On Thursday 17 JUNE 2010 the creative writing departments of Swansea University and Trinity University College, Carmarthen, in conjunction with the Dragon Innovation Partnership, held a successful day of discussions and readings to a packed out audience at the Dylan Thomas Centre. This was the first time such an event had been held outside the university, and it provided a wonderful opportunity for students and the wider community of Swansea and Carmarthen to enjoy a day of discussion about writing and publishing, to learn more about the creative writing departments of both universities, and to meet with key figures in the industry. The event featured prominent names from the publishing industry in Wales, such as Dominic Williams from Parthian Books and Gwen Davies from Alcemi Press, as well as featuring top London agent Euan Thorneycroft from AM Heath, who talked eloquently about his role as an agent. The established poet and singer-songwriter Paul Henry also finished the day with a flourish, with a special music and poetry performance, followed by a book signing.
The organiser of the event, Dr. Fflur Dafydd of Swansea University said: “It really was wonderful to see the academic community and wider communities of Swansea and Carmarthen brought together by this event, and the audience was a wonderful combination of aspiring and published writers, book lovers and critics, as well as those interested in the more commercial side of publishing. Hopefully people will have made useful contacts during the day, which will help them make a start in the publishing business, and we hope to be able to run this as an annual event in future.”
The event was sponsored by the Dragon Innovation Partnership, and also featured key contributions from the staff of the creative writing departments of both universities – Professor Stevie Davies, Dr. Jeni Williams, Dr. Fflur Dafydd, and Nigel Jenkins –who talked about their own experiences of publishing in Wales and beyond.
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