The winners of the First Minister’s Reading Challenge 2018 were announced at an event in Edinburgh’s Hub yesterday. Among the 17 winners to receive prizes from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was Liberton Primary School pupil, Ian Hammer, who received the award for the Pupil Reading the Most Books (upper primary). Continue reading Edinburgh pupil wins First Minister’s Reading Challenge Award
More schools have submitted entries for the second year of the First Minister’s Reading Challenge Awards. A total of 729 submissions for the awards were received from primary schools compared to 540 last year – a 35% increase. The awards recognise outstanding participation in the reading challenge from both schools and pupils. Continue reading First Minister “thrilled” at rise in Reading Challenge entries
Top children’s authors and illustrators thrilled 2000 Scottish pupils at a celebration event in Glasgow last week. Continue reading Corstorphine Primary School pupils meet Jacqueline Wilson at Jamboree
Scottish Book Trust, the national charity changing lives through reading and writing, is delighted to announce that Edinburgh-based writers Jenni Fagan (above) and Theresa Muñoz have been awarded the Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowships for 2018. Continue reading Edinburgh writers named 2018 Robert Louis Stevenson Fellows
Scottish Book Trust, the national charity transforming lives through reading and writing, has supported over 90 creative individuals through the New Writers Awards since 2009. Today, Scottish Book Trust announces the 10 new awardees for this prestigious prize, which is supported by Creative Scotland.
The New Writers Awards provide a selection of talented writers who have not yet published a full length book or collection with financial support, to enable them to concentrate on developing their work, as well as professional guidance to help them move towards publication. Former awardees include Graeme Macrae Burnet, who was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2016, and authors Ciara MacLaverty, Olga Wojtas, Juliette Forrest, Kirsty Logan, Malachy Tallack and Claire Askew, who have publications out this year.
Four authors from Edinburgh have been nominated for the 2018 New Writers Awards: Aileen Ballantyne, a tutor at Edinburgh University; Nadine Aisha Jassat, a gender-based violence professional; Beth Cochrane, programme and events coordinator at Scottish Poetry Library and Anne Hughes, a software developer.
Aileen Ballantyne (above) said:
“I feel very lucky indeed to win this award – it’s a terrific opportunity. I hope to use it wisely.”
Nadine Aisha Jassat (above) said: “I am really thrilled to receive this award and have my work recognised, supported, and invested in by Scottish Book Trust. It’s an incredible honour to be selected and I would encourage future applicants to apply, apply, apply!”
Beth Cochrane said: “I cannot wait to get fully immersed in the New Writers’ programme. I’m seeing the award as a turning point: I’m finally going to get The Novel completed and sharpened, no excuses.”
Anne Hughes (above) said: “I’m thrilled, honoured and a little stunned to be a New Writers awardee this year. Heartfelt thanks to Scottish Book Trust for this opportunity, and for the enormous encouragement it has given me as a writer.”
Each of the 10 recipients of the New Writers Award will receive a £2,000 cash award and support tailored to their needs including mentoring from writers and industry professionals, training in public relations, social media and performance, and the opportunity to showcase their work to publishers and agents. The awards also include the offer of a week-long writing retreat at Moniack Mhor. The retreat provides time, space and the freedom to create new work in idyllic surroundings.
The three judging panels reviewed over 450 submissions which included fiction and narrative non-fiction, poetry and children’s/young adult entries, before selecting the final 10. This year’s judges included Asif Khan, Director of the Scottish Poetry Library, and writers Chitra Ramaswamy, Kevin MacNeil, Cheryl Follon, Matthew Fitt, Peter MacKay and Julie Bertagna.
Sasha Thanisch, also from Edinburgh, has been granted the Callan Gordon Award, which was set up to celebrate the life of Callan Gordon, a young Scottish writer, by his family. The Callan Gordon Award generously supports an extra place for the New Writers Awards, and is open to short story writers and poets between the ages of 18 and 35.
Sasha Thanisch said: “I’m utterly overwhelmed to have this opportunity, it’s such an encouragement and I hope to use it well. I’m really grateful to Scottish Book Trust and the Gordon family and everyone who’s supported me in this.”
The Gaelic Books Council provides two additional places on the programme which will support two New Gaelic Writers each year.
The full list of the 2018 New Writers Awardees is as follows:
Poetry
Aileen Ballantyne
Rhona Warwick
Duncan Stewart Muir
Children’s and Young Adult
Anne Hughes
Fiona McKeracher
Fiction and Narrative Non-Fiction
Samantha Clark
Beth Cochrane
Mary Fitzpatrick
Nadine Aisha Jassat
Eilidh McCabe
Gaelic
Alistair Paul
Calum MacKinnon
Callan Gordon Award
Sasha Thanisch
Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “We’re delighted to welcome the next batch of New Writers Awardees. Writing can be a challenging process, and the New Writers Awards provides one-on-one support for current projects, as well as guidance for the future. All of us at Scottish Book Trust look forward to the fruits of the New Writers’ efforts and the expansion of the Scottish literary scene.”
Alan Bett, Head of Literature, Languages and Publishing, Creative Scotland, said: “The New Writers Awards develop our emerging literacy talent through tailored mentoring and training at this crucial stage in their career, and in doing so contributes to the strength of Literature in Scotland. Through winning the award, winners have often grown ever more recognisable and have taken their place amongst the ranks of Scotland’s established and celebrated authors- a list that now includes previous winners; Graeme Macrae Burnet, Kirsty Logan and Helen Sedgwick.”
The New Writers Showcase, a celebration of work by the New Writers Awardees of 2017, will be held tomorrow (18 January 2018) at The Jam House in Edinburgh. The event is an opportunity to hear some of the most exciting new talent in Scotland perform their work, as last year’s awardees mark the end of their year. More details and ticket information can be found here.
Award-winning Scottish writer Alan Bissett proved to be a bit hit when he worked with students at Spartans Community Academy’s Alternative School at Fet-Lor Youth Centre recently. Continue reading Allan delivers the write stuff at Spartans School
Award-winning Scottish writer Allan Bissett delivered a workshop at Spartans Community Football Academy’s Alternative School at Fet Lor Youth Centre on Friday. Continue reading It’s a rap: top author joins students at Spartans’ Alternative School
Scottish Book Trust, the national charity transforming lives through reading and writing, has announced the seven teenage writers and illustrators who have been recruited to steer the nationwide What’s Your Story? programme, aimed at helping to increase opportunities for young people to access and contribute to literary culture across Scotland. Continue reading Three Edinburgh teens join nationwide What’s Your Story? programme
Every year for Book Week Scotland, national charity Scottish Book Trust releases a book of stories around a theme. As part an annual campaign to get Scotland writing, the public were asked to write pieces on ‘nourish’ and what it means to them. Hundreds of wonderful stories from across Scotland were submitted, and can be viewed here.
The programme for Scotland’s sixth national celebration of books and reading was launched yesterday. Working with a wide range of partners, Scottish Book Trust – the national charity changing lives through reading and writing – will deliver a huge range of events and activities across the country during Book Week Scotland 2017, which runs from 27 November to 3 December, all linked to this year’s theme of Nourish. Continue reading Book Week Scotland programme launched
