Congratulations to William Letford, who has been longlisted for Scotland's National Book Awards 2024 by The Saltire Society with his collection From Our Own Fire!

The Saltire Book Awards have recognised the achievements of Scotland's foremost literary talent since 1937. It is one of the oldest literary prizes in the UK, and today serves as Scotland's National Book Awards.

Mairi Kidd, director of The Saltire Society, said: 'We are delighted to publish these wonderfully vibrant Longlists that amply demonstrate the great breadth of quality writing happening in Scotland today. There is something here for every reader and we hope that book lovers across Scotland, the UK and indeed the wider world will be inspired to dip into these exciting works.'

The shortlists will be revealed on 30 October, followed by the winners in each category and the overall Book of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Awards on 28 November.

Well done to all the longlisted writers and publishers, and good luck to everyone - especially William! Find out more about the prize and the full longlist here.

From Our Own Fire is a prose and poetry tour de force of storytelling with the narrative punch of a novel. It is a new departure for the poet, and for poetry itself. It takes the reader into the not-too-distant future: an artificial intelligence rules the world, and a working-class family use their wits to live off the land. William Letford blends prose and his inimitable poetry: sci-fi and hunter-gatherer are merged into a coherent story in the pages of a stonemason's journal.

'You won't see the best of a Macallum until you put something in their fist,' says Letford, introducing the family. 'Joiner, nurse, stonemason, hairdresser, plumber, gardener. Lorna even repairs vintage watches. That's the quantum mechanics of manual labour.' We join the Macallum family as they combine their skills to reconnect with the land in a world where the empowered are hell-bent on creating a new utopia. Joe, the stonemason, records in his journal the struggles and successes of a carnival of characters. They hurl grace and humour at a future that is being shaped by a single, powerful entity.

Letford's storytelling is gritty and beautiful. 'A Macallum, it seems to me now, is made to move, to think on the run. The sofas in our houses were sinkholes. The actors on a fifty-two-inch flat screen – shadows on a cave wall.'