Join us for a short week to explore and write about Wales, as a subject, a springboard and everything in between. We’ll be reading, writing and exploring plenty too, taking walks and excursions in the beautiful surroundings of Gwynedd. Along the way we’ll be joined by at least one local expert, and will observe wildlife, geography and the environment. We’ll be chewing over Welsh history, its myths and legends, literature, politics, place in the world and more. A varied course suited for writers interested mainly in creative non-fiction, although you’ll be encouraged to write in any genre and form you wish.

This course will be run through the medium of English, but both Angharad and Mike are fluent Welsh speakers and will be happy to discuss your work in either language.

Tutors Mike Parker & Angharad Wynne

Mike Parker is the author of more than a dozen books, from travel guides such as the first five editions of the Rough Guide to Wales (Rough Guides, 2000) to popular narratives around place, politics, history and identity, including the bestselling Map Addict (Collins, 2009) and its acclaimed follow-up The Wild Rover (Collins, 2011). His cult Neighbours from Hell? (Y Lolfa, 2007) is a polemic about English attitudes to the Welsh, a subject dear to his heart, as Mike grew up in Worcestershire and moved to Wales in 2000. His latest book, On the Red Hill (William Heinemann, 2019) is a passionate evocation of the mid Wales landscape, framed in the search for the queer rural. He has written and presented television travelogues for ITV Wales, and various series for radio, and occasionally performs as a stand-up comedian and actor. www.mikeparker.org.uk

Angharad Wynne

Angharad Wynne is a writer and storyteller. Raised on the stories, songs and history of her native Wales, she developed a love of the land and the stories hidden within it. On adventures all over the world she has immersed herself in history, language and archaeology. Angharad has worked with communities across the UK and as far afield as India to unearth their local stories, histories and folklore and support them to re-connect authentically and creatively with their place. It has inspired the creation of Dreaming the Land, a series of annual mythological and archaeological pilgrimages across the Britain’s landscapes, and a series of annual retreats exploring Britain’s ‘dream’ and the song lines that run across the land.