Emer Gillespie

Emer Gillespie started out as an actress in film and television, appearing in The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover, Chimera, Ultraviolet and Troubles, amongst others. As a novelist she has published two novels, Virtual Stranger and Five Dead Men with Headline in the UK and Ekon in Germany. Virtual Stranger was long-listed for the WH Smith first novel award. The Instinct Againt Death is her debut poetry collection.

In 2008 Emer was a winner of the BBC Sharps National Scriptwriting Competition for her script, Brenda. In September 2011, she was awarded a Writers Development Award through Northern Ireland Screen and the BFI for her feature thriller, The Agreement. She collaborated with David Soul on a television drama documentary about the life and work of Pablo Neruda. She was also selected for the Women in Film and Television Mentor Scheme in 2012.