You are viewing your 1 free article this month.
Sign in to make the most of your access to expert book trade coverage.
National Centre for Writing launches residencies for debut novelists
The National Centre for Writing (NCW) is launching three Desmond Elliott residencies for debut fiction writers in 2023.
A legacy of the Desmond Elliott Prize, the residencies are open to fiction writers based in the UK or Ireland who published their first novel between 1st April 2022 and 31st March 2023. This work must be a full-length literary fiction novel written for adults and must be in its first format.
The successful applicants will be offered a residency of five to seven days at the Dragon Hall Cottage, Norwich, in August. There will be no charge for the cottage or facilities during the stay, and residents will be given a stipend to cover costs.
The Desmond Elliott Residencies form a part of the NCW’s "Season of Debuts", a programme that champions the work of early career writers, which is taking place instead of the 2023 Desmond Elliott Prize.
Last year the NCW announced the money it received from the Desmond Elliott Charitable Trust to run its Early Career Awards "was finite" and the award now needs to find new funding. Organisers said the prize will not take place in 2023, enabling the NCW to talk to funders, writers, publishers, booksellers, festival partners, media partners and others to develop its bid for the future of the prize.
Laura Stimson, programme manager at NCW, said: “The opportunity of a no-cost, quiet, dedicated place to write, away from domestic responsibilities and life commitments, can have such a positive impact on writers.
“Since 2018 the Dragon Hall cottage has hosted dozens of international writers and translators, many of whom have embarked on exciting new projects and finished draft manuscripts during their stay. We’re thrilled to continue the meaningful contribution of the Desmond Elliott Prize to UK publishing by supporting debut novelists in this way.”
The deadline for applications for the Desmond Elliot Residencies is Tuesday 31st January. The successful writers will be contacted in April, and a public announcement will take place in May 2023.
