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RSL announces two new awards and appoints 12 authors to International Writers programme
Han Kang, Yaa Gyasi, Yussef El Guindi and Maria Stepanova are among the 12 authors appointed to the International Writers programme run by the Royal Society of Literature (RSL), which has also introduced two new prizes this year.
Announced on the RSL’s 203rd birthday and now in its third year, the annual, life-long International Writers award recognises the contribution that writers from across the world have made to literature.
Tony Birch, Lorna Goodison, Yiyun Li, Attica Locke and Valeria Luiselli have all been selected for the award, as have Anne Michaels, Scholastique Mukasonga and Gao Xingjian.
The programme was announced in 2020 as part of RSL 200, a five-year festival championing the diversity of writing and writers in the UK. The writers selected for the award are invited to join the RSL’s International Writers each year, forming a global community of authors.
Moreover, the Entente Littéraire Prize and the RSL Jerwood Poetry Awards will join the existing roster of annual awards and prizes presented by the RSL. Announced in September 2023 by Queen consort of the United Kingdom and Madame Brigitte Macron, the Entente Littéraire Prize (Prix de l’Entente Littéraire), is a UK-France literary prize for young adult literature.
The prize is inspired by the Entente Cordiale, the 1904 agreement between the UK and French governments that improved bilateral relations. Its aim is to encourage and celebrate the joy of reading and shared literary experiences between France and the UK.
The idea to establish a UK-France literary prize was agreed by the prime minister and president Macron at the UK-France bilateral summit in Paris on 10th March 2023. The RSL is working with the Institut français du Royaume-Uni, the French Ministry of Culture, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the British Embassy in Paris and the French Embassy in London.
Queen Camilla said: “Mme Macron and I share a deep love of literature and a passion to promote literacy: through our respective work, we have seen first-hand the life-changing power of books to bring us joy, comfort, companionship, laughter and hope, opening our eyes to others’ experiences and reminding us that we are not alone."
The prize will be opened to submissions in early 2024, when the judging panel will also be announced.
Meanwhile, the RSL Jerwood Poetry Awards is a new flagship programme supporting poets across Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and England to make "significant" step-changes in their careers. Through direct financial support, mentoring, professional development workshops and project funding, the RSL will provide "what a poet needs to meaningfully develop their creative practice: time, encouragement and connection".
Funded by Jerwood Arts and Creative Scotland, these awards continue the work done from 2017 to 2022 in the Jerwood Compton Poetry Fellowships, which enabled poets to build the next stage in their professional lives. Taking learning from this previous programme, the new round of awards will create career-making opportunities for selected poets.
Mentoring from RSL fellows and financial support will be given to 12 poets over three years. In each edition, an award will be ringfenced for one poet from each nation.
Selection of the winning poets will use a nomination process, to encourage and poets who would not normally apply for major awards. A range of literature and poetry organisations, from grass-roots collectives to national development agencies across the four nations, will be invited to nominate poets for whom they believe this award could help them in developing their practice and getting to what they feel is the next level in their poetry career.
Each poet will receive a £10,000 stipend to give them time to write, as well as mentoring from an RSL fellow poet and the opportunity to take part in networking sessions and put on their own events and performances.
Alan Bett, head of literature and publishing at Creative Scotland, commented: “Time and space to create new work is among the most valuable commodities a writer can have. This fellowship provides that opportunity for poets, enhanced with expert mentorship, networking and the platform to showcase their work, evolving their professional practice and profile.
"Thanks to National Lottery players, Creative Scotland is able to support a Scottish poet as part of this four-nations collaboration, helping them to develop new poetry and share their skill across the UK and beyond.”
Bernardine Evaristo, president of the RSL, commented: “The ever-expanding portfolio of the Royal Society of Literature initiatives continues the essential support and acknowledgement of writers at different stages of their careers along with a commitment to fostering global relationships. Thriving and impactful, it is an utterly unique organisation, founded two centuries ago, and embracing inclusivity in the 21st century.”
The RSL is also growing its team with the appointment of Catherine Riley, as incoming head of communications and partnerships, joining from previous roles as director of Primadonna Festival and head of communications for the Women’s Equality Party. Also joining the team as programming manager, Mekella Broomberg has previously worked at JW3 and Jewish Book Week.
