Uncategorized

In March 2023, ‘Y Ddwy Chwaer / The Two Sisters’, a suite of folk songs with words in Welsh and English by Grahame Davies, and with music by Paul Mealor, was premiered at St David’s Cathedral in a performance by the renowned folk band Ar Log. 
The sequence of poems depicts aspects of the relationship between Wales and Ireland and was commissioned as part of the Ancient Connections cross-border project connecting Pembrokeshire and Wexford.  As part of the project, Grahame also performed a reading of the poems in a conference in Inniscorthy, Co. Wexford, Ireland, and will be giving a further reading based on the poems he wrote for the project at the St David’s Festival of Ideas on 24th March 2023.
Grahame is also going to be made an honorary Doctorate of Letters by the University of Aberdeen on 27th June in recognition of his longstanding creative partnership as the lyricist for Paul Mealor, who is Professor of Composition at the University.  

Angela Graham won First Prize for Poetry in the inaugural Linen Hall Ulster-Scots Writing Competition 2021 for her poem ‘A Heerd tha Sodjer on tha Radio’. She was recently interviewed about her Ulster-Scots poetry as part of a new documentary dedicated to Ulster’s celebrated ‘weaver poets’.
These working-class writers from the late 18th and early 19th centuries wrote in their native tongue, Ulster-Scots. The 8-part series, created for Northern Visions TV, the local PSB channel (Freeview and Virgin networks) for Northern Ireland, profiles the ‘weaver poets‘, before moving onto three programmes which each feature a writer working in Ulster-Scots today.
Seren has published two books by Angela, both of which feature work in Ulster-Scots. Her winning poem appears in her poetry collection Sanctuary: There Must Be Somewhere which has been described as “hugely experimental… as praxis, the project seems politically perfect… genuinely thought-provoking…” by the London Grip. Her short story collection A City Burning, which was longlisted for the Edge Hill Prize, features a story called ‘Coasteering’ where one of the characters speaks in Ulster-Scots. 
Angela has recently been given a mentorship from the Irish Writers’ Centre for her novel-in-progress. Written in Irish, English and Ulster-Scots, it is about language and land in Northern Ireland. 
Find out more about the series A Mighty Mallet: A Story of the Weaver Poets on the Northern Visions website. Episode 6 with Angela Graham can be viewed here.

Applications are now open for writers in Wales to submit essay proposals for Cymru and I, a book of 10 non-fiction essays written by members of Inclusive Journalism Cymru. 
Inclusive Journalism Cymru is an organisation that protects, supports, and represents people in Wales who’ve been marginalised or excluded by the journalism industry. This paid opportunity will see 10 of their members develop essays to be included in the book which will be published in 2023.
The application process is designed to be as open, inclusive and supportive as possible. There is no set theme or focus but the essays should aim to reflect something interesting and unique about the writers’s experiences of contemporary life in Wales. The invitation is deliberately open, because the editors want to hear new, unique and unexpected perspectives. Anyone who’s a member of Inclusive Journalism Cymru is welcome to apply, regardless of whether they’ve been published before. Becoming a member is free and only takes a few minutes. Visit their website to sign up. 
The book will include ten essays of around 7,000 words, but at this stage the editors are looking for 500 word proposals which set out your essay idea. This includes an example of what the first two paragraphs might look like, plus two more paragraphs explaining the theme(s) of the rest of the piece. Those first two paragraphs should give a sense of the style and approach of your writing in a way which shows originality and flair, whilst the explanation of the themes can be much more factual, setting out the ideas you want to explore and how you might do that.
In order to support writers with developing and submitting ideas, there will be an online Q&A at 7:30pm on Monday 6th February with the team from Inclusive Journalism Cymru and Seren. There you’ll be able to meet the editors, ask questions about the process or talk through an idea that you might already have.
Later in the process, there will also be a ‘Masterclass’ on longform writing with special guests Suyin Haynes – Head of Editorial at gal-dem – and Author and academic Professor Charlotte Williams. This will take place at 7.00pm on Wednesday 15th March.
If your idea is chosen for the book, you’ll be supported by a dedicated Editor from the Inclusive Journalism Cymru team who’ll work with you to make sure you have everything you need to help you produce your best possible work.
For full details of the project and information about how to apply, visit the Inclusive Journalism Cymru website. The information is also available in Welsh, although this is an English-language opportunity.
This project is supported by the Books Council of Wales.

Clear away the January blues with the return of our half-price January Sale. From Friday 13th January, enjoy 50% off books across the Seren website* until midnight on Monday 16th January. 
Browse our poetry, fiction and non-fiction categories to find your next great read at half the price.
*Marked titles only, subject to availability. 

Seren poet Hannah Hodgson has been longlisted for the Barbellion Prize with her debut collection 163 Days.
Hannah is longlisted alongside 8 other authors across a range of genres. Fellow Seren author Polly Atkin is also on the list for her biography of Dorothy Wordsworth Recovering Dorothy published by Saraband Books. The shortlist will be announced in January 2023.
The Barbellion Prize is a book prize dedicated to the furtherance of ill and disabled voices in writing. The prize is awarded annually to an author whose work has best represented the experience of chronic illness and/or disability.
Read the full longlist and find out more about the prize on their website thebarbellionprize.com. 

Mick Felton has been working at the heart of Seren for over thirty years. It is with immense gratitude for his contribution to Seren, Poetry Wales magazine, and to the publishing landscape of Wales, that we announce he will retire in 2023.

During Mick’s tenure, Seren has grown into one of Wales’s leading independent literary publishers. Throughout he has championed the voices of writers from Wales, ensuring that their work is given a wider platform both within the UK and internationally. His commitment to quality and innovation has allowed Seren to punch above its weight within the industry, publishing books recognised by major prizes including the Man Booker Prize, RSL Ondaatje Prize, Wales Book of the Year, and most recently the Forward Prize. His dedication to the business, and most importantly its staff, has allowed Seren to thrive during challenging times. His insight, knowledge and guidance will be sorely missed by his authors and colleagues.

On behalf of the Seren Board of Directors, Chair Sarah Morse, says, “Mick’s retirement from the role of Publisher after over thirty years’ association with Seren / Poetry Wales Press Ltd is a significant moment in the history of the organisation. The directors, staff and authors of Seren and Poetry Wales are incredibly grateful to Mick for his stewardship, and we are indebted to him for his generous and patient contribution not only to the business, but to the cultural life of Wales. Diolch o galon, Mick.”

Cary Archard, who founded Seren in 1981, adds: “It took real commitment, and some courage, to accept the post as the only employee of a fledgling publishing company, in a different part of the country, when you were in your twenties. But that is what Mick did some forty years ago. It took belief too, in Seren’s mission. There aren’t many roles within the business which Mick hasn’t had a hand in, and during his time here he must have become the most experienced and most hands-on publisher in Wales (if not the UK). A lot has changed in publishing during the past forty years, and Mick has managed these changes with calmness and efficiency. Commitment and belief have characterised his career. As a result, these qualities have become ingrained in Seren. They are in its DNA. Whoever takes over Mick’s role has a hard act to follow but solid foundations to build on.”

It is Seren’s future which Mick wishes to focus on. The next few years will be an exciting time for Seren. The current shifts towards better accessibility and better diversity within publishing, and a thriving literary scene in Wales hold great promise for the business.

Seren will begin searching for a new publisher early next year, and Mick’s successor will be responsible for ensuring Seren remains an innovative, inclusive and sustainable publisher at the forefront of these changes.

Congratulations to Seren poet Jonathan Edwards who recently won the Troubadour International Poetry Prize 2022 for his poem ‘My Grandfather’s Car’. His poem was chosen from thousands of entries by judges Victoria Kennefick and Joshua Bennet. 
On Jonathan’s winning poems, Victoria Kennefick commented: “‘My Grandfather’s Car’ by Jonathan Edwards was our clear winner. It is a glorious poem in both theme and language… It is a very special piece of writing indeed.”
Her co-judge Joshua Bennet added: “After reading our first prize poem, ‘My Grandfather’s Car,’ I paused for a moment, and took a walk around the neighborhood. It was one of the more moving poems I have read in some time. It transported me back to the concerns and questions that first brought me to the page as a young writer, looking to transform the music and imagery of my surroundings into a language worthy of sharing with friends, family, and strangers alike.”
You can read the winning poems and find the full shortlist on the Coffee-House Poetry website. 
Jonathan’s Costa prize-winning collection My Family and Other Superheroes, and his second collection Gen, which won the Wales Book of the Year People’s Choice award, are available on the Seren website.