Born in London and raised mostly in Yorkshire, I have British and Nigerian* heritage and write for both adults and children. I came to writing via a circuitous route. Or rather, my writing was hijacked by other careers along the way, beginning with a stint as a hairdresser in London’s West End. After forsaking hairdressing for a science degree, postgraduate studies led to work in the fields of biomedical and environmental research. I now divide my time between editing scientific publications and writing fiction. (The two marry well.)

My first book was Cloudscapes over the Lune, a collaboration with Mary Sylvia Winter, Melissa Bailey, Sarah Dobbs and Kay Douglas to raise money for two children’s charities. Current projects include a linked story collection and a children’s book.

Awards

I’m delighted to have won a Northern Writers’ Award to support the development of my new short story collection.

The first draft of House of Ash was shortlisted for the Commonword Children’s Diversity Writing Prize 2012, run in association with Puffin Books and RCW Literary Agency. This book is now in final edits.

• Unbound short story competition, 2016: runner up
• Galley Beggar Press short story prize, 2016: special mention
• Fish Publishing short story contest, 2016/17: longlisted
• Bath Flash Fiction Award 2017: longlisted
• Fish Publishing short memoir prize, 2017/18: longlisted
• Wells Festival of Literature short story competition, 2017: 3rd prize
• Words & Women prose competition, 2017: shortlisted
• Bare Fiction Prize 2017: 2nd prize
• Fish Publishing flash fiction prize, 2018: longlisted
• TSS Flash Fiction 400, 2018: shortlisted
• Reflex Flash Fiction 2018: longlisted
• Wells Festival of Literature short story competition, 2018: shortlisted
• The Bridport Prize (flash fiction) 2018: shortlisted

I’m represented by The Good Literary Agency

(* Weze is pronounced way-zay)

You can contact me at: clare.weze@gmail.com

or @ClareWeze

Site photography by Peter Easterby

© Clare Weze 2017