J L Hall

I am an award-winning writer and creative writing teacher based in Edinburgh. I am a proud champion of writing and reading for better wellbeing and their power to change lives. I teach classes online across Scotland and face to face closer to home in the pandemic.

My essays, short stories, life writing, travel writing, and poetry are widely-published in anthologies including 24 Stories, Tempest, A Narrative Map, AM Heath/TLC Reads, A Wild and Precious Life, Rebel Alliance, Surfing, and To Whom It May Concern, and Prototype: 3, and online at Women Writers, Women's Books, I Must Be Off!, Full House Literary Magazine, and The Mechanic's Institute Review podcast.  

In 2021, I was longlisted for the Scottish Book Trust Next Chapter Award, and in 2018 I won the international I Must Be Off! Travel Writing Competition. Before this, I have been a finalist in several other national writing prizes.

In my career, I have worked as a lecturer, trainer, and mentor in the creative industries for twenty years. In addition to teaching creative writing classes in the community and online, I regularly read at events and speak on panels, and I would describe myself as a warm and vibrant speaker! I am also a reader for The Highland Book Prize.