Scottish-based literature organisations invited to host year-long writing fellowship
£25,000 award available
Deadline: 22 June 2015
CREATIVE Scotland is today (Friday 22 May, 2015) delighted to announce applications are now open to Scottish-based literature organisations to host the year-long Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship, during 2015/16.
The Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship was established in memory of a Creative Scotland colleague who dedicated his entire professional life to supporting Scottish literature.
Following the sad loss of Dr Wallace in 2013, Creative Scotland established the fellowship in his name to commemorate and continue his good work.
The purpose of the fellowship is to support mid-career and established writers.
Organisations applying to host the fellowship will suggest a broad theme, which should be related to their own work. The successful host organisation will then subsequently recruit a writing fellow in 2015. The host organisation will help the writing fellow to focus on the creation of new work.
Emma Turnbull, development officer at Creative Scotland, said: “The Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship makes a real difference to those it supports each year.
“It gives a writer the chance to develop creative work over the course of a year and offers a great opportunity for a literature organisation to connect with and support a writer in a meaningful way.
“The partnerships enabled by the fellowship are a fitting tribute to an important colleague who dedicated his professional life to the literature sector in Scotland.”
An award of £25,000 is available and will be divided into a £20,000 stipend for the successful writer, and £5,000 to the host organisation.
Poet, Jen Hadfield, was appointed as the 2014 Dr Gavin Wallace Fellow.
Hadfield undertook her fellowship in partnership with creative writing centre Moniack Mhor, which lies three miles from Loch Ness and overlooks the mountains of Strathfarrar and Ben Wyvis, Inverness-shire.
During the fellowship, Hadfield developed work in poetic and short story form using the idea of flotsam and jetsam, to explore themes of place and identity.
Rachel Humphries, centre director at Moniack Mhor, said: “It has been such a pleasure hosting the Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship and supporting Jen this year.
“Jen has used retreat time at Moniack throughout the fellowship and later in the year we hope she will deliver a couple of workshops on the theme of her project.
“The notion of items lost in the sea but discovered by the shore is endlessly fascinating.
“By using the ‘flotsam and jetsam’ as a stimulus for the workshops, I am sure that it will foster creativity in others and allow Jen to gather interesting perspectives on her own work. I look forward to Jen’s project coming to fruition and turning new pages created by this fellowship.”
The 2015/16 application deadline is 17:00 on Monday 22 June, 2015. Completed application forms and supporting materials should be submitted by email to: drgavinwallacefellowship@creativescotland.com
Full details about the fellowship and how to apply can be found here: http://www.creativescotland.com/funding/funding-programmes/targeted-funding/dr-gavin-wallace-fellowship-host.
Please note this link will be LIVE from 00:01, 22 May 2015.
ENDS
Media contact:
Helen Sim
Media Relations & PR Assistant
Creative Scotland
E: helen.sim@creativescotland.com
T: 0131 523 0019
M: 0780 122 6605
S: 0330 333 2000
Notes to editors:
• About Dr Gavin Wallace
Throughout his professional life, Gavin Wallace was a passionate advocate and supporter of Scottish writers and writing, greatly known and respected by everyone who met, knew and worked with him.
Gavin worked as a teacher, lecturer, critic, journalist, editor and broadcaster.
For a decade, he was an associate lecturer in Literature and the Humanities at the Open University in Scotland and he carried out graduate and postgraduate study, in English and Scottish Literature, at the University of Edinburgh.
He joined the Scottish Arts Council in 1997, initially as literature officer before becoming the head of Literature — a post he held for eight years.
In June 2010, he was appointed as the portfolio manager for Literature, Publishing and Languages for Creative Scotland.
A man of grace, humour and keen intellect, Gavin remained dedicated to literature in Scotland until his death in 2013.
• About the Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship
Full details about the Fellowship and how to apply can be accessed here: http://www.creativescotland.com/funding/funding-programmes/targeted-funding/dr-gavin-wallace-fellowship-host.
Previous hosts of the Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship are also not eligible to apply in 2015/16.
• Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works or visits here. We enable people and organisations to work in and experience the arts, screen and creative industries in Scotland by helping others to develop great ideas and bring them to life. We distribute funding provided by the Scottish Government and the National Lottery. For further information about Creative Scotland, please visit www.creativescotland.com. Follow us @creativescots and www.facebook.com/CreativeScotland
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Contact: Helen Sim
Email: helen.sim@creativescotland.com
Website: http://www.creativescotland.com
