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Creative and non-fiction writing: our tutors' recent accomplishments

All of our writing tutors at City Lit are published authors. Below, you can read a selection of our tutors' many and varied accomplishments.

2024

Headshot of Ellen Cranitch and cover of her collection "Crystal" featuring a photograph of crystalsHeadshot of Ellen Cranitch and cover of her collection "Crystal" featuring a photograph of crystals

Ellen Cranitch's new collection Crystal is out now from Bloodaxe Books and is Observer Poetry Book of the Month.

Headshot of Laura Silverman and cover of "The Little Book for Wild Swimmers" featuring a woman standing in a river on a sunny dayHeadshot of Laura Silverman and cover of "The Little Book for Wild Swimmers" featuring a woman standing in a river on a sunny day

Laura Silverman’s The Little Book for Wild Swimmers, an inspirational guide to outdoor swimming, is out now from Summersdale. Laura is deputy editor of Country Living.

Headshot of Vicky GrutHeadshot of Vicky Grut

Vicky Grut's personal essay "Circus Loves", published in the Kitchen Table Quarterly, has been nominated for the Pushcart prize. 

Photo of Sarah Westcott and cover of "Pond" featuring a photograph of the surface of waterPhoto of Sarah Westcott and cover of "Pond" featuring a photograph of the surface of water

Sarah Westcott's new poetry pamphlet Pond is out now from The Braag. 


2023

Lawrence Bradby's poetry and his mini-essay "Writers Making Space" have been published in Briefly Write. He also has an artist text included in Pattern and Chaos in Art, Science and Everyday Life: Critical Intersections and Creative Practice.

Photograph of Sarah Westcott leaning against a gate in a field, and red cover of her poetry collection "Bloom"Photograph of Sarah Westcott leaning against a gate in a field, and red cover of her poetry collection "Bloom"

Sarah Westcott's collection Bloom has been shortlisted for the 2023 Ledbury Hellens Poetry Prize for Second Collections.

Headshot of Wendy Brandmark and cover of "Stand" featuring a partially visible list of contributors and a painting of trees and hillsHeadshot of Wendy Brandmark and cover of "Stand" featuring a partially visible list of contributors and a painting of trees and hills

Wendy Brandmark's short story "The Sister" has been published in Stand.

Yvonne Singh's piece on Samuel Jules Celestine Edwards, "The Forgotten Angel of History", has been published in the White Review. Read it here >

Headshot of Rowan Hisayo Buchanan and cover of her novel "The Sleep Watcher" featuring an illustration of a woman walking on a beachHeadshot of Rowan Hisayo Buchanan and cover of her novel "The Sleep Watcher" featuring an illustration of a woman walking on a beach

The Sleep Watcher, the new novel by Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, is out now from Hachette UK. 'Rowan Hisayo Buchanan is one of the most distinctive and luminously original novelists of her generation’ - Sharlene Teo

Headshot of Thomas McMullan and box art of "Rollerdrome" featuring an illustration of a woman in a crash helmet against a background of explosions in a sports stadium-like environmentHeadshot of Thomas McMullan and box art of "Rollerdrome" featuring an illustration of a woman in a crash helmet against a background of explosions in a sports stadium-like environment

Rollerdrome, with writing and narrative design by Thomas McMullan, has won Best British Game at the 2023 BAFTA Game Awards. 

Headshot of Josh Lacey and cover of "The Pet Potato" featuring a small girl pulling a potato with a smiley face in a cartHeadshot of Josh Lacey and cover of "The Pet Potato" featuring a small girl pulling a potato with a smiley face in a cart

Josh Lacey's picture book The Pet Potato, illustrated by Momoko Abe, is out now in paperback from Andersen Press. 

Live to Tell: (A Proposal For) The Madonna Jukebox Musical, written by and starring Brian Mullin, premiered at the  Omnibus Theatre in February. 

Cover of "Is He Out There?" by Paul Laffan showing a shot of the Earth from spaceCover of "Is He Out There?" by Paul Laffan showing a shot of the Earth from space

Paul Laffan's new book Is He Out There?: Debating The God Delusion is out now from Sussex Academic Press.


2022

Photo of Arji Manuelpillai and cover of Improvised Explosive Device featuring an abstract designPhoto of Arji Manuelpillai and cover of Improvised Explosive Device featuring an abstract design

Arji Manuelpillai's poetry collection Improvised Explosive Device is out now from Penned in the Margins.

Headshot of Clare Helen Welsh and cover of "Time to Move South For Winter" featuring a white bird flying through arctic weatherHeadshot of Clare Helen Welsh and cover of "Time to Move South For Winter" featuring a white bird flying through arctic weather

A Time to Move South For Winter, the latest picture book by Clare Helen Welsh with illustrations by Jenny Løvlie, is out now in paperback from Nosy Crow.

Headshot of Claire Collison and plain grey cover of "Placebo"Headshot of Claire Collison and plain grey cover of "Placebo"

Claire Collison's pamphlet Placebo is out now from Blueprint Poetry Press.

Headshot of Dawn King and poster for "The Trials" featuring a group of young adults sitting on jury benches in a ruined landscapeHeadshot of Dawn King and poster for "The Trials" featuring a group of young adults sitting on jury benches in a ruined landscape

Dawn King's play The Trials is now running at the Donmar Warehouse, directed by Natalie Abrahami. “A gripping parable about the near future” - Time Out

Headshot of Charlotte Heather and cover of "I, Fig Wasp" featuring an illustration of a fig waspHeadshot of Charlotte Heather and cover of "I, Fig Wasp" featuring an illustration of a fig wasp

Charlotte Heather's poetry chapbook I, Fig Wasp is out now from Bottlecap Press. 

Headshot of Sinead Keegan and cover of "Threads o Time" featuring illustrations including keys, a crown, and a hand stitchingHeadshot of Sinead Keegan and cover of "Threads o Time" featuring illustrations including keys, a crown, and a hand stitching

Sinead Keegan's work is included in the Threads of Time anthology celebrating 25 years of the charity Fine Cell Work. 

Brian Mullin and Vnce CableBrian Mullin and Vnce Cable

Playwriting tutor Brian Mullin won an Inspiring Tutor of the Year Award at the 2022 City Lit Awards. Learn more >

Headshot of Helen Cox and cover of "A Body by the Lighthouse" featuring an empty bench with a lighthouse on an island in the backgroundHeadshot of Helen Cox and cover of "A Body by the Lighthouse" featuring an empty bench with a lighthouse on an island in the background

Helen Cox's new mystery novel, A Body by the Lighthouse, is out now in paperback from Quercus. 

Photo of Alycia Pirmohammed standing in a woodlandPhoto of Alycia Pirmohammed standing in a woodland

Two poems by Alycia Pirmohamed have been published by Granta. Read them here >


2021

Headshot of Jonathan Barnes and cover of "The City fo Dr Moreau" featuring a silhouetted figure looking up at a huge shadowed castleHeadshot of Jonathan Barnes and cover of "The City fo Dr Moreau" featuring a silhouetted figure looking up at a huge shadowed castle

The City of Dr Moreau, a sequel by Jonathan Barnes to the classic science-fiction novel by HG Wells, is out now from Titan Books. 

Headshot of Ella Frears and cover of "I Am the Mother Cat" featuring an illustration of snapping fingersHeadshot of Ella Frears and cover of "I Am the Mother Cat" featuring an illustration of snapping fingers

Written as part of a residency at John Hansard Gallery, Southampton, the poetry pamphlet I Am The Mother Cat by Ella Frears is being released by Rough Trade Books.

Headshot of Alison Woodhouse and cover of "Family Frames" featuring a house under constructionHeadshot of Alison Woodhouse and cover of "Family Frames" featuring a house under construction

Alison Woodhouse's flash fiction collection Family Frames is out now, published by Vpress. "Like a treasured album of photographs you'll want to return to again and again" -- Jude Higgins

Headshot of Lou Kuenzler and cover of "our Beautiful Game" with an illustration of young girls playing football near some housesHeadshot of Lou Kuenzler and cover of "our Beautiful Game" with an illustration of young girls playing football near some houses

Our Beautiful Game by Lou Kuenzler is out now from Faber & Faber. "Absolutely magnificent! A glorious tale of football, friendship, feminism and social history." -- Emma Carroll

Hide and Secrets, the new teen thriller from award-winning author Sophie McKenzie, is out now from Simon & Schuster.

The Quality of the Light: A Novel in Five Paintings, by Robert Fraser, is out now from Cranthorpe Millner. 

Lawrence Bradby is taking part in a discussion on "Art and Life" as part of the Festival Literário Internacional do Interior in Portugal, which will take as its starting point the work of Portuguese poet Manuel Allegre.

Lawrence Bradby has collaborated with James Wilkes to create Sound Mirrors, a trail of unique sound portraits of six locations on the Essex coast. The project has been developed as part of Estuary 2021.

Helen Cox has written an article for Medium on "The 3 Biggest Challenges of Independent Publishing".

Angela Clarke's episode of BBC3's The Break is now available to enjoy on BBC iPlayer. "Weed" was written by, directed by, and starred disabled talent.

A Witch Hunt in Whitby, the latest in the Kitt Hartley Yorkshire Mysteries series by Helen Cox, is out now from Quercus.

Julie Irigaray's debut poetry pamphlet Whalers, Witchers and Gauchos is out now from Nine Pens Press.

Charlotte Heather's story "A Haunting Too Close to the Heart" has been published in Issue 3 of the New Gothic Review.

Dawn King has been named as one of the finalists for the 2021 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for her play The Trials.

Sarah Westcott's second collection of poetry, Bloom, is out now from Pavilion Poetry. "[T]hese beautiful poems pivot upon a strange dazzling curiosity. They urge us to kneel in the long grass and pay tender attention to the spaces within nature and within ourselves where life blooms" (Liz Berry).

Natasha Bell's latest crime novel, This Nowhere Place, is out now from Michael Joseph. "Entirely addictive . . . A dramatic, escapist read" - 5***** Reader Review

Danielle Jawando's novel And The Stars Were Burning Brightly has been shortlisted for the 2021 YA Book Prize.

The paperback edition of Sarah Leipciger's latest novel Coming Up for Air has been published by Doubleday.

Alan Nixon directed the comedy series Reluctant Persuaders, which begins airing this month on BBC Radio 4.

Headshot of Thomas McMullan and cover of "The Last Good Man" featuring red skies over green hillsHeadshot of Thomas McMullan and cover of "The Last Good Man" featuring red skies over green hills

Thomas McMullan's prize-winning debut novel The Last Good Man is out now in paperback from Bloomsbury.


Hands at a typewriterHands at a typewriter

 

2020

  • Jonathan Barnes' latest novel, Dracula's Child, is out now from Titan Books.

  • Ella Frears' poetry collection Shine, Darling has been shortlisted for the 2020 Forward Prize for Best First Collection.

  • Penny Joelson's latest YA thriller, Things the Eye Can't See, is out now from Electric Monkey.

  • Jennifer Wong's poetry collection Letters Home is out now from Nine Arches Press.

  • Alison Woodhouse's novella in flash fiction, The House on the Corner, is out now from Ad Hoc Fiction. 
Pen and paperPen and paper

Learn more

>> Get in touch at writing@citylit.ac.uk or give the Writing Department a call on 020 7492 2717.

>> Find out more about creative writing at City Lit.

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