Hilary Thomas is one of the recipients of the 2021-22 Malorie Blackman scholarship for ‘Unheard Voices’. We recently caught up with Hilary to find out more about her City Lit experiences, winning the scholarship, and her future ambitions…
City Lit launched the Malorie Blackman ‘Unheard Voices’ Scholarships in 2019. The programme provides three annual awards worth up to £1000 each to fund study within the City Lit Creative Writing department.
The awards seek to support and encourage the creative and professional development of ‘unheard voices’, and can be used to fund courses within the City Lit Creative Writing department. Due to the exceptional year we have had in light of Covid-19 and other world events, City Lit took the decision to offer one additional scholarship for 2021-22.
Last week we announced the four winners of the scholarship programme and we’ll be following their writing adventures this year.
Can you tell us a little bit more about yourself and your writing background?
I’ve worked in education all my life and for me there’s nothing better than learning something new when life gives you lemons; In 2015 I needed something new. I was scribbling lots of verses, as I have done for years, as a cathartic exercise really. So I started looking for places to do poetry and decided to enrol onto City Lit’s Introduction to Poetry course, with the wonderful Malika Booker. It was the first time I’d actually shared anything I’d written. It was a very positive experience. I was introduced to different forms, and felt hugely encouraged to write more poetry. Fast forward to 2019, I returned to City Lit and enrolled onto two other writing courses. I learnt loads, read a lot of Young Adult fiction and wanted to continue to write even more.
What role does writing play in your life, and why is it important to you?
Writing is hugely important to me now. I’m trying to build that writing habit because I enjoy it, because I’m trying to represent even snippets of the rich stories my parents (and others) lived and didn’t feel able to write themselves, because it feeds my spirit and because I think everyone should be able to create - anything, whatever. For me now, it’s using words. Words are part of the tapestry of history, and history should communicate the fullness and diversity of life. If I end up with a single message in a bottle, there’s hope that one day someone might just dig deep enough to hear my voice.
Who are your favourite writers and what stories have inspired you?
I have a huge backlog of writers whose works I want to read. But Zora Neale Hurston, Hermann Hesse, Maya Angelou. There’s a wonderful British-Jamaican writer, Claudette Beckford-Brady - I love her narrative for it’s realism, relatability and it’s Jamaican patois. Three books that gave me really memorable summers were Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath and Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns. We read Blond Roots by Bernadine Evaristo on one of my courses; that book weaves so many layers into its scenes, so subtly. I’ll definitely make time to read it again soon. Also Patrick Ness and yes, Malorie Blackman have written fiction for teenagers that I’ve really enjoyed. I like writers where I feel the essence of humanity gets me. I’m inspired by mainly realist stories, writers who use simple words beautifully and where I also learn something about other cultures and eras but, I also love science fiction. And did I mention Toni Morrison?
What made you decide to study at City Lit?
City Lit is so accessible, in so many ways. It’s welcoming and attracts people from all walks of life; I feel comfortable here. Plus it has hugely skilled, supportive and professional tutors, who know their stuff and seem to enjoy what they do. It’s like a community learning hub where everyone really is welcome. And I had such a wide range of courses to choose from.
What courses have you studied at City Lit?
In 2019 I took a couple of courses including Writing for Children and Young Adults with Penny Joelson - the course I actually wanted was full. However it proved to be a blessing in disguise as it got me writing about a teenage character that has lasted into the present and is kind of my biggest project now. During the Lockdown I did the three Reading for Writers courses with Maria Thomas and Vicky Grut, which have been brilliant. Reading and writing go hand-in-hand and these courses introduced me to text I would not have picked up and got me thinking about what I was reading with a writers’ mind. I’ve also done a Craft in Focus course with Sophie McKenzie on Voice in fiction - these weekend craft courses are specific and intense and I needed that.
What made you decide to apply for the Malorie Blackman scholarship?
I had nothing to lose and a whole load to gain. I’m learning that as a writer, I actually want people to read my work. I want my work to be critiqued, so I can get better. Sending my writing in to anything also helps to give me a focus. The kids I’ve worked with love Malorie Blackman, they started me on Noughts and Crosses and then I knew she was quality. To have the possibility of my writing being read by her was a huge motivation. Sometimes the disappointment gets to you but it’s always worth another go. In those moments of self doubt, this will be a real confidence boost.
What do you hope to achieve through the scholarship scheme?
I hope to get a lot more writing done and to explore my practice by taking risks and seeing where that leads me; I’m interested in mixing prose and poetry to tell stories. I’m looking forward to considering courses that I may otherwise have not considered; strengthening my understanding and use of different techniques used in creative writing. I want to be able to continue to weave writing regularly into my days and to feel comfortable in calling myself a writer; I feel this scholarship will support me on that journey.
Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
I am thrilled to have been chosen; it’s a great opportunity to continue my writing in a supportive community. I’ve read so many amazing pieces from other students, I feel honoured to be representing, and hopefully I do that justice. It’s also a reminder to me that no matter how much or how little I feel I’ve read or written in my life, it is ok to just get writing.
