Literature Wales Business Plan 2016-19

Literature Wales Celebrating and Supporting the Written and Spoken Word 2016-19

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literaturewales.org

Chief Executive Lleucu Siencyn post@literaturewales.org 029 2047 2266 @LitWales literaturewales.org

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Cover & Inside Cover: Dinefwr Literature Festival / Photo: Emyr Young

Contents

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Introduction

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Our Mission

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Our Values

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Who We Are

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Working in a Changing world

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What We Do 16 Participation 18 Children and Young People 20 Writer Support 22 International 24 Digital Creativity

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How We Are Organised

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Financial Forecasts

Introduction

Celebrating and Supporting the Written and Spoken Word Literature is one of the most accessible art forms.

Throughout our lives we are surrounded by stories; in books, on billboards, on screens, on stage and online.

Written and spoken words are interwoven to give us thrills and laughs. They entertain, inform and inspire us.

Literature Wales ensures that literature is supported as a democratic art form that belongs to everyone. This plan shows how we intend to develop the work we began when Literature Wales was established in 2011. As one of the Arts Council of Wales’ National Companies, we have a role in leading the sector, but we don’t work alone. Over the next few years, our emphasis will be on facilitating literature programmes and events, working with even more partners and reaching out further.

We have refined our core aims and objectives, helping address government strategies aimed at tackling poverty, improving literacy and employability and boosting well-being.

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Throughout our work, we aim to give every young person in Wales an equal chance to encounter the written and spoken word and to develop their own creativity.

We are committed to supporting all writers in Wales: we want them to be able to flourish and to have greater opportunities to participate on the world stage. Here and across our work, partnerships are key and we are joining with others to develop new opportunities, within and outside Wales, for our emerging and established writers.

By bringing funding and opportunities to a wider range of organisations and individuals, Literature Wales will ensure that literature is heard, read and treasured in every part of the country.

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Lolfa LĂŞn / Literature Lounge

Our Mission

Literature for All Literature belongs to everybody and can be found everywhere. Through words we discover new worlds.

By working with others in a wide range of communities, Literature Wales can make literature a voice for all.

Participation

Writer Support

Children & Young People

Improving opportunities for all to participate in literature throughout Wales.

Developing and supporting writers at every stage of their writing journey to achieve their full potential.

Providing children and young people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds with more chances to create and enjoy the literary world around them.

I ncrease the breadth of provision of literary activity by working with a wide range of partners Work with more people who are at risk of becoming or remaining socially disengaged Stimulate and support locally led, sustainable activity

ffer support for writers so that O they can reach excellence Encourage writers to be innovative and experimental in their practice Develop specific practical and developmental opportunities for young writers

International

Digital Creativity

Working in partnership to raise the profile of the writers and writing of Wales.

Using digital creativity to promote literature and encourage more people to engage with it.

acilitate, advise F and collaborate on international projects Maximise opportunities for and increase the visibility of writers from Wales on the global stage Learn and grow through exchanges of practice and culture

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Increase the number of children and young people in Wales engaging with high quality literature in all its forms Use words to give children and young people the opportunity and confidence to express themselves Address issues of cultural poverty, literacy and communication skills through the enjoyment of literature

ork with new and W hard-to-reach audiences Create more digital content and resources to enhance the value and legacy of our activities Improve access to creativity through digital platforms and skills

Illustrated by Sarah Edmonds

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Our Values

The Worth of Words to Our Nation Our values guide the strategic decisions, planning and delivery of all Literature Wales’ initiatives and projects.

We believe: that literature is for everyone.

in empowering people, that the best results are groups and communities. achieved by working with others.

It is our responsibility to make literature accessible to everybody by widening its definition, taking it to new and unexpected locations, keeping prices fair and communicating well with all audiences.

We will support people by providing them with the expertise and tools to develop local literature programmes, events and schemes.

In finding common ground and working in partnership, we strengthen our organisation and the work we do.

that children and young people have a right to make their voices heard and tell their stories.

that literature is good for us and can improve our lives.

that arts organisations should deliver value for money.

We support the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which calls for them to have “the right to relax and play and to join in a wide range of cultural, artistic and other recreational activities�.

We will place literature at the heart of the well-being, literacy, employment and skills agendas to ensure it is seen as a vital part of a balanced, engaged and healthy life.

By developing and securing funding from diverse sources we will build a sustainable future for literature in Wales.

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Illustrated by Sarah Edmonds

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Who We Are

Our Story Established in 2011, Literature Wales is the national company for the development of literature in Wales.

Literature Wales is responsible for leading the sector and actively collaborates with organisations and individuals who contribute to the promotion, creation and enjoyment of literature in Wales.

The company includes Ty ˆ Newydd Writing Centre and works closely with the Welsh Academy, the society for writers in Wales.

We enable and facilitate activity in a variety of settings: whether it’s funding a Minecraft poetry workshop in a school; advising on writers to take part in large international showcases; working with a university on the outreach component of an academic project; or liaising with local businesses on public poetry commissions by the National Poet of Wales.

We give expert advice on suitable writers and how to organise events, as well as offering funding towards activity costs.

Our role as facilitator means that our expertise and knowledge of the sector contributes to ongoing, sustainable activity which supports the growth of creativity within Wales.

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We train writers to work with different groups and ages and promote the full range of literature activity available. Literature Wales also runs programmes which support Welsh writers in creating and presenting new work and continuing their professional development.

We deliver ambitious projects which contribute to tackling some of the challenges facing us today. These include organising story-writing workshops with prisoners to read to their children, running courses at Ty ˆ Newydd for recovering drug users, and working with the Gypsy Roma Traveller community to develop short films and animations inspired by Roald Dahl. Through programmes such as the South Wales Literature Development Initiative, we show that literature is part of a more cohesive, healthy and motivated society.

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Working with young people through the Young People’s Laureate and Bardd Plant Cymru initiatives, Literature Wales understands that a love of words starts early. The power of a story to capture the imagination of very young children is the stepping stone to lifelong literacy.

Each year, we reach over 160,000 participants and 60,000 young people through literature activities in communities across the country

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Ty ˆ Newydd writing course / Photo: Keith Morris

Working in a Changing World

Our Environment Literature Wales’ work emerges from and responds to its place within the cultural, social and political life in Wales. This broad context and the goal of contributing to creating opportunity for all in Wales helps shape the work that we do.

Cultural

International

Social & Political

Literature Wales leads the literature sector, but is by no means responsible for all literature activity in Wales.

Literature Wales is the central point to join up and support a thriving writing community, which includes grass-roots poetry competitions, local festivals, writing circles and Wales’ National and Urdd Eisteddfods.

Wales has world-class artists capable of creating and performing alongside their peers from around the world. Gillian Clarke, Sarah Waters, Gwyneth Lewis and Owen Sheers are, amongst others, world-renowned for their craft.

Literature Wales places literature at the heart of the well-being, literacy, employment and skills agendas. We strive for literature to be seen as a vital part of a balanced, engaged and healthy life and support the aims of the Well-being of Future Generations Act.

Wales is a bilingual nation with a strong cultural heritage in both languages. Literature Wales actively seeks opportunities for collaborative work between these and other languages, as well as sharing experiences with fellow bilingual nations and communities around the world.

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It is important that our emerging writers claim their own place on this stage. Literature Wales works with partners such as the British Council, Welsh Government, Wales Arts International and Wales Literature Exchange to maximise opportunities for contemporary authors and poets.

We work with partners across different sectors to ensure that arts and culture play a part in addressing the poverty of attainment and opportunity in Wales. By contributing to Arts Council of Wales’ plan for Creative Learning through the Arts, alongside other schemes, Literature Wales aims to capture the imagination and give young people a voice.

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Taf Estuary literary tour

Working in a Changing World

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Our Environment

Sustainability

Financial Resilience

Working with Partners

We are committed to integrating sustainability, both environmental and financial, into our core and partner work. Strategically, our aim is to empower individuals and groups to develop and organise sustainable activity in their local areas, ensuring that skills are developed where they are needed and that provision is relevant and local.

Recent years have been challenging for the arts sector.

The immediate future will present further financial challenges with reductions to public funding likely at a national and local level. In order to flourish and continue to make a difference to people’s lives, the arts in Wales will need to be increasingly inventive, open to collaboration, cost-effective and efficient.

Partnership and collaboration are at the heart of how Literature Wales works. We work alongside other organisations to ensure that literature provision is strategic and comprehensive.

We also work with partners within and beyond the literature sector to strengthen and further the reach of our own initiatives.

During 14/15, people in each Local Authority in Wales participated in a literature activity either delivered or supported by us.

Every year we work with over 200 partners, from such diverse sectors as social, literature, culture, education, tourism and heritage.

Our activities cost under

£9 per head per participant, including £5 per head from the Arts Council of Wales.

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Anni Lly ˆn, Bardd Plant Cymru 2015-17 / Photo: Emyr Young

What We Do

Participation Improving opportunities for all to participate in literature throughout Wales

Activities

riters on Tour W funding for local and community-led activity egional Literature R Development Initiatives inclusive programmes responding to local needs

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iterature Lounge L Y Lolfa LĂŞn pop-up literary showcases for festivals and high streets oald Dahl 100 Wales R funding, outreach and promotion to engage the whole of Wales in reading and writing

Regional Literature Development Initiatives “I know I can’t change my past, but I can write my future” Jaz Port Talbot

Through these in-depth initiatives we work directly with partner organisations, Local Authorities, community groups and support services to create tailor-made programmes to identify and respond to local needs. With a focus on social inclusion, these initiatives engage people who may feel cut off from the traditional centres of art and culture.

We hold sessions in hospitals, care homes, libraries, community halls and even trains.

Since 2008 the South Wales Literature Development Initiative has engaged with over 35,000 people in areas of economic, cultural and social deprivation.

Over the next 3 years we will use successful models from this initiative to develop programmes in other areas of Wales to ensure that people of all abilities, backgrounds and circumstance have the opportunity to write their own futures.

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Sophie McKeand, Young People’s Laureate 2016-18 / Photo: Andy Garside

What We Do

Children and Young People Providing platforms for children and young people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to create and enjoy the literary world around them

Activities

Bardd Plant Cymru and Young People’s Laureate Wales ambassadors for all children and young people in Wales Writers on Tour funding for local and community-led activity Slam Cymru a platform for young people to express themselves through the spoken word

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Young People’s Writing Squads opportunities to work with professional writers from a young age Roald Dahl 100 Wales funding, outreach and promotion to engage children across Wales in reading and writing Ty ˆ Newydd Schools Courses tutored by professional writers at the National Writing Centre for Wales

“Making it possible for school children to meet a professional writer (I don’t say ‘real’ writer, because children are real writers too) is one of the best ways of encouraging them to think that writing has a purpose, and brings pleasure, and can be a means of exciting discovery and a source of lasting satisfaction. It is also a great stimulus to reading. I strongly approve of the work being done by Literature Wales to bring children and professional writers together—it’s really beneficial for both parties.”

Philip Pullman Literature Wales Patron

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Developing Dylan Workshop / Photo: Sioned a Nia Photography

What We Do

Writer Support Developing and supporting writers at every stage of their writing journey to achieve their full potential

Activities

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Writers’ Bursaries practical support to allow writers the freedom to develop their work in progress

ˆ T y Newydd Writing Centre writing courses, creative retreats and masterclasses

entoring schemes M one-to-one intensive support from a professional writer

I nformation, training & advice online, by phone and in person

ritical Service C constructive and creative feedback by a professional writer

Wales Book of the Year awarding the best books from and about Wales

Ty ˆ Newydd Writing Centre Ty ˆ Newydd is the National Writing Centre of Wales. Since opening in 1990, thousands of aspiring and emerging writers have passed through its iconic teal front door.

Ty ˆ Newydd’s residential creative writing courses, retreats and masterclasses guide and support writers at all levels of their career to achieve excellence and encourage innovation.

The programme caters for different abilities, ages and interests, and courses cover many genres, forms and styles, including poetry, fiction, non-fiction, scriptwriting, nature writing, illustrating, storytelling and yoga.

In addition we work alongside tutors and teachers to create bespoke courses for educational groups.

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“This course has been fantastic in every way.

I’ve learned so much - it’s been a whole new lease of life in my writing! [It was a] brilliant balance of gentle encouragement and well-structured exercises.

I came away both inspired in head and heart, with a toolkit in my hands.”

Ty ˆ Newydd course participant

Ty ˆ Newydd Writing Centre / Photo: Emyr Young

What We Do

International Working in partnership in order to raise the profile of the writers and writing of Wales

Activities

National Poet of Wales a cultural ambassador representing the best from Wales I nternational Dylan Thomas Day celebrating the life and work of Wales’ best known writer

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Research and outreach visits representing writing from Wales at home and abroad I nternational projects for major celebrations raising the profile of writing from Wales

National Poet of Wales

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The National Poet of Wales is a cultural ambassador who represents the best writing from Wales on the national and international stage.

They lead campaigns within Wales and appear at events and festivals worldwide to raise the profile of writing and writers from Wales. The initiative also aims to enrich the poetry and wider cultural scene in Wales by maximising opportunities for exchanges of practice and culture.

Ifor ap Glyn, National Poet of Wales / Photo: Rhys Llwyd

What We Do

Digital Creativity Using digital creativity to promote literature and encourage more people to engage with it

Activities

er 100 Cerdd H 100 Poem Challenge celebrating National Poetry Day with 100 new poems in 24 hours

Unique digital content sharing the excitement of live events and devising new digital literature projects

Dylan’s Great Poem

iterature is for L everyone and can be found everywhere, including on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Flickr, Snapchat‌

a 100-line bilingual epic poem written by the young people of the world for International Dylan Thomas Day

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The Her 100 Cerdd blog annually attracts over 10,000 views and over 2,500 individual readers in the week of National Poetry Day.

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Jon Chase / Photo: Lleucu Meinir

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How We Are Organised

Our Structures

Literature Wales is a Company Limited by Guarantee and is a registered Charity.

The Chief Executive is supported by a Senior Management Team, which includes a Deputy Chief Executive, Head of Programmes, Head of Communications, Head of Ty ˆ Newydd and Head of Development. Staff are based in offices in Cardiff and at Ty ˆ Newydd Writing Centre.

The work of the company is overseen by a Board of Directors who also act as Trustees. The Board of Directors meets quarterly to discuss strategic and financial matters. At its AGM annually, independent accountants present the audited accounts for the previous financial year.

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Eurig Salisbury workshop / Photo: John Briggs

How We Are Organised

Financial Forecasts Literature Wales recognises that its success and sustainability relies upon a robust approach to financial management, transparent procedures and diverse incomes streams.

Literature Wales is a member of the Arts Council Wales’ Arts Portfolio Wales and a Lottery delegate, responsible for allocating funding through the Writers on Tour, Writers’ Bursaries and Mentoring schemes.

Literature Wales works closely with Welsh Government, which supports projects such as the Roald Dahl 100 Wales celebrations and International Dylan Thomas Day. Income from commercial activity, membership schemes and charitable trusts and foundations currently represents one-fifth of the total income.

These varied income sources strengthen our financial resilience and enable us to broaden the range and reach of programmes we deliver.

Between 2016-19, 25% of our expenditure will go directly to writers, by means of fees to deliver activity, support to local event organisers, and creating new work.

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By 2019, at least 10% of our income will be sourced from Charitable Trusts and Foundations.

By 2019, commercial income will represent at least 15% of our total income.

Literature Wales strives to be a cost-effective and efficient organisation. We regularly review expenditure, ensuring that we can maintain and develop the spend on delivering and supporting activity which engages people all over Wales.

The pressure on public funding will continue over the next three years and Literature Wales is therefore working to reduce its reliance on public funds. During 2016-19, Literature Wales aims to reduce the proportion of income from public funds, by implementing a Fundraising Strategy, which has three aims:

t o increase commercial income by securing more revenue from activity bookings, expanding the literary tourism offer, enhancing retail opportunities and increasing links with business

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to increase income from membership schemes and campaigns, by developing volunteering opportunities which generate income, delivering audience-focused fundraising campaigns and deepening our relationship with audiences

to increase income from corporate sponsorship and charitable trusts and foundations by developing long-term relationships with sponsors and supporters and by developing strategic relationships with potential and existing funders

Dylan Live / Photo: Lleucu Meinir

Chief Executive Lleucu Siencyn

literaturewales.org post@literaturewales.org 029 2047 2266 @LitWales

Ty ˆ Newydd Writing Centre / Photo: Richard Outram