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Alys Morgan interviewed by Billie Ingram-Sofokleous.   Do not ‘abandon hope all ye who enter here.’   Ward Nine: Coronavirus, a heartfelt and informative journal of thoughts and feelings, is an absolute must read. In a minefield of overworked and underpaid nurses, overwhelmed cleaners, and a myriad of vacancies that need to be filled, when Alys Morgan was hospitalised with Covid she was nevertheless surrounded by kindness amongst the complaints, worries and unspoken truths. Her account of the wards is of a chaotic, yet safe space harnessed through the contemptible ailments of this disease. She recounts her daily journey into...

For our daily #authorinsight, we were joined by Brennig Davies who discussed his short story, ‘Dogs in a Storm’, shortlisted for the 2021 Rhys Davies Short Story Award!  Brennig is a writer from the Vale of Glamorgan, who recently completed a BA in English at Mansfield College. In the past his work has been published in magazines and anthologies, and he has previously won the inaugural BBC Young Writers Award (2015), as well as the Crown at the Urdd National Eisteddfod (2019). In Brennig’s shortlisted entry, Dogs in a Storm, a mother is desperately hoping for change, verging on transformation as she realises...

Welcome to our fifth #authorinsight, where we present to you a behind-the-scenes interview with 2021 Rhys Davies Short Story Award shortlisted author, Giancarlo Gemin, who wrote the short story 'Cure Time'.  Born in Cardiff, Giancarlo has previously written two children’s books, Cowgirl and Sweet Pizza, both of which were winners of the Tir Na n-Og Award (2015 and 2016). He is currently working on his first adult novel based on a library in Wales during the austerity years. His short non-fiction, “The Valleys of Venice” (the story of his mother’s journey from Italy to Wales) will be part of Parthian’s travel anthology,...

You know it by now, it’s day four of our #authorinsights! Today we were joined by Rosie Manning who discussed her shortlisted short story and first publication, ‘Juice’!  Before her publication, Rosie spent many years travelling, working and studying. Recently she completed an MA in Creative Writing at the Open University, graduating with a distinction. Now, Rosie works in a local library and is in the process of writing her first novel and a short story collection. In Rosie’s shortlisted entry, a teenage boy oversees a secret that his neighbour wants hidden. With themes of bullying and sexuality, the two...

On the third day of our author insights, I had the honour of discussing Philippa Holloway’s entry for the 2021 Rhys Davies Short Story Award, ‘A Cloud of Starlings’, with the author herself. Philippa is a writer and an academic whose short fiction and non-fiction writing has previously been published worldwide in several literary journals and magazines. Philippa has won prizes in various awards and been shortlisted for many other competitions. With a passion for exploring the relationship between people and place, she is currently working with Parthian Books on her 2022 debut novel The Half-Life of Snails. In Philippa’s...