Milford Bursaries:
Funded places for SF Writers of Colour September 2027

• 2026 Shreya Ila Anasuya (UK)
• 2026 Katalina Watt (UK)
• 2025 Ashley Deng, Canada
• 2025 Ana Sun, UK
• 2024 Naomi Eselojor, Nigeria
• 2023 Akotowaa Ofori, Ghana
• 2023 Neon Yang, UK
• 2022 Somto Iheuze, Nigeria
• 2022 Ramya Jegatheesan, UK
• 2021 Georgina Kamsika, UK
• 2021 Charlotte Forfieh, UK
• 2019 Russell Smith, UK
• 2019 Mbozi T Haimbe UK
• 2018 Nisi Shawl, USA
• 2018 Rochita Loenen Ruiz, Netherlands
• 2017 Dolly Garland, UK
• 2017 Suyi Davies Okungbowa, Nigeria

Ashley Deng 2025
I had been in a deep writing block and burnout for three years now. Something undiscernable a few years back made writing very difficult for me and caring about publishing was even harder. I had kind of resigned to taking a break, although that break kept getting longer and longer and I was starting to get restless.
Milford turned out to be a nourishing experience. I was nervous about my critiques as it had been some years since I'd done any sort of concise feedback but my three minutes per story went by quickly. Critique sessions soon became exciting as I waited to hear the thoughts of the others and I was encouraged by the critiques, washing away any concerns,
I felt like the time spent in the mode of writing and critiquing while in the company of other writers really helped jog my brain back into a creative mode. I'm still struggling with burnout but I emerged from Milford with an idea of how to approach my work again, something that I'd been searching for for years now. I'm grateful for all the encouragement from the attendees and the sense of community that the workshop engendered.

Ashey is a Canadian-born Chinese-Jamaican author of dark fantasy and horror. She holds a BSc in biochemistry, specializing her studies toward making accessible the often-cryptic world of science and medicine. When not writing, she is a hobbyist medical/scientific illustrator and spends her spare time knitting and tinkering with stationery. Her work has appeared at Nightmare Magazine, Fireside Magazine, Augur Magazine, and others. Her climate horror novella, DEHISCENT, is available from Tenebrous Press.
You can find her at ashedeng.ca or on various social media as @ashesandmochi and @baroqueintentions.

Ana Sun 2025
Ana Sun (pronounced “Soon”) writes from the edge of an ancient town in the south-east of England. She spent her childhood in Malaysian Borneo and grew up living on islands. Her Solarpunk short fiction has been shortlisted for the inaugural Utopia Award, nominated for the BSFA longlist and selected for The Best of British Science Fiction. In an alternate universe, she might have been a musician, an anthropologist—or a botanist obsessed with edible flowers. More at: https://singingtotigers.com/.

NAOMI ESELOJOR 2024
Naomi is a speculative fiction writer from Nigeria. She is the winner of the 2023 Utopian award for short fiction and the 2024 winner of the Wilson Okereke’s prize for short stories. Her works are in African Ghost stories anthology by Flame Tree Press, Best of Utopian Science Fiction, Omenana Magazine, Lolwe, and elsewhere. Her works have been nominated for the Pushcart prize, Ako Caine prize and the Utopian awards. Naomi lived in Lagos, when she attended the Milford Writer’s Workshop in 2024. She has recently moved to the UK

Akotowaa Ofori 2023
The Milford SF conference has given me the spur I needed to try and finish a draft of the novel-in-progress which I took to the conference. This is still my biggest and most important goal of 2023. On top of that, I feel like I’ve made some amazing new friends and acquaintances. Writers of color, if you get the opportunity to attend Milford with a bursary, I’d encourage you to seize it. As for myself, one of these years, I fully intend to return!

Mx. Neon Yang 2023 Author, editor (They/them)
I attended the Milford Workshop in the autumn of 2023, on the generosity of a bursary. I was pretty nervous as I’d just moved to the UK a year ago and hardly knew anyone. But my fears were unfounded as what I found was a delightfully welcoming community of knowledgeable, passionate, funny and generous writers. Nestled in the silent, remote wilds of Snowdonia, I made new friends and spent a glorious week reading, writing, and having wonderful discussions about story craft and the business of writing. I brought the opening of a new novella with me and got such lovely feedback, which was instrumental when it came to reworking the piece, so for that I’m very grateful. 

Somto Ihezue, 2022
Getting into Milford was a dream. I still can’t fit my excitement into words. I remember applying after I found out Suyi Davies Okungbowa had attended in the past. I initially didn’t think I could get in, but seeing another Nigerian on that blog post was the push I needed. Okay, rounding it up, to everyone who wants to experience the beauty, warmth, friendship, and wealth of knowledge that Milford offers, take out your phone, or laptop, or scroll, whatever works for you, and pen down that application. Believe me, it’ll be infinitely worth it. Milford wasn’t just a place or a gathering. It was a feeling. I want to exist in that feeling forever.

But my enjoyment of the week was in direct proportion to how much I’d worried. Milford regular and Most Egregious Token Male (official committee title) offered me a ride to the conference. Everyone I met there was wonderfully nice, ridiculously interesting and genuinely a pleasure to drink copious amounts of alcohol and shoot the shit with. The other writers were knowledgeable, their feedback given with much thought and care and there was a sense of egalitarian community and mutual helping out. I think the committee members, especially Liz and Jacey, purposefully and intentionally work towards a welcoming, open atmosphere and it really pays off. By the end of the week, you couldn’t tell who were the regulars and who were Milford first-timers. -

Georgina Kamsika - 2021
Due to Covid, I hadn’t been around groups of people for many, many months, so while I was excited for Milford, I faced the idea of a big group of other writers with trepidation. But even at our first meeting, all of my worries faded away. Everyone was kind and welcoming, making sure anyone new to Milford knew what to do and where to go. The venue itself was incredible. Lovely buildings nestled between Welsh mountains and breathtaking lake scenery. The crits were very helpful. Very detailed, providing respectful and comprehensive feedback that allowed me to improve my submitted piece. Because of the format, I managed to both write in the mornings and crit with the group in the afternoons.

I got so much done! To anyone considering applying for the bursary, honestly, do it! My thanks to everyone who has contributed to the bursary, Milford is an amazing event that I hope many more people get the chance to experience. -

Charlotte Forfiah 2021

Russell Smith - 2019
"I hope it has been abundantly clear that I personally found the experience not only highly enjoyable, but also utterly valuable when it came to going forward with the work in progress I took along. I had some exceptional encouragement and every one of the crits I got back will aid me greatly in some way with the next stage. When you have folk like that urging you along, you know you’re going to be just fine. Better than fine."

Mbozi Haimbe - 2019 "Then I met everyone who’d arrived for the conference, and my nerves dissipated at their warm welcome. Lovely food, great company, and it was on to the first round of critiquing on Sunday afternoon. I will say the experience is intense but entirely worth it. Critiquing the work of other writers, and having my own work critiqued by writers working within the genre has been so beneficial for developing my writing and identifying my blind-spots." -

Nisi Shawl - 2018

Rochita Ruiz - 2018

Suyi Davies Okungbowa - 2017
“Milford is everything you want in a residential workshop. Great food, breathtaking views, super respectful crits. What’s even better is getting to attend this without paying a kobo for registration or residency. Teatimes where there’s actually tea and food? Sociable evenings with lots of drinks and chocolate? Visits to a little town in North Wales that could be navigated end-to-end in under 3 hours?

Count me in anytime. And anyone who gets the opportunity to apply to be a part of this, definitely should.”

Dolly Garland - 2017
I eventually found my way to writing fiction based in Indian culture, after trying my hand at what I thought was normal (fantasy with white characters). Returning to my root culture was, for me, a necessity to find my authentic voice. Milford's bursary is extremely valuable for people like me. It encourages the simple truth that we do need more diversity in our literature so that every writer doesn't pick up a pen thinking writing white characters is the normal thing to do. -