The BAFTA nominations are out and the Golden Globes already won. Now it is the turn of the writers to take their place at the podium but not to make acceptance speeches, but to perform their own work – LIVE!
The hottest new writing talent in Scotland will take to the stage this January as Scottish Book Trust celebrates the work of the New Writer Award 2014 recipients.
These awards identify the authors of some of the most affecting, exciting and engaging new writing in Scotland. The 2014 awardees were selected last January from hundreds of entries by a panel of writers including Liz Lochhead, Doug Johnstone and Jenni Fagan, and received a £2,000 cash award alongside a tailored package over the past year including mentoring from writers and industry professionals and training in public relations, social media and performance.
Those interested in Scotland’s literary scene are invited to book their tickets now to join host Cora Bissett at The Jam House in Edinburgh on Thursday 29 January at 7.00pm for a winter’s feast of words. Tickets cost £2 and can be booked on The Jam House website.
The New Writers Awards are managed by Scottish Book Trust in association with Creative Scotland and each year they provide unpublished writers with financial support to enable them to concentrate on developing their work, as well as professional guidance to help them move towards publication.
The 2014 New Writer Awardees are:
Fiction & Narrative Non Fiction
Malachy Tallack (narrative non-fiction)
Poetry
Children’s and Young Adult Fiction
Scots Fiction and Poetry
Philip Murnin (fiction)
Ann MacKinnon (poetry)
Callan Gordon Award for New Writers
Caitrin Armstrong, Writer Development Manager at Scottish Book Trust said:
“The New Writers from 2014 are a very talented and dedicated group of people and we are very much looking forward to watching how their writing develops over the coming years.”
Many New Writer Award recipients go on to secure publishing deals. Upcoming publications for 2015 include Lucy Ribchester (NWS 2013) who has signed a two book deal with Simon and Schuster, with her debut novel The Hourglass Factory published in January 2015. Wayne Price (NWA 2010) will have his novel Mercy Seat published in February 2015 by Freight and Kirstin Innes (NWA 2008) will have her novel Fishnet published by Freight in 2015. Kirsty Logan (NWA 2009) will have her second novel, The Gracekeepers, published by Harvill Secker in May 2015, and Catherine Simpson (NWA 2012) will have her debut novel Truestory published this year.
Scottish Book Trust New Writers can also be found in the programmes of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, Aye Write, Stanza, Margins Book and Music Festival, the Dundee Literary Festival and the Wigtown Book Festival amongst others.
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