WRAP featured writers
Term One 2023/24 – Ashley Hickson-Lovence
We're thrilled that Faber and Penguin writer Ashley Hickson-Lovence will be joining us for the second time as our WRAP Featured Writer. Ashley's debut novel The 392 was released with OWN IT! in April 2019. His second novel Your Show, based on the life and career of former Black football referee Uriah Rennie, was released with Faber in April 2022.
Ashley was born in London in 1991 and is a former secondary school English teacher. He is currently completing his PhD in Creative and Critical Writing at the University of East Anglia and is a Lecture of Creative Writing at the Arts University Bournemouth. In his spare time, using his experience as a football referee, he formally observes semi-professional referees for the FA. Find out more about Ashley on his website, Instagram and Twitter.
Events and opportunities with Ashley
- Students – pick up your free copy of Ashley's book Your Show in one of our WRAP book giveaways during Welcome
- Students and staff – enter 'The Awe of Sport' writing competition for the chance to be published in our forthcoming anthology
- Students and staff – Join Ashley for a free online writing masterclass on Tuesday 24 October 2023
- Everyone – book your free ticket for our public WRAP Live! with Ashley Hickson-Lovence (online or in person at Metronome) on Tuesday 21 November 2023
2022/23
During Term One, WRAP is inspired by Sabba Khan. Sabba’s debut graphic novel — The Roles We Play — embodies minimal architectural comics based on her lived experience growing up working class to first generation immigrant parents. The Roles We Play won the Jhalak Prize 22 for the book of the year by a writer of colour and has been shortlisted for other awards. Our WRAP students are working in collaboration with our talented Art and Design students.
Our featured writer for Term Two is Emilie Pine. Her collection of personal essays, Notes to Self: Essays, was released in 2018 and quickly became a No.1 bestseller in Ireland. Drawing from her personal experiences, her book explores taboo topics such as grief on infertility, caring for her alcoholic father, and violence against women. Her latest book, Ruth and Pen, explores family and autism. She is a feminist — and a professor — and has lots to say about gender, addiction and grief.
Catch up with WRAP Live! in conversation with Emilie Pine on YouTube. Find Emilie on Twitter.
Safia Khan is a poet and medical student. Her collection Too Much Mirch challenges assumptions and stereotypes whilst acknowledging human complexity. Her poems address the interplay between family, racism and misogyny, exploring how people and communities can be lifted up or let down by those around them. Safia is delivering a masterclass about writing, the body and self image, and will help to curate our end of year showcase. She is a winner of the prestigious Poetry Business New Poets Prize 2021.
You can catch up with WRAP Live! Safia Khan x WRAP showcase on YouTube.
2021/22
Jude is a poet and writer from South London, and co-author of Stormzy's Rise Up: The #Merky Story So Far (2018). In 2019, he edited Use Words First, an anthology featuring work from 12 different poets, as part of BBC 1Extra and the Contains Strong Language festival project.
Catch up with WRAP Live! with Jude Yawson on YouTube. Find out more on Jude's website and find him on Twitter.
Musa Okwonga is a Ugandan-British writer, poet and musician. His debut novel In The End, It Was All About Love was published in 2020 — exploring themes of identity, sexuality, race, privilege and belonging.
Catch up with WRAP Live! with Musa Okwonga on YouTube. Find Musa on Instagram and Twitter.
MC Angel is a talented wordsmith performing as a spoken-word artist and hip-hop MC as well as writing page poetry. In 2018 she published her memoir Moments of Significance, sharing her experiences of growing up in London as a white, working-class queer woman.
Catch up with WRAP Live! showcase with Shauna O'Briain AKA MC Angel on YouTube. Take a look at MC Angel's website or find her on Twitter.
2020/21
Derek Owusu is an award-winning novelist, a poet, and host of the Mostly Lit podcast. Published by Stormzy's Merky Books, Derek’s debut novel That Reminds Me is a mesmerising read, exploring ideas of race, sexuality, mental health, religion and gender. It won the 2020 Desmond Elliott Prize. Derek is editor of Safe: On Black British Men Reclaiming Space, an anthology of essays described by Afua Hirsch as "not a book you read, but a book you witness".
Catch up with WRAP Live: In conversation with Derek Owusu on YouTube.
Ashley Hickson-Lovence is an author, PhD student and Lecturer of Creative Writing. His debut novel The 392 was released with OWN IT! in 2019. Set on a London bus travelling from Hoxton to Highbury and taking place over just 36 minutes, the events of The 392 unfold through a cast of characters from different worlds.
Catch up with WRAP Live: In conversation with Ashley Hickson-Lovence on YouTube.
Find out more about Ashley on his website, Instagram and Twitter.
Roshni Goyate, Sharan Hunjan, Sheena Patel and Sunnah Khan are four writers that make up the talented collective 4 Brown Girls Who Write. They bring their radical, polyphonic performance style to bear on a series of individual pamphlets that still resonate with their collaborative force.
Each author's discrete publication is a stand-alone work, published as a set of poetry and prose pamphlets, highlighting the daring, brilliant writing that characterises both the group and each individual author.
Catch up with WRAP Live! Student Showcase with 4 Brown Girls Who Write on YouTube.