North-east writer among recipients of Scottish Book Trust awards
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Scottish Book Trust has announced the 2023 New Writers Awardees.
The recipients will be part of a prestigious year-long writer development programme which includes mentorship, a bursary and opportunities to showcase work to publishing industry professionals.
Fiction writer Alessandra Thom from Stonehaven is among this year’s awardees, and will be using the New Writers Award to focus on developing her first novel.
Previous awardees include Booker Prize winner Graeme Macrae Burnet; bestselling author of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, Gail Honeyman; and acclaimed writers Kirstin Innes, Rachelle Atella and Sarah Smith.
There are in total 11 writers on this year’s programme, including two writing in the Scots language and two in Gaelic.
This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the Callan Gordon Award, a place on the programme which is awarded in memory of Callan Gordon, a young Aberdeen writer, and funded by the Gordon family.
Alessandra Thom said: "I am so happy to have been awarded this incredible recognition by Scottish Book Trust.
"It was a completely surreal moment. I’m looking forward to all the experiences and support the award offers, and excited to see how my work develops because of it."
Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: "This year’s cohort of New Writers Awardees showcase some of the best new writing talent in Scotland.
"We’re excited to support them on the next stage of their writing journeys to help them develop and hone their skills further.’
Alan Bett, head of literature and publishing at Creative Scotland, said: "Scottish Book Trust’s New Writers Awards continues to launch fresh and inspiring voices into professional writing, supporting them every step of the way.
"We’re excited to see the future of Scottish literature emerge from this list and, eventually, onto bookshop shelves.
"The list of successful authors and poets to have come through New Writers is testament to the success of the programme, helping them develop their creative work and navigate the professional challenges of these early career stages. We wish them all success."
The complete list of 2023 New Writers Awardees is Alessandra Thom; Sonali Misra; Robbie MacLeòid; Medha Singh; Henry Coles; Oliver Robertson; Eloise Birtwhistle; Hannah McDonald; Dervla Johanna; Craig Aitchison; and Dòmhnall Eòghainn MacKinnon.
