Representing Wales: 12 writers begin a year of professional development

Published Fri 1 May 2026 - By Literature Wales

Following an open call-out in Summer 2025 which attracted over 150 applications, 12 brilliant writers were selected by an independent assessment panel to begin 12 months of intensive development. Their genres are as wide-ranging as their locations: spoken word in Caernarfon, novel writing in Wrexham, poetry from Ruthin and a graphic novel in Cardiff to name a few.

The group first met at our National Writing Centre, Tŷ Newydd, from 24 – 26 April 2026 in a multi-genre masterclass tutored by Alys Conran. Find out who the Representing Wales 2026-2027 cohort are.

The Representing Wales Programme:

Representing Wales offers a range of activities and practical support for writers currently under-represented in the literature sector in Wales. They will each be awarded a £3,000 bursary along with £300 for expenses, which will support the writers to attend literary events, submit their work to magazines and journals and access materials conducive to their writing practice. Each writer will also be matched with a mentor of their choice, offering bespoke feedback and guidance on both their writing and their career as an author.

Literature Wales will develop and deliver a diverse and informative programme of workshops and talks, writing rooms, and masterclasses, to help inspire and nurture the talent, development and careers of the cohort. The Representing Wales programme is co-curated with the writers, tailoring sessions to support their overall aims and ambitions.

The impact of Representing Wales

Many of our writers who have taken part in Representing Wales have used this opportunity as a stepping stone to enhance their career in a number of ways.

Anthologies of the cohorts’ work have been published by Lucent Dreaming, including (un)common: anthology of new Welsh writing in 2024 and Maps and Rooms in 2022.

Writers have gone on to edit anthologies of their own: Durre Shahwar is co-editor of Gathering, Women of Colour on Nature (404INK, 2023); Bethany Handley, Megan Angharad Hunter, and Sioned Erin Hughes co-edited Beyond/Tu Hwnt: Blodeugerdd o Ysgrifenwyr Cymraeg Byddar ac Anabl. Anthology of Welsh Deaf and Disabled Writers (Lucent Dreaming, 2025) that has been shortlisted for The Discover Book of the Year (The British Book Awards, 2026); Nia Morais edited the anthology of female voices, O Ffrwyth y Gangen Hon (Barddas, 2025); Hanan Issa co-edited Welsh Plural (Repeater Books, 2022) was the editor of the poetry anthology for young people, And I Hear Dragons (Firefly Press, 2024) and most recently co-edited Chronic Women/ Menywod Cronig (Honno, 2026); and Taylor Edmonds edited The Waters That Raised Us, personal reflections from Wales (Seren, 2026).

To celebrate five years of the Representing Wales programme, Folding Rock will publish a special issue of the literary magazine in November 2026, featuring creative work from many Representing Wales alumni.

Many authors have also published stand-alone books. They include Nia Morais’ Enwogion o Fri: Bywyd Penderfynol Betty Campbell (Llyfrau Broga, 2023); East of the Sun, West of the Moon (Seren, 2024) by Taz Rahman; Alex Wharton’s Red Sky in the Morning, Poet’s Warning (Firefly Press, 2025); Bethany Handley’s poetry pamphlet Cling Film (Seren, 2025) and My Body is a Meadow: Finding Freedom in the Outdoors will be published in May (Headline Press 2026); Anthony Shapland’s novel A Room Above a Shop (Granta, 2025); Rhiannon Oliver’s debut poetry collection for children, Fresh was published in April 2026, (Firefly); Jon Doyle’s debut novel Communion was published in April (Atlantic Books, 2026) with The Observer naming Jon as one of the best debut novelists of 2026.

Many have been longlisted, shortlisted, placed and have won literary prizes including: Rhys Davies Short Story Award; W&A Working Class Writers’ Prize; Faber FAB Prize; Tir na n-Og Award; Wildflowers Poetry Competition; The Laurel Prize and Creative Futures Gold Prize.

You can find out more about the experiences these writers had in their own words by reading our case studies or visiting our YouTube Channel’s Representing Wales playlist.

Applications for the 2027-28 programme of Representing Wales will open in October 2026.

Representing Wales is funded by the National Lottery through the Arts Council of Wales.