Creative writing competition, run by RCT Council

LOCAL writers and poets are invited to submit their original works for inclusion in a brand-new anthology of poems and short stories.

The creative writing competition, run by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Library Service, is open to all ages and residents of the County Borough. There is no restriction on the subject matter, although all short stories should be no longer than 2,000 words.

All entries should be submitted in an electronic format, if possible, as all poems and short stories will be reproduced as they are submitted.

Postal entries can also be sent to Richard Reed, Treorchy Library, Station Road, Treorchy, CF42 6UD.

Entries can be in either English or Welsh or in both languages. The closing date for entries is Monday, May 31.

The Council’s planned Creative Writing Anthology last year was postponed due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, but all entries received last year will be eligible for inclusion in the 2021 edition.

Councillor Rhys Lewis, Cabinet Member for Stronger Communities, Well-Being and Cultural Services, with responsibility for Libraries, said:

“I am delighted that the Creative Writing Anthology is able to return this year as it is a wonderful platform for our writers and poets to show off their talents to a wider audience.

“We have a wealth of talent in our County Borough and have produced many successful writers over the years, one the most high profile, of course, being the late Elaine Morgan OBE.

“Despite the difficult circumstances, I am pleased to see that the Council is able to provide opportunities for grassroots writers to get their works published and I look forward to seeing the entries being submitted for the 2021 anthology.”

Elaine Morgan OBE, of Caegarw, Mountain Ash, was the author of several books on evolutionary anthropology, especially the aquatic ape hypothesis. Her books include The Descent of Woman (1972), The Aquatic Ape (1982), and The Naked Darwinist (2008).

Elaine Morgan OBE, who was granted the Freedom of Rhondda Cynon Taf in 2013, died three months later at the age of 92.