Bernadette Maybanks

Orphaned at sixteen, I wasn't educated in the traditional sense, but I have always been a writer. I am dedicated to shining a light on experiences which have not always made it into print. I tell these with love, with brutal honesty and an eye for detail which was honed as a girl trying to make sense of the chaos around me. My stories therefore speak from a direct knowledge of parts of working class, British life which many people have never encountered, but which some people fight through every day.

Having left school with minimal qualifications, I funded my own education and rose to become a school leader. I attained an MA in Creative Writing and have recently taken a break from working in education to pursue my aspirations of securing an agent and publishing contract.

I am drawn to the emotional honesty of Dave Eggers and Cathy Rentzenbrink and their books A Heart Breaking Work of Staggering Genius and The Last Act of Love. I am also captivated by the beautiful language used by Delia Owens in Where the Crawdads Sing.

Last year, I was shortlisted for the Genesis Jewish Book Week Emerging Writers Programme. I have also been shortlisted for the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival Writers Award and will be published in their 2022 anthology.

Screenplay Award Category
A parallel memoir in which Bernadette retraces her life, alongside her brother’s to understand why she chose to live when he chose to die.
This submission is private and only visible to judges.