Y Pwyllgor Diwylliant, y Gymraeg a Chwaraeon

Adolygiad Polisi: Ysgrifennu cyfrwng Saesneg yng Nghymru

I attach my response to the letter from the Committee Chair. The attached submission includes examples drawn from my personal experience of writing and publishing in Wales. I believe these to be fairly typical of writers and publishers in my position. My name is "known" as that of a Welsh writer of fiction and non-fiction in the English language. However, I have never made a profit from writing, nor am I ever called on in that capacity by the media to comment on the current state of Welsh culture. Please include this letter as part of my submission. Yours sincerely Deborah C Fisher Submission to the Culture, Welsh Language and Sport Committee of the National Assembly for Wales Review: English Medium Writing In Wales 1. Contribution of English-medium books and writing in Wales to Welsh culture Wales is a bilingual nation. In the belief that the majority of Welsh residents recognise the importance of the Welsh language in their own cultural heritage (even if they do not speak Welsh) and support a policy of bilingualism, I place Anglo-Welsh literature high in the order of those factors which give the Welsh people a specific identity. This is the literature that has produced not only the obvious names such as Dylan Thomas, but figures who are less commonly associated with Wales, including Wilfred Owen, Gerard Manley Hopkins and Robert Graves. Whether nationalism is acceptable or not, it has led to a situation where the Welsh education system and the Wales-based media encourage those living in Wales (as well as those of Welsh extraction or origin living outside Wales) to regard themselves as the product of a home-grown culture which is older than, and as illustrious as, that of England and other neighbouring countries. This may include an awareness of "Celtic" culture as a whole, and is therefore not strictly parochial but has an international aspect to it, in the most constructive sense. Visitors from Brittany, Ireland and Scotland are always made to feel at home in Wales. This explains why Wales is more welcoming towards the concept of the European Community than certain other parts of the UK. Events such as the Llangollen International Eisteddfod foster this internationalism. The following are justifications for regarding English-medium literature as a major contributor to Welsh culture:

• Welsh writing in English is a distinctive form of literature, as different from that produced by English writers as is Irish literature or American literature.
• English-medium writing is more likely to be understood by readers outside Wales than Welsh-medium writing, and therefore represents a greater opportunity to familiarise outsiders with Welsh culture.
• Non-fictional treatment of Welsh culture is more likely to be accurate if written and published within Wales or by a Welsh writer.
• Welsh readers should not have to look outside Wales for material relevant to their own needs, any more than foreign-language readers should be forced to look to England for their reading matter. The best way to satisfy this requirement is to ensure that a wide range of fiction and non-fiction is written and published within Wales.

This perception of English-medium books and writing in Wales carries with it certain dangers, which include the following:

• English-medium writing by Welsh authors is being sidelined and/or channelled down certain paths. James Hawes has told how an English publisher told him to make one of his novels "less Welsh", whilst a Welsh publisher asked him to make the same piece of work "more Welsh" - both for marketing purposes.
• Wales-based publishers, particularly of non-fiction, can become parochial, and lose interest in work with a wider scope.
• The rest of the UK may come to believe (a) that Welsh writers, having their own internal support structure, should not seek an audience outside Wales, and (b) that material relating to Wales, eg. Welsh history, or fiction with a Welsh setting, should not be published outside Wales.

We must be aware of these dangers, and find ways of overcoming them. 2. Support mechanisms available to writers in Wales Aside from individual publishers and printers, the two organisations which have been most helpful to me in writing and publishing are the Welsh Books Council and Yr Academi Gymreig. Without the Welsh Books Council, none of my published work would have found as wide an audience as it has; in some cases, I might never have sold any copies without their support. Although the WBC attempts to publicise its existence, it is still a dinosaur of an organisation. The web site, though recently redesigned, is still somewhat unwieldy (but full marks to them for trying). I receive a monthly e-letter, yet the e-mails I send them tend to go unanswered. It is usually necessary to speak to a particular individual to find out about a particular aspect of their work. However, the major problem, as far as I am concerned, is that they do not operate outside Wales and do not attempt to sell books outside Wales. Their parent organisation, the Welsh Arts Council, seems to do nothing at all for writers, especially now that they have handed over responsibility for grants to the Academi Gymreig. Their only role in the literary field seems to be to arrange the Welsh Book of the Year competition, a contest with which I have a major quarrel. It appears from an article by Paul Ferris, published in the New Welsh Review, that many of the books obtained by the Arts Council from publishers (of which three copies have to be supplied) are being weeded by some mysterious internal method, so that a relatively small number actually go through to the judging panel. I queried this in a letter to the NWR, but there was no response from the organisers of the competition. If it is true, the Arts Council keeps very quiet about it when inviting publishers to submit entries. The Academi Gymreig is a useful and forward-looking organisation, but appears to be somewhat "cliquey" and very orientated towards South-East Wales. Although some new publications, mainly by Cardiff-based writers, are given launches and publicity, apparently Academi-sponsored, it is not clear how a writer becomes one of these chosen few. I have enjoyed Academi-organised events I have attended, and found them useful for making new contacts. Their publications are also well-produced and a good source of valuable information. Purely in terms of my own books, I cannot say that I have had much practical help from membership. New Welsh Review has reviewed my work, but I am sure they would have done so even if I weren't a member. A470 is a handy little magazine containing up-to-date news of events and commentary on the Welsh literary scene. I also belong to the "Writers on Tour" scheme, which helps give me a profile even though it has not, as yet, helped me find speaking engagements. Smaller groups such as writers' circles can obtain financial support. These should be actively encouraged, as they not only offer help to would-be writers, but are an outlet through which existing writers can seek an audience for their own work. Reading groups ("book groups") should be supported, for the same reason. 3. Support mechanisms for the production and marketing of new writing Grants can, I understand, be obtained for publishing and writing-related projects, but the focus seems to be very narrow. It is reasonable that self-publishers should not qualify for a grant towards their output, but, judging by what I have heard, most small publishers are finding it difficult to obtain financial support from the official sources. From my own point of view, I have been completely unsuccessful in attempting to obtain a very small grant for my book reviewing project (see Section 4), simply because it does not constitute "publishing" and is not easily categorised. Neither the Welsh Arts Council (who referred me to Yr Academi Gymreig) nor the Academi (who referred me to the Welsh Books Council, a subsidiary of the Welsh Arts Council) seem able to comprehend its value as a marketing aid. I am a trustee of Cowbridge Record Society, a small organisation that has been enormously successful in publishing local history books during its brief existence. The supporting finance for this venture has come from independent sources, including underwriting by the members themselves and prizes from competitions which have become known to the CRS mainly by word of mouth. It might be argued that this is the best way for such projects to go forward, as it fosters a commercial-minded approach and a quality product. Competitions can be a useful source of finance and publicity for literary projects, provided these fit into the specified category. Finding out about these needs to be made easier, and, though the prize may come from an independent source, there is no reason why some central information agency should not take on the job of advertising them - as the Academi Gymreig does in many cases. Libraries, which should be at the forefront of encouraging new writing in Wales, are unfortunately at the mercy of their local administrators, who in some cases appear oblivious to any such obligation. Individual authorities do not seem to deal directly with the Welsh Books Council, as one might expect, and nor do their suppliers; what should be a reliable support mechanism therefore tends to be very haphazard in what support it provides. Once again, the example comes from personal experience: the Vale of Glamorgan Library Service had my novel, A Gower Story, on order for a whole year before I reminded them about it. The branch librarian told me that, as a result of his query, the book arrived within days, without any explanation of the reason for the delay. Yet the book has always been freely available, both from the WBC and direct from the publisher. Some library authorities organise literary events and exhibitions, potentially a very useful service; but too many local "librarians" are unqualified and have little appreciation of the national and global context in which their profession operates. This is not their fault; public library authorities seem, presumably for reasons of economy, to employ the minimum number of trained librarians and prefer to place their smaller branches in the charge of library assistants. Literary periodicals, such as New Welsh Review and A470 already mentioned above, are quite plentiful in Wales, but the extent to which they are prepared to feature, or even review the work of, new or unknown authors, is extremely variable. Cambria, for example, though purporting to be a magazine of national interest, relies for its articles on a small group of people known to the editor, and its contents are consequently of variable quality. Much more could be done to help Welsh writers if financial assistance were given to periodicals on the basis of the extent to which they make an effort to obtain contributions from a wide range of sources. I am not, of course, suggesting that contributors should be welcomed unless their work is of a suitable quality; but they should at least be allowed to submit ideas and contributions without having the door slammed in their faces. Once again, this gives rise to the fear that Welsh-based periodicals could become very inward-looking, and that their contents could cease to be a matter of interest to those outside the principality. However, the gains would, I feel, outweigh any losses resulting from a more proactive editorial policy. I would also mention that, as a Welsh writer in the medium of English, I had more interest in my work from the Welsh-language magazine, Golwg, than I have had from any of the English-language periodicals published in Wales. As for newspapers, it is surprisingly difficult to persuade the smaller local papers to take an interest in any kind of new publication or literary event. One might be forgiven for thinking that the editors of these papers believe their regular readership to be illiterate. Only the Western Mail gives any space to the subject. Festivals and other literary events held in Wales are a slightly different case. Their purpose is not to assist writers but to interest audiences. They therefore have to attempt to attract big names, and lesser-known Welsh-born writers only have the opportunity to participate if they can be fitted seamlessly into the events. I see this as a benefit; it supplies a bigger potential audience, whilst demonstrating that Wales is an integral part of the literary world at large and thus avoiding any accusation of parochialism. The media, in particular Radio and BBC Wales, despite the many cultural programmes they broadcast, do far less than they might to encourage and support writing in the English language, particularly new writing. Radio Wales has featured my work in several of its programmes, but always as the result of personal approaches from someone I know who "knows someone" within the BBC. My own efforts to obtain exposure for my publications, like the original ideas and proposals I have put forward, have invariably met with a terse negative response or, worse still, no response at all. I have been told by several successful writers that this is "typical" of the BBC. 4. Mechanisms for raising public awareness of English medium Welsh literature and writers The Welsh Books Council does sterling work in attempting to raise public awareness of our literature. Its Book of the Month feature, and the colourful leaflets and brochures it produces (as a complimentary service), have huge potential as marketing aids for Welsh writers. However, it can only succeed if those it deals with are receptive to its aims, and, sadly, this is often not the case. My most recent book, A Gower Story, distributed by the WBC, was on prominent display in many local bookshops. However, a trip around the major Cardiff shops revealed that only one, Oriel, was stocking it. On discussing this with the WBC's marketing manager, I was advised that a direct approach from me might help to dispel the apathy shown towards the WBC's sales representatives, and accordingly I wrote to the major bookshop chains. Soon afterwards, my book appeared on the shelves of Waterstone's. However, W H Smith responded with a letter which suggested that they had an active policy of not ordering from the WBC, because of the difficulty of shifting stock. Further investigation into Smiths' practices revealed that they had no readily-available record of their own stock (when I asked for something, I was told "if it's not on the shelf, we haven't got it"). When I inquired after "local interest" in the Bridgend branch, I was directed to a stand supplied by Seren (a Bridgend-based publisher) and containing only Seren publications. This is literally all they stock in the way of Welsh-interest books. I can only hope they are not receiving any financial incentives from the Welsh Arts Council for promoting local literature. Clearly, it is beyond the power of the National Assembly to force W H Smith and other, more efficient, booksellers, to stock Welsh and/or Anglo-Welsh literature. However, a specific policy of promoting these literatures might help to concentrate the minds of the bookshop managers. An interesting comparison is with the supermarket chains, Tesco and (I believe) Sainsbury's, both of whom make some effort to stock locally-produced books in the same way that they promote Welsh lamb and Welsh cheese. They would not do this if they did not think there was something to be gained by it. Yr Academi Gymreig carries out considerable promotion of Anglo-Welsh literature (note the reservations expressed in paragraphs 2 and 3 above), and its role appears to be constantly expanding. This can only be a good thing. The Wales Tourist Board is potentially a major player in this field, and like most of the others is falling down badly on the job. When I contacted them to ask about the possibility of having one of my books on sale in Tourist Information Offices, I received no reply. Later, I approached their stand at a trade fair and asked the question in person. I was given a form to fill in. Again, I received no reply to my query. It does make one wonder exactly how they operate, and how any product ever goes on sale in a Tourist Information Office. I have had similar experiences with the National Trust. The Welsh Books Council does not seem to have any more luck in marketing books in non-traditional outlets than I do myself. In the bookshop at the Museum of Welsh Life (St Fagan's), I found that my book, Who is Who in Welsh History, was not on sale; however, a book called Who is Who in Scottish History was! Bearing in mind the advice I had previously received from the WBC, I wrote to the manager about this; needless to say, I received no reply. The upshot of this is that an enormous opportunity to spread the word about Welsh writing beyond the boundaries of Wales, by selling it to tourists, is being lost. The broadcast media - the BBC, HTV and S4C - are all failing to raise public awareness of Anglo-Welsh literature, and I believe the reason for this is simple: all are relying on contract companies to make programmes, rather than actively looking for (or even looking at) original material. The problem appears to exist for both drama and factual programmes. It is virtually impossible to get an original idea seriously considered by a BBC producer or commissioning editor, and the changes in the organisation in recent years have failed to redress this problem. It is easier, and presumably cheaper, for them simply to take the material (often sub-standard) offered them by contract companies. As for these companies, they cast their nets very wide to obtain their material, using writers like myself to do unpaid research on the off-chance that we will be used as scriptwriters if the programme ever gets made. The common factor in this account of failure to raise awareness of English-medium Welsh literature is one of having to rely on other people or agencies to help with promotion. However, this is not inevitable. Some time ago, I decided to start "thinking outside the box". Web sites are a great opportunity to obtain exposure for the arts in Wales, especially when other avenues have failed. I believe that my web site, Tregolwyn Book Reviews (http://tregolwyn.tripod.com) is a prime example of this. It has been set up using free web space and free web-building tools, and at the time of writing it is featuring nearly 70 book reviews, all of which are of books that have been independently published within the past three years. In fact, I am no longer able to write all the reviews myself, and have had to recruit helpers. As time goes by, we receive more and more submissions from overseas, demonstrating that this is a sought-after service in which we are leading the way. Nevertheless, we have included reviews of many local publications, and small Welsh publishers such as Seren, Merton Priory Press, Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, CAJ, Christopher Davies and Wales Books are among those that have benefited so far. This is why it has been such a disappointment to me not even to be able to obtain a grant towards the cost of postage.