Announcement: Stone & Sky Shortlist Published

Dialect and the Cotswolds National Landscape are delighted to share the shortlist for the 2026–27 Stone & Sky Writer in Residence, chosen by our independent panel of judges. Ten writers have been selected for recognition, each of whom demonstrated exceptional talent in their submitted work and offered powerful, imaginative ideas about how storytelling can deepen emotional attachment to place.

Across poems, short stories and hybrid forms, these writers showed a remarkable sensitivity to the ways their own voices have been marginalised within mainstream nature writing. Their applications revealed thoughtful, ambitious approaches to writing from and with landscape, foregrounding care, attentiveness, and the belief that stories can strengthen our collective sense of belonging.

Although only one writer will ultimately take up the residency, we chose to publish this shortlist in acknowledgement of the impressive quality of the work submitted. Each shortlisted writer offered something distinctive, compelling, and full of promise, and we are proud to recognise their contribution to a more inclusive and imaginative nature‑writing ecology.

The ten shortlisted writers for Stone & Sky 2026–27 are:

• Anna Quercia-Thomas

• Dougal Kirkland

• E. Abdeni-Holman

• Elizabeth Stopford

• Emma Dandy

• Jacqui Stearn

• Jason Conway 

• Melanie Coleby

• Nathan Sollé

• Travon Santana Powell 

We extend our warm congratulations to all shortlisted writers and our gratitude to everyone who applied. Your work demonstrates the breadth, depth, and brilliance of underrepresented voices in nature writing across the Cotswolds and beyond.