Hello, and welcome to the announcement of National Centre for Writing's Early Career
Awards 2021, a suite of 3 prizes for early career writers: The Desmond Elliott Prize,
the Laura Kinsella Fellowship and the UEA New Forms Award.
My name is Peggy Hughes and I'm the Programme Director at the National Centre for Writing.
The UEA New Forms Award, delivered in partnership and with the support of our friends at the
University of East Anglia, seeks fiction that explores the boundaries of possibility, be
that by challenging traditional form, in collaborating with other forms and disciplines, by experimenting
with theme or style, voice, structure or language, or through dalliance with digital spaces:
gaming, virtual or augmented realities or other ecologies.
The University of East Anglia celebrates 50 years of excellence in creative writing this
year, and in collaboration with National Centre for Writing this award exists to champion
bold innovation in craft, rewarding a daring new voice in fiction. One writer receives
a cash prize of £4000 as well as a bespoke programme of support and professional development
and promotional opportuntiies.
Our thanks to the judges of this year's award: writer Yan Ge; Henry Sutton, Professor of
Creative Writing and Crime Fiction in the School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing
at the University of East Anglia, and Simon K Jones, writer and Digital Marketing Manager
here at the National Centre for Writing.
I'll hand over to Yan to announce the winner.
Hello. I'm Yan Ge, one of the judges of the UEA New Forms Award 2021, and I'm delighted
and honoured to be here to announce this year's shortlist and the winner. So here are the
three writers who are on the shortlist:
First we have IR Franklin, from London, whose work stands out for its riveting portrayal
of fictionalised feminist characters in history. We feel strongly that this project is promised
to be a fugue of air and smoke, breathing and suffocating, celebrating the unbreakable
bonds among women of the past to the present.
Next we have Charlotte Geater, from London. Her work looks into personal trauma, local
history and the life and work of Byron, through the prism of illness. In unfeigned and effortless
prose she inquires intensely and deeply into the pain and acceleration of being human.
Last but not least we have James Wilkes, from London, whose work not only investigates but
also challenges the forms of narrative and brings into play elements of poetry, photography
and drama. His writing is rich, diverting and imaginative, successfully provoking multiple
sense in our reading experience.
And the winner is: Charlotte Geater. Congratulations, Charlotte! It was not an easy decision for
the judges to make, but we were all moved by Charlotte's extraordinary project and her
vigorous, creative ambition, and agree unanimously that she is a most deserving winner of the
award.
Now let's hear from Charlotte.
Thank you so much to the judges and to the National Centre for Writing for choosing to
award me the 2021 UEA New Forms Award. Just like...the most incredible news for me. Just
really wonderful, and I've been working for a while on this. Really strange and difficult
for me, anyway, a project that is really personal and mixes a lot of stuff together, like fiction,
memoir, obsessing about Lord Byron and Ada Lovelace, and kind of writing about place
and family history and cancer.
And it's the kind of project where you wonder as you're writing it...is this ever going
to be anything, will anyone ever want to read it, will anyone ever want to publish it? So
it's really amazing to have not only the judges giving me a real vote of support by choosing
the project, but also an ongoing package of development and mentorship and support. It
will be really amazing for it, and hopefully help me get it finished. Along with the financial
help, which is incredible as I haven't been able to work full-time for a while and the
stability that it gives me is just....a massive weight off my shoulders, and will hopefully
let me get it done. You know, before too long, in a form that I'm happy with.
It's just wonderful. And I'm very lucky, and I'm just so pleased. So thank you so much.