Representing Wales 2025-26 Mentors Announced

Representing Wales is a flagship writer development programme delivered by Literature Wales and funded by the National Lottery through the Arts Council of Wales. Developed to improve representation within the sector, the programme aims to help transform the country’s literary culture into one that is truly reflective of Wales’ diverse communities and to establish a pipeline of diverse Welsh talent recognised across the UK and beyond.  

Each writer on the Representing Wales programme is paired with a Mentor chosen by themselves in consultation with Literature Wales. Over the course of the programme, the mentors are on-hand to offer editorial support and bespoke career guidance as the writers work towards achieving their individual creative and professional aims. 

The Mentors 

This year’s cohort will be mentored by some of the most exciting and successful writers in Wales’ literary culture and beyond:  

Jannat Ahmed, Duke Al, Zoë Brigley, Jan Carson, Alys Conran, Fflur Dafydd, Jonathan Edwards, Bethan Gwanas, Vanessa Kisuule, Kirsty Logan, Llwyd Owen, Taz Rahman, Manon Steffan Ros and Rachel Trezise.  

They span a range of genres, professional trajectories, and locations. Collectively their works have been published worldwide and featured awards include: Wales Book of the Year Award; Tir na n-Og Award; The Literature Medal, Daniel Owen Memorial Award, The Eric Gregory Award, Costa Poetry Award, Wales Book of the Year People’s Choice Award, The Dylan Thomas Prize, The Troubadour Prize, the T Llew Jones Memorial Award, the Mary Vaughan Jones Award, Lambada Literary Award, Saboteur, The Scott Prize, Gavin Wallace Fellowship, An Post Irish Novel of the Year, Kerry Group Novel of the Year and the Polari First Book Prize, among others.  

Their experience, success and creativity will have direct impact on the writers’ development and in turn, the wider literary sector. 

Jonathan Edwards, one of the programme mentors said:  

“The mentoring which takes place as part of the Representing Wales programme is an incredible opportunity for both mentor and mentee. Year by year, through its development of skills and the way it lays a bedrock for publication, the programme is enriching our literature and culture. The opportunity to see a mentee grow in ability and confidence through the year, experiencing creative breakthroughs and eureka moments, is intensely rewarding. It’s a really special programme, and a privilege to be involved with.”  

In the following video, the 2024-25 cohort, tell us about their experience of mentoring on the Representing Wales programme:

You can visit the Representing Wales page to find out more about the programme’s current cohort of writers and their aims, and read more about each mentor.  

The 2026-27 Representing Wales programme will open for applications in October 2025.