Rosie Cullen

Born in Dublin my family emigrated to Australia returning after three years. Eventually we moved to Manchester in England, a city I grudgingly came to love - but I will always miss the sea!

My early career included stints as a puppeteer, theatre stage manager and co-manager of the independent Rio Cinema in London. I then took the plunge into writing as a playwright, working in Theatre in Education and community based projects but also productions such as Little Sisters for the RSC and an adaptation of The Wierdstone of Brisingamen for Contact Theatre.

In 1990 I studied for an MA in Scriptwriting in Leeds. Since then I have written for both film and television (e.g. Peak Practice) as well as continuing a commitment to facilitate writing with disadvantaged groups. This latter included residencies in a Psychiatric Hospital and a Young Offender’s Institute (with the Arts Council Writer in Prison scheme). In 2005, I had an opportunity to be part of a scriptwriting training scheme in Kano, Nigeria for aspiring writers under the auspices of the British Council and Scriptnet.

For fifteen years I was a Senior Lecturer at Bournemouth University teaching scriptwriting in most forms to both undergraduate and postgraduate students and running MA Screenwriting.

More recently I have developed a passion for Flash Fiction and in 2012 was the winner of the Charleston Small Wonders Short Story Festival Slam event, then runner up in 2013.

I am currently redrafting a couple of novels.

Credentials

Rosie Cullen in 60 seconds

When did you start writing?

1967 in Manchester, England.

What do you love about short stories?

Short stories remind me that life can turn on a pin - and they capture the moment.

Do you write in other forms?

I relish the full range of literature from drama to Flash Fiction to epic saga.

What distracts you from writing?

I am very easily distracted - it's a battle, but once I start writing I am consumed.

Outside of writing, what are your other passions?

Film and travelling are abiding passions.

What is your favourite book?

Choosing a favourite novel is seriously difficult but I have never forgotten being awestruck by War & Peace as a teenager.

Who are your favourite writers?

Leo Tolstoy, Rose Tremain and Colm Toibin.

Where is your dream location?

A ramshackle two up two down deep in rural Italy.

What one item would you put into Room 101?

People texting while having a ‘conversation’.

Do you have any advice for new writers?

Never put off ‘til tomorrow what you can write today.