Each year, Literature Wales invites up-and-coming writers to apply for Representing Wales, their flagship writer development scheme. Last week they celebrated the achievements of the 2024-25 cohort of writers, and today they have announced 14 more brilliant writers about to start their intensive year-long writer development journey with Literature Wales.
Following a call-out in the autumn of 2024 which attracted over 140 applications, the writers were selected by an independent assessment panel in February of this year.
Find out who the Representing Wales 2025-2026 cohort are here!
The Representing Wales Programme:
Representing Wales offers a range of activities and practical support for writers currently underrepresented in the literature sector in Wales. They will each be awarded a £3,000 bursary along with £300 for expenses, which will support the writers to attend literary events, submit their work to magazines and journals and access materials conducive to their writing practice. Each writer will also be matched with a mentor of their choice, offering bespoke feedback and guidance on both their writing and their career as an author.
Literature Wales will develop and deliver a diverse and informative programme of workshops and talks, writing rooms, reading rooms, and masterclasses, to help inspire and nurture the talent, development and careers of the cohort. The Representing Wales programme is co-curated with the writers, tailoring sessions to support their overall aims and ambitions. The first activity programmed this year will focus on multi-genre writing and will be held at our National Writing Centre, Tŷ Newydd, from 11 – 13 April 2025.
The writers this year span Wales: from Ynys Môn, the mountains of Eryri, Carmarthenshire, Radnorshire to Cardiff, each brings with them a unique perspective to the literary scene in Wales. Although each writer will focus on one main work in progress in one genre, the programme will encourage them to explore new ways of working, further building their creative toolkit. You can read more about each individual writer on the Representing Wales project page.
‘Recognition that I have enough potential to be a part of this prestigious programme has already given my confidence a much-needed boost’. – Michael Kelleher
We look forward to welcoming and supporting our new cohort of writers, and to follow their transformative journey.
Representing Wales is funded by the National Lottery through the Arts Council of Wales.