Lecturer stars in writing contest

A PLYMOUTH lecturer is a hot new property in the world of playwriting.

Abimbola Alao, a lecturer in creative writing at Marjon, has won the BBC's 24 Degrees competition, which aims to uncover the next generation of talent.

The competition, which promises to "take the temperature of modern Britain", was developed between the BBC Writersroom and the Royal Court Theatre.

Abimbola submitted a short script called 'Legal Stuff' to win her place on "24 Degrees". The project brought together 24 writers from six cities: Belfast, Cardiff, Glasgow, Hull, Nottingham and Plymouth, for training, development and mentoring with BBC and Royal Court teams.

Winners receive a £500 bursary, plus expenses for group get-togethers, residential playwriting skills and industry craft weekends. The BBC and Royal Court have a 'first-look' agreement for work produced during the project.

Abimbola trained as a teacher at the University of Plymouth, where she also taught, and she now lectures in creative writing at Marjon.

In 2003 she published a book, 'The Legendary Weaver', about a disabled African girl who finds herself and her role by discovering the art of communicating through hair-braiding.

She has also translated eight children's stories into Yoruba for dual-language books for use in Nigerian communities.

Abimbola grew up in Ibadan, a city in the south of Nigeria.

Her husband David is a consultant in the emergency department at Derriford Hospital.

For more information on the Creative Writing course at Marjon, visit www.ucpmarjon.ac.uk