Debut Lab to support Scottish authors

Published: 25 Apr 2022

Some of the Debut Lab supported authors. Top row, left to right: Amy B Moreno, Aoife Lyall, Caron McKinley, Charlie Roy (image by Ryan McGoverne), Elissa Soave. Bottom row, left to right: Heather Darwent, Lauren Pope, Mark Wightman, Niamh Hargan, Rachelle Atalla. Images courtesy of Scottish Book Trust.

18 writers across the country have been selected for a new initiative

Scottish Book Trust have unveiled a new initiative to support writers based in Scotland whose debut, full-length work in poetry, fiction or creative non-fiction was published after December 2019 and impacted by the pandemic. Debut Lab is funded by and in collaboration with Creative Scotland.

Delivered remotely through a series of 7 live-on-Zoom workshops and a range of additional online resources, Debut Lab will support writers affected by the pandemic during this transitional stage in their careers. Workshops will include networking, marketing, author events and funding opportunities, and will be led by industry professionals including Mairi Oliver, owner of Lighthouse Bookshop, and writers Maisie Chan and Helen Sedgwick, as well as Creative Scotland's Literature Team and Scottish Book Trust staff.

18 applicants were selected for Debut Lab, including:

• Amy B. Moreno from Edinburgh, whose debut picture book, A Billion Balloons of Questions (Floris) will be published in June 2022
• Aoife Lyall from Dublin, whose first poetry collection, Mother, Nature (Bloodaxe Book) was published in 2021
• Caron McKinlay from East Lothian, whose debut novel The Storytellers (Bloodhound Books) will be published in May 2022
• Charlie Roy from London, whose debut novel The Broken Pane (Leamington Books) was published in 2021
• Colin Burnett from Bonnyrigg, whose debut novel, A Working Class State of Mind (Leamington Books) was published in June 2021.
• Elissa Soave from Uddingston, whose debut novel, Ginger and Me (HQ, Harper Collins), will be published in July 2022
• Flora Johnston from Edinburgh, whose debut novel What You Call Free (Ringwood Publishing) was published in March 2021
• Heather Darwent from North Yorkshire, whose debut novel The Things We Do To Our Friends​ (Viking UK) will be published in January 2023
• Helen Boden from West Yorkshire, whose debut poetry collection A Landscape to Figure In (Red Squirrel Press) was published in November 2021
• Kirsti Wishart from Inverness, whose debut novel, The Knitting Station (Rymour Books) was published in March 2021
• Lauren Pope from Los Angeles, whose debut poetry collection, Always Erase (Blue Diode Press) was published in January 2022
• Mark Wightman from Edinburgh, whose debut novel Waking the Tiger (Hobeck Books) was published in June 2021
• Niamh Hargan from Derry, whose debut novel Twelve Days in May (HarperFiction) will be published in April 2022
• Rachelle Atalla from Falkirk, whose debut novel The Pharmacist (Hodder & Stoughton) will be published in May 2022
• R M Murray from Coll, Isle of Lewis, whose debut novel Bleak: The Mundane Comedy (Saraband) was published in November 2020
• Ry Herman from Madison, New Jersey, whose debut novel Love Bites (Quercus Publishing) was published in July 2020
• Ryan Vance from Whitehead, whose debut collection of short fiction One Man’s Trash (Lethe Press) was published in March 2021
• Yvonne Banham from Cumbria, whose debut children’s book The Dark and Dangerous Gifts of Delores Mackenzie (Firefly Press) will be published in early 2023

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust said: “Scottish Book Trust is pleased to support eighteen authors through our new initiative, Debut Lab. Being a debut author is daunting enough, but the pandemic and following lockdown made it incredibly difficult for authors to promote their work. We hope to shine a light on this fantastic range of books, from children’s novels to collections of poetry. Our thanks to Creative Scotland for making this possible and allowing us to give essential support to this cohort.”

Katalina Watt, Literature Officer at Creative Scotland said: “Creative Scotland is so pleased to be working with Scottish Book Trust on this vital initiative for debut authors impacted by the pandemic. Through a series of live online workshops and additional resources led and facilitated by industry professionals, Debut Lab will highlight the wonderful variety of works and support these authors in the next exciting steps of their author journeys.”

Background

Scottish Book Trust is a national charity that believes everyone living in Scotland should have equal access to books. Our work provides opportunities to improve life chances through books and the fundamental skills of reading and writing. Access to books and a love of books bring many important benefits from family bonding and advancing children’s learning, to unlocking creativity, helping employability and improving mental health & well-being. Scottish Book Trust aims to support all communities across Scotland, with particular focus on those who are vulnerable and under-represented.

Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery. Further information at creativescotland.com. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about the value of art and creativity in Scotland and join in at www.ourcreativevoice.scot

Media Contacts

For media enquiries please contact Keara Donnachie, PR and Marketing Manager at Scottish Book Trust, on Keara.Donnachie@scottishbooktrust.com or 07956 773749.