New writers explore 2020
It was quite a year. In a bid to support artists, as well as provide a platform for the diverse voices that make up 21st century Scotland, we invited emerging writers to respond to the year 2020.
We were overwhelmed with the response — 250 people applied, pitching a range of exciting and topical ways to respond to a most eventful year. We were only able to award 10 people the £1,000 commission to develop work — work which is also being added to our literary archives.
As you can read, the subject responses ranged across the events of 2020 and beyond. They encapsulate the personal and the political, the private and the public, the sadness and isolation of lockdown, but also those new and different moments of contact and empathy.
The result is a series of brilliant evocations of living through a time of unique change, and we believe these pieces illuminate, challenge, comfort, and intrigue.
The Fresh Ink commissioned writers, dramatists, and illustrators have made a significant contribution to capturing what it was like to face the challenges of last year in these wonderful responses, and we hope you agree.