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Dr Philippa Holloway is writer and senior lecturer at Staffordshire University. The Half-Life of Snails #THLOS, is her debut novel and follows the narratives of two sisters Helen and Jennifer. A bond that has been intertwined and tested by the looming Wylfa Power Station that marked their childhood in Ynys y Mon.  During research for her PhD which examined nuclear psychogeography,  Philippa visited the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. This extensive research shaped the writing in #THLOS and grounded her work in exploring the relationship between the land around us and our sense of belonging.  What are you reading right now? The Scrapbook,...

The sun is beginning to shine consistently and the urge to spend your days sitting in the grass reading a good book is growing. It can mean nothing else  ‒ the countdown to Hay Festival 2022 has begun. And those deckchairs are calling us!  The iconic literary festival situated in the 'book town', Hay-on-Wye, returns with a full in-person programme, since before the pandemic. We are super excited to be back and Parthian have a couple of events that you can go see and enjoy!  #HayFestival2022  Monday 30th May at 7pm ‒ Max Boyce talks to Carolyn Hitt  After a sell-out book tour...

Emily Vanderploeg and Rae Howells launch their debut poetry collections at a launch night hosted at the Elysium Gallery.

Billie Ingram-Sofokleous caught up with Carly Holmes, author of the short story collection Figurehead, to ask her some questions...       What are you most proud of in Figurehead and why? That’s a tough question! I have favourite stories (‘Three for a Girl’ and ‘Woodside Close’ would always make my top 3) but I guess I’d have to say I’m particularly proud of ‘Wich’ as it won first place in the Allingham Festival short story competition a few years ago, judged by Anne Enright, a literary hero of mine. ‘They Tell Me’ was a tough write, inspired after reading...

Yesterday (2nd March) was Saint Non's day. It's a day often overlooked in Wales but celebrated in Brittany. Parthian's intern, Corentin Orhant, who hails from Brittany, decided to find out a little more about the remarkable life of the mother of Saint David, our patron saint.   (Portrait of St Non in stained glass at the Chapel of Our Lady St Non, Pembrokeshire, Wales: By Thruxton - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7488499 ) Born in Pembrokeshire, Wales in the 5th Century AD, she died in the 6th Century AD in Brittany, France. According to legend she was raped by...