Rachel Seiffert, who was on this year's Booker Prize shortlist and studied creative writing on the joint course run by the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde, has won the first David T K Wong Prize for short fiction.

Her story, The Crossing,won the £7,500 prize in the new international competition organised by the international writers' organisation, P.E.N.

The prize was founded by the Chinese writer and businessman, David T K Wong, to promote literary excellence in the form of the short story. Entries had to be unpublished stories incorporating one or more of the ideals set out inthe International P.E.N. charter.

Rachel Seiffert's first novel, The Dark Room, published by Heinemann, was written while she was on the creative writing course run jointly by the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde and was on the short list for this year's Booker Prize.

P.E.N. stands for Poets, Essayists and Novellists. The organisation was founded in 1921 to promote literature and understanding across cultures.

http://www.oneworld.org/internatpen

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Media Relations Office (media@gla.ac.uk)

For further information contact:

Simon Berry, Scottish PEN, 0141 564 1958 or

http://www.oneworld.org/internatpen

or

Prof. Willie Maley, University of Glasgow o141 330 2559

w.maley@englit.arts.gla.ac.uk

First published: 24 October 2001