Students at the University of Suffolk are being offered expert help with their academic writing thanks to the arrival of a new Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellow .
Novelist and children’s author Francesca Armour-Chélu has been appointed to the role, bringing professional writing experience directly to students who want to strengthen their essays, assignments and study skills.
Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellows work independently of universities and provide free, confidential support to both undergraduate and postgraduate students. At the University of Suffolk, Francesca is offering 50-minute one-to-one tutorials designed to help students understand what is expected of academic writing and how to meet those expectations with confidence.
Sessions can focus on everything from structuring an argument and improving grammar to referencing, paraphrasing and editing. Students can also get help with planning their time and managing workloads more effectively.
Francesca began the role at the start of the academic year and is available on Mondays and Tuesdays, with appointments taking place on campus or online where needed.
Speaking about her work with students, Francesca said: “For those students returning to education after a break, or who are feeling overwhelmed by what’s meant by ‘academic writing’ or just want to talk through early ideas for an essay, a consultation with a professional writer can be so helpful.
“I have years of experience of writing, from first drafts to final edits, and I’m keen to help more students get the grades they deserve; many students who have benefitted from consultations with RLF fellows see a huge improvement in their grades.”
Alongside her work at the University, Francesca is an established author. Her debut children’s novel, Fenn Halflin and the Fearzero was published by Walker Books in 2016, is set in a flooded, dystopian world and attracted national recognition, being longlisted for awards including the Branford Boase Award, the Little Rebels Children’s Book Award and the New Angle Prize. It was also shortlisted for the Mal Peet Children’s Award, along with its sequel Fenn Halflin and the Seaborn. Her most recent children’s book is The Butterfly Circus, published in 2019.
She has also found success in short fiction, winning the Mslexia International Short Story Competition with The Starving Ghost, a story centred on a chance meeting between a homeless woman and a wealthy businessman in Japan. Her novel Lemon Ink Over Flame, set in an isolated Suffolk village, was shortlisted for the Tibor Jones Pageturner Prize for debut novelists in 2013.
A Suffolk native, Francesca studied English and Drama at Goldsmiths, University of London, before returning home to work in libraries and museums. During this time, she helped develop the Ipswich Museums Education programme. She now runs creative writing sessions in schools, libraries and at literature festivals, and has spent the past three years working with the INK Festival in Halesworth to support and inspire young writers.
Dr Amanda Hodgkinson, Director for the Suffolk Centre for Culture and Heritage at the University of Suffolk, said the appointment would bring clear benefits for students.
“It is a pleasure to welcome Francesca as our new Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellow,” she said. “Francesca will be a tremendous asset to our students, who will be able to draw on her wealth of experience to develop their writing skills and gain confidence in their work.”
Francesca takes over the role from playwright and children’s author Christopher Hill, who was the University of Suffolk’s first Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellow.
