Author of the Month
Each month on the Libraries Wales website, we will focus on an inspiring author based in or writing about Wales. You’ll have an introduction to their latest book, a short biography of the author, what inspires them to write, and any advice they have for young writers, all available in exclusive interviews which you can read here.
Since introducing this feature, some of our focused authors to date have been Jon Blake, Dai Smith, Rob Gittins, and our very own Children’s Laureate Wales, Eloise Williams.
Are you a teacher or librarian? A special flyer will be available to download and print every month based on each of our showcased authors that can be used for educational purposes.
We will focus on two authors every month writing in English and Welsh. Link to the Welsh-language Author of the Month available here.
January 1, 2024
Bruce Cardwell
Bruce Cardwell is a folk musician and photographer from Northern Ireland, long resident in West Wales. He is committed to recording the communities and livelihoods of his adopted homeland. He is the author of Hoofpicks: The Horse in Wales, Noteworthy: Acoustic Music in Wales, and The Harp in Wales. Published this year, A Hardy […]
Read moreDecember 1, 2023
Carly Holmes
Carly Holmes lives and writes in a small village on the banks of the river Teifi in west Wales. Her debut novel, The Scrapbook, was shortlisted for the International Rubery Book Award, and her Literary Strange debut short story collection, Figurehead, was published by Tartarus Press in limited-edition hardback, to critical acclaim. Her […]
Read moreNovember 2, 2023
Jo Mazelis
Novelist, poet, photographer, essayist and short story writer, Jo Mazelis grew up in Swansea, later living in Aberystwyth and then London for over 14 years before returning to her hometown. Her novel Significance was awarded the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize 2015. Her first collection of short stories Diving Girls was shortlisted for both Wales […]
Read moreOctober 1, 2023
Joshua Jones
Joshua Jones (he/him) is a queer, autistic writer and artist from Llanelli, South Wales. He has an MA in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University, and has been published by Gutter Magazine, The Pomegranate London, Poetry Wales, Broken Sleep Books, and more. He has been commended by the Poetry Society and his story ‘Half Moon, New Year’ […]
Read moreSeptember 5, 2023
Daniel Morden
Since 1989 Daniel Morden has made his living telling stories: folktales, fairytales, myths, legends- and fibs! He has travelled the world sharing stories, from Swansea to Sydney, from the Arctic to the Pacific to the Caribbean. His stories range from awful jokes to magical adventures and haunting myths. His books have twice won the […]
Read moreAugust 1, 2023
Nicola Davies
Nicola Davies is the author of more than 80 books for children and young people, including poetry, non fiction, picture books and novels. Her work has been published in more than 10 different languages and won awards in the UK, US, Europe and Asia. In addition to many books about the natural world Nicola has […]
Read moreJuly 3, 2023
Kathy Biggs
Kathy Biggs is originally from Yorkshire and settled in Mid Wales in the 1980s. After studying a number of Creative Writing courses linked to Aberystwyth University, she discovered a talent for writing. Her first novel. The Luck was published in October 2022, with her second novel, Scrap, published end of June this year. Scrap is a […]
Read moreJune 1, 2023
Horatio Clare
Horatio Clare is an English author known for travel, memoir, nature and children’s books. He worked at the BBC as a producer on Front Row (BBC Radio 4), Night Waves and The Verb. Clare’s first book, Running for the Hills, an acclaimed account of a Welsh childhood, won a Somerset Maugham Award, was longlisted for the […]
Read moreApril 28, 2023
Dave Lewis
Dave Lewis is a writer, poet and photographer from the ex-mining village of Cilfynydd in Rhondda Cynon Taf. He read zoology at Cardiff University and studied Software Engineering at Glamorgan University. He has taught science, IT and photography in schools and colleges in south Wales. He has always lived in Wales apart from a year, […]
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