Blog
Welcome to our blog where you can catch up with the latest news and read guest posts by our writers.
November 7, 2016
Enter the Seren Christmas Poetry Competition
Submit your Christmas-themed poem for entry to the Seren Christmas Poetry Competition! Entries are now open for our Christmas Poetry Competition, judged by poetry editor Amy Wack. You are invited to submit one poem with a Christmas theme for consider…
November 4, 2016
Friday Poem – ‘Seamus on the Tube’, Tony Curtis
Last night saw us at Chapter, Cardiff, with Tony Curtis and Cynan Jones for November’s First Thursday event, and today we are featuring one of the new poems Tony read on the night – for all of you who missed his entertaining performance. From left: T…
October 31, 2016
Free extracts from our favourite Halloween books: read them if you dare…
Get yourself in the Halloween spirit – read these chilling extracts from our favourite spine-tingling stories. Ritual 1969 by Jo Mazelis From ‘The Twice Pricked Heart’: When Margaret returned to the cottage she saw that her father and stepmoth…
October 28, 2016
Friday Poem – ‘Reasons for his absence’, Darío Jaramillo Agudelo (translated by Richard Gwyn)
This week our Friday Poem is ‘Reasons for his absence’ by Darío Jaramillo Agudelo, from Richard Gwyn’s hot-off-the-press anthology, The Other Tiger: Recent Poetry from Latin America. The Other Tiger (the title is a nod to Borges – “the one not in thi…
October 28, 2016
Jasmine Donahaye shortlisted for V S Pritchett Memorial Prize
Jasmine Donahaye, author of Wales Book of the Year Non-Fiction winner, Losing Israel, has been shortlisted for the V S Pritchett Memorial Prize. The annual prize of £1,000 is awarded to the best unpublished short story of the year. and Jasmine’s shor…
October 27, 2016
Halloween tips for book lovers: have a spooktacular night in
If the thought of venturing outside gives you a fright, then why not stay in for the night? All Hallow’s Eve is right around the corner, and that means frights, delights, and a healthy dose of Halloween literature. What could be better than a cosy ni…
October 27, 2016
Frightfully good books to read this Halloween
Halloween is almost upon us, and what better to do than sit with a good book as the witching hour draws closer? See below for a selection of our darker and more chilling titles, from fiction, to poetry, to crime. Masque, Bethany W. Pope£9.99This rich…
October 21, 2016
Friday Poem – ‘Elegy for David Beynon’, Leslie Norris
Today marks 50 years since the Aberfan disaster, 21 October 1966, when a mountain of coal waste slid into Pantglas school and 19 houses, killing 144 people, 116 of them children. Today is a day of solemn remembrance, and in this spirit, our Friday Po…
October 13, 2016
The true story behind Alun Lewis’ poem, ‘Burma Casualty’
In January 1943, after fracturing his jaw during a regimental football match, Alun Lewis spent 6 weeks in Poona Hospital. In this blog post, Maggie Evans, whose father lay injured in Poona in the bed next to Lewis’, tells the true story behind the po…
October 11, 2016
International Day of the Girl 2016
Today is International Day of the Girl, a day designed to raise awareness about gender inequality and the barriers girls come up against, from birth to adulthood. In recognition, here are a few Seren writers whose books highlight the challenges girls…
October 10, 2016
Short Story of the Month | ‘Intervals in making lace’ by Diana Powell
Our new short story of the month is ‘Intervals in Making Lace’ by Diana Powell. This is one of a collection of stories set in the Black Mountains, where a group of women artists gather to work. As they do so, they spin tales of their childhoods, colo…
October 10, 2016
October Author of the Month: Jayne Joso
Jayne Joso is our October Author of the Month. We recently published Jayne’s latest novel, My Falling Down House, which tells the story of a young Japanese salaryman who finds himself jobless, homeless and struggling to hold on to his sanity as he sl…
