University of Chichester Student Successes – updated April 2011

The last few years have shown a fabulous flowering of our MA in Creative Writing writers' work, and also of work by BA and Ph.D. students of Creative Writing. We are very proud to have been the venue for several first book launches and would like to thank our graduates for returning to share their experience with current MA in Creative Writing students. Our book launch readings have been fascinating events, where a tutor has interviewed the writer about their practice. We've had slide shows, detailed accounts of research, of first steps to publication, of dealing with contacts, and of course rich, powerful and entertaining readings from work which we are proud to say took root and developed during our course. We have almost always sold out of books on any given book launch evening. The crucible of talent and inspiration on the MA continues to develop through our unique course with its methods of literary cross-fertilisation and finely developed critique. In many ways, the MA writers create this atmosphere through their dedicated approach to workshopping – a process which we nurture carefully. Many of our graduates continue to workshop after the end of the MA, and so local networks have been set up which promote continuing creative work and publication. The annual MA in Creative Writing publishing panel event (convened by Karen Stevens) has become an opportunity too for our graduates to return and to network with each other, current students, agents and publishers. 

Jac Cattaneo has won the 2010 Royal Academy of Arts short story competition, sponsored by Litro Magazine. Jac, a University of Chichester MA student and member of THRESHOLDS, won the prize for her story Lessons in Tightrope Walking. An earlier version of the story was short-listed for the Asham prize in 2009, which itself is a tremendous achievement. Jac modestly describes the story's further development as 'a sorry tale of rejections and re-writes.' Obviously, though, her persistence and continued work has paid off. 

Honoria Beirne's short story Shake Me, Shake Me was short listed for the Bridport Prize in 2010 and is now published in the prestigious Bridport Anthology. Other Chichester students and graduates were longlisted: Anna Lampen, Josie Corcoran and Christian Ward.

K.J.Orr a current University of Chichester Ph.D. student also had her short story, shortlisted and included in the Bridport Anthology. Katherine was the only student in the UK to win funding from the AHRC for her creative writing Ph.D., a collection of short fiction entitled This Inland Sea.

Isabel Ashdown's novel Glasshopper (Myriad Editions, 2009) was begun and developed on the BA and MA here. Glasshopper has had enormous success, winning the Mail on Sunday novel award, being listed as one of five 'best debut novels of 2009' by Francesca Segal in national newspaper The Observer, Nov. 22nd 2009. Issie was interviewed by Simon Mayo on Radio 5 and has had some fabulous reviews. The novel has just been placed on the independent publishers' prize list. For more about Glasshopper and Issie, please see her website: http://isabelashdown.com/. We look forward to her second novel, Hurry Up and Wait, forthcoming from Myriad in Spring 2011.Book Launch Reading at the University September 2011. Contact Fran Armitage for further details. F.Armitage@chi.ac.uk

Melanie Whipma (graduated 2011) won third prize in the New Writer short story competition 2010 for her story Falafel and another story was commended.

Jaqui Rochford's poems from her dissertation were longlisted for publication by Cinnamon Press.

Frank Burton's novel A Short History of Sarcasm is out from Doghorn Press, and Frank launched the novel here as part of the MA in Creative Writing in Semester 1 2010. Frank's story was recently broadcast (April 2009) in a BBC Radio 4 season of new writing on the theme of the whole world. Frank now works for the BBC. http://www.frankburton.co.uk Book Launch Reading at the University.

Penny Bush's novel for teenagers Alice in Time (Piccadilly Press, 2010) came out in April 2010.
The book has since been shortlisted for Manchester Book Awards 2011 and foreign rights have been sold to America, Canada. The book has been translated into Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish. Penny started the novel for her MA dissertation. She says. "Having my book published has been the most amazing experience. I think I'm still in shock, it all happened so quickly. Obviously it's something every writer dreams of but I never really expected it to happen. Doing the MA at Chichester really focused my mind and gave me confidence in my writing, not to mention all the practical help on presentation and layout that is so important when submitting work to a publisher http://www.piccadillypress.co.uk/teen/penelope-bush/aliceintime.html Book Launch Reading at the University.

Gabrielle Kimm's two novels have been accepted by Little, Brown. His Last Duchess (Sphere, 2010) was published in August 2010, and Gaby launched the novel here at the University to a packed audience in October 2010. Gaby's second novel The Courtesan's Choice is also completed and accepted. Gaby won first prize in the City of Derby writing competition for a short story entitled 'Kite', written on the MA. Gaby is represented by Greene and Heaton agents. For more details see Gaby's website http://www.gabriellekimm.co.uk Book Launch Reading at the University October 2011.

Contact Fran Armitage for further details. F.Armitage@chi.ac.uk

Juliet West, who graduated in October 2010 has won the national H.E. Bates Competition, winning the £200 First Prize with Beauty in the Bog, the vivid tale of a poetry-loving teenager on the tough streets of London. Her prize was awarded in front of a large audience at Northampton Library, the home county of H.E. Bates. Juliet followed this with success at this year's Winchester Writers' Conference, where Fifty Six Minutes of Freedom was Highly Commended in the 'shorter short story' competition. A third story, Rarely Visits Gardens, has been accepted for publication in a forthcoming anthology from Two Ravens Press, an independent publisher based in Scotland. The stories in the anthology all have a Gothic flavour, and a link with birds. The anthology is being edited by the author Nicholas Royle, who spoke at the University of Chichester conference on 'The Uncanny' in February 2009. Juliet was the joint winner of the first Kate Betts' Memorial Prize for Creative Writing.

Sarah Hegarty's novel written during the MA, was shortlisted for the Virginia Prize for Fiction (set up by AuroraMetro press). Her short story appeared in MsLexia (January 2010).

Melanie Penycate launched her new poetry collection, Feeding Hummingbirds (Oversteps, 2009) here in Semester 1 2009. Many of the poems were written on the MA. Oversteps is a distinguished poetry publisher with a fine history. Melanie's reading and talk was fascinating, musical and insightful. http://www.overstepsbooks.com/poets/melanie-penycate/ Book Launch Reading at the University.

Jane Rusbridge's first novel, The Devil's Music, was published by Bloomsbury in the summer of 2009. It is described as 'a beautifully told story of family secrets and betrayal, involving knots, Harry Houdini and the shifting landscape of memory.' The novel was started as part of her MA dissertation project. Jane has won the Writer of the Year Competition run by Writer's Inc, the Ilkley Literature Festival short story competition and came second in the Bluechrome Fiction Award. MA assignment poems have featured in The Interpreter's House, Red Hot Fiesta, New Beginnings, First Time, and the Surrey Poetry Competition anthology. Jane has a two book contract with Bloomsbury and is now working on her second novel. Jane presented a fascinating reading and talk about her novel here at the University in Semester 1 2009.

Geoff Lavenderwon second prize in the Steyning Festival short fiction competition in 2009.

Bethan Roberts' second novel, The Good Plain Cook, was released in July 2008. It was the book at bedtime on Radio 4 in July and received excellent reviews. Bethan's first novel, The Pools, was published by Serpent's Tail in summer 2007. Part of the novel formed her MA dissertation piece. Bethan was also selected for the prestigious Arvon/Jerwood mentoring scheme for writers under 35. Entry was highly competitive, with only 9 creative writers chosen from MA courses throughout the country. As part of the scheme, Bethan completed her novel under the guidance of an experienced novelist. Bethan has also published a series of short stories, all written for the MA, including 'Family Portrait' (MsLexia, 16, 2003). Bethan won The Olive Cook Award (Society of Awards) for another short story in 2006. Bethan's radio play about Peggy Guggenheim starring Fiona Shaw was broadcast on Radio 4 in 2010.

You can view a case study about Bethan on the National Association of Writers in Education

On the Third Day by Kate Betts won Channel 4's The Play's The Thing in 2006. The play was performed to very good reviews in The New Ambassadors Theatre, London. Kate appeared in the Channel 4 documentary, The Play's The Thing. We are very sad to report that our good friend and colleague and BA and MA in Creative Writing graduate of the University of Chichester died in the spring of 2010. Kate was a great writer and also an inspirational teacher. A selection of her poems and prose were published posthumously in the anthology, A Track of Light: Chichester Poets (ed. David Swann, 2010). Maxine Peake who played the lead in On the Third Day gave a moving reading from the play at Kate's Memorial Service. On the Third Day was performed again in September 2010 at The Point, Eastleigh. We would like to thank Kate's husband Dave Betts and their children, Tom, Lucy and Rob, for inaugurating the Kate Betts Prize for writers on the MA in Creative Writing. The first award was shared this year at the 2010 graduation ceremony by Juliet West and Amanda Oosthuizen, both outstandingly good writers.

The Long Walk Homeby Sylvia Jean Dickinson won the Arts Council/Penguin Decibel Award in 2006. Sylvia has given workshops in her native South Africa and in the UK as a result.

Steve Kelly won the Hertfordshire University short story prize in 2006 and is now training to be a journalist.

Steve Jefferies was placed second in 2007's Pulp.Net Bloomsbury short story competition in 2007.

Two students have had chapters of their novels shortlisted for the new Impress Prize for Fiction and published in the book length anthology. Gaby Pritchard and Suzanne Johns submitted chapters of their novels and a synopsis of the whole. Only ten writers in this national competition were published in the prize winning anthology. Two of them were from the same cohort of the MA in Creative Writing here at Chichester. 

Laura Maizey had the very first story she wrote on the MA accepted by prestigious magazine The Interpreter's House. Laura now works in publishing and teaches creative writing for the University of Oxford. Laura and another Chichester MA graduate Ben Piggott have founded a website called The Writer's Lounge. Laura is working for Routledge currently.

Francis Burton's collection of short stories (written during the MA) has been accepted by Dog Horn Press and will be out next year. Frank's story was recently broadcast (April 2009) in a BBC Radio 4 season of new writing on the theme of the whole world.

Lorna Howarth won the 2007 Winchester Writing Conference competition with a short story written on the MA.

Meredith Andrew won a prestigious Bridport award in 2005 for a story written on the MA.

Loree Westron was shortlisted for the V.S. Pritchett award, for a story written on the MA, and the story was published in London Magazine. She saw another story from the MA accepted for the notoriously choosy Seattle Review. Loree, now an Associate Lecturer at Portsmouth University, returns to us for our PhD in Creative writing programme. She will be working on a new literary-historical novel based on the life of a Native American Indian. Loree has just had three short stories shortlisted in the Fish short story competition.

Anna Kerr was represented by a major London agent. Her trilogy of novels has been sent round to major publishers. Sadly Anna Kerr died recently, and we remember her with affection and respect.

Julie Singleton has been commissioned to write a monograph on Virginia Woolf at Monk's House, by the prestigious Bloomsbury Heritage series.

Ann Joll won a Bridport prize, won the Asham Award, and has won The Fish short story prize. Ann is now writer-in-residence at Dartmoor Prison.

Christian DeFeo has completed a creative writing PhD at the University of Southampton, on the grounds of his dissertation work here and is now represented by International Agents.

John Hubbard won a prize in this year's Ve Poets Competition.

Maggie Sawkin launched her full length poetry collection, The Zig Zag Woman (Two Ravens Press, 2007) following her successful pamphlet, based on her MA dissertation, Charcot's Pet (Flarestack 2004). Maggie runs Tongues and Grooves, a music and poetry performance network, with a base in Portsmouth. Maggie has received Arts Council funding to run workshops and readings, and has recently been appointed as a lecturer in creative writing at South Downs College. The Zig-Zag Woman has been enthusiastically reviewed in Poetry London and Magma.

From the BA, Jeff Thomson now sees his new adaptation of Marlowe's masterpiece, The Massacre of Paris produced this month at The Rose in London. (Opening night attended by representatives from The Globe and National Theatre.)

Isabel Ashdown Croucher won a Bridport poetry prize while still on the BA, and had a story published in The Paris Review. Isabel is now taking the MA here, and has recently won the The Mail on Sunday's novel competition (judges John Mortimer, Michael Redpath and Fay Weldon) – again with work begun on the BA and continued on the MA.

Amanda Oosthuizen (currently on the MA) has a story shortlisted for possible inclusion in the Asham Award Anthology 2008 (writers hear in February 2009). This anthology promotes new writers by including stories by prestigious writers – this year one of the guest writers is our own Alison MacLeod.

Tina Smart will see her book 'Tomorrow Insha'allah' published by Kings Hart Book Publishers in May 2009. This is a semi-autobiographical novel about a woman living alone in Morocco and building a house there. Tina wrote the bulk of this while on the MA. German by nationality, Tina writes in English.

Graham Minett won the Segora short story competition with his story 'On the Way Out' written for the Sources and Transformations module of the MA. Graham saw another MA story shortlisted for the Bridport 2008 short story prize. His monologue was shortlisted for production by Teachers TV channel. Graham won the 2010 Chapter One Novel contest which opens up the chance of representation and publication.

Emma Tristram (BA, Oxon) completed an M.Phil at Sussex University after the MA here, and has now returned to us to undertake a Ph.D. on Life Writing which will contain both critical and creative work.

Ann Westgarth's short story was shortlisted for the prestigious V.S. Pritchett award.

In summer 2009, Melanie Penycate will see her new book length poetry collection published by specialist poetry press, Oversteps, whose editor is the distinguished poet and translator, Anne Born. Many poems were written during the MA.

Lena Bakke has won the Allers novel writing competition in her native Norway. Allers/Harlequin have commissioned15 books in the series about a Viking woman Borghildur Sigurdsdottir. The judges said of Lena's story: 'the story stands out with its combination of vivid characters, good language and fine nerve. The main characters engage the reader, and the environment is described in a believable way. The author gives the Viking age closeness and colour, and is especially good at depicting women's life , status and friendship – and the fight for a good life. Lena wrote in English during the MA course. Her novel series will be published in Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

Ellie Piddington is now studying for a Ph.D. in Creative Writing at the University of Chichester.

Marilyn Floyde's play The People of Ys (her MA dissertation) toured in a bi-lingual production (Theatre Melange and Theatre de Manicle), both in the UK and in France. Since graduating with Distinction, Marilyn has been commissioned by BBC Radio 3 to create community cantatas, several of which have been broadcast on Radio 3.

Wendy French's collection of poetry, Sky over Bedlam, was published by Tall-Lighthouse press and her latest collection is just out surely you know this. Wendy has also co-edited an anthology of poetry by young people who suffer mental health problems. Wendy's poems have been published in many magazines, including Magma, Writing Women, MsLexia, Smiths Knoll. Wendy has been chair of LAPIDUS and been interviewed about creative writing and healthcare on the BBC Today programme.