Imran ‘s poetry has won the Thomas Hardy Award and been nominated for the Best of the Net award and the Pushcart Prize. In July 2020, Imran was named poet of the month by Yes, Poetry. His poetry and memoirs have appeared in publications such as Sixth Finch, Juked, The Rumpus, The Smart Set and The Bitter Oleander.

Ren Hopkins is a queer writer living in Cardiff with two cats. They are pursuing a MA in ‘Creative Writing and Publishing’ at Bournemouth University and worked on the Bournemouth Writing Prize, shortlisting poetry. When not playing Dungeons and Dragons, they have been known to write both fiction and poetry. Their primary genres are Contemporary Romance and Fantasy, though they will write any story if it speaks to them.

Sue graduated from BU in 2024 with an MA in Creative Writing and Publishing. She was awarded the Vice-Chancellor’s Prize, and her story Jigsaw Pieces won second place in the Oxford Flash Fiction Prize in 2024. Sue’s writing explores themes of queerness and neurodiversity. She freelances for Southampton’s writer development agency ArtfulScribe, and organises the alumni group for MACWP graduates.

Holly holds a BA in Drama and English from the University of Sussex and is pursuing an MA in Creative Writing and Publishing at BU. She has worked as a theatre director and stage manager, notably at the Brighton Fringe Festival. She is also a creative writer and reviewer for ‘The Badger.’ Recently, Holly has been honing her narrative style, focusing on subjects such as dark feminism, extreme sexism, sexual autonomy, and motherhood. She is also a poetry reader for the Bournemouth Writing Prize 2025.

Sophie is a writer from Bournemouth. She has had poetry published in the Bournemouth Writing Prize anthologies Imprint, Passages, and Strange Encounters. Sophie holds a BSc in Psychology and is currently pursuing an MA in Creative Writing and Publishing at Bournemouth University.

Allie is a doctoral researcher at BU, specialising in survivour-centered storytelling. With a BA in Journalism and Social Sciences and an MA in Professional Writing, she has worked as a journalist in both the UK and Spain. She was a finalist in a national script competition, in conjunction with Edinburgh Screen and TV.

Matthew holds a BA in History and is currently pursuing an MA in Creative Writing and Publishing at Bournemouth University. Passionate about storytelling, Matthew enjoys reading and writing across genres, with a particular love for fantasy, science fiction, and historical fiction. He has most recently been a poetry reader for the Bournemouth Writing Prize.

Saeed is an award-winning photographer based on the south coast of England. He is a Fourth Element Team Diver as well as a teacher, journalist, and technical tutor at Bournemouth University. Since 2015 he has supervised the art direction of all publishing outputs produced by MACWP including the annual Bournemouth Writing Prize Anthology.

Miriam is Head of the Writing Department at AStepFWD and is studying MA Creative Writing and Publishing at BU. She enjoys writing about issues surrounding disability, was a Finalist in the 2020 Wicked Young Writers Prize and was long-listed in the 2020/21 #Merky Books New Writers Prize. She has written for the Young Poets Network and has had poems published in Blanket Sea Magazine and Eponym.

Maddi is an aspiring writer with a passion for crafting stories within the genres of romance, thriller, and magical realism. She holds a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Roehampton and is pursuing an MA in Creative Writing and Publishing at BU. Maddi is passionate about honing her craft and often submits her work to prestigious competitions, including the Edinburgh Short Story Award and Mslexia Writing Competitions.

A former BBC journalist, Julie completed a BU Creative Writing master’s in 2018-19 and self-published her debut poetry book in 2020. She’s now writing a transformational memoir about her father dying during the pandemic. Her themes: fear of death, generational loss, love, and family.

Dale is a novelist and short story writer, specialising in historical fiction, crime, mystery and black comedy. He independently published his mystery series, The Berylford Scandals, starting with the novel, Lust & Liberty, in 2018, followed by its sequel, Sin & Secrecy, in 2020. His nonfiction works focus on arts and entertainment, food, finance, and human-interest. Dale is a graduate of Solent University, Southampton. He earned his Master’s in Creative Writing and Publishing from BU in 2021.

Chris Miles is Principal Academic in Marketing Communication in the Dept. of Communication & Journalism at Bournemouth University. He has published three books on the rhetorical aspects of promotional and marketing culture and also researches in the liminal spaces between persuasion, magic, and systems. He is convinced theory-fiction will save the world.

Leanne graduated from the University of the Arts London with a BA in Magazine Journalism and Publishing and is currently pursuing an MA in Creative Writing and Publishing at Bournemouth University. Leanne has a passion for reading and writing dystopian, feminist, and horror fiction, often blending these themes in her work. Recently, she self-published a collection of her mum’s poetry titled (P)(O)(E)(M)(S).

Daniela has been a content editor for Caterpillar, eBay, and Google. A Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, she has taught at Arts University Bournemouth and Bournemouth University, where she is also pursuing a PhD focused on Real-time Animation and Education. Passionate about promoting equality and international cooperation, she works as a designer and film director with charities across the UK, USA, and Europe.