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Seren Authors at the Hay Festival

A whole host of Seren authors will be appearing at this year’s Telegraph Hay Festival from 30th May to 4th June – Gwyneth Lewis, Niall Griffiths, Ken Elias, Ceri Thomas, Paul Henry, Mavis Nicholson, Peter J. Conradi and Grahame Davies. Book your tickets now on the Hay Festival website: www.hayfestival.com

Gwyneth Lewis and Niall Griffiths
New Stories from the Mabinogion
Event 146 • Monday 30 May 2011, 2.30pm • Venue: Summer House
Two more new versions of the Welsh mythologies. Lewis spins the tale of Blodeuwedd, the woman made of flowers, into a sci-fi setting in The Meat Tree. Griffiths conjures an Iraq-bound squaddie and a Cardiff gangsta in The Dreams of Max and Ronnie.
Price: £6.00

Ken Elias talks to Ceri Thomas

Thin Partitions
Event 178 • Tuesday 31 May 2011, 11:30am • Venue: Elmley Foundation Theatre
An illustrated conversation surveying forty years of the esteemed Glynneath artist’s work in painting, collage and photomontage.
Price: £5.00

Paul Henry & Patrick Jones

The Brittle Sea, Hafan Cymru
Event 257 • Thursday 2 June 2011, 1pm • Venue: The Moot
Paul Henry reads and discusses his New and Selected Poems. The individual human voice, the ragged vagaries of the heart and soul, the joys and sorrows of family life feature here but this poetry is personal without being confessional, preferring tender observation to sensationalism or didacticism. Jones reads writing arising from his work with victims of domestic abuse. Chaired by Benna Waites.
Price: £4.00

Mavis Nicholson talks to Sarah Crompton

What Did You Do in the War, Mummy?
Event 275 • Thursday 2 June 2011, 6.45pm • Venue: Sky Arts Studio
The broadcaster has interviewed women from lumber-jills and landgirls to undercover spies and entertainers about the new freedoms, the make-do and mend, the hopes and the fears, as well as the post-war adjustments they had to make.
Price: £6.00

Brenda Maddox, Peter J Conradi, Tom Bullough

At the Bright Hem of God: Radnorshire Pastoral
Event 291 • Friday 3 June 2011, 10am • Venue: Elmley Foundation Theatre
The authors discuss how the wild, rural landscape of Radnorshire inspires their work and that of others before them, from Gerald of Wales to Vaughan and Traherne, Francis Kilvert, Eric Gill, David Jones and Bruce Chatwin.
Price: £5.00

Grahame Davies talks to Merryl Wyn Davies

The Dragon and the Crescent
Event 340 • Saturday 4 June 2011, 10am • Venue: Elmley Foundation Theatre
Nine centuries of contact between Wales and Islam. Chaired by the Director of the Muslim Institute.
Price: £5.00

Seren hopes to see as many of you there as possible!

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Pascale Petit Exciting US Book Tour

Seren is proud to announce that Pascale Petit is touring What the Water Gave Me: Poems After Frida Kahlo in the US!
Petit’s collection of poetry was shortlisted for the T.S Eliot Prize 2010 and long listed for Wales Book of the Year 2011.

Petit’s itinerary is;

Saturday 30 April, 6.00pm.  Cornelia St Café, NYC.
Mark Doty & Pascale Petit
29 Cornelia Street, New York, NY 10014
Phone: 212 989 9319. Email: [email protected] Website: www.corneliastreetcafe.com

Thursday 5 May (tbc). Metta Theatre, Taos, New Mexico.
Veronica Golos, Andrea Watson and Pascale Petit reading for Cinco de Mayo
1470 Paseo Del Pueblo Sur, El Prado, New Mexico 87529

Monday 9 May, 7.30pm. Moonday Poetry at Village Books, LA.
Lois P. Jones & Pascale Petit (illustrated reading)
1049 Swarthmore Ave., Pacific Palisades, California
Phone: (310) 454 4063 Email: [email protected] Website: www.moondaypoetry.com

Tuesday 10 May, 7.30pm. Poetry Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California.
Rebecca Forest and Pascale Petit
Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz
Phone: (831) 464-8983 Email: [email protected] Website: www.baymoon.com/~poetrysantacruz

For more information on Pascale Petit and her poetry collection click the tag ‘Pascale Petit’ or read more on our website www.serenbooks.com

Good luck and congratulations to Pascale Petit!

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Ruth Bidgood wins the Roland Mathias Prize 2011

Ruth Bidgood wins the Roland Mathias Prize 2011 with her collection of poetry Time Being, published by Seren (2009).

The £3,000 prize was awarded to Ruth Bidgood at ceremony in Roland Mathias’ home town of Brecon, supported by BBC Wales and hosted by Nicola Heywood Thomas, presenter of Radio Wales’ Arts Show.

In future years, it is to be incorporated into the Wales Book of the Year.

Congratulations Ruth!

Ruth Bidgood with editor Amy Wack at the prize giving event in Brecon.


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Petit Long Listed for Wales Book of the Year 2011

Pascale Petit’s collection of poetry What the Water Gave Me: Poems after Frida Kahlo has been long listed for the Wales Book of the Year 2011.

What the Water Gave Me contains fifty-two poems in the voice of the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. Some of the poems are close interpretations of Kahlo’s work, while others are parallels or version homages where Petit draws on her experience as a visual artist to create alternative ‘paintings’ with words.

To view all long listed titles click here

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‘Interstate’ Poem of the Week by Guardian Books

Author Anne-Marie Fyfe has had her poem ‘Interstate’ elected as poem of the week by Guardian Books Blog!

‘Interstate’ is taken from Fyfe’s 2010 collection Understudies: New and Selected Poems (available from Seren).

Carol Rumens, from the Guardian, says about Fyfe’s collection, “Set variously in London, the US and her native Northern Ireland, Fyfe’s poems have a certain ease and elasticity, even when their structure is regular, as here. The tone is cool, the language plain and unclassifiable. It’s as if travel between places had made it natural to combine associated poetic styles – lyric compression with a certain freedom of line and movement.”

Seren is delighted to have one of our poet’s recognised and congratulations to Anne-Marie Fyfe!

To read the ‘Poem of the Week’ article posted on Guardian Books Blog follow this link http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2011/apr/11/anne-marie-fyfe-interstate

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Anne-Marie Fyfe

Anne-Marie Fyfe was born in Ireland and now lives in West London. A poet,  creative-writing tutor, arts organiser (of the well-known Troubadour club events in London), she was recently Chair of the Poetry Society. She has read throughout the world at festivals and events and on BBC radio and television.

Anne-Marie Fyfe’s poems have a lyric clarity, an ontological accuracy and unflinching vigilance that is both spiritual and revelatory – Tom Paulin

Time, witness, flesh and remembrance – these poems play In the deep end of the pools of image and imagination A rich humanity informs Anne-Marie Fyfe’s new work. The vision is detailed, the voice rings true. – Thomas Lynch

Anne-Marie Fyfe reminds us of the skins we inhabit and shed – TLS (John Greening)

Books by Anne-Marie Fyfe
Understudies: New and Selected Poems


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Book Submissions

Thinking of submitting your work to Seren? Read our Updated Submissions Policy first.

Submissions Policy 2011

Seren publishes between twenty and twenty-five new titles a year across its list. Fiction currently accounts for five or six titles and poetry six or seven.

As a successful and prize-winning publisher Seren receives hundreds of typescripts. We do our best to respond as quickly as we can, and like all publishers we’re eager to read remarkable new writing.

Please be aware though that in many areas we are considering titles for publication two or more years ahead, and that the ratio of submissions to editors means that proper consideration of your typescript may take some time. We hope that our continued success will mean an increase in titles, but for the moment please bear with us.

You are welcome to make non-fiction submissions by email, to the addresses below (please note we are not currently accepting poetry or fiction submissions via email). If sending a submission by post, please include a stamped addressed envelope for return of manuscript, and for acknowledgment of receipt if required. (Unfortunately we are unable to acknowledge receipt or return MSS without these.)

Fiction

Seren publishes  a small number of quality literary fiction titles. We do receive a large number of submissions, but are always keen to read innovative, exciting manuscripts. We do not usually publish genre fiction, such as historical, saga, sci-fi, etc, and are not currently publishing children’s fiction. Writers wishing to submit fiction should first familiarise themselves with the Seren website to ascertain whether their book would contribute to the Seren list.

To submit a manuscript please send a synopsis, covering letter, two or three representative chapters (around fifty pages) and a stamped addressed envelope to Penny Thomas, Fiction Editor, Seren, 57 Nolton Street, Bridgend, CF31 3AE. Email submissions are not accepted.

Our list has now reopened to submissions, but please bear with us as it may take some time to get back to you.

Penny Thomas, Fiction Editor: [email protected]

Poetry

Poets who wish to submit should have track record of publication in literary Journals like Poetry Wales, New Welsh Review, Planet, Poetry Review, etc. Poets should send hard copy manuscript of approximately 50 pages, along with a one-page cover letter with details of previous publications and brief biographical details. It will also be helpful to show some knowledge of the Seren list. Simultaneous submissions are discouraged.

Amy Wack, Poetry Editor. Hard copy submissions only

Non-Fiction

For us to consider a book for publication, you should send a clear proposal in the first instance. We may subsequently request a sample of the work. 3-4 pages of A4 should be sufficient, covering the following areas:

Author/Editor: brief biographical details of the author, editor(s) or collaborators. Where the book is several edited chapters or essays, brief biographical and professional details of all contributors are useful.

Title of Book: This need only be a working title, but it should give a clear sense of the book’s scope and range.
Synopsis: One page or less outlining the book, its subject, approach and method.

Chapter Outline: A chapter by chapter outline of the contents, showing how the argument or subject is developed.
Illustrations, Figures, Tables: please give an estimate of the number and kind of illustration needed (colour/black and white etc.)

The Market and Competition: What is the envisaged readership? Might the book be used on courses? Is there likely to be overseas interest? Are there any possible tie-ins or media interest likely? Do any similar books exist? If so, what are they and how does yours differ?

Date of Delivery: When can you complete the book?
Please also include the author/editor’s CV.

Mick Felton, Non-Fiction Editor: [email protected]

We wish you every success in your submission and look forward to reading your work soon!

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Nerys Williams

Originally from Pen-Y-Bont, Carmarthen in West Wales, Nerys Williams has published her original first collection of poetry Sound Archive (2011) with Seren. Nerys is a native Welsh speaker and had worked as a Sound Librarian at BBC Wales and is a recipient of a Fulbright Scholar’s Award at UC Berkeley.

A recent winner of the Ted McNulty Poetry Prize, she lectures in American Literature at University College, Dublin. She has published poems, critical essays widely and is the author of A Guide to Contemporary Poetry as well as study of contemporary American poetry, Reading Error.

Books by Nerys Williams
Sound Archive

 

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WIN a proof copy of Tony Bianchi’s ‘Daniel’s Beetles’

We are giving away 5 proof copies of Tony Bianchi’s latest novel Daniel’s Beetles, 10 weeks before official publication. Daniel’s Beetles is the author’s translation of his prizewinning Welsh novel, Pryfeta. Daniel’s Beetles is an absorbing, unnerving novel about memory and forgetting, stories and lies. It describes our attempts to recreate ourselves in ways we can never fully control.

All you have to do is write Daniel’s Beetles in the subject line of an email and send to [email protected]

Closing date is 4th April 2011. See Terms & Conditions

To learn more about the novel and the author check our blog under ‘Seren Authors’ and ‘New Releases’.
All information is also on our website.