The Thinking Woman’s Writing Award, a new writing prize set up by British-Nigerian author Kate Jegede, was set up to increase the visibility of women writers in the UK writing non-fiction works with a philosophical or critical thinking theme.
The call for submissions was met with a wide range of interesting and impressive submissions from women across the UK. Following judging, Anna Foley Simmons’ Change: How to Make Your Life Different was selected as the first winner of the award.
Anna Foley Simmons will receive a free manuscript assessment from The Literary Consultancy, the UK’s leading editorial assessment consultancy, a year-long membership to the RSA Fellowship scheme, and the chance to meet and discuss publishing prospects with LAW Agency. The partners all agreed that Anna’s proposal was an ‘exciting and fresh interpretation of the brief’. We at TLC are delighted to work with Anna on her writing, and look forward to what the future brings.
The Award’s founder and head judge Kate Jegede says:
“It was tremendously inspiring to be involved in this process from inception to choosing the eventual winner. The response to the award was fantastic with entrants reaching out to me on social media to express their enthusiasm and support. I even received an email from The Washington Post who are interested in future developments. This is great news and a massive vindication. There are talented women writers of Philosophy out there who are simple waiting for opportunities to present their work. I am highly encouraged by the calibre of the entries and look forward to developing the award further.”
About the Award:
Following the publication of her book Infinite Possibility (Penguin Random House, 2018), Kate felt inspired to help other women writers of Philosophy bring their work to the attention of the literary world. In deciding on what to offer and to whom, she made the decision to partner with TLC, an organisation which Kate says provided her with some much-needed support and life-changing advice at a critical point in her writing career.
Philosophy is woefully underrepresenting women. References to the greatest female philosophers of all time often include a dozen or so names of women who are now dead and none who are making notable contemporary contributions to the world or making strides in business or other fields of industry. For Kate, present-day philosophers are ‘thinkers’. She says, “I am impassioned by the discovery, through the Thinking Woman’s Writing Award, of contemporary voices that can help shape the modern world and steer in the direction of a vibrant future that serves everyone.
About Anna Foley Simmons:
Anna Foley Simmons is a British writer originally from Northern Ireland. She has a BA in Creative Writing from the university of Warwick and lives in Bristol as property guardian of an abandoned school classroom. She works a few days a week at a local hospital. Anna’s website: https://annafoleysimmons.com
About Kate Jegede
Kate Jegede is a British television presenter and author with a background in science. She has been published in the internationally acclaimed science journal, Nature. Kate has also presented two science series aimed at young adults for Channel 4 in the UK, earning a BAFTA nomination. She lives in London and has homes in North Carolina and Lagos in Nigeria.
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