Clare J Cavanagh
Author of 'My Words Will Find Me'
I am a writer living in Edinburgh and I'm delighted to be a member of the Write Like A Grrrl community.
I am currently writing my memoir entitled My Words Will Find Me, which was recently shortlisted for the Portobello Books Prize 2017. I also write fiction short stories, non-fiction narrative essays and I enjoy exploring themes of memory; being lost and found; brokenness and rebuilding; and loss and hope. Please find some examples of work in my portfolio below.
'Our Voices' - New Podcast
January 2021
‘Our Voices’ is our passion project and a new podcast series telling the untold stories of NHS nurses and doctors up and down the UK. Hosted and founded by my brilliant friend, Alex Melia and produced by Richard Willan and Sam Brown at Fascinate Productions, I feel privileged to be a part of this extraordinary team.
The Scotsman & Edinburgh Evening News
April 2020
On 29th April, there was a "Call for Remembrance” event in Germany to commemorate the day Sandbostel POW camp was liberated in 1945. My grandfather John Hughes was taken to the hospital there after being shot down in WWII. I wrote an article and, having made contact The Scotsman journalist David McLean, our articles were published on that day 75 years later.
Reuters Community
October 2018-December 2019
I write articles for Reuters Community which exists to ease the working lives of publishers and broadcasters. Leveraging Reuters global reach, the community facilitates transformation by encouraging the exchange of ideas, best-practice and advice. If you would like to become part of this inspiring network, please click below.
Pitch DHH: York 2018
December, 2018
I had an opportunity to pitch my memoir to a professional literary agent at the Pitch event run by DHH Literary Agency in the beautiful city of York. I was represented by agent Natalie Galustian from March 2019 to June 2020.
Crimson Launch and Listen Softly at Edinburgh Fringe 2018
August, 2018
I was delighted to read on a stage twice in August 2018. The first was reading my story The Red Room at the Monstrous Regiment Crimson magazine launch. Two weeks later, at the spoken word event Listen Softly in the Edinburgh Fringe.
The Crimson Issue - Monstrous Regiment Publishing
June, 2018
Monstrous Regiment's Magazine is their newest project, a quarterly feminist literary magazine featuring fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and visual arts led by Scotland-based creatives.
I am delighted for my short story The Red Room, exploring red photography and human connections, to be published in The Crimson Issue. Crimson release date is 30 June 2018.
Shortlisted for Portobello Books Non-Fiction Prize 2017
December, 2017
My memoir My Words Will Find Me shortlisted for Portobello Prize which celebrates the art of narrative non-fiction.
The judging panel: Ben Rawlence (author of City of Thorns), Sharmaine Lovegrove (film & TV scout and literary editor), Sophie Lambert (Literary Agent, C+W), Marion Rankine (book-buyer at Foyles), and Laura Barber (Publishing Director, Portobello Books).
Congratulations to the winner, Samira Shackle, and I can't wait to read her book Karachi Vice soon!
Creative non-fiction published in Dear Damsels
September and November 2017
Dear Damsels is an online platform championing young female voices – a place where women can come together online, to read and write about the things that matter to them.
My creative essays Joni and Glowing were accepted under the themes 'Nourish' and 'Always'.
XPONorth 2017 Pitch to Publishers
June 2017
I was one of five non-fiction writers chosen to pitch our work to a panel of professionals in the literary industry from Sandstone Press, Berlinn Books and Canongate Books. It was chaired by literary agent Jenny Brown (Jenny Brown Associates).
WriteNow - Penguin Random House
November 2016
In 2016, I was one of 150 writers who were invited to one of three WriteNow workshops having applied with the proposal for my memoir 'My Words Will Find Me'. During the workshop we heard from authors, illustrators, literary agents and Penguin Random House experts on how to navigate the publishing process.
"Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim."
Nora Ephron
Contact
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