Submissions are now invited for our annual Fiction Competition, The Frances Copping Memorial Prize 2025, named in fond remembrance of our Lifetime President who sadly passed away in 2020.

The competition is open to everyone, members of Hay Writers’ Circle and non-members too. Pieces of 500-1500 words on any fiction theme are accepted. Closing date for entries is Tuesday 6th January 2026. Prizes are awarded for first, second and third place.

This year we are delighted to announce that our judge is the wonderful Holly Müller.

Holly Müller is a writer and musician living in the Bannau Brycheiniog. Her short stories are published in Rarebit (Parthian Books, 2013) and New Welsh Fiction (Seren Books, 2015). Her debut novel My Own Dear Brother (Bloomsbury, 2016) was Waterstones’ Book of the Month and garnered positive reviews in the Guardian, Independent, Sunday Times, Sydney Morning Herald and other international press. Holly achieved a 1:1 in Creative and Professional Writing at the University of South Wales (USW), winning the departmental prize for best creative submission, and completed USW’s Creative Writing PhD. Holly has written for the Guardian Observer, Independent, Sunday Times, Glamour Mag, Writers and Artists Yearbook, as well as prominent online publications, namely Strand Magazine, Female First, Bookish, Business Line New Delhi, and Literary Hub. Holly has performed at Cheltenham, Hay, Laugharne and Cardiff Literature Festivals. Holly taught creative writing at USW and ran Ty Newydd Writing Centre courses with Kate Hamer, as well as workshops at schools and festivals, before having a family.

Holly’s Publications:
Novel:
My Own Dear Brother (Bloomsbury, 2016)

Short stories in anthologies:
Rarebit (Parthian Books, 2013) and New Welsh Fiction (Seren Books, 2015).

Please follow the guidelines listed on our COMPETITIONS page if you would like to enter.

You can contact writers4haycomp@gmail.com if you have any questions or queries. 

Click on the link below to download the entry form :

Good luck!

Poetry Workshop with Gareth Writer-Davies

On 21st October we met at Cusop Village Hall for a workshop with Gareth Writer-Davies, who kindly judged our last poetry competition. Gareth is a local poet who lives near the Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog). His notable achievements include –

Shortlisted Bridport Prize (2014, 2017, 2024),
Commended Prole Laureate
Competition (2015 & 2021) Prole Laureate (2017), Welsh Poetry
Competition Highly Commended (2017),
Winner, Wirral Festival Poetry Competition (2023),
Runner Up, Spelt Poetry Competition (2023).

Gareth gave us a very interesting and thought-provoking workshop. We discussed some poems which dealt with everyday life and then went on to write ourselves and to share our work. As a starting point we used William Stafford’s method for daily writing, which Gareth had introduced us to. Here it is, if you want to try it:

Get up early – if you can
Write the date
Write down an adage
Write 2 lines about what you did yesterday
Take a couple of minutes pause and the start to write your poem
No pressure; if nothing flows then lower your standards.

This produced varied contributions, although there was a slight emphasis on gardening.

Many thanks to Gareth – we all really enjoyed the afternoon.

The One Didn’t Get Away!

Recently, one of HWC managed to catch an absolutely superb wild Wye Salmon. To celebrate, here is the first act (prequel not included) inspired by that glorious event. Congratulations Nick!

“The one that didn’t get away” by Nick Thomas.

A one act play.

Featuring:

“Kipey” Henry, king of fish.

An oldish gentleman.

A rock, previous story refers.

A tree, ditto.

The Scene, a pool on the Wye, rock and tree face each other from opposite sides of the river.

Enter stage right, a salmon.

“Morning gentleman”, he says.

Tree grunts, Rock, who has seen it all before, ignores him.

“What’s up with him?” snorts Salmon.

“Oh, take no heed of him, he’s sulking about something that happened two hundred and four years ago”, says Tree.

“Oh”, says Salmon, “anyway let me introduce myself. I am Kipey Henry, an Atlantic salmon, king of fish. I’m just over 1 m long and weigh 26 pounds”.

“Well, well”, says Tree, “just passing through, are you?”

“Yes, but I must rest for a pesky otter, further downstream at the Turn Pool gave me such a fright, I’m lucky to be here at all.”

“Oh dear, rest there in the tail of the pool and wait for the water to rise in a few days’ time then you can continue your journey.”

“If you don’t mind me asking”, said the inquisitive Tree, “why Kipey?”

“Because of my large kipe, my lower jaw”, says Henry sticking out his lower jaw of which he was very proud.

And that was that, until:

Enter stage left, Nick, an elderly bearded gentleman. He is limping and using a stick but carrying a huge fishing rod. At least that’s what a lady taking her son to school just said as he unloaded it from his car.

“To catch a huge fish, hopefully”, he replied. Though, in truth he wasn’t very hopeful. For though the river was right and he had fished it proficiently for several days, casting well, not falling over, but to no avail.

He started casting at the head of the pool and moved slowly downstream going through the motions, but without a lot of hope.

He came out of the river, rounded a willow shrub, then continued towards the tail of the pool.

A decent cast swung round, he mended the line, then WHAM! Kipey had taken the fly, a red, black and yellow tube. Holy moly this woke the old bugger and Kipey up. Out of nowhere fight was joined.

I won’t bore you with all the cut and thrust, it took ten minutes or so. Old Nick had neglected to bring a net, so he was desperately looking for somewhere to either beach or tail the fish, that is grab it by the tail.

Kipey was having none of this. He was in and out, up and down, sometimes holding solidly still. Nick thought he had lost him at least twice but, today Man beat Fish. Kipey was up on the bank being photographed while expecting the worst.

But no, the next thing he knew he was being put back, held gently in the water for five minutes while he recovered from his ordeal.

It was with mixed feelings that the old man let him swim away. He took out his flask and took a sip of whisky to salute his good fortune for he had just returned the biggest salmon he’d ever caught in a lifetime of fishing.

Even Rock seemed pleased.

Curtain closes.

And Finally :

Less than a month to go until – Hay Festival Winter Weekend 2025

For more information on events and tickets etc – CLICK HERE

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