The national charity transforming lives through reading and writing, Scottish Book Trust, has announced the fifth Ignite Fellowship awardees – including Edinburgh-based author, Tim Tim Cheng.

Tim Tim Cheng PHOTO Alan Leung

The Ignite Fellowship supports established writers who are embarking on a significant project. The Fellows receive a bursary of £2,000 along with tailored creative support to suit their individual projects. Gail Anderson, based in North Ayrshire, and Gaelic writer Rody Gorman, based on Skye, have also been awarded Ignite Fellowships this year.

Tim Tim Cheng is a poet and teacher from Hong Kong, whose writing explores womanhood, multilingualism, psycho-geography. Her debut pamphlet Tapping at Glass was published by Verve Poetry Press earlier this year, and she also co-edited an anthology of Hong Kong poetry, Where Else, coming out with the press on 27 April. Tim Tim Cheng will use the Ignite Fellowship to work on her forthcoming debut collection, inspired by her time in Scotland.

Tim Tim Cheng said: “I am so grateful for the award. I am working on my first full poetry collection as I try to settle down as a new immigrant. The support will surely help me focus on making the book better.”

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “Congratulations to our three new Ignite Fellows, who are very deserving of this award. The Ignite Fellowship provides writers with essential mentoring, financial assistance and practical support that will help them reach new heights in their careers.”

Website | + posts

Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.