Professor wins the Edge Hill Short Story prize 2011
07/08/2011 00:00:00
The shortlist included authors such as Michele Roberts, Polly Samson, Helen Simpson and Tom Vowler.
The winner was announced at Blackwells Bookshop in the Charing Cross Road in London but Professor Mort was unable to collect his £5,000 prize in person since he was in Uganda.
Professor Mort is acknowledged as one of contemporary verse's most accomplished practitioners. A specialist in distance learning, he led the Lancaster University/British Council African writers mentoring scheme, 'Crossing Borders' (2001-2006), followed by the 'Radiophonics' project in Uganda and Nigeria, as well as leading workshops across Africa.
He writes mainly poetry but has written short fiction and radio drama for BBC Radio and also won the 2007 Bridport Prize for his short story, 'The Prince'.
The judging panel included: scriptwriter and short story author Jeremy Dyson, best known as co-creator of the hit West End play Ghost Stories and as a member of the sketch comedy team The League of Gentlemen; author, presenter and journalist Stuart Maconie; and Marcus Gipps, an editor at Gollancz