Rutendo Chabikwa was Writer-in-Residence at West Dean College in December 2018. This partnership residency, organised in collaboration with Myriad publishing, is awarded to the winner of the annaul First Drafts Competition. Rutendo Chabikwa was chosen for her short story about mental anguish and depression 'Todzungaira' which will be published in Myriad's New Daughters of Africa edited by Margaret Busby.

Twenty-five years ago, Busby's anthology Daughters of Africa was published to international acclaim and hailed as 'an extraordinary body of achievement… a vital document of lost history' (Sunday Times), and 'the ultimate reference guide' (Washington Post).

New Daughters of Africa builds on this rich tradition for a new generation of women writers in the landscape of African women's writing today. The book will be launched at the Southbank Centre on 9 March as part of the WOW - Women of the World festival.

The Writer-in-Residence programme is part of the MA in Creative Writing and Publishing.

In October 2018, Mary Hampton became the first West Dean Composer-in-Residence. This year-long residency provides Mary with the time to research and write, work with the College's Viol Group, and curate the Salon Imaginaire concert series. The residency provides a unique chance to draw on the cultural legacy of West Dean through its founder Edward James whose enthusiasm for bringing together experimental approaches and facilitating collaborations has inspired the programming of the concerts. The series, supported by the PRS Foundation, includes live performances from some of the most outstanding musicians working today such as Laura Cannell, Bunty Looping, Serafina Steer, Lisa Knapp, Diane Cluck, and Sarah Angliss.

Mary will be producing a soundtrack for Edward James and Tilly Losch's 'Hawaiian Honeymoon' video. This home video from 1931was digitised in 2018 and will be premiered, along with Mary's soundtrack, at the West Dean Arts and Craft Festival.