

 

 

Susanna Shepherd

Susanna Shepherd completed Literary Kitchen’s Creative Writing for Beginners course in 2013, and was a 2018 Novel in a Year mentee, with her novel, Holywell.  In 2018 Holywell was longlisted in the 2018 Bridport Peggy Chapman-Andrews Award for a First Novel, one of 20 selected from 1,196 entries.

 

REBECCA SKIPWITH

Rebecca is a former editor, now charity worker in South London. Past endeavours include co-translating 16th-century Italian pornography and returning to university at the drop of a hat. She took Creative Writing for Beginners in Spring 2012, and graduated onto the Writers Workout course, where her story, A Fortnight of Frost, was chosen for the Liars League Angels & Demons event. Hear it performed here. A second story, The Apotheosis of Maya and Bibi, was selected for the August 2018 Liars’ League event. Listen here. Further stories have been longlisted by The New Writer and selected for Arachne Press’s 2018 anthology An Outbreak of Peace.

 

Peter Yeoh

Peter Yeoh is a writer based in London and New York, sometimes Tokyo, and is one of the original group of Literary Kitchen students, undertaking several terms of Writers Workshop. His writing has appeared in Glass, Impressions, Visual Verse, 140Story, and the Floating Urban Slime/Sublime exhibition in Art Gallery Miyauchi, Hiroshima. His short story, Small Auntie was Highly Commended in the 2017 Manchester Fiction Prize. He is working on his first novel, On Elephant Rock, a bildungsroman set on a tropical island in Southeast Asia.

 

BECKY DANKS

Becky Danks is a creative writer and book reviewer based in London.

Winner of City Writes. Longlisted for, and given an honorary mention in, the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI)’s Undiscovered Voices 2020 anthology.

Organiser of the UK & Ireland-wide Link Age Southwark Charity Writing Competition. Judge of flash fiction and short stories for the Hysteria international writing competition 2020.

Find out more here.

 

ANDY J LEWIS

Andy J Lewis is writer and filmamker currently living in Toronto. He writes film and TV articles for the website Screenrant, as well as short stories and poetry. He has published poems in two anthologies, Candlelit Thoughts: A Collection Of Poetry, and Everlasting Love: A Collection Of Poetry. In 2016 he completed two short courses with Literary Kitchen. His story ‘The Witch’s House’, developed in Writers Workout, was selected for publication in the anthology Writing Local I Thinking Global as part of a competition with Hillingdon Literary Festival. He recently completed his Creative Writing BA at the University of Roehampton. You can find him on Twitter @andy_j_lewis

 

REGINA FREEDMAN

Regina is an actress, and now a writer. Having undertaken the Creative Writing for Beginners course in 2012, she was enthused enough to continue on to the Writers Workout, where she scored a result, with her story ‘Bay and Michelle’, written during the course, being chosen for the August 2012 Liars League event, Law & Order. Hear the story performed here. Regina has subsequently completed the Novel Publication course and has recently completed her novel, An Ordinary Family on the Novel in A Year programme.

The first chapter of Regina’s novel was published in the quarterly literary magazine London Journal of Fiction, Oct 22, 2016.

 

 

MADELINE IONNADIS

In 2014, Madeline Ionnadis’s story ‘Lullaby for two Little Boys’, workshopped in Writers Workshop was selected for Wild Violet Literary Magazine. You can read it here. Most recently, a new story ‘Hooked’, has been selected as Editor’s Choice in Red Fez, issue 102. Read it here. Madeline is one of the original cohort of students from the founding days of Literary Kitchen. As well as short stories she is working on a novel.

 

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

CATHERINE ORME’S SPIN AT LIARS’ LEAGUE HONG KONG

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.