The programme is open for those over the age of 18 and living in Wales at the time of application and throughout the 12-month programme.

The programme is not open to those in full or part-time education between November 2026 and December 2027.

Literature Wales is committed to helping create a literary culture that truly represents the diversity of our population in Wales. To this end, we particularly welcome applicants who can explain the relevance of their diverse lived experiences to the projects they would like to develop and deliver. We will encourage applicants to explain in their own words how they are under-represented within Wales’ literary culture, e.g.:

Black, Asian or minority ethnic background

From a low-income background (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)

people who identify as disabled or who have a long-term health condition

LGBTQA+

We also particularly welcome applications by Welsh-language facilitators, as we are committed to helping create a wider pool of Welsh language creative facilitators in all parts of Wales to run Welsh and/or bilingual projects.

Some experience of facilitating creative activities is desirable for Writing Well 3. Those with minimal experience may wish to opt for Option 1, where they will develop skills and knowledge around using literature to support health and well-being. Those with more experience – early or mid-career facilitators – may wish to opt for Option 2 where they will be supported to devise and deliver their own projects.

Everyone will have a different definition of what early or mid-career is, and where they believe themselves to be on their journey as a facilitator. If you are unsure if this is the right programme for you at this stage of your career, please get in touch to discuss.

All applications will be assessed by an assessment panel which will include members of the Literature Wales staff team as well as external experts in the field of health, well-being and/or education. Based on their assessment, applicants may be offered a different option to the one they’ve applied for.

We will be looking for innovation, passion, and a clear focus in terms of your ambitions and aspirations as a literary facilitator. We will also look at the suitability of this programme at this stage of your career as a facilitator.

We will aim to bring together a diverse and representative group of individuals in terms of geography, experience, languages and any lived experience noted in the application that will present a new perspective on Welsh writing and community engagement.

We will contact all applicants by mid-November 2026. As we are expecting many applications, we may not be able to provide detailed feedback for each applicant. However, where possible we will provide a short, personalised line of feedback, and advice 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 consideration and attention.

A small team of Literature Wales staff members will have access to your application. 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 whether or not you’re happy for us to contact you about offers in the future.

Funding-dependent we hope that Sgwennu’n Well / Writing Well will be an opportunity we can offer every other year. Information about our offer for writers is available on our website: I am a writer – Literature Wales

Important dates

Deadline to apply: 12.00 noon, 6 October 2026

All applicants informed of decision: by mid-November 2026

5 Virtual training sessions: November 2026 – February 2027

• Creative Evaluation 1.00 – 2.30 pm Wednesday 25 November 2026
• Project Planning 1.00 – 2.30pm Wednesday 9 December 2026
• Safeguarding 1.00 – 2.30 pm Wednesday 13 January 2027
• Planning a bilingual project 1.00 – 2.30 pm Wednesday 27 January 2027
• Creative Evaluation and Reflection 1.00 – 2.30 pm Wednesday 10 February 2027

Residential course at Tŷ Newydd Writing Centre: Friday 26 – Sunday 28 February 2027. With tutors clare e. potter and Iola Ynyr

(Option 1) 1-2-1 meetings with Literature Wales staff to discuss tailored support: March 2027

(Option 2) Project plan submission: May 2027

(Option 2) Project Delivery (funding permitting):  July – December 2027

(Option 2) Project Evaluation: January 2028

For option one (those applying for the intense training), you will have meetings with Literature Wales staff to identify the type of tailored support you may require. This may be mentoring, shadowing or a combination of both.

For option two (those receiving project funding) you will work with a mentor and with the learning from these sessions to develop a participation project plan for health and well-being, using creative writing and literature as tools. The plan will include looking at the impact goals of your project on the selected participants, the creative content and structure of the project, running budgets, capturing, and communicating impact, safeguarding the groups, forging partnerships, fundraising and more. Please note that project delivery is funding dependent.

After the 12-month programme, we will continue to offer support to the cohort by checking in, offering advice, and inviting the facilitators to further networking and training opportunities. This is a long-term investment in the facilitators’ development. Literature Wales will also work with the facilitators to encourage the longevity of their projects.

Sgwennu’n Well/Writing Well is a bilingual programme, and we welcome applications from Wales-based facilitators who work in Welsh and/or English. Facilitators who don’t currently work in Welsh, but who are interested in getting started are very welcome, as are facilitators who enjoy experimenting with both languages in their creative work. All activities will be delivered through the medium of English or Welsh, with live interpretation where required.

There are fluent Welsh-speaking staff members working on the programme who will support cohort members whose language preference is Welsh, and every effort will be taken to ensure each individual cohort member receive the full benefits of the programme whatever their language preference.

The training element

The 90-minute digital training activities will be delivered virtually during lunchtimes. We ask for commitment from every member of the cohort to attend all events, but if something urgent or unexpected prevents a facilitator from attending, recordings might be made available to watch later. The team at Literature Wales are always on hand to support the facilitators and help ensure that all members of the cohort benefit from the programme.

The programme will also include a residential weekend which you will be required to attend, at Tŷ Newydd Writing Centre, Friday 26 – Sunday 28 February 2027.

Option 1 – the programme will also offer up to 5 sessions of mentoring, shadowing or a combination of both. Each session will be one to two hours.

Option 2 – the programme will offer funding to develop and deliver a pilot project of up to 6 workshops and include 3 mentoring sessions of one to two hours each.

Yes. The Literature Wales team are available to discuss any concerns and requirements before and throughout the programme. Please contact us. An Access Fund is available to enable full participation in events for writers and facilitators with disabilities or illnesses, who may have additional access requirements.

For information about the accessibility of  Tŷ Newydd Writing Centre, please visit Tŷ Newydd’s website: http://www.tynewydd.wales/the-house/access

Literature Wales and its external panellists select writers on potential, not perfection. We want to get to know you and your voice, so whilst using AI editing tools may be useful to support your access needs whilst answering the application questions, it should not be used to create a persona or exaggerate your experiences.

Our writer development programmes are intense – writers will be required to contribute either in-person or online during sessions and you won’t be able to rely on AI to generate work. Please think carefully about whether your craft is at the right level yet to take part on this scheme.