Rachel Faturoti Awarded The Bernardine Evaristo Scholarship — Pawners Paper

Rachel Faturoti has been announce as the winner of the inaugural edition of the Bernardine Evaristo Scholarship

Rachel Faturoti

Rachel Faturoti has been announce as the winner of the inaugural edition of the Bernardine Evaristo Scholarship.  The scholarship was ran in May by Brunel University and funded by Evaristo, a professor of creative writing.

Rachel Faturoti started writing her first YA novel in 2018 and is set to publish two novels in 2022. In her comment, she revealed that the award felt so surreal and was grateful to be considered as the recipient of the award.

Notable themes that were significant in her works were gratification, grief and mental health. In her words, she said:

 “I am very passionate about Black representation in children’s fiction.” 

Prior to the scholarship award, writers were invited to submit more than 2,000 words prose or ten pages of poetry. These were to be submitted by interested black and African writers

The organizers of the Evaristo Scholarship described Rachel Faturoti's work as standing out, particularly for its high quality and depth.

The sponsor, Evaristo hailed Rachel's dexterity and claims “The quality of her writing demonstrates that she has enormous potential.”  Evaristo is also one of the sponsors of the Brunel International Poetry Prize, which is one of the most anticipated literary contest in Africa.