From a haunting historical novel set in a rural village in colonial Nigeria, to an atmospheric family drama inspired by a dangerous stretch of river in Yorkshire; a compelling love story set in contemporary India; a dynamic crime story with political undertones set in East London; a dark comedy about the wives of a cult-leader on the run; and an insider’s exposé of life in the restaurant trade – this year’s Discoveries shortlist explores a diverse range of subjects and settings, with authors from a broad mix of backgrounds, including a sustainability professional, a teacher, a recent MA graduate, a former waitress, a copy writer and an opera singer.
The Discoveries programme, run by the Women’s Prize Trust in partnership with Curtis Brown literary agency, the Curtis Brown Creative writing school and Audible, aims to support women from across the UK and Ireland with the writing for their first novel for adults.
The shortlisted authors are (in alphabetical order by surname):
- Muti’ah Badruddeen, A Bowl of River Water
- Sophie Black, The Pass
- Shaiyra Devi, The Persistence of Gravity
- Jac Felipez, A Long Ways from Home
- Rosie Rowell, Down by the Stryth
- Lauren Van Schaik, Seven Sweet Nothings
Find out more about them here.
We are so proud of what Discoveries has achieved in the first five years and salute every writer who has published, or is continuing to work on, her novel. This year’s shortlist judging meeting was such fun – enthusiastic, passionate, full of genuine debate, joy and admiration – and it was very hard getting our excellent longlist down to only six authors. This is a shortlist of talented future novelists and demonstrates the ambition, boldness and confidence of women writers. Now more than ever we need stories that help us to stand in one another’s shoes.
Kate Mosse, Chair of the Discoveries Judging Panel
While these works are wildly different from each other in genre and tone, each has compelling characters and a great story to tell. With the first novels from Discoveries alumni now landing in our bookshops, we’re still working hard to extend reach and find exciting new writing voices. We’re also delighted that over 20% of this year’s longlist of sixteen came from women who entered Discoveries in earlier years and who returned to try again. We hope their resilience and persistence will inspire lots of other entrants to keep writing and come back afresh next year.
Anna Davis, Curtis Brown Creative, and Jess Molloy, Curtis Brown
All six shortlisted authors will receive a one-to-one mentoring session with a Curtis Brown agent and a free place on the six-week online writing course of their choice with Curtis Brown Creative (worth £230). The shortlisted writers will also take part in a studio session on writing and recording for audio with Audible.
The winner will be announced on 29 May and will receive an offer of representation from Curtis Brown and £5,000. One promising writer from the shortlist will be named the Discoveries Scholar and win a free scholarship to attend a three-month Writing Your Novel course with Curtis Brown Creative (worth £1,900).
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