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Students on both of the creative writing degrees at St Mary’s – the undergraduate Creative and Professional Writing BA (Hons) and the postgraduate Creative Writing: First Novel MA – cover a huge range of style and genres in the work that they produce, from YA to adult, historical to bang-up-to-date, comic to gothic.

We look forward to seeing these pages grow as more St Mary’s graduates see their work published and reach an appreciate readership.

Lara Dearman profile and book cover

Lara Dearman

Degree studied: Creative Writing: First Novel MA

Lara wrote her debut novel The Devil’s Claw on the First Novel degree, graduating in 2016 and returned a year later to launch the book, published by Trapeze.

Louise Fein

Degree studied: Creative Writing: First Novel MA

Louise Fein wrote her debut novel, People Like Us, on the First Novel degree and sold it to publishers in the UK and USA as part of a two-book deal in early 2019. It is also forthcoming in translation into Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Romanian.

Louise Fein profile and book cover

Tom Fordy

Degree studied: Creative and Professional Writing BA (Hons)

As a journalist Tom has bylines across a wide range of publications, including The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph. He mostly writes on film, TV and wrestling.

Molly Gartland

Degree studied: Creative Writing: First Novel MA

Molly wrote her debut novel, The Girl from the Hermitage, on the First Novel degree, graduating in 2018. It will be published by Lightning Books later in 2020.

Molly Gartland profile and book cover
Angela Jariwala profile and book cover

Angela Jariwala

Degree studied: Creative Writing: First Novel MA

Angela wrote her debut novel Veneer on the First Novel degree, graduating in 2018. She is represented by Abi Fellows at The Good Agency. Veneer is available on Kindle.

Muhammad Khan

Degree studied: Creative Writing: First Novel MA

Muhammad had already began writing I Am Thunder when he started the MA Creative Writing. Instead he elected to write Kick the Moon as part of the First Novel degree, which was published a year later. Since then, Muhammad has published another book and has delivered a writing masterclass to our undergraduate students.

Muhammed Khan profile and book cover

Jess Kidd

Degree studied: PhD

Jess took an MA and PhD at St Mary’s. A story she wrote on the MA, Dirty Little Fishes, won the 2016 Costa Short Story Award, while the novel she wrote on her PhD was published in 2017 by Canongate as Himself. She returned to St Mary's for a reading, interview and Q&A to celebrate its publication. The novel - published by Canongate - received many plaudits, including being selected as a BBC Radio 2 Book Club Choice.

Birdie Milano

Degree studied: Creative and Professional Writing BA (Hons)

Birdie graduated with first-class honours before going on to sign a two-book deal with Macmillan Children’s Books (MCB). In 2015 she picked up the United Agents Prize for Most Promising Writing for Young People at Bath Spa University, where she studied a Master's degree.

Birdie Milano profile and book cover
Adam Sharpe profile and book cover

Adam Sharp

Degree studied: Creative Writing: First Novel MA

During his time on the First Novel degree, Adam was selected to be published in an anthology that brings together new voices from working-class writers with other, more established names.

Anthology

In 2018 we published the first edition of our anthology of student work. The anthology features work from students across all three years of the Creative and Professional Writing BA (Hons) degree, including both new original writing and work that was submitted for assignments.

  • 2019: Round Two
  • 2018: Square One
St Mary's creative writing student anthology