Kirsty Capes wins The HW Fisher Scholarship
BY Jack Hadley
23rd Nov 2017
We’re delighted to announce that the latest HW Fisher scholarship, enabling one talented writer of limited financial means to study on the next of our London creative writing courses for free, has been awarded to Kirsty Capes for her novel-in-progress The Hatchling. The Hatchling is a dark, coming-of-age story about two streetwise girls in a stifling Middlesex commuter town – one of whom is attempting to get out of the foster care system and the other trying to escape an arranged marriage to a cousin she's never met in Bangladesh. The novel offers an unflinching critical examination of the UK care system and teenage pregnancy, and invites the reader to question preconceived notions of motherhood, care and self-identity. We were hugely impressed by Kirsty's sharp writing, and are delighted that she’s joining our Autumn three-month course, led by tutor Charlotte Mendelson. Kirsty is 24 years old, and based in South London. She’s a care leaver and her experiences of the care system have greatly informed the themes of her novel and other writing. She tweets as @kirstycapes. Kirsty told us: “Any aspiring writer will know how isolating an experience writing can be. CBC has created a safe and nurturing environment where I can present my writing in a non-judgmental and constructive setting among other writers who are going through the same creative process as me. The expert help and in-depth feedback from agents, editors and authors is totally invaluable. More than that, being awarded the HW Fisher scholarship has felt like a real validation of my work. It's an incredible, invigorating feeling, knowing that someone has read my writing and found it to be credible and worthy of their time. I'm really looking forward to making the most of the course, the support network provided by CBC and especially the feedback from the expert tutors.” Barry Kernon is a Consultant at HW Fisher with many years of experience working with the tax affairs of individuals in the creative industries. He’s the Honorary Treasurer of the Society of Authors, and was one of the founders of the scholarship program. He says: “We are delighted to be sponsoring a scholarship for the very talented Kirsty Capes and wish her every success in the development of her gripping coming-of-age novel. HW Fisher has sponsored scholarships for the Curtis Brown Creative Writing Course for several years; we’re committed to supporting tomorrow’s literary talent in getting access to expert tuition and giving their budding novels the best chance for success.” The Curtis Brown Creative team is hugely grateful to H W Fisher & Company Chartered Accountants for their ongoing sponsorship of our courses through the scholarship program, which has been running since Autumn 2015. You can find out more about H W Fisher and the scholarship opportunity by clicking here. Kirsty Capes is the fourth H W Fisher student. We’re excited to have heard recently that Louise McCreesh, our scholarship student from Spring 2016, has gained representation and is now working with her agent to ready her novel for submission to publishers. More news when we have it… To learn more about HW Fisher and the work they do, click here.To find out more about the scholarship opportunities we are running at the moment, click hereFor an in-depth course as part of a group of 15 (in which students are selected on the basis of their submission) with a great tutor and participation from our literary agents, apply for:Six-Month Novel-Writing Course in London with Christopher Wakling (deadline for applications is Sunday 21 January).Six-Month Online Novel-Writing Course with Lisa O’Donnell (deadline for applications is Sunday 28 January).For a dedicated online course for those writing for young adults or children as part of a group of 15 (in which students are selected on the basis of their submission), with a top children’s author, apply for: Writing YA and Children’s Fiction with Catherine Johnson (deadline for applications is Sunday 4 February).We are also offering three low-cost ‘foundation’ online courses, featuring tuition from CBC director Anna Davis: Starting to Write Your Novel (deadline for enrolment is midnight on Mon 15 January).Write to the End of Your Novel (deadline for enrolment is midnight on Mon 22 January).Edit & Pitch Your Novel (deadline for enrolment is midnight on Mon 29 January).