‘In the summer of 2013, with the money from my Northern Writers’ Award, I was able to finish my second collection of short stories, The Redemption of Galen Pike. Salt, who published my debut collection of stories in 2007, made an offer soon afterwards, and the book came out in October 2014. The following spring it was shortlisted for the Wales Book of the Year and the Edge Hill Short Story Prize, and went on to win both the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize and the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award, which is the world’s richest prize for a collection of stories. Overseas book rights have so far been bought in Australia and New Zealand, with Text Publishing bringing out The Travellers And Other Stories in September 2015.’
The Northern Writers’ Awards have played a significant role in the career development of many writers since they were established in 2000.