the Rhys Davies Short Story Conference

www.rhysdaviestrust.org

the Rhys Davies Trust

The Rhys Davies Trust was founded in 1991 by Meic Stephens, with funds generously provided by Lewis Davies, brother of Rhys Davies (1901-78). The Trust is a registered charity whose objectives are to promote the writer’s work and foster Welsh writing in English, especially in the valleys of south Wales and in the genres in which Rhys Davies wrote.

On the death of Lewis Davies, the last surviving member of his family, in December 2011, the Trust was left his entire estate and is now able to build on current projects in addition to planning new and more ambitious

schemes. Further funding has been awarded to Literature Wales to boost the profile of the Rhys Davies Short Story Competition in 2014, and to develop outreach activity as part of the South Wales Literature Initiative. Meic Stephens’ new biography, Rhys Davies: A Writer’s Life; support for the Wales Arts Review; and the creation of this Short Story Conference are just a few more examples of the Trust’s work.

The Trustees: Professor Dai Smith (Chair), Dr Meic Stephens (Secretary), Peter Finch and Dr Sam Adams.

the Rhys Davies Short Story Conference

From the history of the short story form in Wales and its context in the wider international literary scene to the marketability of short story anthologies, this dedicated conference is designed to appeal to readers, writers and academics alike.

Taking the reputation of one of Wales’ most renowned short story writers as a starting point, it provides an opportunity to enjoy the craft of the short story at its best and presents a wide-ranging, high-profile programme of talks, panel sessions, masterclasses and performances all centred on the short story form, both modern and traditional.

The Rhys Davies Short Story Conference is a great opportunity to showcase Welsh writing on a national stage. The weekend will aim to inspire and encourage more writers to experiment with the short story form and, who knows, it may even bring forth the next Rhys Davies.

Rhys Davies (1901 – 1978) was among the most dedicated, prolific, and accomplished of Welsh prose-writers in English. He was born in Blaenclydach, near Tonypandy in the Rhondda, the son of parents

who kept a grocer’s shop. With unswerving devotion and scant regard for commercial success, he practised the writer’s craft for some fifty years, in both the short story and the novel form, publishing in his lifetime a substantial body of work on which his literary reputation now firmly rests. He wrote, in all, more than a hundred stories, twenty novels, three novellas, two topographical books about Wales, two plays, and an autobiography in which he set down, obliquely and in code, the little he wanted the world to know about him.

In 1967 he won an Edgar, a prize awarded by the Mystery Writers of America, for a collection of stories, The Chosen One (1967), and in 1968 he was admitted to the Order of the British Empire. In 1971 Rhys Davies was given the Welsh Arts Council’s principal prize for his distinguished contribution to the literature of Wales.

time & place event

4.00 – 6.00 pm Fulton House Foyer

Delegate Registration and Check-In

6.00 – 6.50 pm Café West, Fulton House

Welcome

Chair of the Rhys Davies Trust, Professor Dai Smith, and Vice-Chancellor of Swansea University, Professor Richard B. Davies, will officially open the conference at this welcome wine reception which also features the launch of Meic Stephens’ new book Rhys Davies: A Writer’s Life (Parthian Books).

7.00 – 8.00 pmFulton House Refectory

Dinner

8.15 – 9.20 pm Taliesin Arts Centre

Silverglass - a new play by D.J. Britton

The master-craftsman of Welsh fiction, Rhys Davies combined pin-point observation of Valleys life with a twinkling sense of comedy. His long-term friend Anna Kavan wrote dark and troubled novels described by J.G. Ballard as “somewhere between poetry and madness”. Each lived a life of self-invention, in which secrets, sexuality and deep questions of personal identity lurked constantly in the shadows. D.J. Britton’s high-energy play is set in the late 1960s when Rhys Davies’ late literary recognition and Anna Kavan’s final tragedy came together like a thunderclap.

The play, about the mysterious and electric friendship between Rhys Davies and Anna Kavan, is an emotional roller-coaster for BAFTA Cymru-winning actors Richard Elfyn and Eiry Thomas.

Richard Elfyn teams up with Britton again following their hugely successful Lloyd George stage-play The Wizard the Goat and the Man Who Won the War. Eiry Thomas, fresh from filming The Indian Doctor (BBC1) and Hinterland (S4C/BBC4), worked with Britton on his recent version of Measure for Measure for Sherman Cymru.

Silverglass is presented by Theatr Cadair in association with The Rhys Davies Trust and Literature Wales and is supported by National Theatre Wales. Note: Silverglass is suitable for age 16 and over.

Followed by a short post-show discussion.

Timetable for Friday

time & place event

4.00 – 6.00 pm Fulton House Foyer

Delegate Registration and Check-In

6.00 – 6.50 pm Café West, Fulton House

Welcome

Chair of the Rhys Davies Trust, Professor Dai Smith, and Vice-Chancellor of Swansea University, Professor Richard B. Davies, will officially open the conference at this welcome wine reception which also features the launch of Meic Stephens’ new book Rhys Davies: A Writer’s Life (Parthian Books).

7.00 – 8.00 pmFulton House Refectory

Dinner

8.15 – 9.20 pm Taliesin Arts Centre

Silverglass - a new play by D.J. Britton

The master-craftsman of Welsh fiction, Rhys Davies combined pin-point observation of Valleys life with a twinkling sense of comedy. His long-term friend Anna Kavan wrote dark and troubled novels described by J.G. Ballard as “somewhere between poetry and madness”. Each lived a life of self-invention, in which secrets, sexuality and deep questions of personal identity lurked constantly in the shadows. D.J. Britton’s high-energy play is set in the late 1960s when Rhys Davies’ late literary recognition and Anna Kavan’s final tragedy came together like a thunderclap.

The play, about the mysterious and electric friendship between Rhys Davies and Anna Kavan, is an emotional roller-coaster for BAFTA Cymru-winning actors Richard Elfyn and Eiry Thomas.

Richard Elfyn teams up with Britton again following their hugely successful Lloyd George stage-play The Wizard the Goat and the Man Who Won the War. Eiry Thomas, fresh from filming The Indian Doctor (BBC1) and Hinterland (S4C/BBC4), worked with Britton on his recent version of Measure for Measure for Sherman Cymru.

Silverglass is presented by Theatr Cadair in association with The Rhys Davies Trust and Literature Wales and is supported by National Theatre Wales. Note: Silverglass is suitable for age 16 and over.

Followed by a short post-show discussion.

Timetable for Saturday

time & place event

9.45 – 11.00 am Faraday Building

Rhys Davies and the Welsh Short Story

Join cultural historian Professor Dai Smith, Dylan Thomas Prize-winner Rachel Trezise, and Professor of English at Bangor University, Tony Brown, as they explore the traditional and contemporary scene for the short story in Wales and its place on the international stage. Chaired by multi-award winning author Jon Gower.

11.00 – 11.30 am Tea / Coffee Break

11.30 – 1.00 pmFaraday Building

Delegates may choose from one of the following three breakout sessions:

Session One – Reading and Short Story Masterclass with Tessa HadleyTessa Hadley has written five novels, two collections of short stories and regularly has stories published in the The New Yorker. This is a great opportunity to hear Tessa read her work, and to take part in a short story writing masterclass from the Bath Spa University lecturer. Open to writers of all levels and abilities.

Session Two - How to win the Rhys Davies Competition and other stories Prize-winning authors Sian Preece and Craig Hawes on why they write for competitions. The event includes a live competition and the chance to win a set of the forthcoming Library of Wales collections Story I and Story II, edited by Dai Smith. Chaired by Parthian Books editor Susie Wild.

Session Three - A Few Selected Entrances: Gwyn Thomas @ 100This session, organised by Professor Daniel G. Williams of the Centre for Research into the English Literature and Language of Wales, Swansea University, draws together several leading critics and historians to offer new readings of the short stories of Gwyn Thomas (1913 - 1981) on the centenary of his birth. Characterised by social criticism, acerbic commentary and a humour that ranges from the macabre to the raucous, Thomas’s stories continue to delight readers and fascinate critics. Daniel will be joined for this event by Professor Tony Brown and Sarah Morse.

Timetable for Saturday

time & place event

1.00 – 2.15 pm Fulton House Refectory

Lunch

2.15 – 3.30 pm Faraday Building

The Country Girl

Edna O’Brien’s debut novel The Country Girls, published in 1960, caused great outrage and was banned on publication; undeterred, O’Brien continued to write and has since created a hugely acclaimed body of work, which includes numerous short story collections. Edna will discuss her work with critic, journalist and broadcaster Alex Clark.

3.30 – 4.00 pm Tea / Coffee Break

4.00 – 4.45 pm Faraday Building

Will Self

Will Self is a prolific author who has many novels, short story collections and books of non-fiction to his name. Umbrella (Bloomsbury), his most recent novel, was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2012. He will read one of his works of short fiction in full and talk about his work.

5.00 – 6.00 pm Faraday Building

How relevant is the short story in 2013?

Our esteemed panel - including authors Will Self, Claire Keegan and Cynan Jones and literary critic Alex Clark - will look at the marketability and appeal of short story collections and what the future may hold, both in print and digital, for this often misunderstood genre. Chaired by Wales Arts Review editor and co-founder Gary Raymond.

7.00 – 8.30 pm Café West, Fulton House

Gala Dinner

8.30 – 9.00 pm Café West, Fulton House

A Life of Stories: Reflections from the Front at Yalta

Put your feet up, fill your glass and enjoy an entertaining after-dinner speech from author and Dylan Thomas Prize founder Peter Stead.

9.30 – 10.30 pm Fulton House Bar

Late Night Readings

Timetable for Sunday

time & place event

9.30 - 10.45 am Faraday Building

Locating Literature

Claire Keegan hails from the east coast of Ireland, and studied literature in New Orleans. Shena Mackay was born in Edinburgh and now lives on the south coast of England. Jon Gower lives in Wales’ multilingual capital city, and is known for both his Welsh and English language writing. Join our panel for an exploration of place, dialect and location in the short story.

10.45 - 11.15 am Tea / Coffee Break

11.15 - 12.30 pm Faraday Building Delegates may choose from one of the following two breakout sessions:

Session One - The Long and Short of it How does writing a short story compare with writing a novel? With Cynan Jones and Shena Mackay.

Session Two - Short Story Creative Writing Workshop Hone your writing skills and discover the DOs and DON’Ts of short story writing. With Swansea University Creative Writing Tutor Anne Lauppe-Dunbar. Open to writers of all levels and abilities.

12.30 - 1.30 pm Faraday Building

Summing-up

After a packed weekend of talks, workshops and discussions, Jon Gower will attempt to pull the threads together and tie up our unfinished thoughts in this final panel event. Join in the debate as the discussion is thrown open to the floor.

Programme and times subject to change.

Biographies

Alex Clark Alex Clark is a critic, journalist and broadcaster who lives in London. She is Senior Editor of the London Evening Standard’s ES Magazine and also writes for the Guardian, the Observer and The Times Literary Supplement. She has judged

many literary awards, including the 2008 Man Booker prize, regularly chairs live events and appears on the radio. She is also editor at large of Union Books.

Tessa Hadley Tessa Hadley has written five novels including The Master Bedroom (2008) and The London Train (2012, both Random House) and two collections of short stories. Her latest novel, Clever Girl (Random House, 2013), was

published in May this year. She publishes stories regularly in the The New Yorker, reviews for the London Review of Books and The Guardian, and teaches at Bath Spa University.

D.J. Britton D.J. Britton is an award-winning dramatist, director and dramaturg. His stage play, The Wizard the Goat and the Man Who Won the War, was shortlisted for three Wales Theatre Awards this year. A former head of the Australian

Broadcasting Corporation’s radio drama department, his work features extensively on the BBC and in theatres internationally. He is also an Associate Professor at Swansea University.

Tony Brown Tony Brown is Professor of English and Co-director of the R.S. Thomas Research Centre at Bangor University. He is the founder-editor of Welsh Writing in English: A Yearbook of Critical Essays (1995-2007). His most recent

publication is R.S. Thomas: Uncollected Poems (Bloodaxe, 2013), which he co-edited with Jason Walford Davies. He is at present completing a monograph on the English-language short story in Wales.

Jon Gower Jon Gower has written three collections of short stories. A former BBC correspondent, his other books include the novel Y Storïwr (2011), which won the Wales Book of the Year award in 2012, An Island Called Smith (2001, both Gomer

Press), which won the John Morgan travel writing prize and The Story of Wales (Random House, 2013) which accompanied a landmark BBC history series. He is currently writing an account of the Welsh overseas adventure in Patagonia.

Biographies

Claire Keegan Claire Keegan studied Literature and Politics at Loyola University, New Orleans, and earned an MA at the University of Wales and an MPhil at Trinity College, Dublin. Her debut, Antarctica (Grove Press, 2002) was a Los Angeles Times

Book of the Year. Walk the Blue Fields (Faber, 2007) won The Edge Hill Prize and Foster (Faber & Faber, 2010) won The Davy Byrnes Award. A member of Aosdána, Keegan now lives on the Wexford coast.

Cynan Jones Cynan Jones was born in Wales. His first novel The Long Dry (Parthian, 2006) won a Betty Trask Award. His short story ‘The Dig’ was shortlisted for the 2013 Sunday Times EFG Private Bank

Short Story Award, winning the readers’ vote. His next novel - also The Dig - will be published in 2014.

Craig HawesCraig Hawes grew up in Briton Ferry, south Wales. He has worked as a journalist in London and Dubai, where he currently lives. He was shortlisted for the Bristol Short Story Prize 2009, runner-up in the Rhys Davies Short Story

Competition 2010, and placed third in the Yeovil Short Story Prize 2010. Craig’s short stories have appeared in several publications and he has also had stories and an afternoon play broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

Shena Mackay Shena Mackay was born in Edinburgh. Her first two novellas were published in 1964 and she has since published 8 novels, 6 collections of short stories and edited two anthologies. Her latest book is The Atmospheric Railway: New and

Selected Stories (Random House, 2011). She has experience of judging and has been shortlisted for major literary prizes. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Anne Lauppe-DunbarAnne Lauppe-Dunbar is a lecturer in Creative Writing at Swansea University. Her PhD novel-thriller, Dark Mermaids, tells the story of the doping scandal in the Former German Democratic Republic and was shortlisted for the

Impress Prize in 2012. Her stories have been published in Sing Sorrow Sorrow (Seren), First Edition Magazine, The View from Here, Islet Magazine, The Swansea Review and Bristol Flash Fiction.

Will Self Will Self is the author of many novels and books of non-fiction, including How the Dead Live (Grove Press, 2001), which was shortlisted for the Whitbread Novel of the Year 2002 and The Butt (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2008), winner of the

Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction 2008. Umbrella (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012), his most recent novel, was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2012. He lives in South London.

Sarah Morse Sarah Morse completed her PhD on the significance of landscape in the work of Gwyn Thomas and Ron Berry at CREW, Swansea University, and remains a research associate at the

Centre. Writing Place: On-going Compositions of Plot, co-authored with Dr Jon Anderson, Cardiff University, will be published in 2014. Sarah is an Executive Officer at the Learned Society of Wales.

Biographies

Siân PreeceSiân Preece was born in Neath and has lived in Canada, France and Scotland. Her first story collection, From the Life (2000), was published by Edinburgh publisher Polygon. Her story Getting Up won first prize in the 2009 Rhys

Davies Short Story Competition. She has been a newspaper columnist and reviewer, and produces stories and book abridgements for Radio 4. Now based in Cardiff, she is currently working on a novel.

Edna O’BrienEdna O’Brien’s debut novel The Country Girls (Faber & Faber, 2011), published in 1960, caused great outrage and was banned on publication. Undeterred, O’Brien continued to write and has since created a hugely acclaimed body of work.

She is the recipient of the Irish Pen Lifetime Achievement Award, the American National Art’s Gold Medal and the Ulysses Medal. Born in Ireland, she has lived in London for many years.

Gary RaymondGary Raymond is a writer, critic and academic. As well as being senior editor of Wales Arts Review and Wales’ theatre critic for The Arts Desk, he is a broadcaster, playwright and a widely published writer of fiction and non-fiction. His latest book

is an introduction to the life, work and legacy of J.R.R. Tolkien (Ivy Press). Gary Raymond also lectures in English and Creative Writing at the University of South Wales.

Biographies

Meic Stephens Meic Stephens was the Literature Director of the Welsh Arts Council for 23 years. In 2000, he was given a chair as Professor of Welsh Writing in English at the University of Glamorgan. He is the author, editor and translator of

approximately 170 books, anthologies and reference books, including The New Companion to the Literature of Wales (1998) and the Writers of Wales series (both University of Wales Press).

Dai SmithProfessor Dai Smith is the Raymond Williams Chair in Cultural History within CREW, Swansea University. He has written extensively about modern Wales, including Aneurin Bevan and the World of South Wales (1993) and In the Frame:

Memory in Society (2010). He is Series Editor of the Library of Wales and Chair of both the Rhys Davies Trust and the Arts Council of Wales. His debut novel, Dream On, was published by Parthian this year.

Peter SteadPeter Stead is a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales and a Visiting Professor at the University of South Wales. He taught History at Swansea University for thirty years interrupted by Fulbright Fellowships in Massachusetts and

North Carolina. He has written books on Denis Potter, Richard Burton, Film and the Working Class and Welsh actors. He founded the Dylan Thomas Prize for young writers.

Daniel G. Williams Daniel G. Williams is Professor of English Literature and Director of the Richard Burton Centre for the Study of Wales at Swansea University. He co-edits the CREW series of monographs Writing Wales in English (University

of Wales Press) and his most recent publication is Black Skin, Blue Books: African Americans and Wales (UWP, 2012). He is also a saxophonist with the jazz-folk sextet ‘Burum’.

Rachel Trezise Rachel Trezise was born in the Rhondda Valley. Her debut novel In and Out of the Goldfish Bowl (2008) won a place on the Orange Futures List in 2001 and her short fiction collection Fresh Apples (2007, both Text Publishing Company) won the

Dylan Thomas Prize in 2006. Her most recent books are a novel, Sixteen Shades of Crazy (Harper Collins, 2010) and a short fiction collection, Cosmic Latte (Parthian Books, 2013).

The Rhys Davies Short Story Conference is organised by The Rhys Davies Trust, in partnership with Literature Wales, Crew and Swansea University.