Gladstone’s Library announces their Writers in Residence for 2026

Four talented writers have won the acclaimed Writer in Residence 2026 award from Gladstone’s Library, the unique residential Prime Ministerial Library in North Wales.

After a three-month judging process, and following an announcement of the shortlisted writers, the charity is delighted to announce the winners of Writer in Residence 2026 as: 

• Laura Beatty, Looking for Theophrastus: Travels in Search of a Lost Philosopher (Atlantic Books, 2022). A meditation on how ancient thought might help with modern problems, particularly those related to issues of identity, the environment and the nature of knowledge. 
• Alison Binney, The Opposite of Swedish Death Cleaning (Seren, 2025). A poetry debut and a tender examination both of human connection and of the connections between people and the natural world. 
• David Hendy, The BBC: A People’s History (Profile, 2022). A deeply human and timely history of one of Britain’s most influential cultural institutions. 
• Anthony Shapland, A Room Above a Shop (Granta, 2025). A tender love story unfolding in South Wales during the late 1980s. 

The winners are each awarded residencies at Gladstone’s Library, a Grade I listed neo-Gothic Victorian building in Flintshire, North Wales, for up to a month. They will work, eat and sleep in the Library, which boasts 26 bedrooms, Food for Thought restaurant, three reading rooms set across two floors, and a collection of tens of thousands of books and archival items. 

The selected writers will share their work during a talk and a creative writing masterclass at the Library. These events are open to everyone, whether you’re a new or regular visitor.

For more information, visit: 

www.gladstoneslibrary.org/events

Tickets will be available from November 2025. 

Reverend Dr Andrea Russell, Warden of Gladstone’s Library, said:

“It’s fabulous that the Library will be welcoming another intake of talented writers and their wonderful books. This year’s shortlist was exceptionally strong, which is always a lovely problem to have in a judging process! We can’t wait to have these writers in residence.” 

The Writer in Residence programme was first set up in 2011 by then Warden Peter Francis and author Damian Barr. The programme is designed to help authors who have at least one traditionally published book but are struggling to find the time, space and funds for their writing. Since then, more than 50 writers have taken up a residency which is funded by a kind donor. 

Gladstone’s Library is situated in Hawarden in North Wales. 

Founded by William Ewart Gladstone in the late 1800s, it is the only Prime Ministerial library in the United Kingdom and one of few residential libraries in the world. The current grade-I listed building was designed by John Douglas and constructed as the national memorial to Gladstone shortly after his death.   

As well as the beautiful Reading Rooms which house 150,000 printed books (20,000 of which belonged to Gladstone), the library has a restaurant and café, a chapel, 26 bedrooms, a cosy sitting room, and lovely gardens. 

Pictured from top L-R - Alison Binney (The Opposite of Swedish Death Cleaning), David Hendy (The BBC: A People’s History). Bottom: Anthony Shapland (A Room Above a Shop), Laura Beatty (Looking for Theophrastus: Travels in Search of a Lost Philosopher).