Y Pwyllgor Diwylliant, y Gymraeg a Chwaraeon

Policy review - English Medium Writing In Wales

Contribution from Ty Newydd, National Writers Centre

(i) Literature is at the core of any culture and in Wales, a bilingual country, writing in both its languages defines its culture and its identity. This is fundamental. The literature of Wales also plays an enormous part in how Wales presents itself to the outside world. Support for our writers and for the literature of Wales is therefore of vital importance. There has been a history of under-funding of literature in Wales and this should be rectified as soon as possible. Welsh writers have been and still are under-valued and underpaid and almost without exception have a low profile outside Wales. (ii) There are currently good support systems available for writers in Wales but they need better resourcing. Academi runs a Mentoring Service and a Critical Service, schemes which are invaluable resources in the development of a writers’ career. An Information Service and an excellent website help develop a network for writers and give a comprehensive view of what is happening in literary Wales. A470, the Academi’s "What’s On" provides a forum for debate as well as information on literary events. These are all crucial for the development of a strong and supportive network of writers in Wales and need to be resourced fully. Tþ Newydd runs creative writing courses in all genres for people of all ages and at all stages of their development. Tþ Newydd itself has a strong Welsh identity but is aware that it needs to encourage more writers from Wales to attend its courses. At the moment more than 50% of the course participants on English medium courses come from outside Wales. It is, however, encouraging that if the tutors are from Wales there is nearly always a larger proportion of people from Wales on that course. This indicates that young and new Welsh writers do feel a sense of national identity and a bond with their fellow Welsh writers. A big problem is that most Welsh writers have a low profile and are unknown outside Wales and so that recruitment from outside Wales on these courses is then very difficult. This results in low recruitment overall and the danger of these courses becoming unviable. Courses with Welsh tutors that are actively promoting Welsh writing and attracting up-and-coming writers therefore need special financial support. In the past sponsorship of Welsh language courses by the TV companies and S4C has been obtained, but the centre has been unsuccessful in attracting money for English-medium courses. In addition bursaries are needed for writers on low incomes to attend these courses. "Advanced" courses for writers in Wales who are on the brink of publication or who are at the beginning of their career and need help with the next steps are needed but these courses however necessarily run on low numbers and therefore need subsidising. Some research work needs to be done to establish what exactly is needed and precisely for whom. Sgript Cymru Sgript Cymru plays a vital role in the development of new writing for the stage in Wales. It identifies and then works alongside new writers. It can nurture the development of a play from the first draft to the performance. It works collaboratively alongside the other major organisations, such as the BBC’s Writers Unit and the other theatres. Library Services These play a crucial role in creating awareness of English-medium writing in Wales. (Displays in libraries, readings by writers etc). They also can promote and profile local writers. Gwynedd Authority has a particularly strong literature strategy and a tradition of supporting writers and writing. It consequently has a high level of literary activity and has a literature promotion officer who is solely employed to set up literary events throughout the county. Perhaps other Local Authorities could be encouraged to do the same. Schools It is important that Welsh writing, both the classics and new writing, is studied in schools. Schools should be encouraged to invite writers into the classroom (the Academi’s Writers on Tour Scheme is vital here), and to organise groups to attend residential courses at Tþ Newydd tutored by Welsh writers. These are vital to the encouragement and development of our young writers. (iii) It is a common complaint from writers and readers that Welsh books in English are not promoted and for the most part just not available outside Wales. This is not an acceptable situation. Wales has first-class writers who deserve exposure outside Wales. Our publishers are unable to keep their most successful writers because they go elsewhere in order to get their books marketed and circulated more widely. It is also important to create a better market for English-medium books in Wales. There needs to be an awareness of what is English-medium writing from Wales, a need to promote the classics and to promote our contemporary writers, so that booksellers have a market to target. It is important too that what is published is of a high standard. The reply from a local (Gwynedd) bookseller to my question about why he had so few Welsh books in English for children was that he considered that they were mainly second-rate and therefore he couldn’t sell them. While I know that there are some wonderful books for children by Welsh authors I also know that I have come across many books which have indeed been second-rate and which seem to have been published more because of their Welsh content than because they were good books. This is obviously counter-productive. In my opinion, over the past few years, Parthian Books has been one publisher that has been instrumental in nurturing new writing in Wales. It has given many new writers their first publication opportunity and has then continued to encourage and support them. The writers themselves are made to feel valued and are well looked after. The writers feel that their books are well-marketed and this has given vital confidence and encouragement. (iv) It is essential to raise awareness of English-medium writing in Wales. The Welsh Book of the Year is a prestigious prize, which can attract much publicity. It should therefore be used as a tool to promote the shortlisted writers, the publishers and as much of what has been good in the literary scene over that particular year. Hay Festival of Literature is perhaps the biggest literature festival in Britain. It is in Wales but there is at the moment absolutely no attempt to raise the profile of Welsh writers. I would suggest that a Welsh day at Hay would go a long way to rectifying this. Other literary festivals serve to raise awareness. Academi’s Tþ Newydd Festival and Baylit Festival promote a combination of writing from Wales and from elsewhere. It is important that the tourism agencies and the Local Authorities are made aware of the benefits to tourism and to the community of these and similar festivals which can draw visitors to an area outside peak seasons. Sally Baker Director, Tþ Newydd 29.08.03