Hello.
Jenni Fagan is an award-winning novelist, poet, screenwriter and artist - she has published four fiction novels and five poetry collections, and she is about to release her memoir about being raised in state care, called Ootlin.
Her work has been translated into numerous languages to great critical acclaim worldwide. Jenni has been on multiple award lists including becoming a Granta Best of Young British Novelist - a once in a decade accolade - for her debut The Panopticon. Her first two fiction novels received the front cover of The New York Times Book Review, who described her as “the Patron Saint of Literary Street Urchins.” She won Author of the Year for her second novel The Sunlight Pilgrims. Her fourth novel Luckenbooth is being adapted for a television series with Jenni writing the screenplay for this, and The Panopticon.
She has written for The Independent, Marie Claire and the New York Times, and been on lists for Desmond Elliott, Encore, James Tait Black, Sunday Times Short Story Award, BBC International Short Story Prize among others, and was twice nominated for the Pushcart Prize. She has concluded a PhD at the University of Edinburgh in 2020, becoming a Dr. of Philosophy.
Her play adaptation of The Panopticon saw a sell out run with National Theatre of Scotland. Her aria The Narcissistic Fish became a short film with National Opera. She recently made her Directorial debut for her short script Heart of Glass, which screened on BBC 4. Jenni is currently adapting The Blade Artist by Irvine Welsh, as a six part television series.
Jenni grew up in the local authority care system for 16 years, before spending several years in homeless accommodation, she has moved over forty-six times and spent her teens and early twenties playing in punk and then grunge bands. She has been a Robert Louis Stevenson Fellow in Grez, France, a Gavin Wallace Fellow as Poet in Residence at Summerhall for a year where she engraved poetry onto bones and installed her poems around the building, also a University of Edinburgh Writer in Residence, Arvon Tutor and she has worked with young people, blind and visually impaired writers, people in prison or secure facilities, among other vulnerable groups.
Jenni has held residencies at Shakespeare and Company in Paris, writing several of her poetry collections there, it is her favourite place to read and she considers it one of her literary homes.
A solo exhibition of her artwork will be held in Autumn 2023, her poetry bone sculptures are on permanent display at Summerhall, in Edinburgh.
Jenni is currently writing her fifth fiction novel and working on several projects across the stage and screen.