2017 Awardee: Caighlan Smith
"As the author of five published YA Fantasy novels, this is a dream program for me...It has been an amazing experience and will have a lasting impact on me as a writer. Receiving the Dewar Award has enabled me to continue with my studies in Glasgow and, for that, I will be eternally grateful."
Biography
Caighlan Smith is a Saltire Scholar at the University of Glasgow, where she is studying for a Masters in Fantasy Literature. This programme gives her a unique opportunity to showcase her talents both as a creative writer and an aspiring academic.
Born in Canada in 1994, Caighlan decided she wanted to become a novelist at age 9. At age 13 she wrote a 550 page fantasy novel. At 17 she wrote her third novel, ‘Hallow Hour’. It was signed with a publisher and released in 2013.
Caighlan writes Young Adult dystopian fiction; a fusion of science fiction, fantasy and classical myth. Her strong sense of characterization and formal inventiveness has drawn excellent reviews from critics on both sides of the Atlantic.
Caighlan was a finalist for the Dell Undergraduate Award for Excellence in Science Fiction & Fantasy Writing in 2015 and again in 2016. She has written 19 novels and 2 novellas.
Living in Scotland is having a rich and distinct influence on Caighlan’s writing. Her sixth published novel, the sequel to ‘Children of Icarus’, will be released in the UK by Curious Fox and in North America by Switch Press in 2018.
How the Award Helped
Caighlan received an Award to support her in her studies on the Master of Letters in Fantasy at the University of Glasgow – the first and only postgraduate fantasy program in the world.
"As the author of five published YA Fantasy novels, this is a dream program for me...It has been an amazing experience and will have a lasting impact on me as a writer. Receiving the Dewar Award has enabled me to continue with my studies in Glasgow and, for that, I will be eternally grateful."