New Writer 2026: Andy Grace Edwards

Andy Grace Edwards (they/them) loves writing that feels intimate, where the small details of people’s lives become the centre of a world.

Grace published their first collection in 2025. CAREER ENDING INCIDENTS is a series of short stories about transition and failure, spanning bodies, employments and galaxies. Their writing has also been published with Soor Plooms Press. Grace is also a playwright. The Lovers (2025) is their full-length debut for BBC Radio 4. This poignant drama tells the story of Liv and Sam, an artist couple on the verge of a break-up, who stumble through a Scottish re-staging of Marina Abramovic and Ulay’s iconic art-walk along the Great Wall of China.

As a dramaturg, Grace has collaborated with both Lung Ha and Birds of Paradise theatre companies, and is a Script Reader with the National Theatre of Scotland. Grace previously wrote criticism for Exeunt Magazine and Neon Books, reviewing contemporary dance, live art, and video games.

Beyond the page, Grace is a Mental Health and Disability Advisor at the University of Strathclyde.

Writing sample

All my careers have ended in career ending incidents. Having lived my human life in their shadow, I decided to live the life of something else. That’s how I became Llandudno, the largest seaside town in Wales. I became the town’s hotels, promenade, and pier. Its tram lines, donkey rides and hay days. Its smiles, ice creams and sandcastles; ballrooms, cabarets, and bright lights. From the peak of the Great Orme to the tip of the Creuddyn peninsula, I was all-encompassing, imbuing every person, place, and thing. 

Being Llandudno was the first job I’d ever had that didn’t feel like work. The delights of this town kept me curious and satisfied, in thrall to its wonders great and small. I was spellbound and, in this condition, did my best work. Under my stewardship, the town became a holiday haven of the Victorian Age, an oasis of merriment, memories, and sunshine. I worked tirelessly, without complaint. I had never had a career that felt like this.

Like most of Llandudno’s residents, I took my rest by the sea. I grew to love its crashing, frothing, waves. I was beguiled, in fact. And if I had a head, it would have been over my heels. In this whole town, that water was the only thing I couldn’t reach, the only thing I couldn’t be. 

My longing to touch the sea became all that mattered to me. Every sunrise, I would reach out to hold those waves and watch them slip through my sands. I would try until dusk, at which point, I’d retreat. Maddeningly, enticingly, the sea would then follow me and teasingly take my place. The next day would be the same. And the next. Time passed while I was trapped in this dance, caught in the currents of hope…

Grace says:

'I’m still in shock! I’m thrilled at the prospect of honing my craft, meeting the other awardees, and, fingers crossed, writing a first draft. Thank you to Scottish Book Trust for the opportunity. I can't wait to get started.'