We were delighted to hear that Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott won the prestigious Bridport Prize for her first novel after attending our six-month writing course with the University of East Anglia.
The idea for Kelleigh’s novel, Swan Song, was conceived in Provence, France in 2006, when she received the Abroad Literary Conference Fellowship. The collective voice of the narrative was developed almost a decade later, in the UEA-Guardian Masterclass in fiction, led by award-winning author James Scudamore.
Swan Song is a work of literary fiction that explores celebrated American author Truman Capote’s self-destructive and highly public betrayal of the powerful society confidants he called his “swans”, when he inexplicably published their secrets in excerpts from his savage novel, Answered Prayers.
In Kelleigh’s words, “The recognition and success that the novel has enjoyed are certainly linked to my experience working with James in the UEA-Guardian Masterclass. He was, and has remained, the most extraordinary mentor.”
In the tradition of Capote’s ‘nonfiction novel’, Swan Song turns a forensic eye on events surrounding the author’s professional and social suicide, including his incomprehensible slaughter of the Jet-Set elite, who’d trusted him with their martini-soaked secrets.
Kelleigh said “James was able to recognise and encourage me towards the bold choices that have become, in my view, Swan Song’s greatest strength. I was truly fortunate that our paths crossed as they did.”
Recently, Kelleigh’s novel was also shortlisted for the Myriad Editions First Drafts Competition and the Historical Novel Society Award for a New Novel.
Find out more about Kelleigh and read the opening chapters from Swan Song on the Bridport Prize website.
About UEA-Guardian Masterclasses
UEA-Guardian Masterclasses offers a wide range of creative writing courses covering everything from starting a novel to writing historical fiction and crafting a psychological thriller.
The next round of courses starts in March and April 2016, and for a limited time only you can save up to £1,000 on the course price. If you’re interested in signing up, secure your place before Tuesday 2 February 2016 to take advantage of this incredible offer.
These in-depth courses are run in partnership with the University of East Anglia, one of the world’s leading universities for creative writing, with sessions taught by some of the UK’s finest writers and editors. Tutors for 2016 include Ross Raisin, multi-award-winning author of God’s Own Country, Charlotte Mendelson, winner of the Somerset Maugham Award and the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, and children’s writer Laura Dockrill, author of the much-loved Darcy Burdock books.
Explore the programme on the UEA-Guardian Masterclasses website
