20 writers
supported in 2024
Breakthrough Class of 2024
In 2024 we supported 20 talented, under-represented writers via our Breakthrough Writers' Programme – funded by Curtis Brown, HW Fisher and individual author-sponsors. Keep reading to learn more about some of the writers we supported, their works-in-progress and what Breakthrough means to them.
Mentoring students
Katie Anderson-Morrison
Katie was awarded a place on our Breakthrough Mentoring Programme for Disabled Writers. Katie is being mentored by Chloe Timms.
Bio
Katie Anderson-Morrison writes historical fiction set in the first half of the 20th century. She is particularly drawn to telling stories about women trying to wrest back control of their lives, all with a heavy sprinkling of love, loss, female friendship and disability representation. Katie lives in York with her husband, their two daughters and a small, fluffy dog named Sylvie. She writes around freelance work, family life and debilitating ME/CFS. Katie has a master’s degree in creative writing from the University of Manchester and was selected for the Madeleine Milburn Agency mentorship scheme in 2022. Outside of writing, Katie loves reading, making things and spending time with her loved ones.
Katie's book
The Great Beyond opens in 1933, when the daughter of a famous spirit medium falls for the researcher trying to debunk her mother and must decide who – and what – to believe.
Ruby has been touring the country with her mother, Beryl, since she was a child. She dreams of building a life of her own, but daughterly loyalty and other people’s reactions to her disability have held her back. Beryl’s popularity is waning until she claims to contact the spirit of the Unknown Warrior interred at Westminster Abbey. In the undoubtedly convenient media furore that follows, Ruby questions the veracity of her mother’s abilities for the first time.
When a psychical researcher takes an interest in Beryl’s work, Ruby seizes on the opportunity to shore up her faith. But as Ruby’s attraction to the researcher grows, she discovers that those around her are concealing far more than she ever imagined.
- 'I am so thrilled to have been offered a place on the CBC Breakthrough mentorship scheme. Writing a novel is a wonderful adventure, but it can sometimes be a lonely prospect. I can’t wait to have the support of my mentor Chloe Timms as I work to make this book as good as it can be. I’ve been writing for a long time and have had some near misses along the way. This opportunity has been such a validating reminder of why I keep trying (and trying, and trying!). I’m especially pleased to be working with a writer who has first-hand experience of the extra challenges disabled writers face, and who will understand why representation in fiction is so important to me.’
Sara Hudson
Sara was awarded a place on our Breakthrough Mentoring Programme for Disabled Writers. Sara is being mentored by Lisette Auton.
Bio
When I was eleven years old, I got shipped off to learn to quilt from my auntie who raises llamas. That summer, she told me I got our family's storytelling gene. I've never looked back. (Except when there is a llama.) (They spit.) I am a former Books of Wonder manager, a book reviewer for the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, an Auntie, a dreamer and an ice cream lover.
Sara’s book
Eleven-year-old Oswald Reginald Jolly has a mother who wishes he had never been born, a father who lives in the garage, a best friend he’s stopped talking to, and a dead twin brother. (We do not talk about the dead twin brother.) (Well, Jolly does.) (But he is not supposed to.)
Then, he meets someone who is different. Very different. Her name is Dolores Martinique Witherspoon. She is old. (She says she is not old). She lives in a house that is green (all green) and drinks tea that is brown (but she calls it green). And she has a graveyard. Behind her house. Where she is a secret animal cremator. (Semi-retired and always available).
Oswald Reginald Jolly wants nothing to do with Miss W. He does not need an animal cremator or a best friend or a family who loves him. But, after Jolly contracts to help Miss W win the Carlyle Nut Fair Great Recipe Bake Off, he begins to discover that he cannot do everything alone. And maybe, he does not want to.
Even if it means facing his fear that everyone will always leave him behind.
- 'I am a person with a disability that is not immediately apparent to people. It's shaped every minute, interaction, struggle, opportunity, failure, frustration and possibility of my life – but so has that sense of invisibleness. When I wrote this story, the voice poured out of me, specific and precise. When I sent it to agents, many said, "I think Jolly has a disability. You should name it to explain why he is the way he is." Like so many people who have disabilities, I want my character and his story to exist in the world as a unique person with unique characteristics, not have to wear a label to be accepted. I am so grateful to join the CBC Breakthrough mentorship scheme because you all understand both publishing and disabilities. I am thrilled to honour this kid who may not know what he has, but he knows who he is. You’re giving me the opportunity I’ve dreamed of to better understand, as a writer, how I can meet the market where it is and allow him to find a home in it.'
Freyja Jones
Freyja was awarded a place on our Breakthrough Mentoring Programme for Disabled Writers. Freyja is being mentored by Polly Atkin.
Bio
Freyja Jones is a Welsh writer and tutor currently based in Dorset. She has an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck School of Arts, where she focused her research and writing on disability, identity, and fragmentation. Her poetry has previously been published online and in print. She is currently working on her first novel.
Freyja’s book
Rabbit Heart is a piece of literary fiction that explores chronic illness and identity through a folkloric/gothic lens.
An unnamed woman living in rural Wales suddenly falls ill during the height of summer. Expecting she will recover soon enough; she begins to see a ghostly figure who haunts her between the palpitations and the slips of consciousness. As her symptoms worsen and those around her continue to doubt her, her grip on the world she has always known begins to soften.
- 'I am really excited to start working with my mentor on my novel. This mentorship will provide me with invaluable feedback and support as I undertake the next draft(s) of Rabbit Heart, which will give me the confidence to make more effective and bolder decisions in my writing. As a person living with chronic illness, who often finds it difficult to take part in in-person events, this opportunity is invaluable and I am hugely grateful to have won a place on the programme.'
Kristen Pellot
Kristen was awarded a place on our Breakthrough Mentoring Programme for Writers of Colour. Kristen is being mentored by Catherine Johnson.
Bio
Kristen Pellot is an Afro-Latina from Orlando, Florida, currently residing in London. Last year, she completed her master’s degree in English literature from Brunel University, where she graduated with a distinction. Her dissertation, Harry Potter and the Magic that Never Was, won Brunel’s Prachi Dwivedi Prize. She also has six years of teaching experience, first teaching for two years in China, teaching kids in the foster care system in Orlando, and then teaching debate and English at a secondary school and college in London. Kristen also has a history of activism work, including becoming a cohort of Advocates for Youth’s Youth Resource program to advocate for age-appropriate sexual education, creating a workshop on anti-Blackness in intersectional spaces, and lobbying the U.S. Congress for better access to sexual education in public schools. She hopes to use this passion for sociopolitical activism in her academic and creative work.
Kristen’s book
Ithaca is a young adult novel about queer witches of colour living in a small town while they try to protect their coven and community from people who are threatening it. The story follows Zena Ramiro, a sixteen-year-old Afro-Latina from Poinciana, Florida, as she discovers she’s a witch. Poinciana is a small, rapidly urbanising farming town that is home to a large population of immigrants and snowbirds and, in the world of Ithaca, conspiracists fearing witchcraft. The central conflict finds Zena at odds with these conspiracists as she learns that not only are these Witch-Hunters more right than even they know, but there is a hidden world within the forests of her town called Ithaca. Much like Poinciana, Ithaca is a haven for a diverse group. It’s a coven known for being welcoming to all forms of witches and witchcraft, including the controversial arcano-tech. Ithaca is a story about fear, the lengths we go to find safety in community, and how much further we go to protect it.
- ‘Being part of the CBC Breakthrough mentorship scheme means so much to me as a working-class writer who often misses out on opportunities like this because of financial barriers. It’s allowed me to gain confidence in myself and my writing, as this has felt like an unachievable goal for so long. I’m so grateful to have worked with Catherine Johnson. She has not only given me actionable advice to improve my work, but also helped me realise how much I’m holding myself back and the impact that is having on my work. This experience has been invaluable and helped me believe I could have a successful writing career.’
Carolina Simionato
Carolina was awarded a place on our Breakthrough Mentoring Programme for Writers of Colour. Carolina is being mentored by Ayisha Malik.
Bio
Carolina Simionato is a writer and musician. Carolina grew up on a small farm in a Landless Workers’ Movement settlement in the southern Brazilian countryside. She graduated from UNILA (Brazil) with a bachelor's degree in literature, arts and cultural mediation, which focused on Latin American literature and decolonial theory. Carolina then moved to Germany, where she lived for five years before returning to her home state of Paraná. In addition to the Breakthrough Mentoring Programme, she’s attended the Tin House Winter Workshop. Through the exploration of each character's individuality and interiority, Carolina’s writing investigates larger themes such as colonialism, capitalism and identity. Carolina is currently working on a novel inspired by her years in Germany.
Carolina's book
Carolina’s novel follows Isabela and Elisa’s lives as Brazilian immigrants in Europe. While Elisa’s been living in a small town in northern Germany for years and has grown disenchanted by her experiences as a racialised immigrant, Isabela is freshly arrived, wide-eyed and excited to be studying in Hamburg. Isabela finds a group of international, queer friends, and explores the freedom of being away from her parents, their Catholic beliefs, and life in their rural community. Meanwhile, Elisa feels even more isolated and alone, and her life takes a turn for the worse. As their worldviews and experiences increasingly differ, the two grow distant from each other and themselves and must fight to find their way to something better — and previously unexplored. Through Elisa and Isabela’s points of view, the novel explores how upbringing, identity and oppression converge to make us who we are, and the journey it sets us on.
- 'Growing up in rural Brazil under complex circumstances meant that for most of my life, being a writer was a very distant dream. That never stopped me from writing and inspired me to write stories that are still untold, of my people, from my region. Still, I’ve sorely missed the kind of support that the CBC Breakthrough mentorship scheme offers. I could barely believe it when I got the email telling me I'd won a place, as I knew how important a step it would be for me. Working with my mentor has been nothing short of amazing, as I’ve got essential feedback and felt more supported than ever and empowered to keep honing my voice. I’m proud of the shape my novel is taking and, with the programme’s help, also much more confident about bringing it into the world.'
Bang Wang
Bang was awarded a place on our Breakthrough Mentoring Programme for Writers of Colour. Bang is being mentored by Ayisha Malik.
Bio
Bang Wang has published ten books in China and France. Her film script, The Dream Cages, won Best Feature Drama at the NYIFF in 2011 in New York. Her short story collection, Journey to Absence, was selected as one of the top ten Chinese fiction books of 2022 by Asia Weekly in HK. Her essay collection, The Texture of Hard Times: An Observational Memoir of Life in the UK, was shortlisted for the Chinese Youth Writer Award in 2019. It also won the 2022 Book of the Year award from One Way Street, an independent literary prize nominated by 100 bookshops across China. Bang began writing in English in 2021. As one of ten winners, she was selected for the Escalator 2022 programme, an annual talent development scheme run by the National Centre for Writing in Norwich.
Bang's book
Whale is an adventurous soul, born during the Chinese one-child era into a working-class family, often engaged in feminist movements. After paying a heavy price for her nonconformity, she flees to London to seek a fresh start, only to find herself ensnared in a bitter relationship with her wealthy childhood friend who sponsors her trip. As she ventures into the lives of wealthy Chinese expatriates, English middle-class liberals and impoverished outcasts, she becomes embroiled in a tumultuous clash of class and identity. Can she navigate the perilous path to secure a temporary visa into a world of privilege previously unknown to her? Or, will she throw away the so-called ‘once-in-a-lifetime chance’ to reunite with her true self?
- ‘When I first arrived in Britain a decade ago, I had only a battered suitcase and no prior education in English. However, I fell in love with the language and began self-study. Coming from a working-class background, I wouldn’t have been able to afford a creative writing diploma anywhere in the UK. Winning the CBC Breakthrough mentorship scheme means I can earn the equivalent for free. My mentor, Ayisha Malik, taught me everything from the beginning: why to "show, don’t tell," how to express my emotions (I am not neurotypical and am currently in therapy), and she even pointed out every jarring sentence and corrected my punctuation. Writing in a second language is hell, and my work often feels like I’ve hit a dead end, but she always resurrects it with her gentle, magical breath.’
Tahira Yaqoob
Tahira was awarded a place on our Breakthrough Mentoring Programme for Writers of Colour. Tahira is being mentored by Yvvette Edwards.
Bio
Tahira Yaqoob is a freelance journalist and a recent graduate from the MA Creative Writing Prose Fiction programme at UEA, where she was the recipient of the Kowitz Scholarship and the joint winner of the Curtis Brown Award for best dissertation. She has been a runner-up twice in the Mogford International Short Story Prize, longlisted twice, and longlisted for Penguin’s WriteNow scheme in 2020.
As a journalist, she covers breaking news, crime, politics, features and special investigations. She is based in London and has written for 30-plus international publications, including the Washington Post, the Daily Telegraph, The Times and the Daily Mail. Tahira has reported from Colombia, Pakistan, India, Morocco and the Middle East, where she lived for more than a decade, as well as the UK. Many of the stories she has covered inform her creative writing, with themes of race, class, identity, migration and dislocation.
Tahira’s book
Tahira’s novel is a multi-generational tale exploring loss, trauma and the legacy of mob violence. Ejaz Usman is the respected imam of a mosque in a London suburb, a pillar of the community and a controlling figure, but he is hiding a dark, bloody secret. When the two children he raises alone uncover the atrocity he committed during the Partition of India, it tears the family apart. A modern-day retelling of The Mayor of Casterbridge, the novel asks: how long should we pay for our sins?
- ‘Keeping the momentum going, staying strong in the belief that yours is an important story to tell, is the hardest thing that any writer faces. Winning a place on the CBC Breakthrough mentorship scheme was the ultimate validation and encouragement to persevere. It hasn’t been easy, but my mentor Yvvette Edwards has been unflagging in her support and reminded me of an important lesson: kindness towards yourself and your work-in-progress. Her guidance and thoughtful line edits have helped shape my novel and my approach to it. The length of the programme, the regularity of the contact with my mentor and the gentle guiding hand have made all the difference. They show real care. This is no flash-in-the-pan boost but a nurturing process; a map and a compass to help you navigate your way out of the jungle.’
Scholarship students
Josephine Bruni
Josephine was awarded the HW Fisher Novel-Writing Scholarship for Writers with Low Income.
Bio
After studying Classics, Josephine worked as a jester in Italy, writing imitation medieval poems and songs for a group of actors and musicians. Later, she become an actress-puppeteer, writing scripts for award-winning shows. When she was forced into exile from Italy for her political convictions during the Berlusconi years, she reached London with her two children who are now well settled. She spends much of her time writing about Camden where she lives, and helps out in her local community, especially caring for people with serious addictions. Though she spends a lot of time in churches, she is still an anarchist.
Josephine has recently won an editorial assessment by The Literary Consultancy through Spread The Word. She hopes to finish my novel within six months.
Josephine's book
Saint Joan’s Sword questions whether some mystical experiences contain a political stance and if psychiatry can become a powerful tool to repress them. Angelina is an Irish-Italian anarchist out to smash a lie: that the voice she heard was not God’s but the symptom of an illness and the persecution she endured, both in Italy and London. For years in ‘chemical handcuffs,’ she frees herself with the help of Roman Catholic and Anglican priests and rises to the battle call that she has received by divine guidance. A satanist cult, the same that afflicted her beloved Italy, now aims to overtake England and Angelina’s mission is to force them into the open. Northwest London becomes the background to her strife as the satanists become more and more brazen until the people plan an uprising against them. Armageddon is about to start in Camden Town…
- ‘I was shortlisted for the HW Fisher Novel-Writing Scholarship last year, but didn’t win. Stubbornly, I re-tried and won. Soon after, I was catapulted into CBC’s rooms in Piccadilly – where even coffee machines are smart! – and into a new world. Our tutor Charlotte is not only a successful writer but looks like one too, so I was enthralled by her teaching and listened carefully to everything she said, even when she was tough. The other students were serious about their craft but also full of humour. We had, together with Charlotte, lots of laughter. I am still very much in contact with them through our motivational WhatsApp group and we meet as often as we can in person to share our dreams over a drink.’
Joyce Datiles
Joyce was awarded our Breakthrough Scholarship for YA & Children's Fiction Writers of Colour.
Bio
Joyce Datiles is a UK-based writer/director, historian and visual anthropologist whose work spans art, film and immersive storytelling. She was selected for the 2024 TV Collective’s Breakthrough Leaders sponsored by BBC Studios, Amazon Prime, ITV, Fremantle and Sky and won the 2024 Curtis Brown Creative Breakthrough Scholarship for YA & Children's Fiction Writers of Colour to workshop her fantasy novel Moon Fight with Catherine Johnson. She was shortlisted for 2023 Penguin Books WriteNow x BBC Studios and longlisted for the 2024 Penguin Michael Joseph Undiscovered Writers Prize.
Joyce is the recipient of the 2024 Innovation Pipeline R&D grant from Media Cymru to adapt Moon Fight into a VR game and was selected by CreativeUK as one of ten filmmakers for its inaugural Industry Equals: Women in Screen incubator. She is co-founder of The Spectacle Makers Productions based in Somerset House and selected for BAFTA Connect.
Her experimental artwork has exhibited at Cannes, Sundance London, Prada, Saatchi Art, Vogue, Tate Modern and Open City Docs. Joyce holds a dual doctorate in history and anthropology from UCL, and graduated from Georgetown, Oxford, Cambridge and NFTS. As a volunteer UN Women UK delegate to the CSW since 2021, she is a fierce champion for better representation of under-represented groups and gender equality. Her work, both creative and academic, aims to amplify diverse voices and heroes that have been excluded from history.
Joyce's book
Moon Fight is a time-bending, epic fantasy adventure novel about Hen Arclight, a young archaeologist who develops celestial and lunar powers on her birthday, conjuring up a strange moon as well as several Time Travelers who have been waiting centuries for her. Together they must team up to save the world against an ancient supernatural enemy thought to have only existed in fairy tales. Moon Fight intertwines British history, Asian folklore and Welsh myths into a contemporary setting whilst also addressing relevant issues such as the power of embracing one’s heritage and identity, the true value of friendship and the importance of empathy.
Joyce first began Moon Fight in 2014 whilst studying ancient history and anthropology at UCL. She picked the story up again years later, writing it as a television pilot when she was selected for 2020 The Other Room (TOR) Theatre Emerging Writers Scheme, a year-long programme sponsored by Bad Wolf TV. The script went on to be a Top 4 Finalist in the Amazon Prime WriterSlam 2021 and is currently being adapted into a VR game and series with Media Cymru and BBC Wales and workshopped with Curtis Brown Creative and Catherine Johnson as a YA fantasy novel.
- 'Winning this scholarship has given me so much confidence as an aspiring author. The course, led by the brilliant Catherine Johnson, has enabled me to take my fantasy novel, Moon Fight, to a more focused level and has opened my eyes to the complexities and joys of writing for younger audiences. My writing process throughout rewriting and editing has meant starting from scratch at times, to dissecting my characters inside out in order to discover new things. I’ve fallen in love with the YA genre all over again, and winning a place on this course has been the greatest affirmation that me and my love for worldbuilding belong in this space. Being a part of CBC’s Breakthrough Class of 2024 has been a highlight of my year and has given me the courage to finally finish Moon Fight, my passion project for years. Thank you, CBC!’
Fadumo
Fadumo was awarded our Breakthrough Scholarship for Screenwriters with Low Income.
Bio
Fadumo is Somali-British screenwriter from East London. She previously worked in TV development. After spending years working with screenwriters to develop ideas, this year, Fadumo decided she would like to work on the other side. As a Black, Muslim, working-class woman, Fadumo has always felt misrepresented (if at all) in British drama but hopes to change this. She is particularly obsessed with telling stories with the unlikeliest of heroes – why can’t a Somali streetcleaner be the hero of a high-end drama?
Fadumo’s TV drama serial
The series follows a haphazard group of five women from the East End of London who steal millions of pounds worth of cocaine and start up a drug empire, targeting middle-class mums. The clueless ladies must learn the ins and outs of running a drug ring, whilst remaining ethical and violence-free – principles that make them different from other drug lords. The women will face many hurdles, such as the lack of knowledge in running a drug ring (there ain’t exactly a dummy’s guide for that sort of thing), having to fight off competitors, and not to mention the persistent and brilliant detective inspector, Bilal Kamara, who is on their trail. As well as operational problems, each woman will go through personal issues.
The series will explore female friendship in adults – can you always remain friends with your childhood friends, or can you outgrow one another? Another theme of the show is the morally ‘grey area’ and whether it is okay to do the wrong thing but for the right reason. Our heroes, although well-meaning, are still drug lords. They will try to run their ring as ethically as possible, but can they really run a drug empire without losing their humanity?
- ‘I am really grateful for the scholarship because, not only has it given me the opportunity to learn about the basics of screenwriting, but to learn first-hand from a professional screenwriter. I’m still early into my course, but I’ve learnt a lot and have been applying my learning into my work. There are opportunities to share your work with the class. So far, I’ve shared one extract of my script and hearing the thoughts from my tutor and fellow students not only boosted my confidence, but also made me a better writer. I can’t wait for the rest of the course and to see where my screenwriting career goes next.’
Joyia Fitch
Joyia was awarded our Breakthrough Scholarship for Memoir Writers with Low Income.
Bio
Joyia lives in South London and works in TV, film, theatre and events, as an actress, casting assistant and hostess. She graduated with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art from UCA, specialising in printmaking, performance art & photography. She was a recipient of a London Writers Award with Spread the Word for Narrative Non-Fiction in 2021 and was awarded the Breakthrough Scholarship for Memoir Writers with Curtis Brown Creative in 2024. She also took a short mentorship with Kerry Hudson through Moniack Mhor and won a Free Read with The Literary Consultancy. Her short play, Dorm 103 was chosen for a stage reading for Theatre Deli’s 28 Plays Later and she has also written for the Telegraph. Working with Clare Mackintosh, she wrote Of Sound Mind. Mostly. which is included in the anthology Will You Read This, Please? edited by Joanna Cannon (Borough Press, May 2023).
Joyia's book
My memoir, Yoo Said, I Say is a raw and powerful tale of falling into the clutches of a cult, watching my sanity slip away before waking up, returning home and confronting the harsh reality of toxic love. Set in the magic yet treacherous Balinese jungle, it tells of a gripping, explosive love between Yoo, a mesmeric tantric yogini guru and me – a disciple disillusioned with the West. In elucidating the human potential for recovery, I eventually take ownership of this destructive experience to rewrite an enlightening tale of hope and resilience. It’s not Eat, Pray, Love but it might be a bit like The Beach.
- Receiving a scholarship to attend Rhik Samadder’s wonderful Memoir course was an incredible boost to my confidence as a writer, giving me faith that my story deserved to be told; that there was potential even when I doubted myself. I feel so lucky to have been given this opportunity as I wouldn’t have been able to take part without the scholarship. The course really helped demystify the submission process and refine essential documents like my synopsis and query letter to enable me to move forward. The gift of joining a group of memoirists was so inspiring and the intimate sharing of our stories has led to us supporting each other post course as we keep heading towards our writing goals. Being a Breakthrough Scholarship awardee was vital in encouraging me to keep going on this writing journey I have found myself on. I’m so grateful for the opportunity.
Amber Houlders
Amber was awarded our Breakthrough Scholarship for Fantasy Writers with Low Income.
Bio
Amber is a game developer from the UK. She has a master's degree in creative writing and enjoys writing women focused fantasy stories (the more sapphic the better), set in second worlds that are aligned with and explore her family’s heritage.
Amber’s book
Amber is currently querying Blood in the Water, an adult, character driven historical fantasy. It includes POC representation, a dash of body horror and terrible sapphic women. Influenced by West African & Caribbean mythology and culture, the novel explores generational trauma, the desire for freedom, and the politics of colonialism in a break-neck chase across the desert:
Ifunanya has spent her long life on the run, from death, draught and the empire. But on the brink of her retirement she’s tricked into kidnapping Ebieré, a Mmuo Princess on the run from her husband. Neither the empire nor Ebieré’s husband can afford to lose either woman. The hunt is on as Ifunanya realises that fate has caught up to her; a long-forgotten war will be revived, and the gods are not far behind.
- 'I am so grateful to have been selected for this scholarship and have thoroughly enjoyed my time. It has been wonderful to be part of a group of aspiring writers with so many diverse backgrounds that I have been able to learn from and have conversations with about the craft of writing. Having Lucy Holland as a tutor has also been amazing, she is incredibly perceptive and brilliant. She really knows how to get you and the wider group thinking about the choices you have made for your story and how you can improve them. An industry conversation we had with external agents and authors was also incredibly helpful and offered so much insight into the world of publishing.'
Julia Litwinowicz
Julia was awarded the Gillian McAllister Novel-Writing Scholarship for Disabled Writers.
Bio
Julia is a Polish writer living in the UK, surrounded by books, dogs and rainy weather. She recently graduated with a first-class degree in Creative Writing from the University of Warwick, and she is now writing her debut novel. Having lived a childhood filled with fairy tales, myths and folklore, she is drawn to all things fantastical. To her, writing is an alchemical process, and she hopes that people will find moments of magic in her words. Besides writing, she spends her days drawing, daydreaming and waiting for the first flowers to bloom in her garden.
Julia’s book
Julia’s debut novel, Yaga, is a dark fantasy inspired by Slavic folklore and Polish legends. It is a story of exile and loneliness, of monstrosity and rage, but most importantly, it is a story about the human heart in all its flaws and folly. Invaded by an army of witches and ravaged by feral monsters, Krakia falls to the kingdom of Rusenya, its armies led by an immortal king, Koschei the Deathless. Running out of options, Vanda, the heir to the Krakian throne, must strike a deal with a legendary witch, Yaga, who might be the only person capable of defeating Koschei. Their unlikely alliance will determine the fate of Krakia, Rusenya and each other.
- 'For a long time, being a writer was something I could only dream about. I've always second-guessed myself, always downplayed my talent, never quite believing that my writing was anything special. It's a bad habit, I know, but winning this scholarship changed that. It gave me the confidence to continue pursuing a career as a writer, proving that there is a space for me in the writing industry, despite everything that I had previously believed. And, if there are others out there who believe in my writing and can see my potential, then perhaps I should start believing in myself too.'
Liam Scanlon
Liam was awarded the HW Fisher Novel-Writing Scholarship for Writers with Low Income.
Bio
Liam Scanlon is a thirty-one-year-old gay Canadian writer and actor, and the current recipient of the HW Fisher scholarship for Curtis Brown Creative’s Writing Your Novel course, where he developed Our Country. His writing work has appeared in editions of Oyster River Pages, Carnations, Violets & Lavender (Delos publishing) and Seedlings magazine, his queer romance play, Safehouse, sold out in its initial October and November 2023 five-night London run, and he runs a book TikTok account with 20,000 followers. A Londoner for seven years, he was an English teacher in rural Japan for a year and later spent three months in Italy, events of which inspired Our Country.
Liam’s book
Our Country is an upmarket love and coming-of-age story set in Japan and Italy about the search for belonging and the promises and dangers of international love. When Tommy, 22, says yes to join Leandro, a mysterious Italian man ten years his senior, in his hotel room after chance encounter, he’s trying not to think about the girlfriend back in America or the dangers of being with a man—it’s supposed to be a one-off. However, with Japan the most dizzying, extravagant party in the world, Tommy life quickly transforms as they fall in love over an intoxicating three months. But when he pursues Leandro to Italy two years later, he meets a completely different person in a culturally impenetrable world. In the resulting spiral, with the looming danger of the AIDS crisis, Tommy risks not just his sanity in Rome’s seedy, glamorous underbelly, but also his life in the attempt to win Leandro back.
- ‘Receiving the scholarship to join Charlotte Mendelson and my wonderful cohort of fellow writers on this term's Writing Your Novel course has truly been transformative. While I've developed confidence in my prose craft over the years, Charlotte's instruction allowed me to connect those dots to properly tell a story. As I finish a draft of Our Country now, I have a new confidence in my ability to finetune the elements which serve the magic of that story. I’ve also gained, thanks to the amazing industry masterclasses, a new awareness about how this book might fit into the wider industry, as well as what kind of writing career I'll want to pursue. Above all, the course has prepared me for writing as a living, from the lifelong connections I've made with my fellow writers, to the tips on how writing can be emotionally sustainable.’
Shehrazade Zafar-Arif
Shehrazade was awarded our Breakthrough Scholarship for Writers with Low Income.
Bio
Shehrazade grew up in Karachi, Pakistan before moving to London to do her BA in English Literature at UCL and later her Masters in Shakespeare Studies at King’s College London. Her short stories have been published in Untitled: Voices, FeelsZine, FEED Lit Mag, Fiery Scribe Review, Peatsmoke Journal, and the Grimm Retold anthology. Her short story ‘Portrait of a City on the Brink of Destruction’ is nominated for the 2025 Best of the Net anthology and her essay on the 2024 Pakistani general election was featured in Fiery Scribe Review’s Anti-Oppression issue. She is also an editorial assistant at CRAFT literary magazine and a theatre critic who writes reviews for Shakespeare Bulletin, the London Box Office, and Crayon Magazine. Shehrazade’s writing is inspired by her love for theatre and the two vastly different cities she calls home.
Shehrazade’s book
Welcome to Karachi, a city with many faces, a city full of storytellers. Ali has lived a strange life: born a beggar, but raised in a life of luxury after his mother abandoned him on the steps of a Sufi shrine and a wealthy, idealistic politician took him in. When his adopted father is killed, a rudderless Ali decides to search for his missing birth mother. He is drawn back into the impoverished parts of the city of his childhood, creating a rift between him and his grieving adopted brother. Torn between the two sides of the city he calls home, angry at the injustices exposed as he retraces his mother’s life, Ali chases the past as Karachi erupts into political discord and violence around him.
- ‘To write a novel has been my goal for many years, but financial constraints and life circumstances meant it was something I had to put on hold. Winning a place on this programme meant I was able to give my full attention and commitment to my writing career, turning it from a dream into something real and tangible. I joined the course with 65,000 haphazardly written words of a very rough draft and, with the advice of my brilliant tutors and the feedback of my fantastic peers, I can see it taking the shape of something I’m very excited and hopeful about. As a writer I’ve always been a solitary creature, and this is the first time I’ve been part of a writing community. The experience has been invaluable and I’m so grateful for the opportunity.’
About Breakthrough
The Breakthrough Writers' Programme is funded by The Curtis Brown Group and our valued partners. We are currently open for applications to scholarships and mentoring opportunities running in early 2025.