News Archive

Courses at Ty Newydd

Breathing In: Prose and Poetry
with Menna Elfyn and Pamela Petro

Monday 30 August – Saturday 4 September
Cost: Residential - £525 (single); £450 (shared)

Tŷ Newydd welcomes American writer Pamela Petro on her first visit to Tŷ Newydd, where she will be co-tutoring with Welsh writer, Menna Elfyn.

This course will look at the concept of what inspires us to write in the first place. It will consider the varied sources of writerly inspiration: memories, chance encounters, anecdotes, jokes, dreams, spells, travel, the particularities of place, even the visual arts. How do writers translate inspiring images to words on the page? How do they mine the beauty of landscape with their pens? With these questions as guides, each participant will embark on a literary adventure, with course leaders navigating the tricky terrain between the writer's inspiration and his or her destination.

Inspiration also means "to breathe in". Go to Ty Newydd to take a deep breath, to be inspired, to inspire others and conspire with them, and finally, to crack open inspiration once and for all and discover the stories within.

Pamela Petro is an American writer and artist with a long association with Wales. After learning to speak Welsh (haltingly!) on the Wlpan course, she wrote her first book of travel literature, Travels in an Old Tongue, about speaking Welsh around the world. She has authored two other travel books, Sitting up with the Dead, about the American South, and The Slow Breath of Stone, set in Southwest France. Welsh poet Menna Elfyn has been tutoring at Tŷ Newydd since it was first established, and will be taking part in '21', Tŷ Newydd’s 21st anniversary celebrations to be held on Saturday 4 September.

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Writer’s Retreat

Monday 6 September - Friday 10 September
Residential fee: £300.00

This retreat has been designed to give writers peace and quiet in an inspiring and supportive environment. It is the opportunity to get on with work in progress and for relaxation you can walk along the beach and the river or take a trip out to Portmeirion or into the mountains of Snowdonia.

Everyone has a single room and most of these are en-suite. There is a bedroom suitable for wheelchair users or those with a mobility impairment. Tŷ Newydd staff are always happy to discuss and help with access and any special needs. All food is provided. They ask that you help yourself to breakfast and lunch (which is prepared for you) and to help prepare one evening meal as part of a team. Vegetarians and people with special dietary needs are catered for – please inform Tŷ Newydd in advance (see booking form).

The Writer’s Retreats are open to everyone, at all ages and level of experience and in whatever genre or language they choose to write.

Click here to book and for further details.

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 Writing for Children
With Nick Manns and Linda Newbery
Guest: Geraldine McCaughrean

Monday 27 September - Saturday 2 October
Residential fee: £525.00 (single) / £450.00 (shared)

A course for new or experienced writers who are seriously interested in writing for young readers. Activities will focus on getting started, building character, plotting, and engaging readers. Warm-ups to get your pen moving will combine with group discussions and one-to-one tutorials to help develop your ideas and your individual style.

Nick Manns has written teenage fiction for the past ten years and has been short-listed for several regional prizes. He was runner-up for the Branford Boase Award with his first novel, Control-Shift (Hodder Children’s Books).

Linda Newbery writes for all ages, from picture books to challenging older fiction, and is a winner of the Costa Children's Book Award for her young adult novel Set in Stone (Random House).

Geraldine McCaughrean is an award winning author who has been writing for children for over 25 years.

Click here to book and for further details.

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For more information on the courses listed above, booking details
and for a full list of courses on offer, visit the Tŷ Newydd website.

Tŷ Newydd Writers’ Centre, Llanystumdwy, Cricieth, Gwynedd LL52 0LW
01766 522 811 / post@tynewydd.org