Eligibility and FAQs
Who is eligible to apply for this opportunity?
Applicants must be 18 or over and living in Wales.
You must be able to fully commit to attending the whole course from 5.00 pm on Monday 27 – 10.00 am on Friday 31 March 2023 to apply.
With the aim of the course being to develop and elevate new and unique voices and experiences of Welshness, we are particularly interested in writers with under-represented characteristics, and/or writers who feel they are under-represented within current Welsh literature. We will invite you to tell us about this in your own words in the application form.
Although not exclusive, examples of under-represented characteristics are as follows:
- From a low-income background
*Our criteria for low-income includes individuals who were eligible for free school meals or whose parents were in low-paid jobs, unemployed or receiving benefits (including disability allowances) when applicants were 14 years old.
- Gypsy, Roma and/or Traveller communities
- Deaf and/or hard of hearing
- LGBTQ+
- Neurodiverse – including, but not limited to: Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Tourette Syndrome and OCD
- Person of colour
- Refugees and/or Asylum Seekers
- Writers with long-standing disabilities and/or health issues- i.e. has lasted or is expected to last at least 12 months and has an adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.
If you believe you are under-represented but are unsure, you are welcome to contact us, or you can explain in your own words in the application form.
Do I need experience to apply? Or am I too experienced?
We are mainly looking for emerging and mid-career writers with potential – those who have not published at all, or those who have published some work in an anthology or a magazine. You don’t necessarily need previous experience of writing, only good ideas and a positive and determined attitude. Like any other craft, writing can be challenging and requires a lot of effort and attention. This course will help you develop the toolkit you need to start, and continue on your journey as a writer, and Literature Wales will be there in the long term to offer support.
However, if you are already an experienced writer, for example you might have published your own pamphlet or a book, you might still find that there are barriers which prevent you from reaching your full potential, or you might want to experiment with a different literary form or language. Everyone will have a different definition of what experience means, and where they believe themselves to be on their journey as a writer. If you are unsure if this is the right course for you at this stage of your writing career, please get in touch to discuss.
What is Creative Non-Fiction?
Creative non-fiction is a factual piece of work, based on facts and/or opinions, but it should have a strong creative narrative arch to carry the piece. Your creative non-fiction extract can be autobiographical, or can be a creative essay exploring a topic or an idea. Please note that we are not looking for academic style essays or writing.
Is there a cost for this course?
No. Most courses at Tŷ Newydd require a fee to attend, but some of our more strategic activity is offered free of charge to individuals through a competitive application process. However, you will need to factor in your travel costs to and from the centre. If this will be challenging, please let us know.
Can you give me more practical information about the Centre and my visit?
Located in Gwynedd, Tŷ Newydd is situated between the sea and the mountains – less than ten minutes’ drive from both Snowdonia National Park and the Llŷn Peninsula which is an official Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. You can learn more about Literature Wales’ National Writing Centre, Tŷ Newydd, on our website. Here you can browse through photos and blogs written by past participants.
For this course, the writers will be invited to arrive between 2.00 pm – 5.00 pm on Monday 27 March 2023, and the course will come to an end after breakfast, at around 10.00 am, on Friday 30 March. Please see our website for travel information. We can help with travel from train stations (Cricieth or Bangor).
The writers will be allocated a bedroom each. Some bedrooms are en suites, others have shared bathrooms. Bedrooms will be allocated randomly, except for accessible bedrooms.
All meals will be provided to you by our resident chef, including a self-serve breakfast, buffet-style lunch, evening meal with a dessert, and home-made snacks. We can cater for most dietary requirements and food allergies.
We hope that you will have plenty of free time to enjoy walks in the area, and to relax at the centre. But we kindly ask you to attend all of the activity organised as part of the course. A detailed timetable will be provided.
I have a disability or an illness that might make it difficult to take part, can you help?
Of course. The Literature Wales team are available to discuss any concerns and requirements before and throughout the course. For individuals in a wheelchair or with mobility issues, we have an accessible bedroom, and we can welcome a personal assistant. Please contact us to discuss accessibility, and we will issue Access Riders to all successful writers before your visit.
When will I hear if my application has been successful?
All applicants will be notified of the outcome before 10 February 2023.
If I am unsuccessful, will I receive feedback?
As we are expecting a lot of applications, we may not be able to provide detailed feedback on each one. However, where possible we will provide a short, personalised line of feedback, and advise on other opportunities Literature Wales and partners may have available.
We are aware that correspondence regarding unsuccessful applications can have a negative impact on your health and well-being. We give our pledge to respect and value each individual application, giving it due consideration and attention.
A small team of Literature Wales staff member will have access to your submitted creative work. In line with our talent-scouting and signposting strategy, we may get in touch in the future with personalised opportunities, based on your work and your expertise. To enable Literature Wales to comply with data protection law (GDPR), please complete the relevant section at the end of the application form to let us know if you don’t want to be contacted by Literature Wales about offers in the future.
For any further questions, please contact Literature Wales for an informal chat over email or on the phone.