HAVE YOU EVER HAD THAT ONE PERSON WHO BELIEVED IN YOU?

SOMEONE WHO CHANGED YOUR LIFE?

Luckily, I did.

He was called Bryan Ricketts and he was my high school English teacher.

He was also the best creative writing tutor in the world, despite the fact that he didn’t write himself.

He just knew how to bring literary talent out of other people.

At his funeral, one of his other writing students said, “He made me feel bigger than I am.”

And he did.

He took a messed up teenager and made her Young Poet of the Year within three years. He stood by and supported me as I got my first collection, Rain in the Upper Floor Cafe,  out when I was seventeen and he encouraged me when I finally went to college at twenty-one, after working as a waitress and shop assistant.

When I graduated with the top First in my university and was about to embark on my master’s at Cambridge, he sent me his University of London hood to wear at the ceremony, telling me he knew I would understand the meaning.

And I did.

The mantle to help and teach others was being passed to me.

And I was so proud to take it.

Sadly, Bryan died of cancer before I completed my doctorate, but not long before he passed, he told me to I “should write.”

Meaning, creatively, as well as producing the academic theses I was caught up in.

He was proud of my studies, but he saw a bigger literary talent in me and he reminded me of it.

That was the last and maybe greatest gift he ever gave me.

A year later, though I never thought I’d write fiction, I started crafting short stories after a trip to Las Vegas – the first one won a national competition, so I kept going and eventually they became my first novel, Welcome to Sharonville.

And, even though Bryan was no longer with me, I couldn’t have become a writer without his encouragement and gentle challenge to own my talents. He may have been a guy and he may not have called himself a feminist, but he sure as heck knew how to encourage and advocate for me as a young female writer.

AND NOW I WANT TO DO THIS FOR YOU.

I WANT TO BE THE SUPPORT YOU NEED TO GET YOUR BOOK, WRITTEN, PUBLISHED AND OUT THERE CHANGING THE WORLD.

I’LL BE OFFERING ONE SCHOLARSHIP A YEAR INITIALLY, BUT I HOPE TO PROVIDE MORE ONCE MY WRITING COACHING PRACTICE DEVELOPS.

As a disabled woman myself who lived in poverty for many years, I am passionate about this scholarship empowering talented women who would not normally afford writing coaching.

Though this scholarship will be awarded on merit, I am also especially interested in hearing from low income/disabled/chronically ill women and members of the BIPOC and LGBT communities.

SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN UNTIL  30TH SEPTEMBER 2019.

PLEASE USE THE CONTACT FORM TO THE LEFT TO REQUEST INFORMATION ON HOW TO APPLY.

THE MATERIALS I WILL REQUEST WON’T BE TIME-CONSUMING, AS I KNOW MOST OF US ARE BUSY, BUT YOU SHOULD BE PREPARED TO COMMIT FULLY TO THE PROGRAMME YOU APPLY TO RECEIVE.

I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO CHAT INFORMALLY ON THE PHONE OR SKYPE FOR 30 MINUTES TO SHORTLISTED CANDIDATES TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE A GOOD FIT, SO PLEASE BE PREPARED TO SET ASIDE THIS TIME, IF YOU ARE SELECTED.

I AIM TO START WORKING WITH THE SCHOLARSHIP WINNER EARLY IN 2019.

PLEASE ALSO TAKE SOME TIME TO FAMILIARISE YOURSELF WITH THIS SITE AND THE KIND OF WORK I DO TO ENSURE THAT I OFFER THE RIGHT SORT OF SUPPORT FOR YOU.

I WILL NOTIFY THE PERSON WHO HAS BEEN SELECTED BY EMAIL AND SHARE ABOUT THEIR WORK ON MY BLOG AND SOCIAL MEDIA. (PART OF BEING A WRITING COACH AND MENTOR IS BOOSTING MY AUTHOR PEEPS AS OFTEN AS I CAN!)

ALL ENTRANTS WILL RECEIVE ACCESS TO MY EXTENSIVE WRITING INSPIRATION LIBRARY, PLUS MY BI-MONTHLY ‘LOVE LETTER FROM THE LITERARY REVOLUTION’ TO KEEP US ALL STRONG!