Allie Rogers, whose novel Little Gold was shortlisted for the prestigious Polari First Book Prize earlier this year, has been awarded a Hawthornden Fellowship 2019.
Writers from anywhere in the world can apply for the Fellowship, which was established in 1982 to provide a “peaceful setting where published writers can work without disturbance”. This setting is Hawthornden Castle, The International Retreat for Writers, in Lasswade, Midlothian.
The retreat houses five writers at a time. No monetary assistance is given, but once at the castle writers are free to use its facilities as a guest of the Retreat.
Allie, who will spend all of January in the castle, said: “I feel honoured to be chosen as a Hawthornden Fellow for 2019 as it's an international scheme and writers can apply from anywhere in the world.
“The chance to focus solely on my writing for a whole month is a truly wonderful opportunity for me. Like most writers, my day-to-day life is a juggling act of my regular work (as a librarian at Falmer Library), family responsibilities, writing-related events and admin, and actual writing time. A focused month with nothing to do but write is the stuff of dreams!”