Join us for a free online panel celebrating the writing journeys of Discoveries alumni Rukky Brume, India-Rose Bower, Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin and Beena Nadeem.

Chaired by former Discoveries judge, Women’s Prize shortlisted author of Fundamentally, Nussaibah Younis, this conversation brings together writers from across cohorts who have taken part in the Discoveries writer development programme to reflect on their experiences, creative processes and paths to publication. Hear about their debut novels and writing journeys, and how Discoveries supported them along the way.

Whether you’re an aspiring novelist or simply curious about writerly craft, this is the perfect opportunity to hear honest insights and advice from writers at different stages of their creative journeys.

Inspired to enter Discoveries yourself? Submissions for 2027 open on 15 September. Find out more here.

About the speakers

India-Rose Bower

India-Rose Bower was longlisted for Discoveries 2023, and has several short stories and poems published in magazines and anthologies. Her hobbies are attending pagan festivals and watching horror films, while working as a librarian. India-Rose has a long-term disability and lives with her non-binary partner in Yorkshire. Her debut novel, We Call Them Witches, is a fresh take on dystopian horror, and is published by Michael Joseph.

Rukky Brume

Rukky Brume grew up in Lagos, Nigeria. She studied Law at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and works as a finance lawyer. Rukky is an alumna of the Faber Academy’s flagship writing course. It Comes in Waves, her debut novel (an early draft of which was longlisted for the inaugural Discoveries programme) is published by #Merky Books/Penguin Random House UK, and is both an honest exploration of grief and a captivating story about legacy. She lives in London.

Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin

Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin was shortlisted for Discoveries in 2022, and was the winner of the inaugural PFD Queer Fiction Prize. Her debut literary novel is Ordinary Saints, published in paperback by Manilla Press.

Beena Nadeem

In a journalistic career of more than twenty years, Beena’s interviewees have included a pet detective, an 84-year-old tantric sex teacher and Basil Brush (along with some politicians). These days, as a copywriter, she pens articles about exotic holidays she never goes on, and healthy supplements she never takes. She won Jericho’s Jessica George Bursary and was longlisted for Discoveries in 2025 with an early draft of her forthcoming debut, Is This What You Call Love, to be published by Akan Books in 2028. Growing up in the only Asian family in her Yorkshire suburb, she now lives in (part of) a drafty church conversion in brilliantly cosmopolitan London.

Dr Nussaibah Younis (Chair)

Dr Nussaibah Younis is a peacebuilding practitioner and a globally recognised expert on contemporary Iraq. For several years, she advised the Iraqi government on proposed programs to de-radicalise women affiliated with ISIS. She studied at Oxford, Durham and Harvard Universities, and has a PhD in International Affairs. She has published Op-Eds in the Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, and the New York Times. Her debut novel Fundamentally was shortlisted for the 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction, and she judged Discoveries 2026. She was born in the UK to an Iraqi father and a Pakistani mother, and currently lives in London.

Books by our Discoveries alumni