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WRAP featured writers

Term Two 2023/24 – Holly Williams

Photograph of Holly Williams wearing a navy top in nature.

We're excited to announce Holly Williams as our WRAP Spring Featured Author. Holly's debut novel, What Time is Love?, reached readers in 13 countries, posing the question, 'What if you met the right person at the wrong time?' Released in paperback in 2023, this love story spans decades, exploring the impact of timing on love.

Aside from her success in novels, Holly is a seasoned freelance journalist specialising in the arts. Formerly with The Independent and The Independent on Sunday for six years, she has contributed to prestigious publications like the New York Times, The Guardian, Vogue, and more. Holly's diverse background includes reviewing theatre and books for The Observer, Time Out, and The Independent.

Engaging with the literary community, Holly has led workshops for Arts Emergency, the Faber Academy, and The Writers Workshop. She's judged awards such as The Stage Debut Awards and the Evening Standard Theatre Awards and made TV appearances on Sky News, Radio 4’s Front Row, NPR, and more. Look forward to Holly's upcoming work, as her second novel, The Start of Something, is set for publication by Orion later this year.

Find out more about Holly on her website and Twitter.

Events and opportunities with Holly

2023/24

During Term One, WRAP was inspired by Faber and Penguin writer Ashley Hickson-Lovence. 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 has a PhD in Creative and Critical Writing from the University of East Anglia and leads and teaches courses for the Faber Academy and Arvon, amongst others.

Find Ashley on Instagram and Twitter.

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.

Find Sabba on Instagram and Twitter.

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.

Find Derek on Twitter.

Ashley Hickson-Lovence is an author, PhD student and Lecturer of Creative WritingHis 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.

Find 4 Brown Girls Who Write on Instagram and Twitter.