The Birkbeck / Sophie Warne Fellowship for an emerging writer supports an outstanding graduate of the Birkbeck Creative Writing MA at a critical juncture in their writing life. We offer the writer time and space to pursue a project or new ways of working free from the pressure of specified outcomes, within the context of a professional residency. The residency also offers opportunity make contacts among established artists across all disciplines and others in the arts. The residency is a partnership between Cove Park, Birkbeck and the family of Sophie Warne.

Robert Akam is a London-based writer who is working on his first novel, which explores love and anxiety in contemporary Europe. He graduated with a distinction from the MA in Creative Writing at Birkbeck, where he was awarded the Sophie Warne Fellowship for his dissertation. His work has been published online by magazines including the Lonely Crowd. When he’s not drafting his novel, Robert writes short stories and poetry, and works in communications. Of mixed British and Burmese heritage, he grew up in Hong Kong, Germany and Singapore before moving to the UK for university. He studied economics and politics at Bristol University and has a master’s degree in global politics from the LSE.