Scottish Arts Council recently awarded bursaries amounting to GB£40,000 to 12 writers, designed to allow them more time to devote to their writing. Recipients ranged in literary style from Julie Lacome, a writer and illustrator of children’s picture books and previous Children’s Book Award winner, to Ronald Frame, the prize winning fiction writer, to Yvonne Gray, for a collection of poetry. Hailing from right across Scotland, seven of the 12 writers will be receiving support from SAC for the first time. Colin Milton, Chair of the Scottish Arts Council Writers’ Bursaries Group, commented, ‘These 12 bursaries testify to the strength and diversity of writing in Scotland, and are an investment in promising literary work which deserves to be published and reach the hands of readers in the next two to three years.’ Further information regarding Scottish Arts Council is available on online at www.sac.org.uk