New Welsh Reader 2019: 122

Reviews / Votes

Winners of the Aberystwyth University Prize for a Dystopian Novella
The Word: JL George
The Significance of Swans: Rhiannon Lewis
Adrift: Rosey Brown
Me, Im Like Legend, I Am: Dewi Heald
Water, Water, Nowhere: Heledd Williams
The Chosen: Thomas Pitts
Text & Photography:
Views of the Wildmill Estate: Tim Cooke & Ben Absalom
Channelling Marilynne: Translation as Possession, Envy and Belonging: Gwen Davies talks about her new translation of Caryl Lewis novel, recently published as The Jeweller

Jl George was born in Cardiff, lives in Pontypool, and writes weird and speculative fiction. Her work has appeared in Constellary Tales and anthologies including Resist Fascism and The Black Room Manuscripts. She is a 2019 Literature Wales bursary recipient currently working on a near-future dystopian novel. In her other life, shes an academic interested in literature and science and the Gothic. The Word won the New Welsh Writing Awards 2019: Aberystwyth University Prize for a Dystopian Novella, awarded in summer 2019 at Hay Festival, and will be published on the New Welsh Rarebyte imprint in 2020. @jlgeorgewrites

Rhiannon Lewis debut novel, My Beautiful Imperial, was published by Victorina Press
in 2017, and the following year became a Walter Scott Prize Academy recommendation. The Spanish translation, Mi Querido Imperial, was published in 2018. Rhiannon has also had success with short stories, including the 2018 Bristol Prize (shortlisted), the 2017 Hammond House International Short Story Prize (third place) and the 2017 Frome Festival (winner). Originally from Ferwig, Cardigan, Rhiannon divides her time between Abergavenny and London. Her entry, The Significance of Swans, was placed second in the New Welsh Writing Awards 2019: Aberystwyth University Prize for a Dystopian Novella. The prize was awarded in summer 2019 at Hay Festival.

Rosey Brown lives in Cardiff, where she works as a coordinator of community arts
and education projects. She makes zines, sometimes makes music in bands, and has performed with and written for experimental music ensemble NewCelf. She is also part of Sull, a new collective of eleven artists who are running a new arts space/studio in
the Capitol Centre. She was part of the Hay Festival Writers at Work scheme in 2016 and 2017. Her entry, Adrift was runner-up in summer 2019s New Welsh Writing Awards 2019: Aberystwyth University Prize for a Dystopian Novella, awarded at Hay Festival.

Dewi Heald was born in 1972 and went to university in Aberystwyth before settling in the Vale of Glamorgan. He has worked in youth work and education for most of his life, while also writing short stories, comic essays and political blogs. He also masquerades as Dai Bongos, singing comedy songs locally. His entry was highly commended at Hay Festival in summer 2019 in the New Welsh Writing Awards 2019: Aberystwyth University Prize for a Dystopian Novella.

Originally from north Wales, Heledd Williams has been an English teacher in Hong
Kong since 2006. She started writing in 2018 and acknowledges Margaret Atwood, Irvine Welsh, Roald Dahl and Charlie Brooker as inspiration. So far, she has enjoyed serving up in anthologies, speculative fiction that combines slivers of the macabre with comedy. Her entry in the New Welsh Writing Awards 2019: Aberystwyth University Prize for a Dystopian Novella was highly commended at Hay Festival 2019.

Thomas Pitts is half-Italian and hails from Newbury in Berkshire. Hes had two mainstream short stories broadcast on BBC Radio 4, and others published in print, both science-fiction and mainstream. He is currently finishing two novels, one an historical fantasy, the other a love-and-war epic in a future solar system of two dystopias and two utopias. Among his favourite prose writers are Wells, Twain, Vonnegut, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Austen, and Kafka. His entry, The Chosen was highly commended in the New Welsh Writing Awards 2019: Aberystwyth University Prize for a Dystopian Novella.

Tim Cooke is a teacher, freelance writer and creative writing PhD student. His work has been published by the Guardian, Little White Lies, The Quietus, 3:AM Magazine, New Welsh Review and Ernest. His creative work has appeared in various literary journals and magazines, including The Shadow Booth, Black Static, Foxhole Magazine, Prole, Porridge, The Nightwatchman, Storgy, Litro Magazine and MIR Online. He has work forthcoming in a Dunlin Press anthology on the theme of ports and is currently working on his first book. @cooketim2

The photographic artist, Ben Absalom, was born in Bridgend, south Wales. He now lives and works between London and Stroud. As part of the artistic duo, Absalom & Bardsley, he has exhibited at galleries including Ffotogallery, Brickhouse, Stdtische Galerie KUBUS, Kunstraum D21. His work has also appeared in numerous publications. His practice explores how architecture affects the individual within built environments, and the notion of multiple histories of place.

The Jeweller by Caryl Lewis and translated by Gwen Davies, was published by Honno in autumn 2019. Gwen's previous translated titles include Martha, Jack and Shanco (Parthian, 2007), also by Caryl Lewis. Her column published in this edition first appeared at Women Writers, Womens Books, booksbywomen.org. The person interviewing Gwen was herself. -- *New Welsh Review*