Jacqueline Crooks

Jacqueline Crooks is a British writer whose debut novel, Fire Rush , was shortlisted for the 2023 Women's Prize for Fiction. She was described as one of the "10 best new novelists for 2023" by The Observer . ^[1]

Early life

Crooks was born in Jamaica and raised in Southall, west London. ^[1] She graduated from the University of Roehampton with a degree in Social Policy and Goldsmiths, University of London with a Master of Arts (MA) in Creative and Life Writing. ^[2]

Writing career

Crooks wrote a short story collection titled The Ice Migration which was longlisted for the 2019 Orwell Prize for Political Fiction. ^{[1] [3]} One of her short stories was shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award in 2019. ^[1]

Her debut novel, Fire Rush , took 16 years to write and is based on her diary entries. ^{[1] [4]}

Awards

Year	Title	Award	Category	Result	Ref.
2019	"Silver Fish in the Midnight Sea"	BBC National Short Story Award	—	Shortlisted	[5]
	The Ice Migration	Orwell Prize	Political Fiction	Longlisted	[3]
2023	Fire Rush	Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize	—	Shortlisted	[6] [7]
		Women's Prize for Fiction	—	Shortlisted	[8]
2024		Authors' Club Best First Novel Award	—	Shortlisted	[9]
		Diverse Book Awards	Adult	Longlisted	[10] [11]
		Jhalak Prize	—	Shortlisted	[12]
		Paul Torday Memorial Prize	—	Won	[13]
		McKitterick Prize	—	Shortlisted	[14]

Bibliography

• Crooks, Jacqueline (2018). The Ice Migration. Peepal Tree Press. ISBN   9781845233587.
• Crooks, Jacqueline (2023). Fire Rush. Penguin. ISBN   9780593300534.

References

1. Cummins, Anthony; Kenny, Ursula; Morris, Kadish; Anderson, Hephzibah; O'Kelly, Lisa (8 January 2023). "Meet the 10 best new novelists for 2023". The Observer. ISSN   0029-7712 . Retrieved 26 April 2024.
2. "Jacqueline Crooks". David Higham Associates. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
3. "The Orwell Prizes 2019: Longlists announced | The Orwell Foundation". www.orwellfoundation.com. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
4. Allfree, Claire (23 February 2023). "Fire Rush review: 1970s dancefloor rhythms pulse through a terrific first novel". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 26 April 2024.
5. "Welsh writer Jo Lloyd wins BBC Short Story prize". BBC News. 1 October 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
6. Shaffi, Sarah (26 April 2023). "Three debut novels compete among Women's prize for fiction shortlist". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 26 April 2024.
7. Davidson, Anna (13 July 2023). "Waterstones debut fiction prize 2023 shortlist announced". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 26 April 2024.
8. Passmore, Lynsey (26 April 2023). "Announcing the 2023 Women's Prize shortlist". Women's Prize. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
9. "2024 Best First Novel Award Winner Announced". The Authors' Club. The Authors' Club. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
10. "2024 SHORTLIST". The DB Awards. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
11. "The Diverse Book Awards 2024 - Shortlists Announced!". Diverse Book Awards. 13 September 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
12. "The Prize". www.jhalakprize.com. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
13. "Paul Torday Memorial Prize – The Society of Authors" . Retrieved 22 March 2025.
14. "McKitterick Prize". The Society of Authors. Retrieved 6 October 2024.