Guest Writers
This page, revised in August 2022, features the work of a number of poets and prose writers.
Click the black buttons above the short biography of each guest writer to see a sample of work.
Luís Benítez was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1956. His over thirty books of poetry, essays and a novel were published in Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Spain, Uruguay, USA and Venezuela.
Phil Carradice is a poet, novelist and short story writer. He was born Pembroke Dock, educated at Cardiff College of Education, Glamorgan Polytechnic and University College, Cardiff. Was formerly a Headteacher and social worker and for some years a full time writer and consultant.
He has published over one hundred books, including novels and non-fiction on history and other subjects. An example of the latter is one on the Cuba missile crisis of 1962, published by Pen & Sword in 2017. Work has appeared in dozens of magazines and periodicals, from The New Welsh Review, Poetry Wales and Cambrensis to The Western Mail, New Society and The Times Educational Supplement.
A regular broadcaster, Phil has his own radio programme on BBC Radio Wales, The Past Master. He has appeared on TV programmes with Michael Portillo and others
Featured here is the short story The Isle of Avalon
Peter Finch is a poet and psychogeographer living in Cardiff. He previously headed the national development agency Literature Wales. Recent poetry is collected in Zen Cymru (Seren) and examples of his prose work are in the Real Cardiff series (Seren)
Terry Hetherington was part of the poetry scene in Wales since early 1980. His work was widely published in magazines and anthologies, and he was a frequent reader of his poetry in venues throughout Wales, and also in Ireland. His book The Undiminished was published in 1987.
Sadly, Terry died on 31 August, 2007. In my opinion he was one of Wales' finest poets. Certainly he was much underrated.
Featured here is Bryn Celli Ddu.
IRowland writes both prose and poetry. He has had publications in Roundyhouse, SCWI Cambrensis, and elsewhere.
Read Black Wednesday a 'copy'
Petru Iamandi (b. Galati, Romania) is a retired Associate Professor at the University of Galati, specialising in English and Romanian literature, with special reference to speculative fiction. Has translated many volumes from English to Romanian, others from Romanian to English, and has edited or co-edited several other books. Is also the author of an English-Romanian dictionary and has co-written a number of text books for students of English. Has placed numerous English-Romanian translations of essays, poetry, fiction and articles in Romania and many of his translations have appeared in the UK and the USA.
Mike Jenkins is an award-winning Welsh poet and author. He is widely published and is much in demand for his lively performances and writing workshops. He has performed at the Hay Festival and the Aldeburgh Poetry Festival and has read and tutored at Ty Newydd, the National Writers' Centre for Wales.
Mike frequently appears on radio and television and is known among Cardiff City football fans as the club's 'unofficial poet'.
Sam is a specialist in science fiction. He has a number of books in this genre, most notably The Earth Haven trilogy. An extract from the first volume of this, The Cleansing, is featured here.
Chris Kinsey was BBC Wildlife Poet of the Year in 2008. She has had three collections of poetry published: Kung Fu Lullabies, and Cure for a Crooked Smile by Ragged Raven Press and, most recently, Swarf by Smokestack Books. She wrote a regular Nature Diary for Cambria and was winner of the ‘Inspired by Nature’ competition organised by Natur Cymru 2012. Chris also writes short dramas. She has two rescue greyhounds and has been dubbed Greyhounds' Poet Laureate. She was the first Writer in Residence of Oriel Davies.
Kernewek yw taves Bro Kernow tiredh Keltek dhe'n West a Bow Sows. Yth esa an yeth kellys rag ogas ha hanterkans blydhen mes dasserghys gans Henry Jenner hag y gowetha wosa 1904. Skrifer an bardhonek ma yw Mick Paynter po Bardh Skogynn Pryv ha gennys yn Teetotal Street, St Ives ha drehevys ena yn Porthia o. Skogynn Pryv a ober yn Soedhva Tolva an Gwlas yn Pennsans, yw Kadoryer Skorenn IR Kernow hag Aberplymm Kesunyans PCS nans yw lies blydhen. Ev re dhyskas Kernewek adhia 1999 dhe dhos ha bos Bardh an Orsedh 2002 dhe Lannstefan ev a skrifas tri lyver bardhonieth, Routh Baneryow, Yn ow hilyarth nebjydh, ha Hag oll an bys agan Plyw.
yn Sowsnek:
Kernewek is the language of the Celtic territory of Cornwall to the West of England. The language was lost for nearly a half century but resurrected succesfully by Henry Jenner and his colleagues after 1904. The writer of Kolonn Sans hwath (Another Sacred Heart) is Mick Paynter, or the bard Worm's Fool who was born in Teetotal Street, St Ives and brought up there. Mick Paynter works in the Tax Office in Penzance. He has been President of Cornwall & Plymouth IR Branch of the PCS union for many years. He has been learning Kernewek since 1999 and become a bard of Gorseth Kernow in 2002 at Launceston, he has written three books of verse, A Crowd of Banners, In my backyard one day, and And all the world our patch.
Alan Perry is a poet, painter, short story writer and illustrator. His play about homelessness in Swansea, Music You Don't Normally Hear, was directed in Cardiff by Karl Francis. His New and Selected Poems Dreaming from North to South was published in 2006 by Moonstone Press. Herbert Williams said of it in Roundyhouse: 'These poems bristle with the grit and substance of everyday life... [Alan Perry] is an underrated Welsh Treasure." Days of the Comet, Perry's Collected Stories, was also published by Moonstone. His art is also featured on this website.
Matías was founding co-editor of the multilingual literary review La Carta de Oliver. He has written for the Buenos Aires Herald translated into Spanish Iain Sinclair's novel White Chappell, Scarlet Tracings. Publications include Fagans - El viaje y los viaje, Studio and Diarios y miniaturas, (Simurg, 1999). A number of poems and prose writings have been published in the UK.
Robert Nisbet taught English for 30 years in grammar and comprehensive schools and is now an associate lecturer in creative writing at Trinity College Carmarthen. His Downtrain was published in the Spring of 2004 by Parthian. His main activity at present is poetry. Robert is proud to be lifelong supporter of Haverfordwest Football Club.
Featured is Bomber, a football story
Dominique Spearey was born in Cardiff of Welsh - French parents and has always felt it an advantage to be able to choose from two cultures and languages. After many years in education she is now retired. She is enjoying the opportunity to practise what she has preached in many, many English classes and seeing the creative process from the other side. Her favourite form is poetry, particularly for performance, but she is working hard on extending her repertoire. The novel is, however, a long way off.
Read Thirty Nine.
Matthew developed an interest in writing from an early age and drew inspiration from the landscape of the Peak District in North Staffordshire where he spent much of his young adult life. The work of Ted Hughes has also been a big influence. He continues to write poetry about nature, landscapes and, in particular, rivers. Matthew is passionate about walking and fishing from where he draws much of his inspiration to write. His published work includes material in Envoi and Seam.
Chris Williams was born in the Rhondda Fach and worked as a librarian. He has had poems published in The Yellow Crane, Roundyhouse, Iota and Outlaw, and was an active member of Red Poets. Stories have been published in Cambrensis and Antares, the last in Romanian. While considering himself to be primarily a poet, he also writes short stories and reviews. He is not really a giant ant person.
