Seren Books

Seren Books is the trading name and principal publishing imprint of Poetry Wales Press, an independent publisher based in Wales. Its central cultural mission is to publish and promote English-language writing connected with Wales, while also maintaining broader lists in literary fiction, poetry, biography, literary criticism and non-fiction. The name Seren comes from the Welsh word for “star,” and the imprint has become closely associated with the development and international presentation of Welsh writing in English. The press was established in 1981 by Cary Archard, a teacher who was then editing the quarterly magazine Poetry Wales. Archard initially created the publishing operation to issue poetry collections, encourage younger Welsh poets writing in English and return important out-of-print works to circulation. The earliest books included collections by Mike Jenkins and Nigel Jenkins, a retrospective volume relating to Dannie Abse and works of literary criticism. The operation began modestly, with publishing activity conducted from Archard’s home in Bridgend and, for a period, an office at the home of poet Dannie Abse in Ogmore by Sea. A major early turning point came in 1982, when Poetry Wales Press received a block grant from the Arts Council of Wales. This support allowed the press to establish an office in Bridgend and appoint a full-time manager, Mick Felton. The grant was later administered through the Welsh Books Council and reassessed annually. In 1985, the Seren imprint was introduced for non-poetry publications; from 1989, Seren became the imprint used across the publisher’s list. The press subsequently expanded beyond poetry into novels, biographies, essays, literary studies and other forms of Welsh cultural writing. Seren has published writers including Dannie Abse, Kathryn Gray, Pascale Petit, Sheenagh Pugh, Carol Rumens, Owen Sheers, Richard Collins, Lloyd Jones, Patrick McGuinness, Catherine Fisher, Francesca Rhydderch and Katherine Stansfield. Its list has included award-recognised books, such as Richard Collins’s debut novel The Land as Viewed from the Sea, Lloyd Jones’s Mr Cassini and Patrick McGuinness’s The Last Hundred Days. It has also supported literary recovery through a classics programme devoted to writers such as Rhys Davies, Caradoc Evans, Margiad Evans and Gwyn Thomas, whose earlier books were originally published by English companies. Alongside original writing, Seren has developed projects that reinterpret Welsh literary and mythological traditions. One such strand has invited contemporary authors to recreate the Mabinogion in modern settings. Its non-fiction programme has increasingly focused on experiential and place-based accounts of Wales, with subjects including nature, myth, folklore, history and Welsh true crime. Its contemporary fiction list has been described as including Welsh Gothic and writing concerned with present-day Welsh lives. Seren also publishes Poetry Wales, maintaining a connection with the literary magazine that helped give rise to the press. The publisher has operated as a small specialist press rather than a mass-market house. In 2011 it issued approximately 20 to 25 titles annually; its current programme has been described as approximately 15 titles per year, in addition to Poetry Wales. Seren also ran the Seren Cardiff Poetry Festival from 2018 to 2021, with the 2021 edition moving online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mick Felton retired as publisher in 2023. Bronwen Price became chief executive and head of editorial and production in 2024, with Sarah Johnson serving as deputy chief executive and head of marketing and sales. Rhian Edwards and Zoë Brigley became poetry co-editors after Amy Wack’s departure from the editorial role in 2022. Critics and writers have positioned Seren among the leading publishers of English-language writing in Wales. Academic Lisa Sheppard has argued that Seren, alongside Parthian and Cinnamon Press, has helped illuminate the hist…

Seren Books originated in the Welsh literary magazine Poetry Wales. In 1981, Cary Archard, a teacher and the magazine’s editor, established a publishing operation to issue poetry collections and strengthen the position of English-language Welsh writing. His programme had two related aims: to give younger Welsh poets opportunities to publish and to make significant but unavailable works useful again to readers, teachers and students. The early list included books by Mike Jenkins and Nigel Jenkins, a retrospective collection associated with Dannie Abse and literary criticism. Publishing was initially managed from Archard’s home in Bridgend, with an early office later operating from Dannie Abse’s house in Ogmore by Sea. The press gained institutional stability in 1982 when it received a block grant from the Arts Council of Wales. This was reported as the first grant of its type for the organisation and enabled the establishment of an office in Bridgend and the appointment of Mick Felton as full-time manager. Financial support was subsequently provided through the Welsh Books Council and reviewed annually. Although poetry remained central, the publisher gradually widened its programme to include fiction, biography, literary criticism and non-fiction. The Seren name was introduced in 1985 for books outside poetry. From 1989 onward, Seren was used as the imprint for the complete publishing programme, while the corporate identity remained associated with Poetry Wales Press. The name reflects the Welsh word for “star.” The publisher also continued its relationship with Poetry Wales magazine, which became an important part of its identity and literary network. Cary Archard remained manager until retiring in 1996, after which Mick Felton led the organisation. Its board and wider governance included prominent figures from Welsh literature and academia, including Dannie Abse, who joined the board in 1989, academic M. Wynn Thomas, who served from 1993 to 2003, and writer Patrick McGuinness, who joined in 2004. Author Rachel Dawson was also associated with the board. The press’s catalogue developed a strong reputation for poetry while extending into literary novels, biographies, essays and culturally focused non-fiction. Seren’s fiction and poetry lists have included writers such as Dannie Abse, Kathryn Gray, Pascale Petit, Sheenagh Pugh, Carol Rumens, Owen Sheers, Richard Collins, Lloyd Jones, Patrick McGuinness, Catherine Fisher, Francesca Rhydderch and Katherine Stansfield. Several books connected with the press have been recognised by major literary awards or shortlists. The publisher has also pursued literary recovery, issuing a classics series devoted to writers including Rhys Davies, Caradoc Evans, Margiad Evans and Gwyn Thomas. These books helped return works that had first appeared through English publishers to a more visible place within Welsh literary culture. Another strand of the programme has asked contemporary authors, including Fflur Dafydd, Lloyd Jones and Gwyneth Lewis, to rework stories from the Mabinogion in new settings. This approach reflects Seren’s broader interest in combining contemporary literary practice with Welsh mythology and cultural memory. In later years, the non-fiction list concentrated on experiential and place-based explorations of Wales, particularly nature, folklore, myth, history and Welsh true crime. The fiction list has been described as including Welsh Gothic and writing that addresses contemporary Welsh lives. By 2011, Seren was publishing approximately 20 to 25 titles annually. Its later programme has been described as approximately 15 titles a year, alongside Poetry Wales. From 2018 to 2021 it organised the Seren Cardiff Poetry Festival; the final edition was held online because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mick Felton retired as publisher in 2023, and Bronwen Price became chief executive and head of editorial and production in 2024. Sarah Johnson took the roles of deputy chief executive and head of marketing and sales. Rhian Edwards and Zoë Brigley became poetry co-editors in 2022, replacing Amy Wack in that editorial capacity. The press has been regarded by scholars and writers as one of the key institutions in English-language Welsh publishing. Lisa Sheppard has placed Seren among the foremost publishers of English-language writing in Wales and argued that it helps connect anglophone Welsh literature with the Welsh-language tradition. Dannie Abse described it as a vital element of the Welsh literary scene, while Owen Sheers viewed it as evidence of cultural strength and a means for Wales to articulate a voice. Seren’s continuing identity is that of a small, specialist independent press with a distinct Welsh cultural remit and a catalogue that reaches beyond Wales through English-language distribution.

1. 2025British Book Awards recognition

   Seren wins Small Press of the Year for Wales at the British Book Awards.

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2. 2024Bronwen Price becomes chief executive

   Bronwen Price is appointed chief executive and head of editorial and production.

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3. 2023Mick Felton retires

   Long-serving publisher Mick Felton retires from the press.

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4. 2022Poetry editorial team changes

   Rhian Edwards and Zoë Brigley become poetry co-editors, replacing Amy Wack.

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5. 2021Festival edition is held online

   The 2021 Seren Cardiff Poetry Festival moves online during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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6. 2018Seren Cardiff Poetry Festival begins

   Seren launches a poetry festival in Cardiff, which runs through 2021.

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7. 2011Seren marks three decades of publishing

   The press is described as publishing approximately 20 to 25 titles annually and as an important institution in Welsh literary culture.

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8. 1996Cary Archard retires as manager

   Archard leaves the management role and Mick Felton subsequently leads the press.

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9. 1989Seren becomes the universal publishing imprint

   The Seren imprint is adopted across the publisher’s catalogue.

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10. 1985Seren imprint is introduced

    The Seren name begins to be used for non-poetry publications.

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11. 1982Arts Council of Wales block grant supports expansion

    The press receives a block grant, opens an office in Bridgend and appoints Mick Felton as full-time manager.

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12. 1981Poetry Wales Press is founded

    Cary Archard establishes the press in connection with Poetry Wales to publish poetry and English-language writing from Wales.

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An independent, culturally focused Welsh publisher that champions English-language writing from Wales while connecting contemporary literature with Welsh history, landscape, folklore and literary heritage.

• Poetry collectionsPoetry1981

  Poetry is the historical core of Seren’s catalogue. The press publishes contemporary poets writing in and about Wales, alongside writers from wider English-language literary communities. Its list has included Dannie Abse, Kathryn Gray, Pascale Petit, Sheenagh Pugh, Carol Rumens, Owen Sheers and many other established and emerging poets. The programme is supported by the continuing publication of Poetry Wales magazine.

• Literary fictionFiction

  Seren publishes literary novels connected with Wales as well as fiction of broader relevance. Its fiction list includes contemporary writing about Welsh lives and a Welsh Gothic strand. Notable associated novelists include Richard Collins, Lloyd Jones, Patrick McGuinness, Catherine Fisher, Francesca Rhydderch and Katherine Stansfield.

• Seren ClassicsLiterary reissues

  The classics programme republishes important works by Welsh writers whose books were often first issued by English publishers. Authors associated with the series include Rhys Davies, Caradoc Evans, Margiad Evans and Gwyn Thomas. The project extends Seren’s original interest in recovering out-of-print writing for new readers, students and teachers.

• Mabinogion reinterpretationsMyth and literary adaptation

  Seren has commissioned contemporary authors to recreate stories from the Mabinogion in new settings. The project brings a foundational body of Welsh mythology into dialogue with modern fiction and demonstrates the press’s interest in connecting literary heritage with contemporary creative practice.

• Welsh place-based non-fictionNon-fiction

  The non-fiction list focuses on experiential accounts and investigations of Wales. Its subjects include landscape, nature, history, myth, folklore and Welsh true crime. These books reflect Seren’s position as a specialist publisher rooted in place and cultural identity rather than a general commercial non-fiction house.

• Poetry WalesLiterary magazine

  Poetry Wales is the quarterly literary magazine from which the publishing operation developed. It remains part of Seren’s publishing activity and provides an ongoing platform for poetry, criticism and discussion related to Welsh and international literary culture.

• 2018Seren Cardiff Poetry Festival

  Wales

  Seren launched and organised a poetry festival in Cardiff, creating a public events platform around poetry and the press’s literary network.

  Outcome. The festival ran through 2021; its final edition was delivered online during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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• 2024Appoint Bronwen Price as chief executiveOther

  Mick Felton retired as publisher after leading the press following Cary Archard’s management period.

  What changed. Bronwen Price became chief executive and head of editorial and production, with Sarah Johnson serving as deputy chief executive and head of marketing and sales.

  Aftermath. The appointments marked a new management phase while retaining Seren’s specialist Welsh literary remit.

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• 2021Move the Cardiff poetry festival onlineOther

  The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted in-person cultural events.

  What changed. Seren delivered the 2021 festival online.

  Aftermath. The online edition was the final reported edition of the Seren Cardiff Poetry Festival.

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• 1989Adopt Seren across the publishing listStrategy

  The imprint had initially been used only for books outside poetry.

  What changed. Seren became the imprint used for all publications.

  Aftermath. The unified imprint strengthened the association between the press and its broader programme of Welsh poetry, fiction and non-fiction.

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• 1985Introduce the Seren imprint for non-poetry booksStrategy

  The press began as Poetry Wales Press with a strong poetry focus but was expanding into other forms of literary publishing.

  What changed. It introduced Seren as the imprint for non-poetry publications.

  Aftermath. The Seren name was later extended across the complete catalogue and became the publisher’s primary public identity.

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• 2025Seren Books wins Wales Small Press of the Year

  Seren Books won the Wales category of Small Press of the Year at the British Book Awards.

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• 2024Seren Books appoints Bronwen Price as chief executive

  Bronwen Price was appointed chief executive and head of editorial and production after Mick Felton’s retirement as publisher.

  Leadership change
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• 2021Seren Cardiff Poetry Festival moves online

  The 2021 edition of the Seren Cardiff Poetry Festival was presented online because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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