Award ceremony at Shepherd's Bush Library
Talented young crime writers in London will be honoured at a regional award ceremony in Shepherd's Bush.
Six young writers have been shortlisted in the National Young Crime Writers’ Competition run by the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA). Organised by the CWA, which represents the interests of published crime writers, and library authorities nationwide, the competition invited writers aged up to 18 to submit 1000 words of crime fiction.
At the event at Shepherd’s Bush Library at 2.30pm on Saturday, 24th April the shortlisted writers will learn which of them has been selected to go through to the National Final. The shortlisted writers for London are:-
THREE’S A CROWD by Katie Broderick (Richmond)
THE PHONE BOX by Lara Denaro (Richmond)
MY OWN VOICES by Georgia Mehmet-Wright (Wandsworth)
KNIFE LIFE by Fin Nugent (Kensington & Chelsea)
THE POTATO INCIDENT by Stephen Nye (Wandsworth)
FOUL PLAY by Sarah Jane Tollan (Hammersmith & Fulham)
All shortlisted writers will receive certificates and the regional winner will receive a £10 book token.
Across the UK, a total of fourteen Regional Winners will be chosen to go forward to the National Final, which will be judged by CWA Chair, Margaret Murphy and Laura Wilson, CWA committee member and winner of the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Award. The National Winner will be announced during National Crime Fiction Week (14-20 June).
The competition attracted almost 200 stories in from the London Boroughs of Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea, Richmond and Wandsworth and the shortlist of six was selected by the librarians of these Boroughs and crime writer, Dreda Say Mitchell.
Dreda said: “We were all impressed by the imagination, the use of language and the talent shown by young people. We found it very difficult to judge. It looks as though the future of crime writing is safe in London.”
CWA Chair Margaret Murphy said: “This is the first time we have run the competition and we are hugely encouraged by both the enthusiasm of young writers, and the quality of entries received from across the country. We very much hope to make it an annual event."
Anyone wishing to attend the event at the Shepherd’s Bush Library please contact either debby.wale@lbhf.gov.uk or francis.blake@lbhf.gov.uk .
April 8, 2010