Dr. Jenni Fagan is an award-winning novelist, poet, screenwriter and artist.

Author of six fiction novels, one non-fiction memoir, and eight poetry collections.

A collaboration with The Macallan published in 2024, saw her write 200 poems creating a book called Heart of the Spirit selecting moments of key history for The Macallan. Bound in leather and encased in a hand-crafted oak wooden case with illustrations by artist Javi Aznarez, animations by Pixar studios, with poetry readings by Fagan have gone onto travel the world, celebrating The Macallan..

Fagan’s work is in translation in ten languages. The New York Times Book Review described her as the Patron Saint of Literary Street Urchins, with two of her novels gracing full front covers. 

Multiple award lists include: Winner of the Gordon Burn Prize 2025, Granta Best of Young British Novelist - a once in a decade accolade, Scottish Author of the Year in 2016, alongside lists for The Women’s Prize, Desmond Elliott, Encore, James Tait Black, Sunday Times Short Story Award, BBC International Short Story Prize, twice nominated for the Pushcart Prize.

Dr. Jenni Fagan 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 and script NARCISSTIC FISH became a short film for Scottish National Opera. She made her Directorial debut for her short script Heart of Glass, which screened on BBC 4. Jenni is currently adapting The Panopticon by Jenni Fagan, as a potential feature film that she will write and direct, OOTLIN is about to be announced in adaptation as a film script.

A prior Robert Louis Stevenson Fellow in Grez, France, a Gavin Wallace Fellow as Poet in Residence at Summerhall where she engraved poetry onto bones and installed her poems around the building, Lewisham Hospital poet in residence working in the Neo-natal unit and archives, Norfolk Blind Association, also a University of Edinburgh Writer in Residence, Arvon Tutor and she has worked with blind and visually impaired writers, people in prison or secure facilities, among other vulnerable groups. Fagan was a poetry lecturer at Strathclyde University, also teaching fiction at The University of Edinburgh.

Fagan is a member of Liberty, and was made a Royal Literary Fellow, in 2023.

Prior residencies at Shakespeare and Company in Paris, saw her writing several poetry collections there, it is her favourite place to read and she considers it one of her literary homes.

@jenni_fagan