West Country writer Louisa Adjoa Parker has recently been awarded an Arts Council England grant for a year's artistic development. Louisa will be working with several mentors - Clio Gray, Jan Fortune and Jacob Ross - to develop her current body of work. She will be working with Clio on her first novel; Jan will be mentoring her with her second full-length poetry collection; and Jacob will be mentoring Louisa with a first short story collection and second novel. The grant will also pay for some time to write, and enable Louisa to attend a few masterclasses and a BAME writers' networking event.
Louisa, who has been writing for some time but is mainly self-taught, feels that by working with succesful writers she will be able to hone her work and take it to a higher level. She aims to publish the work when the project is completed. She says, 'I am incredibly excited to have been given this opportunity to focus on my writing, as it is a huge part of my life and I want to make it the best it possibly can be. I have written stories exploring different voices, and enjoy writing about those from marginalised backgrounds. I want these stories to be heard! Knowing that the Arts Council believes in me has given me huge boost to my confidence. I'm looking forward to working with the writers, who come from a range of backgrounds, and will offer a variety of highly skilled and experienced "fresh eyes" to look at my work.'
