Pasby Prize awarded

The first-ever Pasby Prize was awarded to MSt student Susan Campbell at an award ceremony in September at Rewley House.

The Prize, generously funded by a friend of the Department's Master's in Creative Writing programme, Lisa Sargood , is named in honour of Ms Sargood's grandfather, Frank H Pasby, who was passionate about literature. The Prize, an award of 500, is presented to the student on the course who receives the highest mark at the end of the first year.

Said Susan Campbell 'What an extraordinary honour to be the recipient of this prize. I will do my best to honour the memory of Frank H Pasby and live up to the generosity of Lisa Sargard in my commitment to the second year of this course and to my writing. The support of my tutors and fellow students has been fundamental to anything I have achieved this year. It has been a privilege to work alongside them and learn from them.'

Pictured left to right: Gloria Sargood, Lisa Sargood, Susan Campbell, Professor Jonathan Michie

Susan, who has a full-time job in education, is a teacher by background and spent fifteen years working in inner-city London Schools, before becoming head teacher of a school for vulnerable girls in Surrey. More recently, she was seconded by the Department of Education to lead on a pathfinder programme to join up health, education and social care services for children with disabilities.

'As a teacher and a writer, I have a profound belief in the transformative power of the arts,' said Susan. 'I have been writing and performing poetry for about seven years. In that time, I have taken a couple of one-woman shows to the Edinburgh and Brighton festivals. This experience deepened my interest in writing and in pursuing a professional interest in fiction as well as poetry.'

Susan applied to the Master's in Creative Writing to extend and strengthen the quality of her writing. 'The teaching, encouragement and companionship of my fellow students and tutors has provided the intellectual stimulus and creative energy I was seeking, as well as the structure to manage a serious commitment to writing with a career in public service.'

More about the Pasby Prize can be found here: www.conted.ox.ac.uk/pasbyprize

Published 3 November 2013