Writing from the womb for UCL’s Bicentenary

“Inviting 26 UCL students to pair with 26 professionals from the collective 26 to commemorate two centuries of UCL’s history through creative storytelling,” said the call for entries from 26 Writers, 26 UCL Firsts. I applied instantly by submitting a creative piece. I had always aspired to write creative nonfiction professionally, but the pursuit had long remained a quiet hobby, eventually buried under the heavy weight of work and personal commitments. Weeks later, the email arrived: "Congratulations — you’ve been selected." My face lit up as the confirmation rekindled the passion I had nurtured since childhood.

The call resulted in 26 Firsts, a new anthology collection of original, student led pieces, exploring UCL’s past. Walking into the 26 Firsts launch celebration last week at UCL’s Bloomsbury campus, holding my signed physical copy, and looking back on the past couple of months, it felt entirely surreal. Seeing my work bound in a beautifully published collection alongside other talented writers and mentors is a milestone I will always cherish. The evening began in UCL’s stunning 200-year-old Wilkins Building, with welcome remarks by Lucy Briggs from UCL200, John Simmons from 26, and a fellow student writer, Fardeen Anan, followed by socializing over drinks. While I enjoyed chatting with guests, I was happily pulled aside by the UCL200 team to share my experience on camera and take a few photographs. At the end of the night, every guest received a copy of the book in a UCL200 souvenir bag. It was fascinating to see the stories showcased on life-sized prints in the hall, with people jostling around to read them.

My mentor, David Baty, and I were assigned to explore a profound medical milestone at UCL: the UK’s first in-womb surgery for babies with spina bifida, performed in 2018 by a pioneering team across UCL, UCL Hospital, and Great Ormond Street Hospital. It is a story not just of scientific triumph, but of profound human courage and trust, highlighting a mother's brave choice and trust to fight for her child’s dignity and future. Yet, translating such a delicate, life-changing medical breakthrough into a compelling narrative came with a formidable constraint: a strict limit of 200 words, a clever nod to UCL200.

I initially thought, How hard can 200 words be? It turns out that writing short is infinitely harder than writing long. Crafting this piece taught me that constraints do not limit creativity; they sharpen it. Every single syllable and word had to earn its place.

Working alongside my mentor, it took us over two months of multiple meetings, intense brainstorming, deep research, and endless back-and-forth editing. Recalling John’s advice on opening day regarding automatic writing, "Write indefinitely and then cut, cut, cut," we obliged. We wrote freely, and then we cut, trimmed, and edited some more.

In order to be frugal within our limited word count, without sacrificing emotional weight, we deliberately blended prose with two sections of haiku poetry, replacing long passages with subtle sensory elements to build the scene dramatically. Writing the piece from the perspective of the baby in the womb gave it even more uniqueness.

We realised that this project is about much more than celebrating UCL’s firsts. It's about looking forward and carrying the learnings from the past. It’s about paving the way for future breakthroughs and guiding scholars toward innumerable possibilities, and it is about persistence, impact, and continuous evolution. That is why we titled our story: Beyond First.

This journey would not have been possible without incredible support and guidance. A heartfelt gratitude to my mentor, David Baty, for his remarkable patience and sharp editorial eye, and to the wonderful organisers, especially John from 26, and Lucy and Clare from UCL200.

A special edition run of 200 copies of the publication has been produced. Copies are available to purchase for £10, with all proceeds supporting UCL200 student scholarships. To purchase a copy, please contact ucl200@ucl.ac.uk.

Read more about 26 Writers, 26 UCL Firsts and download the publication.