Brunel Writers Series 2018

The Department of Creative Writing at Brunel presents brilliant writers in

THE BRUNEL WRITERS SERIES Hosted by Bernardine Evaristo Professor of Creative Writing

January – March 2018

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Wednesday 31 January | 17:30 – 19:30

Writing a First Book of Short Stories : women, desire, fantasy, betrayal Irenosen Okojie & Leone Ross with Bernardine Evaristo Plus student readings from Simi Abe & Fatou Sohna in the Brunel Library (BANN 226)

Irenosen Okojie Irenosen Okojie is a writer and Arts Project Manager.

Her debut novel Butterfly Fish won a Betty Trask award and was shortlisted for an Edinburgh International First Book Award. Her work has been featured in The Observer, The Guardian, the BBC and the Huffington Post amongst other publications. Her short stories have been published internationally including Salt’s Best British Short Stories 2017, Kwani? and The Year’s Best Weird Fiction. She was presented at the London Short Story Festival by Ben Okri as a dynamic writing talent to watch and was featured in the Evening Standard Magazine as one of London’s exciting new authors. Her short story collection Speak Gigantular, published by Jacaranda Books was shortlisted for the Edgehill Short Story Prize, the Jhalak Prize, the Saboteur Awards and nominated for a Shirley Jackson Award.

Leone Ross Leone Ross writes magic realism, erotica and literary fiction. Her latest work is short story collection, Come Let Us Sing Anyway (Peepal Tree Press, 2017).

She has also published two novels, All The Blood Is Red (ARP/Actes Sud) and Orange Laughter (Anchor/FSG/Picador USA).

Orange Laughter was longlisted for the UK Orange Prize and named by Wasafiri magazine as one of the most influential British novels of the last 25 years. Her short fiction has been shortlisted for the V.S Pritchett Prize and Salt Publishing’s Scott Prize. She has judged the Manchester Fiction Prize and the Wimbledon Bookfest Short Story Competition. www.leoneross.com Twitter: @leoneross

www.irenosenokojie.com Twitter: @IrenosenOkojie

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Wednesday 7 February | 17:30 – 19:30

Writing a First Poetry Book: masculinity and homosexuality Wayne Holloway Smith & Richard Scott with Daljit Nagra Plus student readings from Alex Bond & Sam Green in the Brunel Library (BANN226)

Wayne Holloway-Smith Wayne Holloway‑Smith received his PhD in English and Creative Writing from Brunel University in 2015.

His pocketbook, Beloved, in case you’ve been wondering, was published by Donut Press in 2011. His debut collection of poetry, Alarum, published by Bloodaxe Books in March 2017, was shortlisted for the Roehampton Poetry Prize and was a Poetry Book Society guest selection. He won the Poetry Society’s Geoffrey Dearmer Prize in the same year. He lives in London and teaches at the University of Hertfordshire.

Richard Scott Richard Scott was born in London in 1981. His pamphlet Wound, published

by Rialto, won the Michael Marks Poetry Award 2016. His poem Crocodile won the 2017 Poetry London Competition.

His debut collection is forthcoming from Faber & Faber in April 2018.

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Wednesday 14 February | 17:30 – 19:30

Writing a First Novel: From Fact to Fiction : how and why to fictionalise a sexual assault Winnie Li with Bernardine Evaristo Plus student readings from Ali Fletcher & Iris Mauricio in the Brunel Library (BANN 226)

Winnie Li Winnie M Li is an author and activist. Her debut novel, DARK CHAPTER, won The Guardian’s Not The Booker Prize 2017 and will be translated into eight languages. It was also 2nd place in the SI Leeds Literary Prize 2016 and Highly Commended for the CWA Debut Dagger 2015. A Harvard graduate, Winnie previously wrote for travel guide books, produced independent feature films, and programmed for film festivals.

After earning an MA in Creative Writing at Goldsmiths, she now writes across a range of media, runs arts festivals, and is a PhD researcher in Media and Communications at the London School of Economics.

“Her refusal to be silenced – accompanied by a compelling, at times lyrical prose style – makes this book not only highly readable but also incredibly important… It is also deeply courageous.”

Wasafiri.

http://winniemli.com Twitter: @winniemli

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Wednesday 28 February | 17:30 – 19:30

Writing an Experimental Crime Fiction Novel : how to write original genre fiction Tony White with Matt Thorne Plus student readings from Jonathan Pizarro & Jin Wong in the Brunel Library (BANN 226)

Tony White Tony White’s latest novel is The Fountain in the Forest (Faber and Faber). He is the author of five previous novels including Foxy-T and Shackleton’s Man Goes South, and the nonfiction work Another Fool in the Balkans, as well as novellas and numerous short stories published in journals, exhibition catalogues, and anthologies. White was creative entrepreneur in residence in the French department of King’s College London, and has been writer in residence at London’s Science Museum and the UCL School of Slavonic and Eastern European Studies. He recently collaborated with artists Blast Theory on the libraries live-streaming project A Place Free Of Judgement, and currently chairs the board of London’s award-winning arts radio station Resonance 104.4fm.

“Rejecting familiar influences of the past 20 years, White joins a handful of contemporary writers who are proving that the novel has never been more alive.”

Michael Moorcock, The Guardian.

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Wednesday 7 March | 17:30 – 19:30

Writing a First Memoir : writing the self and writing about a parent Hannah Lowe & Lara Pawson with Claire Lynch Plus student readings from Steve Powdrill & Marina Cicionesi Jansson in the Brunel Library (BANN 226)

Hannah Lowe

Lara Pawson

Hannah Lowe’s first poetry collection Chick (Bloodaxe 2013) won the Michael Murphy Memorial Award for Best First Collection. In September 2014, she was named as one of 20 Next Generation poets. She has also published three chapbooks: The Hitcher (The Rialto, 2012); Rx (sine wave peak, 2013) and Ormonde, (Hercules Editions, 2014). Her memoir is Long Time No See (Pericope 2015), and her latest poetry collection is Chan (Bloodaxe, 2016).

Lara Pawson’s life as a writer began in journalism, working for both print and broadcast media.

For stretches, she has lived in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Mali, South Africa and Angola, working mainly for the BBC World Service. Her first book In the Name of the People: Angola’s Forgotten Massacre (2014) was a mix of investigative journalism, history and memoir. It was longlisted for the Orwell Prize and shortlisted for the Bread and Roses Award.

She is the current poet-in-residence at Keats House.

Her second book This Is the Place to Be began life as a sound installation, but was expanded to become a fragmentary memoir. It was shortlisted last year for the Bread and Roses Award, the PEN Ackerley Prize and the Gordon Burn Prize.

Now based in London’s north-east corner, she is working on a novel and several short stories.

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Irenosen Okojie

Leone Ross

Wayne Holloway-Smith

Richard Scott

Winnie Li

Tony White

Hannah Lowe

Lara Pawson

The Department of Creative Writing at Brunel presents brilliant writers in

THE BRUNEL WRITERS SERIES January – March 2018 Hosted by Bernardine Evaristo, Professor of Creative Writing BANN226 of the Brunel Library Come along and be part of the conversation

Meet the authors | Live readings | Discussions | Performances Doors open at 5pm for Refreshments FREE but please book in advance: www.brunel.ac.uk/events DPS_1889 0118

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