Edinburgh University reveal novelist joining star line up of Scottish writers, including Liz Lochhead
Edinburgh University has announced its new writer-in-residence.
An award-winning novelist is following in the footsteps of Scottish writers, including Liz Lochhead, to become Edinburgh University's new writer-in-residence.
Mary Paulson-Ellis joins a distinguished roll call of writers who have previously held the position. They include author and poet Jenni Fagan, poet and playwright Ms Lochhead, Scottish Gaelic poet Sorley Maclean, and poet and teacher Norman MacCaig, as well as poet and author Michael Pedersen, the most recent writer-in-residence.
Born in Glasgow, Ms Paulson-Ellis initially studied politics and sociology at Edinburgh University and has an MLitt in creative writing from Glasgow University. Her debut novel, The Other Mrs Walker, was a Times bestseller and Waterstones Book of the Year.
Ms Paulson-Ellis said: “I am overjoyed to be the new writer-in-residence at Edinburgh University. I have a passion for writing and what it means to be an author today, with all its challenges and glories. So I look forward immensely to sharing that experience with students, while introducing them to the rich and eclectic wonders of our literary city and beyond.
“As a former undergrad who left Edinburgh with a baby on her hip in place of an honours degree, my younger self is both amazed and proud right now.”
The author’s second work, The Inheritance of Solomon Farthing, was longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Best Scottish Crime Novel and the Historical Writers Association Gold Crown. Emily Noble’s Disgrace, published by Pan Macmillan, is her third novel.
Ms Paulson-Ellis was elected to serve as the chair of the Society of Authors in Scotland, and is an Honorary International Fellow of the Edinburgh Unesco City of Literature. Meanwhile, her short fiction and non-fiction novels have featured in The Guardian, various anthologies and on BBC Radio 4. She is also a regular chair at events and festivals and is an established guest reviewer of TV, books, theatre, film and art for BBC Radio Scotland.
Suzanne Trill, head of English and Scottish literature at Edinburgh University, said: “We are delighted a writer of the calibre of Mary Paulson-Ellis is joining us. We are hugely looking forward to the energy and mentorship Mary will bring to our creative writing culture, both within English and Scottish literature and across the university.”
The university established the post of writer-in-residence in 1975, the first holder being the renowned Gaelic poet, and graduate of the university, Sorley Maclean.
The role includes a range of activities to enhance creative writing for students both across the institution and those specifically studying for an MSc in creative writing. It also includes showcasing talks with visiting authors, as well as contributing to the university’s annual creative writing conference and judging literary prizes.
Having first offered courses on “rhetoric and belles lettres” more than 250 years ago, the university has the oldest department of English literature in the world.
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