The PFD Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Prize 2017

A couple of years ago, Literary agents Peters Fraser + Dunlop (PFD) held a series of literary salons celebrating classic authors whose estates they handle in the UK. (which I’ve posted about before (here, here and here). These salons have been among the event highlights of my year.

However PFD don’t only deal with dead authors!  They are sponsors in association with the University of Warwick of the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award and last year held another salon to meet the shortlisted authors – I wrote about that event here.  It was a wonderful afternoon.

The Sunday Times/Peters Fraser + Dunlop Young Writer of the Year Award is awarded for a full-length published or self-published (in book or ebook formats) work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry, by an author of 35 years or under. The winner receives £5,000. Past winners have included Robert MacFarlane, Sarah Waters, Simon Armitage, Zadie Smith, Ross Raisin and Max Porter last year for Grief is the Thing With Feathers.

Alongside the formal judging panel, the organisers invited some bloggers to form a shadow judging panel (see last year’s panel here).  This year, they’re doing it again, and I was absolutely flabbergasted to be asked to be one of the 2017 Shadow Judges.  A real honour – and I’m privileged to be in fantastic company. Who are the others on the 2017 Shadow Judges panel?

  • Rebecca Foster of Bookish Beck – Rebecca and I are firm blog friends, but have never managed to cross paths physically yet.
  • Eleanor Franzen of Elle Thinks – Eleanor’s blog is another I love, and she writes some of the best longer reviews and pieces of criticism out there.
  • Clare Rowland of A Little Blog of Books – Another firm blog friend, whom I finally met at last year’s event.
  • Dane Cobain of Social Bookshelves – Dane is the panel member I don’t know at all – Dane – I’m looking forward to meeting you!

Once I’m allowed to share the shortlisted titles, I’ll be blogging about my first reactions and posting my personal reviews here, as I’m sure my fellow shadow judges will do on their blogs. We’ll be talking to each other behind the scenes, and will meet up closer to the formal award announcement to choose our winner.

It’s  all so exciting!  Thank you to the prize organisers for inviting me onto this year’s shadow panel.

 

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