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Friday Poem – ‘Sun, Earth and Moon scale model (Oxford Natural History Museum)’ by Glyn Edwards

View of the sun and moon seen over the curvature of the earth

To celebrate In Orbit by Glyn Edwards making the shortlist for Wales Book of the Year 2024, this week’s Friday Poem is Glyn’s poem ‘Sun, Earth and Moon scale model (Oxford Natural History Museum)’.

Sun, Earth and Moon scale model (Oxford Natural History Museum) To stand together by the gallery pillars looking down at Anning’s ichthyosaur, at a triceratops skull. To imagine the air as a dense strata filled with fossils. To notice then two pinheads in a display case and an explanation of scale beyond comprehension. To hear you count all nine zeros and read aloud that there is a third sphere across the hall the equivalent size and distance of the sun. To see how you first flinch then stare at the gilded ball and to know what you will ask next. To tell you there’s one billion seconds in a decade and to watch you translate our lives into time, and to watch you transpose time into distance, and to watch you lean so close to the glass that your head eclipses the painted earth, and its tiny, textured moon, and to watch you.

Voting is currently open for the Wales Book of the Year People’s Choice Award where you can support your favourite book on the shortlist. Don’t forget to vote if you haven’t already done so.

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Nathan Munday shortlisted for the Betty Trask Prize

Copy of Whaling laid out against a wood effect background

Congratulations to Nathan Munday whose debut novel Whaling has been shortlisted for the Society of Authors Betty Trask Prize. The prize is awarded annually to the best first novel by a writer under 35.

Nathan is shortlisted alongside five other authors, including fellow Welsh writer Rachel Dawson (Neon Roses). Of the shortlist, judge Anjali Joseph said: “The shortlist this year includes several historical novels, and a few that take elements of classics – Moby Dick, Frankenstein – and make them into something new. All of the shortlisted novels delighted us with their freshness and each had a voice that was distinctively and recognisably its own.”

The winner will be announced at the Society of Authors Awards Ceremony on 20th June taking place at Southwark Cathedral. The event will also be live streamed.

To view the full shortlists for all of the Society of Authors Awards, visit the Society of Authors website.

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Kathryn Bevis Obituary

Kathryn Bevis is white woman with shoulder-length brown hair. She is wearing a blue beanie hat and a purple scarf and is looking at the camera and smiling.

We are very sorry to hear the news that Kathryn Bevis has passed away.

Kathryn’s relationship with Seren first began during lockdown, when she was a regular open mic reader at our online First Thursday events. Since then we have been honoured to publish her work in Poetry Wales Magazine and more recently in both her acclaimed pamphlet Flamingo, and debut collection The Butterfly House.

Perhaps one of the finest poets of her generation, Kathryn captured hearts and minds with her innovative use of form, language and metaphor to describe everyday life, experiences of women and terminal illness. She had a skill for finding light in the dark, celebration in sadness, and joy in the smallest moments.

Kathryn was a great supporter of other writers. As founder of The Writing School Online, she ran workshops, writing courses and offered mentoring to writers across the UK. She performed at events and festivals across the country and her love for poetry, positivity and, above all, her family and friends always shone through.

Kathryn’s passing is an immense loss. Knowing and working with her was an honour and a pleasure and the entire team sends their heartfelt condolences to her family and friends. For all those who knew her, or will come to know her through her work, we hope that you too will find love, celebration and joy.

Photograph of Kathryn taken by Tina Norris.

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Glyn Edwards shortlisted for Wales Book of the Year

Cover of In Orbit by Glyn Edwards shown with a sticker reading Shortlist 2024.

We’re delighted to share that In Orbit by poet Glyn Edwards has been shortlisted for Wales Book of the Year 2024.

In Orbit is a deeply moving account of love, longing, and loss. On receiving news of a beloved teacher’s death, a man struggles with the loss of a relationship sustained by deep admiration and unrequited love. Memories of their shared journey are separated in three orbits where the man’s past, present, and future are punctuated by intense grief.

Wales Book of the Year has four categories in each language – Poetry, Fiction, Creative Non-fiction and Children & Young People, with one of the four category winners announced as the Overall Winner, and claiming the title Wales Book of the Year. There are twelve awards in total with a collective prize fund of £14,000. In both Welsh and English there are four category winners, one People’s Choice winner and one overall winner.

Glyn’s collection is shortlisted in the English-language Poetry Category alongside I Think We’re Alone Now by Abigail Parry (Bloodaxe Books) and Cowboy by Kandace Siobhan Walker (CHEERIO Publishing). You can view the full Welsh and English-language shortlists for all categories on the Literature Wales website. The winners will be announced in a live Award Ceremony in Caernarfon on Thursday 4th July.

In the meantime you can support your favourite book on the shortlist by voting for Wales Book of the Year People’s Choice Award via the Nation.Cymru and Golwg360 websites.

Vote now

Glyn Edwards was recently featured on The Seren Poetry Podcast where he chatted in depth with Sarah Johnson about In Orbit, poetry and his writing rituals. The Seren Poetry Podcast is available now on all podcast platforms.