Sian Hughes is a writer, screenwriter and creative practitioner whose debut short story collection ‘Pain Sluts’ was shortlisted for 2022 ‘Wales Book of the Year’. Several stories have been adapted for the screen, and an adaptation of her story ‘Consumed’ recently won Best Fiction Short at the Reykjavik Film Festival. Having completed an MA (Distinction) in Creative Writing in 2019, Sian is currently working on her second collection, ‘Blink’.
Sian also works as a creative practitioner and agent for Arts Council of Wales’s ‘Lead Creative Schools Scheme’, and as a creative writing facilitator. Sian lives in Cardiff with her husband and three children.
“My ambition is to develop a creative writing programme that will have a tangible positive impact on the lives of young people. I’m interested in exploring links between creative expression, physical movement, wellbeing and the outdoors, having noticed in my own practice how going outdoors allows individuals to engage with the unknown and take risks, which helps promote the divergent mindset critical for creative expression.
I’m excited about the potential for partnering with well-being or sports organisations to explore these links further and believe that a writing programme involving the outdoors and physical activity would particularly benefit young people with neurodivergent conditions or those suffering anxiety post Covid.”
Sian’s Project
Project Title: Names and Writing the Uncanny
Participants: Pupils from the Hafan unit, pupils with additional needs and challenges at Ysgol Plasmawr
Partner: Ysgol Plasmawr, Cardiff
Project Description
A creative writing programme that uses geocaching, mobile technology and divergent thinking to inspire a series of rural and urban creative adventures for young people, aimed at promoting wellbeing. Participants engaged in adventures around their community, at the beach, skate park, woods, or local heritage site, blending physical activity with opportunities to connect with the natural world, all the while providing in-built opportunities for creative writing. The programme is particularly suited to individuals with ADHD or individuals with a ‘kinetic’ learning style,
Feedback
“I’ve learned ways in which I can invent creative ideas”
“The freedom we had with the writing”
“It was fun to use our phones in creative ways” – Pupils
“The workshops helped participants develop their creative writing skills and creative thinking habits, but it also gave them the time and space to explore their creative side, and helped them find their own original voice, which will undoubtedly have benefitted their wellbeing.” – Teacher