The Charles Pick South Asia Writing Fellowship is dedicated to the memory of the distinguished publisher and literary agent, Charles Pick, whose career began in 1933 and continued until shortly before his death in January 2000. Charles Pick encouraged young writers at the start of their careers with introductions to other writers and practical and financial help.

In 2013-14 there will be one Charles Pick Writing Fellowship: the Charles Pick Fellowship South Asia.  The fellowship will give support to the work of a new and, as yet, unpublished writers of fictional or non-fictional prose. The Fellowship's dual purpose is to give a promising writer the opportunity complete a major work and to develop his/her talents.

The fellowships is for six months, starting on 1 October. The award is £10,000 and includes accommodation on campus at the University of East Anglia.

2012-13 Charles Pick Fellowship Awards

We are delighted to announce that the 2012/13 Charles Pick Fellowship has been awarded to Megan Bradbury, and the Charles Pick South Asian Fellowship to Shubhangi Swarup. We look forward to welcoming both our new fellows to the University this Autumn. Read the press release.

Megan Bradbury - Charles Pick Fellow

Megan Bradbury graduated from the University of East Anglia with an MA in Creative Writing in 2005. Since then she has worked as an editorial reader and creative writing mentor. She will use her term as a Charles Pick Fellow to work on a novel which documents the cultural development of New York City through the lives and work of Edmund White, Robert Mapplethorpe, Robert Moses and Walt Whitman.

Shubhangi Swarup - Charles Pick South Asian Fellow

I live in Mumbai. I work as a journalist for OPEN Magazine (an Indian news weekly) and help run a community group called ‘Hamara Footpath', working with street children. At present, I'm on sabbatical. I've taken time off to focus on my novel, a work of fiction tentatively called ‘Faultlines'. It is a novel is situated on a geological crack that separates two continental plates; beginning in the depths of the Andaman Sea and ending in the highest Himalayan passes. The whole world of the novel fits on a meandering crack; nothing exists outside of it.

I hold an M.Sc in Violence, Conflict and Development from SOAS, University of London and a B.A in literature from St. Xaviers College, University of Mumbai. Everything that I know about writing is self-taught and learnt on the job, which is why I'm exhilarated to be the CPF for South Asia, despite the English winter I would have to endure to complete it.

Previous Charles Pick Fellows

  • Will Boast (2011-12)
  • Helen Dinmore (2011-12)
  • Ret'sepile Makamane (2010-11)
  • Jon Lewis-Katz (2010-11)
  • Birgit Larsson (2009-10)
  • Simi Awosika (2009-10)
  • David Sornig (2008-09)
  • Erin Soros (2008-09)
  • Lois Williams (2006-07)
  • Brian Chikwava (2006-07)
  • Sam Fletcher (2005-06)
  • Alistair Daniel (2004-05)
  • Luke Williams (2003-04)
  • Thomas Frick (2002-03)

Read more about the previous Fellows.

The Tibor Jones South Asia Prize: with support from the University of East Anglia, the British Council and the Charles Pick Fellowship, Tibor Jones has recently announced the 2012 Tibor Jones South Asia Prize. For more information about how to enter, please visit tiborjones.com/prizes/south-asia-prize/.

Apply for the Charles Pick South Asia Fellowship 2013-14

Every application for the Charles Pick South Asia Fellowship should include an application form, a sample of writing (maximum 2,500 words) and a reference.  Please note the application deadline of Thursday 31 January 2013.  Only complete applications will be considered.   

Download the terms and conditions

Download an application form: PDF | Word

Download a reference form: PDF | Word

Contact: charlespickfellowship@uea.ac.uk