The world’s largest literary award for young writers, Dylan Thomas Prize has teamed up with Sony UK to offer a new award in this year’s competition.
The Sony Reader Award will be awarded to a British novel writer under the age of 30. The process of submission, judging to publishing will be undertaken electronically and the winning entry will be made available as an e-book.
Closing date: 31st August 2010
Visit http://www.thedylanthomasprize.com/

Unpublished women writers are being invited to submit their short stories to the biennial prize, The Asham Award.
For the first time, the award has a set theme: Ghost or Gothic? and twelve winning entries will be published by Virago, alongside new writing by some of the UK’s best known women writers.
The award is open to women who have not previously published a novel or collection of short stories. Entries must not exceed 4000 words.
Closing date: 30 September, 2010
Visit http://www.ashamaward.com/

Arvind Mehrotra is a name that you might not be too familiar with, but in May last year, he was the first Indian poet to be nominated for the chair of Professor of Poetry at Oxford.
Mehrotra is considered to be one of the leading Indian poets writing in English and currently heads the English department at the University o f Allahabad. On meeting him I’m struck by his apparent eccentricism, his long white hair and matching beard, his forthcoming manners – but when we discuss the nomination – its clear …

From the first moment Anil Mayur sees Lina Merali he is mesmerised – there is only one thing he knows. He has to make her his. For Lina Merali, whom the blurb says is a devoted muslim daughter (but I would disagree with this) its not just a simple matter of whether she likes Anil. He opens up a whole new world, his love for art and architecture teach Lina that there is so much more to the world than she has known and seen. …

The Asian Writer caught up with Priya Basil to discuss her latest novel, The Obscure Logic of the Heart.

My favourite author is Tolkien, as Lord of the Rings is still my favourite book.
My bedside read Currently a pile of parenting books (I have five month old twin girls) and my students’ MA assignments.
The most inspiring person I’ve ever met My mother, who believes that everything is possible.

My writing ritual Sitting in front of my laptop at 8am and not leaving until I have a few hundred words to work with.

My biggest influence My family life, which has informed almost all of my writing.

The book I would recommend you …