National Library of Scotland to host 2015 Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship

We are delighted to say that it was announced at the Book Festival this evening that the National Library of Scotland has been selected to host the third Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship.

The news came immediately ahead of our event celebrating the publication of A Portable Shelter, the new book by Scottish writer Kirsty Logan - the product of the first Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship, hosted in 2013 by the Association for Scottish Literary Studies. The Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship offers writers the opportunity to spend dedicated time to develop their practice in partnership with literary organisations. Fellows receive a stipend of £20,000 and Fellowship hosts receive £5,000.

The Fellowship at the National Library of Scotland will explore the theme of the recorded memory of Scotland, and the Fellow will be invited to explore, and be inspired by, the ways in which the Library’s collections record the memory of Scotland. Further details on how to apply will be announced in the coming months.

“We are delighted to have been chosen to host the Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship in the coming year,” said National Librarian, Dr John Scally.  “One of the Library’s key priorities is to act as the guardian of the published and recorded memory of Scotland in all its forms, from mediaeval manuscripts to home movies, from Victorian business archives to personal websites, from private letters and diaries to books which sold millions of copies.  In collecting, we are not simply accumulating piles of paper and other formats, but preserving material that can come alive in the hands of today’s readers and writers. We look forward to welcoming the writer who wins the fellowship to the Library and the collections.”

Speaking of her own experience as a Fellow, Kirsty Logan, said: “It's an honour to be able to give thanks for all the support and encouragement Gavin gave me over the years. This book would not exist without the Gavin Wallace Fellowship, and all the hard work and enthusiasm of Gavin's family, friends and colleagues. I'm glad I can honor Gavin's legacy, even in this small way.”

Duncan Jones from the Association for Scottish Literary Studies, said: “Gavin was a true friend and a staunch supporter of ASLS, and it was our privilege to host the first Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship. We could not be more proud of the final result: Kirsty Logan’s collection of elegant, haunting short stories, A Portable Shelter. A great enthusiast for all of Scotland’s literatures, past and present, Gavin would, we are sure, have been delighted to see how Scottish traditional tales inspired Kirsty to write this book. Gavin’s legacy is the strength and creativity of contemporary Scottish writing, which he did so much to nurture: we present A Portable Shelter as our tribute to his life and work.”

Aly Barr, Acting Head of Literature at Creative Scotland, said: “Kirsty Logan is a huge talent. From short stories, to longer fiction, like a stick of rock if you were to break her in half, she would have ‘storyteller’ written right through her. There couldn’t be a more appropriate young writer to take up the inaugural Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship than Kirsty.”

Emma Turnbull, Literature Officer for Creative Scotland, said: "The Dr Gavin Wallace fellowship offers valuable time and space for a writer to develop their own work as well as building a relationship with the host literary organisation. With its wide and varied collections, the National Library of Scotland presents a wonderful opportunity and will provide a rich seam for the next Fellow to mine."