Vanessa Walters
Encyclopedia
Vanessa Walters, born in London
, 1978 is an English
novelist and playwright
. She is also a commentator and critic. She is best known as the teenage novelist discovered to be writing a novel as a hobby to share with her school friends. Educated at Queen's College, London
, when discovered by teachers, the journal was passed over to an agent who quickly had her signed to a publishing company with a five-figure book deal even before she'd left.
The book, Rude Girls, made her a success, but instead of diving head long into the literary world she continued her studies, progressing to University. About Rude Girls, she said: "It was a book I really wanted to read, which didn't exist."
Rude Girls was acclaimed as an accurate portrayal of life in the North London Black community -- it was a huge success straight across the board. Whilst studying law, Vanessa found time to spend a year in Paris
and continue her writing. The Best Things in Life was published in 1998 and explored the lives of young Black women struggling to balance friendship, work and relationships.
Her latest book Smoke Othello! published 2008 is a collection of poems, short stories and plays about black experience in West London, born out of her time as the Writer in Residence for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
. She also performs her poetry.
She has also written plays. Her works include Too Hot to Handle, Cold World, Caribbean Kitchen, Double Take, Changes and Michael X, produced by various English theater companies. Her commentary has also appeared on the guardian.co.uk website.
Her reviews have been broadcast on BBC
Radio 4's Front Row Show as well as Sky News
, BBC 4 (Television) The World, More 4 (The Cinema Show) and Colourful Radio.
Her articles have been published in The Guardian, The New Statesman, The Voice Newspaper and others including Pride Magazine for which she writes a monthly column on topical issues for black women.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 1978 is an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
novelist and playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
. She is also a commentator and critic. She is best known as the teenage novelist discovered to be writing a novel as a hobby to share with her school friends. Educated at Queen's College, London
Queen's College, London
Queen's College is an independent school for girls aged 11–18. It is located in central London at numbers 43-49, Harley Street. Founded in 1848 by F. D. Maurice, Professor of English Literature and History at King's College London along with a committee of patrons, the College was the first...
, when discovered by teachers, the journal was passed over to an agent who quickly had her signed to a publishing company with a five-figure book deal even before she'd left.
The book, Rude Girls, made her a success, but instead of diving head long into the literary world she continued her studies, progressing to University. About Rude Girls, she said: "It was a book I really wanted to read, which didn't exist."
Rude Girls was acclaimed as an accurate portrayal of life in the North London Black community -- it was a huge success straight across the board. Whilst studying law, Vanessa found time to spend a year in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and continue her writing. The Best Things in Life was published in 1998 and explored the lives of young Black women struggling to balance friendship, work and relationships.
Her latest book Smoke Othello! published 2008 is a collection of poems, short stories and plays about black experience in West London, born out of her time as the Writer in Residence for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is a central London borough of Royal borough status. After the City of Westminster, it is the wealthiest borough in England....
. She also performs her poetry.
She has also written plays. Her works include Too Hot to Handle, Cold World, Caribbean Kitchen, Double Take, Changes and Michael X, produced by various English theater companies. Her commentary has also appeared on the guardian.co.uk website.
Her reviews have been broadcast on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Radio 4's Front Row Show as well as Sky News
Sky News
Sky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...
, BBC 4 (Television) The World, More 4 (The Cinema Show) and Colourful Radio.
Her articles have been published in The Guardian, The New Statesman, The Voice Newspaper and others including Pride Magazine for which she writes a monthly column on topical issues for black women.
External links
- Vanessa Walters on journalisted.com
- Vanessa Walters on rbkc.gov.uk
- Vanessa Walters, Politics as usual, Obama?, on guardian.co.uk, Monday 4 August 2008
- Vanessa Walters, Politics as usual, Obama?, on guardian.co.uk, Friday 8 August 2008
- Timeout Praise for Michael X