Five years ago....

You know the way that people keep on referring to "prize-winning authors" when there is a need to impress people?  Well, in my own modest way I am one of that jolly band of brothers and sisters...... having won the Wishing Shelf Gold Award for my children's book in 2012.

One reason for being particularly pleased is that the judges for this competition were not adults, but the children themselves, from primary schools scattered across the country. 

In the strange way of things in Wales, I was barred from entering this title for any awards in Wales, because the rules state that self-published titles are not deemed worthy of consideration..........

Literature Wales announces £70K of new bursaries

Literature Wales has announced the names of the recipients of  21 writing bursaries for 2017.  Here is the press release:

http://www.literaturewales.org/lw-news/wealth-new-writing-wales-literature-wales-announces-writers-bursaries/

I still have serious reservations about the "subsidy culture" which permeates the writing and publishing industry in Wales, and wonder why writers who are motivated to write cannot just get on with it, do their writing, and then take their chances with publishers to see if their output is judged worthy of getting out there into the market-place. 

We just have to hope that the bursaries will bring out exciting new voices who can make real contributions to literature in Wales  -- and it is pleasing to see that 15 of this year's recipients are first-time recipients.  Too often in the past (as pointed out by our old friend Julian Ruck) the recipients of these bursaries have been old-timers who have not exactly been struggling along on the bread-line....... 

The eight novels

I've just had another enquiry from a reader about where to get copies of the eight novels -- increasingly difficult, with hardly any local bookshops left open, and bookshops further afield reluctant to sell anything other than the big national best-sellers that have big marketing campaigns behind them.

Never fear -- all the west Wales shops that DO sell books should have all 8 titles (maybe with the exception of WHS branches), but if you still have a problem, you can get signed copies via the Greencroft Books web site:

http://www.brianjohn.co.uk/the-angel-mountain-saga.html 

The way it was..........

A fantastic photo from Stephen Hughes, on the Honey Harfat Facebook page.  An old lady and her hovel in St David's -- taken in 1880.

How times have changed........