Claire Askew

Claire Askew is an award-winning poet, writer and educator based in Edinburgh. She spent five years working in Further Education at Edinburgh College, and holds a PDA in Adult Teaching. In 2014 she became the Adult Learning Project Co-Ordinator at Scottish Book Trust and worked on projects for young people and adults who struggle with literacy, as well as designing and delivering best practice CPD training around literacy and reading.

In 2016, Claire became a Scottish Book Trust reading champion, and spent a year engaging reluctant readers aged 10-18 through story-based games. As a schools writer in residence for Scottish Book Trust in 2018, she worked with students at Craigroyston High School to create their own magazine, and as schools writer in residence for Edinburgh International Book Festival she engaged students from high schools across Edinburgh with ideas about home, belonging and citizenship.

Claire also works with adults and spent two years as writer in residence at the University of Edinburgh. She was the 2017 Jessie Kesson Fellow and is currently a Royal Literary Fund Fellow at the University of Stirling. Claire holds a MSc and a PhD in Creative Writing (Poetry). (Photo credit: Lewis Khan)