Literature Wales strengthens its Management Board with the appointment of four new Trustees
Born in Alexandria, Egypt, Mohamed Hassan first moved to Wales in 2007. He studied Photography at Carmarthen School of Art, prior to completing a masters in Documentary Photography at the University of South Wales. In recent years, Mohamed’s work has been included in several prestigious group exhibitions, including: ‘Facing Britain: British documentary photography since the 1960s’ curated by Ralph Goertz (multiple venues across Europe, 2021-2023), ‘Many Voices, One Nation’, curated by Ffotogallery and the Senedd (multiple venues across Wales, 2019-2020), and The Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize (National Portrait Gallery, 2018). His work has also recently been acquired by collections including the National Museum of Wales and the UK Government Art Collection.
Charlotte Williams OBE FLSW is an author, academic and cultural critic. Her writings span academic publications, memoir, short fiction, reviews, essays and commentaries. She has written over fourteen academic books, notably the edited collection ‘A Tolerant Nation? Ethnic Diversity in a devolved Wales (2003 & 2015) and her creative non-fiction includes her award-winning memoir Sugar and Slate (Wales Book of the Year 2003) republished in 2022 by Parthian for the Library of Wales Series and in 2023 by Penguin as part of their Black Britian Writing Back Series. Charlotte is Professor Emeritus at Bangor University and holds Honorary fellowships at Wrexham University, University of South Wales and Cardiff Metropolitan University. She is a member of the Learned Society of Wales, a non-executive Director of Estyn and Advisor to the Welsh government on the implementation of the Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan.
Margiad Eckstein comes from Cricieth, and studied English at Cardiff University. She has extensive experience of teaching in a variety of settings, most recently as a Head of Learning Support, with particular responsibility for students with additional needs. Margiad has performed on the comedy circuit, is an active member of amateur writing groups, and since retiring has volunteered with organisations supporting and befriending refugees, and people seeking asylum. She is passionate about enabling young people to find confidence and hope in their own voices and experiences.
Nasir Adam was raised in Butetown, the son and grandson of merchant Navy seamen, he is now a community campaigner who is passionate about social justice, literature & heritage, cultural democracy, equity, representation, and embeddedness. Nasir’s academic background is in social studies and community education, coupled with hands-on community development has equipped him with a deep understanding of the complexities and nuances of marginalized communities. He is currently the Curator of Black History at the National Museum of Wales.
Claire Furlong, Literature Wales’ Executive Director said,
“I’m delighted to welcome four new Trustees to our Board at Literature Wales. They bring with them a wealth of knowledge and experience that will support our strategic aims and priorities. I look forward to working closely with our new Trustees, who will provide valuable support to our executive team and staff to ensure we continue to strive for a Wales where Literature empowers improves and brightens lives.”
During the May Board meeting Literature Wales also bid farewell to four long serving members, after providing the maximum term of six years. Deputy Chair, John O’Shea, and Trustees Delyth Roberts, Owain Taylor-Shaw and Craig Austin retired from the Board having supported and guided the organisation through varied challenges in recent years. Their expertise in human resources, risk management, education, the Welsh-language and corporate development has been invaluable for the organisation; we are grateful to them for their service.
Cathryn Charnell-White, Literature Wales’ Chair said,
“While we welcome new trustees, we also bid farewell to a cohort that is retiring from the Board after two full terms of service and invaluable support. With thanks to Craig Austin, John O’Shea, Delyth Roberts, and Owain Taylor-Shaw as we continue to fulfil the institutional strategy to which they played a key part in its development. Our new trustees bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the Board that will reinforce those values and strategic priorities embedded in all aspects of Literature Wales’s activity.”
You can find out more about the role of a Trustee at Literature Wales by reading Trustee, Christina Thatcher’s blog and viewing our Recruitment pack here. If you would like to know more or are interested in applying please contract Alys Lewin, Company Secretary for an informal conversation – alys@llenyddiaethcymru.org.