Essay prize winner revealed

A ‘DEEPLY touching’ exploration of homelessness has won this year’s Anne Brown Essay Prize. ‘Firle’ by poet Tamara Fulcher has been named as the 2025 winner. The judges praised the piece as a beautifully crafted essay that gets to the heart of what it’s like for those unable to escape an endless round of homelessness and sub-standard accommodation. They said: “Firle is a worthy winner. It’s an elegantly witty, touching, deeply serious and personal look at the rural housing crisis that builds to a single explosion of frustration. “It combines directness and pace with a lightness of touch that make it a compelling read, and one that will ring true for vast numbers of people.” Tamara, who grew up in London and Kent but now lives in Ayrshire, said: “This is an incredible honour and it means so much to have a conversation about Scotland’s rural housing crisis platformed in the prestigious and meaningful context of the Anne Brown Essay Prize. “The prize and Wigtown Book Festival are an inspiration to me and countless other writers and readers and I am delighted to be part of the festival story this year.” The other finalists were: A Letter from my Father - Alison Craig; Am I Missing Something - Robert Dawson Scott; Taps - Meghan Flaherty; Lepanto - Dani Garavelli; The Stone Is Heavy in My Hand - Kristie de Garis; Tender Omens - Saskia McCracken; and In Search of Tove Janssen in Helsinki - Christiana Spens. All the shortlisted essays will be published on the Wigtown Book Festival website at www.wigtownbookfestival.com. Pic by C Hattersley