Join us to shine a light on some of the most exciting debut authors of 2025. The stars of the future talking about how they got started and what they’ve learned during their first year of publication.
Bianca Gillam is a London-based author and armchair expert on 80s and 90s rom-coms. Her poetry has been published in a variety of publications, and her lifelong interest in asking people how they met their partner has amassed an impressive collection of ‘meet-cutes’. She formerly worked in publishing, where she had the joy of editing a wide variety of brilliant authors; she was inspired by the books she published to write her own.
Kel Menton (they/them) is a non-binary writer from Cork, Ireland. They did both their degree in English literature and MA in Medieval literature at UCC. When they’re not writing, Kel is a freelance drama and creative writing facilitator and mentor. They enjoy collecting fox paraphernalia, reading tarot, and dying their hair peculiar colours.
Award-nominated Author & Editor Nikki Moore, also writes as Ella Allbright. She’s a Romantic Novelists' Association award finalist, RNA New Writers' Scheme reader and author of The Last Charm.
Niloufar Lamakan is an Iranian-born author, screenwriter and artist. She moved to the UK as a child and has lived in Islington, London most of her life. She came to writing after careers in tech, design, art, and property. Her debut novel, Aged to Perfection, won the Commendation Award at the Comedy Women in Print Prize and was a finalist at the Page Turner Awards. She writes bold, spicy, romantic comedies that are unapologetically age-defiant. Her art also explores the connections between age, identity, and society’s perceptions of beauty. When she’s not painting or writing, you’ll find her on the dancefloor.
You may also like the following events from Romance Writing Festival Bournemouth:
- This October, 18th October, 11:00 am, A Sense of Place with Holly McCulloch, Gary Dalkin, Sue Moorcroft and Phillipa Ashley in Bournemouth
- This October, 18th October, 03:00 pm, Research and Imagination with Nicola Cornick, Lola Jaye, Nancy Revell and Christina Courtenay in Bournemouth
- This October, 18th October, 03:00 pm, Slay the Slush Pile with Jennie Ayres, Sara-Jane Virtue, Ellah Mwale and Emily Ruston. in Bournemouth
Also check out other
Arts events in Bournemouth,
Literary Art events in Bournemouth,
Comedy events in Bournemouth.