The Romani Cultural and Arts Company’s trailblazing new creative writing project ‘Gypsy Writers’ kicked off in September 2023. Supported by the Book Council of Wales, this ground-breaking literary initiative will develop new writing by Gypsy, Roma and Traveller writers currently living in Wales.
An extension to the Romani Cultural and Arts Company’s highly successful ‘Gypsy Maker’ programme, we are delighted to announce the four currently unpublished Gypsy, Roma or Traveller writers who have been selected for this competitive mentoring programme are:
Allison Hulmes
Daniel Turner
Ivan Horvath
Fabian Hovath
‘Gypsy Writers’ will nourish the rich talent in Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities and bring exciting, marginalised voices to the attention of the publishing industry. We are pleased to announce our project mentor is Dr Jo Clement, an award-winning writer, publisher and lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Northumbria.
Dr Jo Clement said “I am delighted to join the Romani Cultural and Arts Company as its ‘Gypsy Writers’ mentor, delivering a nourishing and ambitious plan to develop new writing by these talented emerging Gypsy, Roma and Traveller authors. This is an exciting time for new perspectives in literature and I look forward to working closely with each writer to develop their unique voice and find out their take on the world. Discovering the subjects that compel a writer to write, honing literary expression and steering writers toward publication is one of the greatest joys of my life”.
Anest Williams from the Book Council of Wales said: “We are pleased to be able to fund the ‘Gypsy Writers’ literature project, one of many important projects funded by the New Audiences grant this year. We hope that this funding will assist in providing a platform for the voices of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller writers, and we look forward to reading the outcome of this much-needed work.”