Seren Books is the trading name of Poetry Wales Press, an independent publisher based in Bridgend, Wales,[2] specialising in English-language writing from Wales[3] and also publishing other literary fiction, poetry and non-fiction. Seren's aim is to bring Welsh literature and culture to a wider audience.[4] The press takes its name from the Welsh word for "star".[2]
History
The press was founded in 1981 by Cary Archard, a teacher who was then the editor of the quarterly magazine Poetry Wales. He decided to branch into publishing poetry collections and gained funding from the Arts Council of Wales, initially on an ad hoc basis. At first known as Poetry Wales Press, it was published from Archard's home in Bridgend.[2][4][5][6] An early office was in Dannie Abse's house in Ogmore by Sea.[2][4][6][7] According to the academic Sam Adams, Archard's twin initial aims were to encourage Welsh poets writing in the English language, particularly the younger generation; and to republish out-of-print works and thus make more sources available for teaching Welsh literature in English.[6] The first collections from the press were by Mike Jenkins and Nigel Jenkins, together with a retrospective collection featuring Abse. Literary criticism was also part of its output from the outset.[6]
In 1982, Poetry Wales Press received a block grant from the Arts Council of Wales, the first of its kind, which enabled it to set up an office in Bridgend and to appoint a full-time manager, Mick Felton. The grant later came from the Welsh Books Council; it was reassessed annually.[6] In 1985, the press adopted the Seren imprint for works that were not poetry, and from 1989 the Seren imprint has been used for all publications.[6] In 1986, an independent editor was appointed to oversee Poetry Wales.[6] Since its foundation, the press has branched into literary fiction, biography and non-fiction.[4] In 2011, Seren published 20–25 titles annually.[2][4] Archard retired as manager in 1996; the press has subsequently been run by Felton.[2][4] The board of directors has included Abse (from 1989) and the academic M. Wynn Thomas (1993–2003).[6] The press remains based in Bridgend.[2][8]
Mick Felton is currently the fiction and nonfiction editor for the press, and Rhian Edwards and Zoë Brigley work as its poetry editor, having replaced editor Amy Wack in 2022.[9]
Seren has run the Seren Cardiff Poetry Festival since 2018; the 2021 festival was held online due to COVID-19 pandemic.[10]
The academic Lisa Sheppard describes Seren, together with Parthian and Cinnamon Press, as "among the foremost publishers of English-language writing in Wales".[5] According to Sheppard, Seren and Parthian are "illuminating Welsh writing in English's past and creating links with the Welsh language tradition in order to claim anglophone literature as part of Wales's literary heritage".[12] The Welsh poet Dannie Abse describes Seren on its thirtieth anniversary in 2011 as a "vital element of the Welsh literary scene" and considers it to have contributed to the strength of English-language writing in Wales.[2] The Welsh poet Owen Sheers describes the press in 2011 as "a sign of national and cultural strength" and "a way of allowing a country a voice".[2]
Peter Finch, who has himself been published by Seren, named the late poet Nigel Jenkins as one who disliked Seren's approach.[13] The Welsh poet Tony Curtis said in an interview published in 1997 that "Seren's books look good, and their list is good. Some of it could improve, but that's part of the process"; he criticised the press's marketing for failing to get its books into bookshops.[14]
^ abFelicity Wood (23 August 2013). Rhyme and reason: The poetry market is a notoriously difficult one, but Felicity Wood meets some independent presses that are bucking the trend. The Bookseller (5589): 16
^ abcdefgRobert Llewellyn Jones (7 December 2011). How 'maverick' Seren's getting ready for the next chapter in the story of publishing; TheBIGInterview Publishing house Seren continues to sparkle 30 years after its creation, as Robert Llewellyn Jones discovers." Western Mail, p. 8
^Jenny White (3 April 2021). An online celebration of poetry; The Seren Cardiff Poetry Festival takes place online this year, has more to offer than ever and is mostly free to attend, writes Jenny White... Western Mail, p. 20.
Lisa Sheppard. "Literary Periodicals and the Publishing Industry", in The Cambridge History of Welsh Literature (Geraint Evans, Helen Fulton, eds), p. 596 (Cambridge University Press; 2019) ISBN9781316227206, doi:10.1017/9781316227206.032
