Honno editor receives Society of Authors grant Jane MacNamee, editor of 'In Her Element', an anthology of women writing on the Welsh landscape published by Honno in 2008, has recently been awarded a grant from the Royal Society of Authors, to spend time researching for her current book of nature essays about Wales.
Jane has been living in Wales for the last 15 years, with a two year interlude in Devon where she worked as publicity officer for Schumacher College, an international centre for ecological studies. At the college she was introduced to the work of some of the North American nature writers who have strongly influenced her writing, including Thoreau, Barry Lopez, Mary Oliver, Wendell Berry and Annie Dillard.
She has been writing about the Welsh landscape since 2003 and contributing to BBC History magazine, New Welsh Review, Resurgence and The Great Outdoors, as well as writing regular book reviews for the Welsh Books Council. In 2008, she was published alongside ten other writers from Wales in the Gomer anthology of essays, 'On this Mountain'.
Her current book hopes to explore the theme of landscape and transformation. She is delighted to receive the grant which will make a major contribution to her ability to travel within Wales to research the book.
Elaine Morgan awarded an OBECongratulations to Dr Elaine Morgan, who was awarded an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to Literature and to Education.
Elaine is a television playwright, author and biological anthropologist. She has won many awards, including two Baftas and the Letten F. Saugstad's Prize for her contribution to scientific knowledge.
She currently writes a well-received weekly column for the Western Mail and has contributed to three Honno Anthologes - Changing Times, Struggle or Starve and Parachutes and Petticoats. More about this story
Congratulations to the winners of our Coming of Age One Sentence CompetitionThank you to all who entered - you made us laugh, cry, empathise and be shocked - read the the winning entries.
Writing competition: A story, told in one sentence on the theme of: coming of ageDo you have a story to tell? Can you tell it in just one sentence? It can be true or not, only you will know. Make us laugh or cry, empathise with you or be shocked. Can you condense the most interesting part of a story into a bite-sized piece?
2008 is the 21st anniversary of Honno's first book, so we have chosen the theme 'coming of age'. But that can be a moment when you were 10 or when you were 70.
Submissions to be emailed to: submissions@honno.co.uk. Please include your name, address and email address. Entry open to women based in Wales only. Entries can be in Welsh or English
To be judged by
English:
Janet Thomas, editor and writer
Jane MacNamee, editor and nature writer
Welsh:
Cathryn Charnell-White, eighteenth-century literature specialist and editor
Eurwen Booth, Honno co-founder
Prize: the winner in each language will receive a year's worth of Honno books (all titles published in 2008), plus publication on the Honno website; the runner-up will each receive their choice of three Honno books, plus publication on the Honno website. There will also be five highly commended entries who will all receive publication on the Honno website.
Closing date: January 14th 2009, winners to be announced January 28th
The judges decision is final and no further correspondence will be entered into.
Cystadleuaeth Ysgrifennu: Stori mewn brawddeg ar y thema: dod i oedOes gennych chi stori i'w hadrodd? Fedrwch chi ei hadrodd hi mewn brawddeg? Gall fod yn stori wir neu anwir, dim ond chi a wyr. Gwnewch i ni chwerthin neu grio, i gydymdeimlo neu gywilyddio. Fedrwch chi baratoi darn mwyaf diddorol y stori yn un gegaid? Gan mai 2008 yw penblwydd 21ain cyhoeddi llyfr cyntaf Honno, ry'n ni wedi dewis y thema 'dod i oed'. Ond ai yn 10 oed neu yn ddeg a thrigain oed oedd yr adeg honno i chi? E-bostiwch eich cynigion atom: cynigion@honno.co.uk. Danfonwch eich enw, eich cyfeiriad a'ch cyfeiriad e-bost. Agored i fenywod yng Nghymru yn unig, stori Gymraeg neu Saesneg.
Beirniaid
Saesneg:
Janet Thomas, awdur a golygydd.
Jane MacNamee, golygydd ac awdur natur.
Cymraeg:
Cathryn Charnell-White, arbenigwraig llenyddiaeth y 18fed ganrif a golygydd
Eurwen Booth, aelod pwyllgor Honno
Gwobr: bydd yr enillydd yn y ddwy iaith yn derbyn gwerth blwyddyn o lyfrau Honno (y teitlau a gyhoeddwyd yn 2008), a chaiff eu gwaith ei gyhoeddi ar wefan Honno; bydd yr ail orau yn derbyn dewis o dri o lyfrau Honno, a chyhoeddir eu gwaith hwythau ar y wefan. Cyhoeddir y pum cynnig gorau nesaf atynt hefyd ar wefan Honno.
Dyddiad cau: Ionawr 14eg 2009, cyhoeddir yr enillwyr ar 28ain Ionawr.
Bydd penderfyniadau'r beirniaid yn derfynol ac ni ellir cyfathrebu ymhellach yn eu cylch.
Jane Austen Short Story Award 2009Launched to celebrate the bicentenary of Jane Austen's arrival in the Hampshire village of Chawton – where she spent the most productive years of her literary life, the intention is to publish the very best short fiction inspired by Jane Austen or Chawton House – a place she knew well. Run in collaboration between Chawton House and Honno, with a first prize of £1000, Chair of judges is Sarah Waters, author of Tipping the Velvet, and Fingersmith. The closing date for entries is the 31st March 2009. More about this story
Job Advert - Office Administrator, AberystwythExperienced office administrator required to manage the office of a small independent press specialising in publishing the work of women born or living in Wales – from novels to autobiography, classic reprints and new writers. More about this story
Launch of 'The Captain's Wife'Originally published in 1943 The Captain's Wife is an atmospheric and poignant novel that draws on the vivid memories of Eiluned Lewis's mother, whose own mother was the real 'Captain's Wife' of the story. It is being launched at the National Trust, Captain's House, High Street, St. David's, Pembrokeshire on Thursday 25th September 2008 at 6pm. Editor Katie Gramich, specialist in twentieth-century Welsh writing at Cardiff University, will be giving a brief talk. Refreshments are available and the launch is free and open to all. Book details
Honno EGM – notice for shareholdersAn extraordinary general meeting to discuss Honno's future plans will be held in Machynlleth on 1 June 2008 at 10.00am. All shareholders should have received notice of the meeting in writing - if you have not done so please contact the Honno office.
Honno AGM 2007: Notice for Shareholders The Honno AGM will be held in Aberystwyth in 3 November at 3pm. All shareholders should have received notice of the AGM in writing - if you have not done so please contact the Honno office. Or download the letter and agenda here.
Win a copy of Dew on the GrassBBC Wales have got a copy of Montgomeryshire author Eiluned Lewis' 1934 classic book 'Dew on the grass', published by Honno in January 2007, to give away to one lucky winner. See 'More about this story' below to enter. Book details More about this story
In Her Element: closing date passedWomen's Experiences of the Welsh Landscape. This is a new autobiographical anthology, due out in spring 2008. Thanks to all those who submitted stories - the closing date has just passed, and the editor is sifting through the stories now, so please be patient – we will write to you all as soon as the final selection has been made.
Honno at Hay (29.05.07)Honno will be at the Guardian Hay Festival on Tuesday May 29th, and are not only launching Jo Verity's latest book Bells, but are hosting a main event:
Crime writer Lindsay Ashford chairs the ' second novel wobble' – the pain and pleasure of putting pen to paper second time around – talking to award-winning authors Kitty Sewell, Jo Verity, and romance writer Claire Peate.
Why not join us?
For details on the Hay Festival http://www.hayfestival.com/wales
Submissions to 'Coming up Roses' (14.2.07)Congratulations to all those who submitted work for the forthcoming fiction anthology 'Coming up Roses'. The stories to be included are:
Windrush, Catherine Osbourn
Passions of the Potting Shed, Ruth Joseph
The Brilliant Blue of Delphiniums, Elizabeth Morgan
Councillor Abraham's Gr Con, Ally Thomas
A Bad Summer for Wasps, Sue Coffey
Untitled / Coming for Roses, Molly Price
Red Dahlias, Nina Schmeider
Holm Oak, Naomi Bagel
Seasons of Brews and Bruises, Judith Barrow
Monstera Deliciosa, PennyAnne Windsor
Reseeding, Cecilia Morrison
High Noon, Hilary Gibson
Hortus Conclusus, Imogen Rhia Herrad
Jonesy's Place, Christine M Hirst
The Bottle Garden, Joy Tucker
Silver Bells and Cockleshells, Ella-Louise Gilbert
Rosemary and Rue, Sue Anderson
Gift, Viv Kelly
Yellow Ribbons on a Pear Tree, Sian Melangell Dafydd
Falling Meadow, Alexandra Claire
If you weren't successful this time, please do try again – all the stories had something praiseworthy, but there simply wasn't room to include them all. The anthology is scheduled for publication in the spring of 2008 and we will be in touch with all those authors whose stories were selected shortly.
With many thanks, Caroline Oakley and the team at Honno.
Congratulations to the winners and runners up of our Flash Fiction Competition Winner: Sally Mair Jones. prize £40
Runners up Vanessa Gebbie, Amanda Roberts prize £ 20 each
Highly commended : M.A.Price, Katharine York, Joanna John, Alex North
Before reading the stories printed below, our competition judge, Catherine Merriman,offers a few words on her adjudication...
"I'm full of admiration for what people can do in 100 words! There were lots of excellent entries. Some people perhaps tried to put in rather too much information – the best stories were really very simple – and some people over-compressed, presumably because they were trying to fit a slightly longer story into the word-length, and made the meaning unclear. Also a few didn't tell a 'story' – just gave a description, which wasn't what I was looking for. But most grasped the technique and did splendidly. The following seven – winner,runners up and highly commended entries – I think deserve warmest congratulations. I found it nigh impossible to choose between them. In the end, however, because it is such a cheerful, upbeat little number, I went for Red and Orange and Green and Blue by Sally Mair Jones."
More about this story
Facing into the West Wind Congratulations to Lara Clough on the successful launch of her first novel, set on Gower. Lara received a highly competitive writers' bursary from Academi to complete her novel, which was launched at the Bleddfa Arts Centre in November.
Coming up RosesJust to let all those who have submitted a story to this collection know, the publication date has been put back to early 2008 and hence you won't be hearing from the editor until January or February next year.
Ann Pettitt launches her unique memoir Described by The Times as a "clear-eyed and moving " account of an era, Ann pettitt's memoir of the first peace march to Greenham has received a tremendous welcome both at our annual event which we held in Bangor this year, and in the welsh and national media. With interviews on BBC News, ITV News, One World radio, Wedi 7, features in the Times and the Daily Mail, and favourable book reviews in the Telegraph and the guardian,
" Walking to Greenham:How the peace Camp Began and the Cold War Ended " is an impressive debut from Ann, and has been voted as Wales Book of the Month
Ann will be reading from and discussing her book at the DRWM, National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth on October 20th 6.30pm. This is a free ticketed event. Tickets are available in advance from the National Library bookshop 01970 632548.
Ann ia also available to be invited to public talks and discussion about her book. If you would like to invite and or interview Ann, please give us a ring 01970 623150
Lindsay Ashford launches third crime novel, Death Studies Honno novelist, Lindsay Ashford, launched her third crime novel Death Studies at Ceredigion Museum on Friday.
An exhibition about Welsh birth, marriage and death rituals that was put on by the museum a few years ago provided inspiration for one of the key characters in the novel. Stuart Evans, an exhibition designer from the Museum introduced the launch.
He suggested that Lindsay was not unusual to become inspired in this way - many writers and artists find museums a great source of inspiration for their work because the exhibits tell their own unusual stories. Two of the artefacts, a small funeral bier and a Victorian child's mourning gown, are featured in the novel and are now on display at the museum again.
Lindsay read some passages from the novel and described how her research for the book had put her in touch with many unusual people. One of those, Professor David Whittaker is a world expert in forensic dentistry and worked as a forensic expert in the Cromwell Street murders. He gave her many valuable details about how a bite mark on a body may be used to identify the attacker.
Death Studies is set in Borth and Aberystwyth and begins with a body being discovered in Borth bog by an archaeologist. The bog has preserved the body so he can't tell how ancient or recent it is. Megan Rhys is holidaying at her grandmother's cottage in Borth but gets dragged into the enquiry as the deaths begin to mount.
Lindsay was also celebrating the success of her second novel, Strange Blood, which was shortlisted for the prestigious Theakston's crime award this year alongside books by Ian Rankin and Val McDermid.
Also attending the launch was Annette Lee, an author herself, who has a character in the novel named after her. She won the prize of getting her name in print in a Honno prize draw in 2005.
Lindsay has been commissioned by Honno press to write a fourth novel in the series which will be published in 2007.
Valleys pioneer's story is retold Euro MP Glenys Kinnock, descendants of Elizabeth Andrews and many women and men from around Wales celebrated the extraordinary life and work of Elizabeth Andrews at the launch of her autobiography and political writings at the Senedd in Cardiff on Friday. (Picture shows Glenys with Elizabeth's descendants at the launch.)
Glenys Kinnock has spent many years campaigning passionately for this, largely forgotten, Victorian Welsh pioneer of women's rights to get the recognition she deserves.
Speaking at the launch she described some of her achievements: “She fought for women's rights … she fought for pithead baths which transformed women's lives in the south Wales valleys. She set up the first nursery schools in Wales, the first branch of the Co-op's women's Guilds… [She] was at the vanguard of so much but you can't ever see a picture of her.”
The launch was hosted by Leighton Andrews, AM for the Rhondda, who spoke of the legacy of women's activism that Elizabeth Andrews had left in the Rhondda and how that energy and passion continues there today.
Ursula Masson, the book's editor, also spoke of the importance of the book in giving us a rare first-hand account, from a woman's point of view, of childhood and family life in the Rhondda in the early 1900s.
Andrews' memoir, A Woman's Work is Never Done was first published in 1957. This new edition, published by Honno, the Welsh women's press, has been expanded to include many articles that Andrews' wrote in the heat of events and that were published in journals of the time.
Lindsay Ashford, publishing manager at Honno, comments “We are very proud to have played a part in recognising the achievements of this important woman. We've always felt that part of our role is to help record the experiences of Welsh women which are so often forgotten or overlooked.” Book details More about this story
Prize line-ups for Honno author Aberystwyth-based Honno Press and author, Kitty Sewell, are celebrating again as the thriller novel Ice Trap is shortlisted for a second award in two months.
In May it was announced Kitty's thriller novel Ice Trap was on the shortlist for the Wales Book of the Year Award and in June it was shortlisted for the Crime Writer's Association New Blood Award for first novels.
Kitty Sewell wrote Ice Trap while studying creative writing at Swansea University. Her talent was recognised immediately by her tutor Stevie Davies who helped launch the book at the Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea in October 2004.
Ice Trap is set in both Cardiff and the Canadian Arctic. Doctor Dafydd Woodruff life is blown apart by the arrival of unexpected news. It puts his marriage in jeopardy and threatens his medical career. In an effort to make sense of the impossible he takes a flight back to the sub-Arctic Canadian wilderness to confront the demons he thought he'd left behind years ago. Book details More about this story
The Jaws of Death - Honno gets its teeth into crime at this year's Guardian Hay Festival "Some say there's a novel in all of us. Do you think there's a murder in all of us too?" This was one of the questions posed to the panel of crime novelists at the event organised by Honno at this year's Hay festival - "The Jaws of Death " - which explored the sources of a crime writer's inspiration.
Hosted by crime writer Lindsay Ashford, the panel featured top forensic dentist Professor David Whittaker, crime novelist Katherine John (By Any Name - Accent Press 2006), and debut novelist Rachel V Knox, reading from her psychological thriller Girl on The Edge (published by Honno, May 2006).
A packed audience watched with horrified fascination as a remarkably cheerful Professor David Whittaker offered us an illustrated talk demonstrating some of his work. Having played a key role in solving the the Cromwell Street murders, his expertise has been called on in cases all over the world, as well as identifying victims of natural disasters including, most recently, the Asian Tsunami.
It was Professor Whittaker's work which inspired Lindsay Ashford's latest novel, Death Studies, to be published by Honno in July 2006. The panel at Hay was the first time they had met and the first time the Professor had listened to any of the novel being read. After listening to a particularly detailed account of a forensic dentist at work from Ashford's novel, followed by readings from the two other writers, the audience were keen to know how any of them managed to switch off.
For Professor Whittaker, switching off was a necessity "You have to build Chinese walls around yourself". For Ashford, she said it didn't seem hard to switch off from most of the grisly goings on in her novels, but she couldn't face reading or writing anything which involved children in criminal cases: "We all have our limits…and that is mine".
And what about scaring themselves with their own writing? Katherine John remembered here how she and her husband were just about to buy a 12th century house on the Gower - but had to pull out at the last minute because she'd scared herself to death with a short story she wrote after they'd been round to view the property.
The only event at this year's festival devoted to crime writing and the inspiration for writers of crime novels and psychological thrillers, "The Jaws of Death" was a great success. It followed an earlier success for Honno earlier in the week when the Academi announced the shortlist for this year's Wales Book of the Year. Honno author Kitty Sewell was among the three English Language titles shortlisted for this prestigious award in Welsh literature, with her first novel Ice Trap.
SMALL WELSH PRESS TAKES ON PUBLISHING GIANTS Aberystwyth-based Honno Press is taking on London publishing giants following the announcement of one of Britain's top crime awards. Borth author Lindsay Ashford has been selected alongside some of the UK's bestselling crime novelists to be on the longlist for the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year.
Marketing Manager Nicola Craddock said: 'Honno is the only small press to feature on the longlist - all the other books are by big London publishing houses - so it's a great boost for us. We hope that everyone in the area who has read and enjoyed 'Strange Blood' will help get Lindsay onto the shortlist.'
Her novel, 'Strange Blood' is among twenty books - by authors such as Ian Rankin, Val McDermid and Lynda La Plante - which have been nominated as the best crime novels from British authors published in 2005.
'I'm absolutely thrilled that 'Strange Blood' has been chosen,' Lindsay said. 'I didn't even know I was in the running, so it was a wonderful surprise when I found out. To be on a list that includes big names like Ian Rankin is a real honour.'
'Strange Blood' is the second in the series of novels about forensic psychologist Megan Rhys. Megan is trying to solve the ritual killing of a woman found with a pentagram carved on her face, but has to fight every step of the way to get her voice heard. And as she argues with her boss, the press, the police and her family, more women die.
Honno is bringing out her third novel in the series, 'Death Studies' - set in and around Borth - in July.
The Theakston's Award, which is run in conjunction with the Ottakars bookshop chain, is the first award of its type that gives readers a say in who wins. Members of the public can vote for their favourite author by picking up voting slips from any Ottakars branch or by voting online at www.ottakars.co.uk (direct link from 'More about this story' button below). The deadline for votes is May 31 2006.
Book details More about this story
|
01970 623150