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Wales Book of the Year Award 2024
The English-language Shortlist

Read more about each shortlisted title below, or head over to our Blog to watch the writers read snippets from their books.

The Poetry Award

In Orbit, Glyn Edwards (Seren)

On receiving news of a beloved teacher’s death, a man struggles with the loss of a relationship sustained by deep admiration and unrequited love. Memories of their shared journey are separated into three orbits where the man’s past, present, and future are punctuated by intense grief.

In Orbit uses a variety of innovative forms to explore loss, from traditional stanzas to prose poems to shaped poems in the form of birds, circuits, or hands. The narrative shifts in time, moving from his teen years to the present day when he himself has become a teacher, working alongside the man he mourns.

The book not only grieves the loss of the teacher, but also toxic standards for boys and men. Beyond human connection, sustenance is found in the moon, the stars, the sky, and nature. The discovery of a badger’s track or the treasure of a bird egg reminds us how small trajectories are in the context of the more-than-human: an answer perhaps to the grieving process.

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Glyn Edwards is a PhD researcher in ecopoetry at Bangor University. His first poetry collection, Vertebrae, was published by the Lonely Press. He edits Modron, a journal for environmental writing, and the Wild Words feature for North Wales Wildlife Trust. He is a former winner and trustee of the Terry Hetherington Award for Welsh young writers, and works as a teacher in North Wales.

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I Think We’re Alone Now, Abigail Parry (Bloodaxe Books)

I Think We’re Alone Now was supposed to be a book about intimacy: what it might look like in solitude, in partnership, and in terms of collective responsibility. Instead, the poems are preoccupied with pop music, etymology, surveillance equipment and cervical examination, church architecture and beetles. Just about anything, in fact, except what intimacy is or looks like. So this is a book that runs on failure, and also a book about failures: of language to do what we want, of connection to be meaningful or mutual, and of the analytic approach to say anything useful about what we are to one another. Here are abrupt estrangements and errors of translation, frustrations and ellipses, failed investigations. And beetles.

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Abigail Parry spent several years as a toymaker before completing a PhD on wordplay. She is currently a lecturer in creative writing at Cardiff University. Her poems have been set to music, translated into Spanish, Serbian and Japanese, and widely published in journals and anthologies. She has won several prizes and awards for her work, including the Ballymaloe Prize and an Eric Gregory Award. Her first collection, Jinx (Bloodaxe Books), was named a Book of the Year in The New Statesman, The Telegraph and Morning Star. I Think We’re Alone Now is also shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize 2023.

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Cowboy, Kandace Siobhan Walker (CHEERIO Publishing)

The poems in Cowboy are knowing, millennial, internet-sick, funny, but there are deeper undercurrents, too: of embodied and disembodied spiritualities; of the knowledge of animals; of familial mythologies; of grief and longing; of autism and navigating diagnoses; of early and enduring disappointment; of the wildness underneath the smooth glass-and-chrome surfaces of contemporary life.

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Kandace Siobhan Walker, a writer and artist of Jamaican-Canadian, Saltwater Geechee and Welsh heritage, is also the author of Kaleido (Bad Betty Press).  In 2021, she was the recipient of an Eric Gregory Award and the winner of The White Review Poet’s Prize. In 2019, she won the Guardian 4th Estate BAME Short Story Prize.

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The Creative Non-fiction Award

Sarn Helen, Tom Bullough (Granta Publications)

This is the account of Tom Bullough’s journey along Sarn Helen – Helen’s Causeway – the old Roman Road that runs from the south of Wales to the north. As Bullough walks the route, he explores the political, cultural and mythical history of this small country that has been divided by language and geography. Woven into this journey are conversations with climate scientists and the story of Tom’s engagement with the urgent issue of the climate crisis, showing us its likely impact on Wales, which is – in miniature – a vision of what lies ahead for us all.

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Tom Bullough grew up on a hill farm in Radnorshire, Wales, and lives in Bannau Brycheiniog with his children. He is the author of four novels – A (Sort Of Books), The Claude Glass (Sort Of Books), Konstantin (Penguin Books Ltd), and Addlands (Granta). Sarn Helen is his first work of nonfiction. Tom is a climate activist and a freelance tutor in creative writing, and runs regular courses on climate and writing for

Sarn Helen is illustrated by Jackie Morris.

Read more about Sarn Helen and author on our blog!

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Birdsplaining: A Natural History, Jasmine Donahaye (New Welsh Rarebye)

A wren in the house foretells a death, while a tech-loving parrot aids a woman’s recovery. Crows’ misbehaviour suggests how the ‘natural’ order, ranked by men, may be challenged.

Whose poo is the mammal scat uncovered in the attic, and should the swallows make their home inside yours? The nightjar’s churring brings on unease at racism and privilege dividing nature lovers, past and present. The skin of a Palestine sunbird provokes concern at the colonial origins of ornithology. And when a sparrowhawk makes a move on a murmuration, the starlings show how threat – in the shape of flood, climate change or illness – may be faced down.

Jasmine Donahaye is in pursuit of feeling ‘sharply alive’, understanding things on her own terms and undoing old lessons about how to behave. Here, she finally confronts fear: of violence and of the body’s betrayals, daring at last, to ‘get things wrong’.

Roaming across Wales, Scotland and California, she is unapologetically focused on the uniqueness of women’s experience of nature and the constraints placed upon it. Sometimes bristling, always ethical, Birdsplaining upends familiar ways of seeing the natural world.

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Jasmine Donahaye’s work has appeared in the New York Times and The Guardian, and her documentary, ‘Statue No 1’, was broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Her books include the memoir, Losing Israel (Seren), winner of the nonfiction category in the Wales Book of the Year award; a biography of author Lily Tobias, The Greatest Need (Honno), the basis for ‘O Ystalyfera i Israel’, broadcast by S4C; the cultural study Whose People? Wales, Israel, Palestine (University of Wales Press), and two collections of poetry: Misappropriations (Parthian Books) and Self-Portrait as Ruth (Parthian Books). She is a part-time professor of Creative Writing at Swansea University, and a fellow of the Learned Society of Wales.

Read more about Birdsplaining and the author on our blog!

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Spring Rain, Marc Hamer (Harvill Secker)

In Spring Rain, writer and gardener Marc Hamer shares his path from difficult beginnings to contentment, by way of family gardens.

As a young boy in a violent home, Marc found refuge in his small back garden. Here he kindled a lifelong love of nature and learning by observing the plants and insects in his private kingdom and reading the old encyclopaedias he found in the shed. Marc has always found the answers to life’s questions in the natural world, whether as a child watching ants, as a young man living rough in the countryside, or as a professional gardener creating places of calm and restoration for others. Now in his sixties, he is finally creating a garden for himself, at his home in Cardiff. In this beautiful and moving memoir, he considers what he has learned, from the spring of youth to his autumn years, and reflects on how we reconcile our childhoods with where we end up.

With line drawings by the author, Spring Rain encourages us back in tune with the natural world and offers both consolation and a guide to a happier life.

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Marc Hamer was born in the North of England and moved to Wales over thirty years ago. After spending a period homeless, then working on the railway, he returned to education and studied fine art in Manchester and Stoke-on-Trent. He has worked in art galleries, marketing, graphic design and taught creative writing in a prison before becoming a gardener. Both his books, A Life in Nature; or How to Catch a Mole (Vintage) and Seed to Dust (Harvill Secker) have been longlisted for the Wainwright Prize.

Read more about Spring Rain and the author on our blog!

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The Rhys Davies Trust Fiction Award

Neon Roses, Rachel Dawson (John Murray)

Eluned Hughes is stuck. It’s 1984 in a valley in south Wales: the miners’ strike is ravaging her community; her sister’s swanned off with a Thatcherite policeman; and her boyfriend Lloyd keeps bringing up marriage. And if they play ’99 Red Balloons’ on the radio one more time, she might just lose her mind.

Then the fundraising group Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners comes down from London, and she meets June, a snaggle-toothed blonde in a too-big leather jacket. Suddenly, Eluned isn’t stuck any more – she’s in freefall.

June’s an artist and an activist. With June, Eluned can imagine a completely different life for herself. But as her family struggles with the strike, and her relationship with her sister deteriorates, should she really leave it all behind?

From the Valleys to the nightclubs of Cardiff, London and Manchester, NEON ROSES is a heartwarming, funny and a little bit filthy queer coming-of-age story with a cracking ’80s soundtrack.

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Rachel Dawson is a lesbian, working-class Welsh writer. Neon Roses is her debut novel. She was awarded a bursary by Literature Wales in 2020, which enabled her to write it. She was born in Swansea and has done a variety of jobs, including selling sausage rolls and vibrators (not at the same time), and volunteering for an MP. She now works in the third sector and lives with her wife in Cardiff.

Read more about Neon Roses and the author on our blog!

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The Unbroken Beauty of Rosalind Bone, Alex McCarthy (Doubleday)

Tucked into the Welsh valleys and encircled by silver birch and pine, the village of Cwmcysgod may appear a quiet, sleepy sort of place. But beneath the surface, tensions simmer, hearts ache, and painful truths threaten to emerge.

Sixteen-year-old Catrin Bone knows only what she has been told. Now, she is beginning to question her small world, and a version of the past that seems to entrap and embitter her reclusive mother, Mary.

The sins of the past are approaching, for it takes a village: to raise a child, to bring down a woman, to hide something monstrous and to look the other way.

In this tender, sly, exquisitely wrought novella, a unique cast of characters give voice to their versions of the truth. But it is the story of Rosalind Bone, of her strength and of all that she has endured, that rises above the rest, shimmering with hope and possibility…

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Alex McCarthy was born in Cardiff and grew up in South Wales. An alumna of London Contemporary Dance School, she worked as a dancer and choreographer for a number of years on stage, TV and film. In 2017, following a career change and several years of writing, Alex began to write this novel. She has a daughter and stepdaughter, and lives in Wales.

Read more about The Unbroken Beauty of Rosalind Bone and the author on our blog!

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Stray Dogs, Richard John Parfitt (Third Man Books)

Turner is a high school dropout newly arrived in Toronto.  After taking a job selling dictionaries for a local grifter named Romeo Silva, the day goes wrong, and Turner gets into a fight with a biker. On the run from both Romeo and the Devil’s Children, Turner and his pals find an abandoned summerhouse in which to hide out. But tensions within the group damage personal relationships as external threats converge to destroy the lives they had.

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Born, educated, and living in south Wales, Richard John Parfitt was a founding member of 90s Welsh rock group 60ft Dolls. As a writer he was shortlisted for the New Welsh Review Rheidol Prize and has also had work published by Planet: The Welsh Internationalist, The Conversation, The Portland Review, Bloomsbury Academic, and Red Pepper Magazine. He holds a BA [Hons] in English and an MA in Education.

Read more about Stray Dogs and the author on our blog!

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The Bute Energy Children & Young People Award

Brilliant Black British History, Atinuke (Bloomsbury Children's Books)

An eye-opening story of Britain, focusing on a part of our past that has mostly been left out of the history books: the brilliant Black history of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Did you know that the first Britons were Black? Or that some of the Roman soldiers who invaded and ruled Britain were Black, too? Join this fascinating journey through the ages to meet those first Britons, as well as the Black Tudors, Georgians and Victorians who existed in every walk of life here. The incredible journey through time is brought to life through Atinuke’s fascinating storytelling and illustrated scenes, detailed maps, and timelines created by illustrator Kingsley Nebechi. From science and sport to literature and law, celebrate the brilliant Black people who have helped build Britain. Learn about key and complex historical topics such as the world wars, slavery, the industrial revolution, Windrush and the Black Lives Matter movement. This fascinating book will change everything you thought you knew about our green-grey British isles.

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Atinuke was born in Nigeria and moved to the UK when she was a child. Her first love was performing stories and she now pours her creative talents into writing children’s books. Many of her books, such as Africa, Amazing Africa (Walker), which won the 2020 School Library Association’s Information Book Award, are inspired by the beautiful continent of Africa.

Brilliant Black British History is illustrated by Kingsley Nebechi.

Read more about Brilliant Black British History and the author on our blog!

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Skrimsli, Nicola Davies (Firefly Press)

Skrimsli is the second fantasy adventure from author Nicola Davies set in a world where animals and humans can sometimes share their thoughts. It traces the early life of Skrimsli, the tiger sea captain who, along with his friends, Owl and Kal, must escape the clutches of a tyrannical circus owner, then stop a war and save the ancient forest.

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Nicola Davies writes children’s non fiction and fiction about the natural world and our relationship with it. Also a zoologist, Nicola  was one of the original presenters of the BBC children’s wildlife programme The Really Wild Show. She has been shortlisted for the Branford Boase and the Blue Peter Book Awards. Nicola lives in West Wales.

Skrimsli is illustrated by Jackie Morris.

Read more about Skrimsli and the author on our blog!

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Where the River Takes Us, Lesley Parr (Bloomsbury Children's Books)

Jason lives with his big brother, Richie, trying their best to make ends meet so they can stay together. They’ve got supportive neighbours and some great friends, but there’s always the threat that someone will think they can’t manage on their own since their parents died. It’s February 1974 and working-class families have been hit hard by the three-day week. The reduced power usage means less work, and less money to get by on. Richie is doing his best, but to make enough money, he’s been doing favours for the wrong people. An urban legend about a beast in the valleys catches Jason’s eye in the local paper. A wild cat is said to roam the forest, far up the river from their bridge. A reward is offered for proof of The Beast’s existence. Jason’s friends are desperate to help him, and they convince him that this is the answer to his and Richie’s money problems. And so a quest begins. Four best friends soon find themselves on a journey that will change each of them…forever.

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Lesley Parr is the author of three novels for children. Her debut, The Valley of Lost Secrets (Bloomsbury), was published in 2021 and was both a Waterstones Book of the Month and longlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal. It won the Tir na n-Og Award, the King’s School Chester Book Award and the North Somerset Teachers’ Book Award, as well as being shortlisted for many others. Lesley’s  grew up in South Wales and now lives in England with her husband. She shares her time between writing stories, teaching at a primary school and tutoring adults. Apart from books, rugby union is her favourite thing in the world, especially if Wales is winning.

Read more about Where the River Takes Us and the author on our blog!

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The Welsh-language Shortlist

Poetry Award

Mae Bywyd Yma, Guto Dafydd (Carreg Gwalch Press)

This collaboration between poet Guto Dafydd and photographer Dafydd Nant is two friends’ celebration of their local landscape in Llŷn. These poems and pictures capture the area’s beauty and its diverse heritage – the maritime and the industrial, the religious and the cultural, the community and the family. As a whole, the volume celebrates life in Llŷn and all its rich complexity.

Guto Dafydd is a poet and novelist. Originally from Trefor, he and Lisa now live in Pwllheli where they raise Casi and Nedw. He won the Crown at the National Eisteddfod in 2014 and again in 2019, and published the volume of poetryNi Bia’r Awyr (Barddas Publications) in 2014. His poetry explores the relationship between people, their identity and their stories, and the land. After publishing the novel Stad in 2015, he won the Daniel Owen Memorial Award for Ymbelydredd in 2016 and Carafanio in 2019. His novels (all published by Y Lolfa) discuss the Welsh in England, and creatures that struggle coping with their circumstances in the world.

Mae Bywyd Yma is a work of poetry and photography. Photographs are by Dafydd Nant.

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Mymryn Rhyddid, Gruffudd Owen (Cyhoeddiadau Barddas)

This is a book that oscillates between the profound and the humorous, between cynicism and harshness, and weaves linguistic angst through poems about family, being a father and being Welsh. The poet reckons with the constant pull between his life in Cardiff and his upbringing in Pwllheli, and the ‘God-shaped gap’ that upbringing has left him. But through it all shine sparks of humour and hope; that difficult hope of knowing that – though things may be difficult – we must go on.

Gruffudd Owen is a poet, playwright and television scriptwriter from Pwllheli. He won the chair of the National Eisteddfod in 2018 and was the Welsh Children’s Laureate from 2019-2021. Mymryn Rhyddid is his second volume of poems for adults. He lives in Cardiff with his wife and sons.

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Y Traeth o Dan y Stryd, Hywel Griffiths (Cyhoeddiadau Barddas)

In this new collection Aberystwyth Poet Hywel Griffiths explores a variety of themes that are close to his heart – from the climate crisis to patriotism, the experiences of being a father and reflecting on the passing of time.

Hywel Griffiths is a poet and geographer at the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University. He won the Crown at the National Eisteddfod in 2008 and the Chair in 2015. He contributes to the Talwrn oral poetry competition as a member of the Glêr team and also competes with the Ymryson team. As a geographer he specialises in rivers and floods, which also frequently inspire his creative work. He lives in Llanbadarn Fawr with his wife, Alaw, and his children, Lleucu and Morgan. Y Traeth Dan y Stryd is his fourth volume of poetry.

Creative Non-fiction Award

Cranogwen, Jane Aaron (University of Wales Press)

In the Victorian era, women were considered unfit and unable to take part in all forms of public and intellectual leadership. But Cranogwen, or Sarah Jane Rees (1839-1916) from Llangrannog, managed to gain respect and fame as a poet, lecturer, editor, preacher, temperance woman and a spiritual leader for a new generation of writers and public women. The aim of this book is to follow her path in order to understand why and how an unmarried woman from a peasant background rose to such prestige and influence among her Welsh contemporaries. This book also sheds new light on her homosexual love life and her innovative ideas about gender.

Two previous biographical volumes were published in 1932 and in 1981, but since then the growth of the feminist movement has stimulated much study – for example, on female writers and lesbians of the nineteenth century, and on women in maritime communities – which is very relevant to Cranogwen’s history. In the light of all this additional material, this volume provides a new picture of her life and influence.

Jane Aaron is Professor Emeritus in the Humanities at the University of South Wales; she won two awards for her previous volumes on Welsh women’s literature in the nineteenth century, namely the Ellis Griffith Memorial Award (1999) and the Roland Mathias Award (2009) and she has also published several articles on the subject.

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Y Delyn Aur, Malachy Owain Edwards (Gwasg y Bwthyn)

A unique autobiography by a young author that leads us on a revealing and personal journey. Malachy Edwards faces his mixed-race, multi-cultural and religious identity while tracing his family history in Ireland and Barbados.

Set to the backdrop of our recent history, including Brexit and Covid-19, he writes honestly about significant life experiences such as the birth of his children and losing close family members, applying for European citizenship, and his experiences as a Black Welshman.

Here’s a book that will make you think.

Born in London and raised in Taffs Well, Malachy Owain Edwards now lives on Anglesey. His creative memoir, Y Delyn Aur, was published by Gwasg y Bwthyn in November 2023 and he’s currently researching a sequel, Paradwys Goll, to be published in 2025. In addition to writing these books, Malachy is also a columnist for Golwg magazine.

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Trothwy, Iwan Rhys (Y Lolfa)

In Trothwy, the poet and author Iwan Rhys reflects warmly on crossing various thresholds in his life. The volume uses wit to explore themes of belonging and identity as the main character seeks to finds his place in the world: as a stepfather, as a regular visitor to Berlin and at his local pub in Caernarfon, where he now lives. The author weaves the warmth of family life with international attitudes into a chronicle of a Welshman’s impressions of Berlin and an account of the experiences of a trilingual, multi-national family.

Iwan Rhys grew up in Porthyrhyd, in the Gwendraeth Valley. He has won the Urdd Eisteddfod Chair, first in 2001 and then again in 2008. He competes in live oral poetry competitions for the Dros yr Aber team in the Talwrn competition and the Southern regions team in the Ymryson competition at the National Eisteddfod. Iwan has previously published a volume of poetry Eleni Mewn Englynion (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch), and a novel Y Bwrdd (Y Lolfa).

Fiction Award

Anfadwaith, Llŷr Titus (Y Lolfa)

A dark fantasy novel that intertwines mystery and crime in an imaginative world.

Ever since the Druids brought them into the world, law and order have been the purpose of the Gwigiad. That’s all ancient history now, but some of the Gwigiad still roam the kingdoms looking for criminals. Ithel has seen all kinds of strange and terrible things in his time, but this latest case is something else – hidden in the shadows someone, or something, conspires.

Can Ithel and Adwen get to the bottom of things before it’s too late? On a dangerous journey, the Gwigyn and the Porthmon must come to a better understanding of each other when they learn that more than one kind of evil waits at their journey’s end.

Llŷr Titus comes from Brynmawr near Sarn in Pen Llŷn. He is a writer and playwright, and is one of the founders of Cwmni Theatr Cymunedol y Tebot, Y Stamp magazine and Cyhoeddiadau’r Stamp press. He won the Crown at the Urdd National Eisteddfod in 2011, and the Drama Medal the following year. His first book, a science fiction novel for young people, Gwalia (Gomer@Atebol), won the Tir na n-Og Award in 2016. His novel, Pridd (Gwasg y Bwthyn) won the Overall Wales Book of the Year Award in the Welsh Language in 2023.

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Sut i Ddofi Corryn, Mari George (Sebra)

This is Muriel’s story, and her heroic journey to try to get a cure for her husband, Ken. As a married couple in their forties, their lives are turned upside down when Ken discovers he is dying of cancer. But the journey starts long before, when a young Muriel – aged thirteen – finds the ancient Book of The Mumbles Spiders…

This novel will take you on an exciting journey as Muriel desperately searches for answers. But first she must face up to her greatest worries and biggest fears, and to do that she’ll need to break free from the tight webs that bind her.

Mari George is a poet, writer and translator who lives in Bridgend. She has published two volumes of poetry – Y Nos yn Dal yn fy Ngwallt (2004) and Siarad Siafins (2014) – and is a member of the Talwrn Aberhafren oral poetry team. She has also edited several collections of poetry and has written and adapted a number of children’s books. Sut i Ddofi Coryn is her first novel for adults.

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Raffl, Aled Jones Williams (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch)

Raffl is a collection of short stories by Aled Jones Williams. The author notes “ I have never been overly fond of realism. Day in, day out, I will always select the rogue or ruffian ahead of the good man or good woman. If I do have a subject matter, it is moral ambiguity. Amid all of this, these stories will meander.”

Aled Jones Williams was raised near Caernarfon, and studied at Bangor University, St Michael’s Theological College in Llandaff, and Cardiff University. He is a priest with the Church in Wales, a Chaired Poet, a writer and dramatist, and many of his plays have been staged. His Welsh-language book Rhaid i ti fyned y daith honno dy hun (Gwasg Pantycelyn) was shortlisted for Wales Book of the Year in 2022, and he won the Crown at the National Eisteddfod in the same year. His winning poem ‘Awelon’, is included in his first collection of poetry Y Cylchoedd Perffaith (Gwasg y Bwthyn), in which he describes losing his faith and alcoholism. His Welsh-language novel Eneidiau (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch) was selected for Wales Literature Exchange’s Bookshelf in October 2013, and reached the shortlist for Wales Book of the Year 2014. His Welsh-language novel Nostos (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch), was also selected for Wales Literature Exchange’s 2018 Bookshelf.

The Bute Energy Children & Young People Award

Jac a’r Angel, Daf James (Y Lolfa)

Jac and his grandfather live in the small village of Bethlehem, but this year Christmas has been cancelled in their household. So when an angel bursts out of his mother’s advent calendar and offers him a wish, it looks as though his luck might finally be turning. His wish? To star as Mary in his school’s Christmas show.

But, when Christmas begins to disappear all around him and the Haron family start to interfere with his plans, Jac makes a discovery that will rock his world – and Christmas itself – forever.

Daf James is one of Wales’ most prominent playwrights, screenwriters, composers and performers. Daf not only wrote the groundbreaking plays Llwyth and Tylwyth, but also performed in the musical role of ‘Sue’. His upcoming drama series, Lost Boys & Fairies, will be broadcast on BBC1 in 2024. He lives with his husband and their three children in Cardiff. Jac a’r Angel is his debut novel.

Jac a’r Angel is illustrated by Bethan Mai.

***

Y Nendyrau, Seran Dolma (Gwasg y Bwthyn)

Y Nendyrau is a novel set in an imaginary, yet perfectly possible, future. In the wake of global warming, the world has changed. Daniel, a teenage boy, lives with his community in a skyscraper on the outskirts of a city submerged by the sea. One day he sees the face of a girl in the window of the opposite tower; this is Rani, and from this moment his life is changed forever.

Daniel’s passion is drawing comic books that tell the story of Aqualung, which we see as an actual comic within the novel.

Y Nendyrau won the Friends of the Books Council of Wales competition of novels for young people. It’s inventive, unique, and certain to appeal to a wide range of readers. With an artist’s skilful hand, Seran Dolma tackles important themes such as climate change, brotherhood, our survival instinct, and the relationship between the powerful and the poor.

This is a novel that is enchanting and chilling in equal measure.

Seran Dolma lives in Penrhyndeudraeth with her partner and their two sons. She works as  Experiences Curator at Plas Brondanw, Llanfrothen. She’s previously worked in the environmental sector, and her writing continues to reflect her interest in this subject. This is her debut novel.

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Astronot yn yr Atig, Megan Angharad Hunter (Y Lolfa)

Rosie Alaw, 11 years old, stumbles across a spaceship on her way home from school and can’t believe her luck – she is completely obsessed with space, the stars, galaxies, and whatever planets might exist beyond the boundaries of her imagination!

When Astronaut and Ffred ask for Rosie’s help, so begins an incredible, out-of-this-world journey! And if Rosie is going to overcome the many challenges that arise, she’s going to have to be brave and go on her own journey of self-discovery.

This is a sweet and adventure-filled novel about the importance of friends and family and growing up in a complex and difficult world.

Megan Angharad Hunter is an author and screenwriter, originally from Penygroes, in the Nantlle Valley, but now living in Cardiff. Since graduating in 2022 she has worked as a writer and editor of children’s books. Her debut novel – tu ôl i’r awyr (Y Lolfa) – was published in 2020 and went on to win the Wales Book of the Year Welsh-Language Overall Prize in 2021. That same year also saw the publication of Cat (Y Lolfa) as part of the experimental series Y Pump. 2023 has been another busy year, with Megan taking part in a literary festival in India and at the London Book Fair. Astronot yn yr Atig is her first novel for children.

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