The Sydney Opera House and Sweatshop Literacy Movement have announced Margretta Sowah and Uppma Virdi as the recipients of the 2023 All About Women of Colour mentorship program.

Sowah has experience in freelance copywriting and content marketing. Born in Ghana, Sowah came to Australia when she was very young. ‘My family and spirituality are an important part of my story,’ she says. Virdi is a first-generation Indian Australian migrant and works in the field of preserving culture. A former lawyer, she left the legal profession to run ‘a business called Chai Walli which aims to continue the sacred ancient tradition of Ayurvedic teas and spices, which has been passed down through generations in my family’. Helen Nguyen, a Vietnamese-Australian writer originally from Melbourne and Tamara Haque, a Bangladeshi writer with roots in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Autralia, were Highly Commended.

The writers will receive three rounds of editorial feedback and up to 25 hours of mentorship from Sweatshop mentors Winnie Dunn and Sarah Ayoub. Sowah, Virdi, Nguyen and Haque will also be presenting their fictional works responding to Tarana Burke’s #MeToo movement as part of the All About Women festival on 12 March. Last year’s recipients were Yeena Kirkbright and Ayeesha Ash along with Lina Ali and Raqiya Ahmed.

For more information about the mentorship and recipients, see the Sydney Opera House website here.