About

My brand new author photo, taken by Sally Jubb Photography
Author portrait by Sally Jubb Photography.

Claire Askew is a poet, writer and teacher. Born in 1986 and originally from Cumbria, she grew up in the rural Scottish Borders and has lived and worked in Edinburgh since 2004.

Claire holds a MA (Hons) in English Literature, a MSc in Creative Writing (Poetry) and a PhD in Creative Writing, all from the University of Edinburgh. She also worked as Writer in Residence at the University of Edinburgh from 2017 to 2019.

Claire is agented by Cathryn Summerhayes at Curtis Brown.

FICTION

All The Hidden Truths Hodder & Stoughton, 2018
What You Pay For Hodder & Stoughton, 2019
Cover Your Tracks Hodder & Stoughton, 2021 (forthcoming)

POETRY

The Mermaid and the Sailors Red Squirrel Press, 2011
This changes things Bloodaxe 2016
Break & Closure Bloodaxe, 2021 (forthcoming)

AWARDS (FICTION)

2019 McIlvanney Debut Crime Novel of the Year, winner
2019 Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger, shortlisted
2019 Crime Writers’ Association John Creasey Dagger, shortlisted
2016 Lucy Cavendish College Fiction Prize, winner

AWARDS (POETRY)

The Jessie Kesson Fellowship, winner, 2017
The Michael Murphy Memorial Poetry Prize, shortlisted, 2017
The Seamus Heaney Centre Poetry Prize, shortlisted, 2017
Saltire Society First Book Award, shortlisted, 2016
The Edwin Morgan Poetry Award, shortlisted, 2016
The Oxford Brookes International Poetry Competition, second prize, 2015
The Edwin Morgan Poetry Award, runner up, 2014
The Charles Causley International Poetry Competition, shortlisted, 2014
The Dermot Healy Poetry Prize, shortlisted, 2014
Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award, winner, 2012
The International Salt Prize for Poetry, winner, 2012
The Virginia Warbey Poetry Prize, winner, 2010
The William Sharpe Hunter Memorial Scholarship for Creative Writing, winner, 2009
The Grierson Verse Prize, winner, 2008
The Sloan Prize, winner, 2008
The Lewis Edwards Award, winner, 2008

MAJOR ANTHOLOGIES

CAPITALS: a global poetry project Bloomsbury, 2017
Best Scottish Poems Scottish Poetry Library, 2016
Caledonian Antisyzygy Cordite Books, 2015
Hallelujah for 50ft women Bloodaxe, 2015
Best Scottish Poems Scottish Poetry Library, 2014
Be The First To Like This: New Scottish Poetry Vagabond Voices, 2014
That Which We Do Not Understand: Ten Years of Amelia’s Magazine Amelia’s Press, 2014
The Salt Book of New Writing 2013 Salt, 2013
Best Scottish Poems Scottish Poetry Library, 2009
Best Scottish Poems Scottish Poetry Library, 2008