CrimeFest Announce Bursary Recipient

CrimeFest, one of Europe’s leading crime writing conventions, has announced Christie J. Newport as the recipient of its 2024 bursary for a crime fiction writer of colour.

The bursary offers the cost of a full Weekend Pass to the convention and a night’s accommodation at the Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel, and a guaranteed panel appearance.

Christie is a mixed-race woman living in Northumberland.

Since developing a rare illness as a child, Christie found reading and creating stories to be an escape. In recent years, she has honed her skills through courses and various opportunities.

Christie J. Newport said: “Writing crime and psychological thrillers set in my home city is my passion. It’s always been my dream to witness a reader lost in the pages of one of my books. It’s a real honour to be awarded the bursary for CrimeFest.”

Emma Grundy Haigh, Editorial Director at Joffe Books, said: “I’m delighted that Christie has been chosen for the CrimeFest bursary. I can’t think of a more deserving author. Christie has a tremendous talent for creating brilliant characters and dark twisty mysteries that plunge the reader in at the deep-end. But she’s also incredibly generous and a wonderful advocate, in particular in supporting authors of colour throughout their own journey through publishing. She just keeps going from strength and I’m so proud of everything she has achieved, and I can’t wait to see her at CrimeFest.”

CrimeFest launched the bursary in 2021 with the first award going to Saima Mir to attend the 2022 convention, for her debut novel, The Khan, which was a Sunday Times Crime Novel of the Year.

Saima Mir, who grew up in Bradford, said that the bursary allowed her to, “be inspired by the company of seasoned storytellers, fulfil my childhood ambition, and to act as a beacon to other women who dare to dream of being published novelists, but fear the space is not for girls like them.”

2023’s bursary winner was Elizabeth Chakrabarty, whose critically-acclaimed debut crime novel Lessons in Love and Other Crimes was inspired by her own experience of a serious race hate crime in the workplace.

Donna Moore, co-host of CrimeFest, said: “The bursary is an important addition to CrimeFest, and one we are committed to build on. As a democratic convention open to all commercially published authors in the genre, CrimeFest is a natural hotbed for diverse talent. We’re aware however that more needs to be done to ensure festivals and conventions actively support writers of colour.”

Nominees for the bursary were reviewed by Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Chair and author Vaseem Khan, and the freelance crime fiction critic and CWA judge, Ayo Onatade.

Vaseem Khan is the author of two award-winning crime series set in India – the Baby Ganesh Agency series set in modern Mumbai, and the Malabar House crime novels set in 1950s Bombay.

Ayo Onatade works with Justices at the Supreme Court, and is a well-known blogger and CWA Red Herring award-winning freelance crime fiction critic.

Hosted in Bristol, CrimeFest is one of the biggest crime fiction events in Europe, and one of the most popular dates in the international crime fiction calendar, with circa 60 panel events and 150 authors over four days.

CrimeFest, now in its 16^th year, was created following the hugely successful one-off visit to Bristol in 2006 of the American Left Coast Crime convention. It was established in 2008. It follows the egalitarian format of most US conventions, making it open to all commercially published authors and readers alike.

Featured guests for this year’s event in Bristol, which is hosted 9-12 May, 2024, include Lynda La Plante, Laura Lippman, Denise Mina, G.T. Karber, and James Lee Burke.

CrimeFest – Bristol’s Annual Crime Fiction Convention

ENDS

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