Five writers from Edinburgh have been announced as recipients of Scottish Book Trust’s 2024 New Writers Award.
This year’s awardees from Edinburgh are Amos O’Connor (29), a Portland-born writer and visual artist who works as a bookseller, John Lawrie (31), a regular on the spoken word circuit, Sarah Whiteside (47), a writer living in Portobello, Katherine Hudson (46) a civil servant who is currently working on her first novel, and Les Hodge, a musician who was once part of the Edinburgh act, Coco and The Bean.
Every year Scottish Book Trust, the national charity changing lives with reading and writing, holds the prestigious year-long writer development programme to support burgeoning writers living in Scotland.
As well as a £2,000 cash award, they will receive mentorship from writers and industry professionals, a week-long retreat, and opportunities to showcase work to publishing industry professionals.
The New Writers Award has made an extraordinary impact on publishing since its launch in 2009. From the 177 awardees who have gone through the programme up to 2023, 76 have had their work published, with a total of 183 books going out into the world.
Previous awardees include Graeme Macrae Burnet whose 2015 novel His Bloody Project was shortlisted for the Man Book Prize, and Gail Honeyman, whose bestselling novel Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine won Scottish Book Trust’s The Next Chapter Award.
Titles published in 2022 and 2023 included Martin MacInnes, whose novel In Ascension was longlisted for The Booker Prize 2023, and Victoria MacKenzie’s For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain, which was Winner of the Scottish National First Book Awards 2023.
This year’s full list of awardees are Gaelic teachers and writers Kristina Nicolson and Iain Cuimeanach, writer visual artist Amos O’Connor, spoken word artist John Lawrie, Shetland researcher Siún Carden, Scots language writer Ross Crawford, essayist and novelist Sarah Whiteside, novelist Katherine Hudson, musician and novelist Les Hodge, poet Pip Osmond-Williams, and children’s author Taslin Pollock.
Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: ‘It’s always incredible to meet our awardees for the New Writers Award, and I’d like to offer my congratulations to this year’s cohort, each of whom have demonstrated exceptional writing.
‘With our awardees exploring a rich variety of themes in their work, and writing in English, Gaelic and Scots, I am excited to follow their journey throughout the year and beyond, as we help to nurture and build on their talents.’
Harriet MacMillan, Literature Officer at Creative Scotland, said: ‘Every year, the Scottish Book Trust’s New Writers Award identifies unique and compelling new literary voices. This latest list of talent is no different, featuring a fantastic array of emerging writers spanning a broad range of mediums and celebrating Scots and Gaelic language.
‘The programme is an incredible departure point into professional writing, offering an invaluable package of support, mentorship and industry guidance. The impressive roster of notable alumni serves as a testament to the programme’s success and we’re all so excited to see what this latest cohort will go on to achieve.’
Alison Lang, Director of the Gaelic Books Council, said: ‘Tha Comhairle nan Leabhraichean toilichte a bhith ag obair ann an co-bhanntachd le Urras Leabhraichean na h-Alba a-rithist airson cothrom a thoirt do dh’Iain agus Kristina. Thairis air na bliadhnaichean a tha an sgeama seo air a bhith a’ ruith, tha tàlant nan sgrìobhadairean ùra air a bhith na adhbhar moit is dòchais dhuinn, agus tha sinn an dùil nach bi e fada mus faic sinn na sgeulachdan cloinne aig Kristina agus na sgeulachdan goirid aig Iain ann an clò mar thoradh air an taic a gheibh iad sa bhliadhna a tha romhainn.’
Alison Lang, Director of the Gaelic Books Council, said: ‘The Gaelic Books Councils is pleased to be partnering with Scottish Book Trust once again to provide this opportunity to Iain and Kristina.
“Over the years this programme has been running, the talent displayed by the new writers has been a source of pride and encouragement, and we hope it won’t be long before we see Kristina’s children’s stories and Iain’s short fiction appearing in print as a result of the support they will receive during the coming year.’
Author quotes and bios
Amos O’Connor (29) is a Portland-born writer and visual artist who works as a bookseller in Edinburgh. In 2022 he completed an MFA in creative writing from the University of St Andrews, and his short fiction and poetry have been published in Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet, Gutter Magazine, Painted Bride Quarterly, Copper Nickel, and elsewhere.
His writing tends to circle the ‘queer uncanny’, almost always with a touch of the absurd. He’s currently working on his first novel for young adults.
Amos says: ‘I’m so honoured to have been chosen for this award! I’m deeply grateful to the Scottish Book Trust for the recognition and encouragement, and for all the support the New Writers Award provides. I’m excited to meet the other awardees and to see what the year brings!’
Instagram – @a_oconnor_
Sarah Whiteside (47) is a writer originally from Norfolk, and currently living in Portobello, Edinburgh. Her work has appeared in Ambit, The Letters Page, Brittle Star, New Writing Scotland and Gutter Magazine.
She holds an MLitt in creative writing from the University of St Andrews, as well as an MSc in Music Therapy from QMU. In 2022 she was awarded an Open Fund grant from Creative Scotland to support her to write a novel called Auditorium.
This laid the foundation for an ongoing interest in writing on motherhood, music and neurodiversity, subjects she is currently exploring again through a series of personal essays.
Sarah says: ‘I was delighted and surprised to hear my work has been selected for a New Writers Award. I’m looking forward to meeting the other writers, as well as having time and space to develop my writing. I can’t wait to get started!’
John Lawrie (31) is a writer and spoken word artist from Edinburgh. He initially studied psychology at university, but quickly realised that spoken word and poetry allowed him to hog more of the spotlight and involved much less maths.
With a primary focus on identity, relationships and mental health, he delights in finding the humour and the horror in the everyday world. John has performed virtually and in-person across Scotland, being a regular performer with Loud Poets, and Push the Boat Out. He is currently working on his debut poetry collection.
John says: ‘Wildly grateful doesn’t cut it. I am deeply appreciative to the Scottish Book Trust for this opportunity and am incredibly excited to make the most of this opportunity to grow and develop as an artist.’
Instagram – @ poet_lawrieate
Les Hodge (61) is an Edinburgh-based writer, originally from St Andrews, Fife. As a musician he was part of the writing and production team behind Coco and The Bean. He co-wrote and co-produced all the Edinburgh act’s tunes – released first on Baghdad Radio Records and later on Beggars Banquet.
He brought a number of singers, rappers and musicians from across Scotland, England and the US into the project and he was also part of Coco and The Bean’s live set-up – providing both bass and vocals.
Les also produced for York-based hip-hop outfit New Flesh and wrote for Leeds vocalist Gwen Esty’s neo-soul project Harmonized. Later he went on to both write and perform as part of the Mystikman spoken-word project Alien Paradise. He is currently working on his first novel.
Les says: ‘I’m very grateful to be getting a New Writers Award and I’m looking forward to the coming year – to meeting, working with and learning from a range of people involved in the world of writing. It’s a fantastic opportunity not only to develop my own skills as a writer but also to get a wider understanding of how the whole book business itself operates.’
Twitter (X) @hodgeless
Katherine Hudson (46) is an Edinburgh-based writer who grew up in Newcastle upon Tyne. After studying for a degree in politics, she moved to Scotland and has worked in social research and public policy roles.
Writing has always been a big part of her day job, but she has also been an occasional writer of fiction, and more recently has focused on developing this. Her writing explores ideas of art, place, and how we come to terms with the past, personally and collectively.
She is currently working on her first novel, set in Edinburgh and Berlin.
Katherine says: ‘It’s a real honour to be chosen for a New Writers Award and I’m very grateful to the Scottish Book Trust and the judges. The programme of support that is offered is fantastic and I’m looking forward making the most of it and developing my writing over the coming year.’
Twitter (X) @RRMCrawford