About Anna

Find her here!

https://linktr.ee/bookwormvaught

Dr Anna Vaught is an English teacher, mentor and author of ten books, across genre and form, including novels Saving Lucia and The Zebra and Lord Jones, short fiction collection, Famished and teaching book, The Alchemy.

FORTHCOMING

In February 2026, her dark and strange novella, All The Days I Did Not Live, will be published by Renard Press – news and cover reveal soonth. In March, the Haywood imprint of Renard will be republishing her 2023 memoir in es.says, These Envoys Of Beauty, after its original publisher closed earlier this year. The book will have a new introduction and a few new touches, having been a key text in her doctoral research. October 2026 sees the next in her teaching series (following 2023’s The Alchemy) you will land we hope you love The Elixir. Three more titles beyond these in the series, so that you can build a helpful little library. (Sort of!) In 2022 she created the Curae Prize for writers who were also unpaid carers, and its second anthology is out soon, all profits to carers’ charities.

There is so much more to come, and Anna is represented by Clare Coombes at the Liverpool Literary Agency, having recently moved agency. Two books are shortly on submission. Here you are.

Anna has recently completed a PhD by Published Works at York St John on magical realism and trauma, and was previously educated at the universities of Cambridge and Bristol. She is currently mentoring with Jericho Writers and teaching A-level part-time while writing a new novel and a literary self-help series using her PhD content on magical realism and trauma. Anna is passionate about access in the Arts and in 2023 she established the Curae prize for writer-carers; industry-wide support has ensured it will run again in 2025. Anna has also written widely for journals, magazines and anthologies. She has been a columnist for both Mslexia and The Bookseller, and you may find her work in Writers and Artists, Bookbrunch, Lunate, Litro, New Welsh Review, The Independent, Hinterland, Minor Lits and 3:AM, among others.

Anna works alongside chronic illness and has particular interests in trauma and its representation and exploration in literature. She says she was born a magical realist – but you can read about then when her doctorate is in the British Library catalogue! Below are images of some of her sole-authored books.

Recent Posts

Day five of our alphabet.

by Anna Vaught, posted in Uncategorized

The amount of energy you have is a precious commodity so we can make choices about where it goes. If someone drains the very life out of you, it is okay to avoid or limit contact with that person; to make yourself available. Think, too, about what gives you joy, however daft, however tiny: it is unique to you. Such things are energising; they are good for me and for us.

Day three of our wellbeing alphabet. The letter C – for comfort

by Anna Vaught, posted in Uncategorized

Hello my lovelies and let me share the simplest idea with you. I WAS thinking of writing about C for chips, but maybe another day. Comfort. I have found that, in difficult situations or just as part of caring for me, it’s helpful to attend to comfort. I know that is going to vary because … Continue reading Day three of our wellbeing alphabet. The letter C – for comfort

Day 2 of our midsummer alphabet all about looking after ourselves

by Anna Vaught, posted in Uncategorized

Most importantly about this word be. You know, we think we need so much, we think we need to do or gain or achive so much to be of worth, but, I would argue, if you are looking after others, looking after your world and looking after yourself, you need not do more. So much of the rest is a chase, an illusion; when you get ‘there’, you find there is no ‘there’ (there) and off you go again – and it can be relentless. So maybe to just be is enough?

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