Get Writing at Tŷ Newydd
The programme has been carefully designed to inspire writers to push their writing to the next level. Tŷ Newydd welcomes hundreds of writers each year. Some are experienced writers exploring a new genre, some have penned many poems or stories but are lacking in the confidence to take the next step, and some are completely new to the art of writing.
2025 will mark 35 years since Tŷ Newydd was established as Wales’ National Writing Centre by Gillian Clarke and fellow poet, Robert Minhinnick in 1990. Since then, thousands upon thousands of aspiring and emerging writers have passed through the centre’s iconic teal front door in Llanystumdwy, northwest Wales. To celebrate this important milestone in the centre’s history, Amser Sgwennu / Get Writing features 35 courses and retreats all offering high-quality, bespoke and inspiring experiences across a wide variety of genres. Spanning poetry, novel writing, short fiction, food writing, sci-fi, memoir, young adult fiction, creative facilitation, personal essay, climate writing, historical fiction, writing for well-being and performance, the programme caters for writers of all interests, levels, ages, and backgrounds. A range of formats is also offered, such as weekend, day-long and Monday to Friday residential courses and retreats, offered either in English, Welsh or bilingually. Two 6-week digital courses will also be running during the winter, offering the Tŷ Newydd experience from the comfort of your own home.
The 2025 course programme brings together tutors who represent some of the most exciting and prominent creative voices working in the UK today. They include award-winning memoirist Amy Liptrot, internationally renowned poet Roger Robinson, Costa First Novel Award winner Ingrid Persaud, Wales’ first National Poet Gwyneth Lewis, BBC National short story winner Cynan Jones, multiple award-winning poet and author Andrew McMillan, celebrated poets and playwrights Owen Sheers and Clare Pollard, Yara Rodrigues-Fowler named on Granta’s once-in-a-decade and highly-prestigious ‘Best Young British Novelists’ 2023 list, Wales’ current Archdruid Mererid Hopwood, 2021 T.S. Eliot prize winner Joelle Taylor, 2024 Wales Book of the Year Winner Tom Bullough, and award-winning Curtis Brown Literary Agent, Cathryn Summerhayes.
With Tŷ Newydd nestled between the sea and the mountains and only a stone’s throw away from Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park and the Llŷn Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, it comes as no surprise that nature features as a recurring theme in the programme. Writers joining award-winning memoirists Amy Liptrot and Noreen Masud in June will be invited to dive deep into stunning open waters of Llŷn and Eifionydd as well as their writing with optional group wild swimming sessions on offer during the week. Dani Robertson, Eryri’s Dark Sky Officer and acclaimed author will be leading guided nighttime walks around the area to help aspiring writers appreciate the full beauty and mystery of dark skies as part of a creative non-fiction weekend course tutored by Mike Parker in early November. In May, writers and activists Tom Bullough and Jay Griffiths will be encouraging writers to consider their roles within the context of the climate emergency and exploring ways in which writing can empower readers to enact change.
100% of writers who attended a course at Tŷ Newydd in 2024 noted that their stay had a positive effect on their health and well-being, highlighting the considerable healing power of writing and engaging with literature. Experienced tutors Clare Shaw and Gwyneth Lewis will be exploring this rich topic during their week-long residential course on Poetry and Well-being in October. A Digital Detox Retreat will also be held in March, during which writers will be encouraged to disconnect from the fast-paced and pressured digital world which surrounds us and reconnect with their creativity in a nurturing environment led by yoga instructor and multilingual author, Siân Melangell Dafydd.
For those simply looking for a tranquil creative refuge to write, three untutored retreats form part of the programme running from spring to autumn. Homecooked meals will be provided as writers enjoy Tŷ Newydd’s enchanting Grade II* listed building, built in the 15th century as well as the natural beauty of the local area. A special discount will be applied for writers joining more than one of these untutored retreats, enjoying all that Tŷ Newydd and the seasons have to offer year-round.
Two brand-new courses, delivered online across six two-hour sessions will also be running through November and early December. The first, exploring writing as a form of political resistance and activism will be tutored by Yara Rodrigues-Fowler and one of The Observer’s 10 Best Debut 2024 Novelists, Andrés N. Ordorica. A digital course on writing autofiction will also run over the winter months, tutored by Durre Shahwar and with a special guest reading from Mendez, shortlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize in 2020.
Other literary heavyweights offering expert guidance as part of the Amser Sgwennu / Get Writing programme are Neel Mukherjee, Ella Risbridger, Kate Young, Noreen Masud, Caryl Lewis, Cecilia Knapp, M J Harrisson, Lola Oulfemi, Kim Moore, Abir Mukherjee, Danielle Jawando, Rachael Allen and Martin MacInnes.
As part of Literature Wales’ commitment to making Tŷ Newydd Writing Centre and its courses as accessible as possible, Literature Wales is pleased to again offer a bursary for each course programmed in 2025. Bursaries will be awarded to select writers who are unable to afford the full course fee following a simple application process. Further information on available financial support can be found on Tŷ Newydd’s Writing Centre’s website.
Literature Wales’ Artistic Director, Leusa Llywelyn says:
“Looking back on 35 years of Tŷ Newydd history fills us with immense pride. Over the years, we’ve welcomed highly respected and exciting tutors from Wales and beyond. Names such as Gillian Clarke, Carol Ann Duffy, Lemn Sissay, Pascale Petit, Sophie Mackintosh, Willy Russel, Manon Steffan Ros, Hollie McNish, Inua Ellams, Helen Mort, Fiona Benson, Okechukwu Nzelu, Menna Elfyn and many many more. We’ve built a reputation of offering courses of the highest-quality, in a cosy, nurturing, generous, supportive and nature-abound setting.
Our 2025 programme, Amser Sgwennu / Get Writing encapsulates our ambition, vision and breadth as a centre, and we’re excited to share what we have in store with you all. There are a variety of options suitable for different budgets and time commitments, and we offer bursaries to ensure our courses are accessible to everyone eager to develop their craft.
Coming to Tŷ Newydd is a unique, motivating and often magical experience. It remains an absolute thrill to hear of the positive effect our courses have on writers’ writing, careers and well-being and we can’t wait to welcome new and familiar faces alike through our doors in 2025.”
Literature Wales is a charity whose vision is a Wales where literature empowers, improves and lives. Tŷ Newydd’s programme and bursary scheme is only possible thanks to the generosity of individuals, trusts and other funders who support the organisation’s work and help the maintenance of Tŷ Newydd. To find out more about donating online, head to Support – Literature Wales.
The Amser Sgwennu / Get Writing programme will run from March 2025 – January 2026.
See a full list Tŷ Newydd’s variety of 2025 courses: Courses & Retreats – Canolfan Ysgrifennu Tŷ Newydd Writing Centre (tynewydd.wales)