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Edinburgh Unesco City of Literature has partnered with the Society of Authors (SoA) in Scotland to pilot a new programme for writers in Edinburgh.
Titled the Writer’s Room, the scheme is providing two participants with a writing space on the Royal Mile and a £1,000 stipend to be paid over two months.
The project celebrates 20 years since Edinburgh became the world’s first Unesco City of Literature. Crime writers Stuart Johnstone and poet Alycia Pirmohamed have been selected to participate following a "random selection process".
Pirmohamed said: “I’m so grateful to the Writer’s Room programme for this opportunity. I don’t have a dedicated work space for my writing, and this is a huge privilege that will support me as I write the manuscript for my forthcoming book of nature essays.”
Ali Bowden, director of Edinburgh Unesco City of Literature Trust, said: "As a charity, we are extremely grateful to the City of Edinburgh Council as well as Amazon Literary Partnership for the funding for enabling us to offer a creative and nurturing space for Edinburgh writers, particularly those that might find it difficult in getting access to this kind of paid opportunity.
"The Writer’s Room is a place for writers to experiment and create work here in the world’s first Unesco City of Literature, and it’s a marvellous way to acknowledge and celebrate our 20 years of being designated a Unesco City of Literature, by offering this brilliant opportunity for the writers based here in the heart of the Old Town. We look forward to working with Alycia and Stuart in the coming months."
Mary Paulson-Ellis, author and SOA Scotland national committee member, said: “Authors at all stages of their careers – from the emerging to the more established – find it increasingly difficult to make a living from their practice. The number, range and diversity of applicants for Writer’s Room proves just how vital time, space and resources are in helping them progress their work.”
More information on the scheme can be found at cityofliterature.com/writers-room/.