The Studio

Who's involved

The Student Wordsmith

Sophie-Louise Hyde

PhD student Sophie-Louise Hyde originally launched The Student Wordsmith as an online showcase for her poetry and prose.

Joining the Studio gave her the opportunity to re-launch the site in April 2013 as the go-to place for students and graduates keen to read material by various writers – both established and previously undiscovered – that reflects their own experiences.

The Student Wordsmith now has hundreds of followers and avid readers of the poetry, plays and prose it publishes each week.

The response to the first Student Wordsmith national competition was huge. The resulting collection You is for University – published by Lamplight Press on 31 January 2014 – contains over 50 pieces of writing which offer a unique guide to the university experience.

As well as publishing further anthologies, Sophie sees The Student Wordsmith becoming an online hub for people starting out in the creative industry – providing workshops and forums, networking opportunities as well as a portfolio creation service and publishing for all.

To support this evolution, she plans to secure crowdfunding and take on a team of interns to help her manage the business.

In December 2013, when she attended her Masters graduation, Sophie-Louise was also presented with a Graduate School Prize in recognition of her academic and non-academic achievements.