The Settlement is thrilled to announce the appointment of our new Writer-in-residence: Claire Hogan
Everyone at the Settlement would like to thank Pippa Harvey for all her hard work in helping to establish the role of Writer in Residence. During her tenure, which ended in December 2025, Pippa was a regular contributor to our social media blogs and has helped to collate our forthcoming collection of short stories written by our students. Alongside this, she has been working on her second book, which we look forward to reading soon.
We are now delighted to welcome Claire Hogan as our new Writer in Residence, who takes up her post this month. By day, Claire works in marketing for Cambridge University Press & Assessment, supporting their academic authors. Outside work she reviews plays and writes for performance, blending sharp comic observation with strong, character-led storytelling.
During lockdown Claire swapped the stage for a pen. Her first script developed into a comedy series of plays, When Life Gives You Lemons, centred on the friendship of three women over fifty. The series has gained international festival recognition. The short Smalls was a finalist at both the London Short Film Festival and the Swedish International Film Festival, while Scales was shortlisted for the Sky Comedy and Birmingham Rep Playwriting Competition. Her short audio play, I Feel Love was selected for performance at the Suffolk-based INK Festival last April.
Her background in theatre, both as a performer and in stage management, has given her valuable insight into what actors, technical teams and audiences want from a production.
Claire is a member of The Settlement Players, where her first production was Calendar Girls. She now focuses primarily on writing and was commissioned to create the group’s 100th anniversary celebration play, Fake or Fortune, which won accolades for both acting and Best New Play at the Cambridge Festival of Drama (2023).
Claire has trained in creative writing at the Institute of Continuing Education at Cambridge, Curtis Brown Creative, and with published authors and leading writers for television and stage.
Claire is easy to spot in one of her many literary-inspired dresses, so do say hello. During her residency at The Settlement, she will be developing a new full-length play and a scripted audio series. She also hopes to build a supportive creative community through a series of author events and informal monthly “Come Write With Me” sessions, where writers of all levels can gather, focus on their own projects, set goals and write together.
We look forward to welcoming writers from across the community to take part.
Kind regards
Russell
