Gladstone’s Library 2020 writers in residence shortlist announced

Gladstone’s Library has revealed the names of the 12 writers shortlisted for its prestigious Writers in Residence award for 2020.

Now into its ninth year and approaching a decade of awards, the successful Writers in Residence programme was established in association with Damian Barr (saloniere and author of You Will Be Safe Here) to support contemporary novelists and poets, and publishing industries in the UK.

Drawn from over 60 submissions from across the world, the 12 shortlisted titles represent the range of genres submitted to the residency programme; historical fiction, crime fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, literary fiction, and dystopian fiction.

To qualify for consideration, all applicants had to submit a book published in the last three years as well as a 250-word statement on liberal values (for, against, ambivalent, or deconstructive) as well as proposals for a day masterclass and an evening event. The strength of all were taken into consideration when drawing up the shortlist.

The 12 shortlisted titles for 2020 are:

• Annabel Abbs, Frieda: The Real Lady Chatterley (Hachette, 2018)
• Claire Askew, All the Hidden Truths (Hodder & Stoughton, 2018)
• Jonathan Edwards, Gen (Seren, 2018)
• Isabel Galleymore, Significant Other (Carcanet, 2019)
• Elisabeth Gifford, The Good Doctor of Warsaw (Corvus, 2018)
• Katie Hale, My Name is Monster (Canongate, 2019)
• Rachel Heng, Suicide Club: A Novel About Living (Henry Holt, 2018)
• Charlotte Higgins, Red Thread: On Mazes and Labyrinths (Jonathan Cape 2018)
• Daisy Johnson, Everything Under (Vintage, 2018)
• Alice Jolly, Between the Regions of Kindness (Unbound, 2019)
• Kaite O’Reilly, Persians (Fair Acre Press in 2019)
• Sarah Stonich, Laurentian Divide (University of Minnesota Press, 2018)

Winning authors will be awarded up to a month’s residency at Gladstone’s Library, a creative community that is open to the public and based in the world’s only residentiallibrary.

Previous winners now number over 40 and have included Naomi Alderman (The Power), Peter Moore (The Weather Experiment), Keggie Carew (Dadland), Rowan Hisayo Buchanan (Harmless Like You), Amy Liptrot (The Outrun), Richard Beard (The Day that Went Missing), Melissa Harrison (At Hawthorn Time) and Sarah Perry (The Essex Serpent).

 Peter Francis, Warden of Gladstone’s Library said:

“We are increasingly proud of the residency programme and its ability to bring new thoughts, ideas and books to the Gladstone’s Library community. We look forward to welcoming the winning writers in 2020.”

 This year’s judging panel consists of Trustee of Gladstone’s Library and teacher at Harris Westminster Sixth Form, Freddie Baveystock; Warden of Gladstone’s Library, Peter Francis; Director of Collections and Research at Gladstone’s Library, Louisa Yates; as well as three past recipients of the Writers in Residence award – poet Penny Boxall (Ship of the Line); and novelists Rachel Malik (Miss Boston and Miss Hargreaves) and Rowan Hisayo Buchannan (Harmless Like You).

 Judging takes place in early August; the winners will be announced at the Gladfest 2019 launch on Friday, 6th September; and the programme will be officially launched on Monday, 25th November at the National Liberal Club in London when the winning authors will read from their work.