Management Board

Dr Harri Pritchard Jones (Joint Chair)
Respected in both the fields of medicine and literature and author of 15 volumes of novels and short stories as well as  literary criticism. He is the current joint chair of  the Academi. Amongst his many publications are Dychwelyd, Ar y Cyrion, Ysglyfaeth, Bod yn Rhydd and Pobl.

Dr John Pikoulis (Joint Chair)
Senior Lecturer in the Department of Continuing Studies and the Department of English at Cardiff University. His books include a critical study of William Faulkner and a biography on Alun Lewis (Seren).

Sally Baker (Tŷ Newydd)
Sally was born in born in Birmingham but has lived in Wales for over 25 years. In 1989 she took a leading role in the setting up of Tŷ Newydd, the National Writers’ Centre for Wales in Llanystumdwy, which is a residential centre situated in the last home of Lloyd George, where writers of all levels of experience can come and develop their skills. Sally is now its Executive Director but in a former life Sally was a teacher of languages, having studied French and English at the University of Wales, Swansea. Sally has spent the last twenty years encouraging writers in Wales and Welsh learners. Sally lives in Llanystumdwy with her Welsh speaking family; husband Elis and two children, Daniel and Mali.

David Woolley (Dylan Thomas Centre)
Writer and literature organiser. He is Literature Officer for Swansea Council and is responsible for the programme of events at the Dylan Thomas Centre.

Gareth Miles (Academi member)
Has written numerous short stories, novels, television series and plays, and has translated literary work from Spanish to Welsh. His many publications include Hunllef yng Nghymru Fydd (Canolfan Astudiaethau Addysg Aberystwyth), Llafur Cariad (Hughes a’i Fab) and Ffatri Serch (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch). He lives in Pontypridd.

Ned Thomas (Mercator)
Literary critic and essayist. Worked as a journalist and taught at Universities in Spain and the Soviet Union. Between 1970 and 1990 lectured in the English Department at the University of Wales College Aberystwyth, and edited the magazine Planet. From 1990–1998 was Director of University of Wales Press and is currently the Director of the Mercator Project on European Minority Languages and the Media. He has published, amongst others, George Orwell (Oliver and Boyd) and The Welsh Extremist - A Culture in Crisis (Gollanex/Y Lolfa).

Hedd ap Emlyn (Wrexham Library)
Originally from Pembrokeshire, Hedd is Community Librarian for Wrexham.

Mian Abdul Majeed (Bazm-e-Adab)
Mr Mian Abdul Majeed is a retired businessman and an ex–lawyer who has lived in Wales since 1971.  He is the Chair of Bazm - e - Adab, a literary circle for the last 14 years which is a forum for Urdu Poetry in Wales.  Mr Majeed is an accomplished poet and has a great interest in literature.  He is currently Chair of Race Equality First for Cardiff & the Vale of Glamorgan.

Phil Carradice
Poet, short–story writer, novelist, historian and editor. His work has been featured in a wide range of magazines including Poetry Wales, The Times Educational Supplement, Anglo-Welsh Review and the New Welsh Review. He is the editor of The South Wales Golfer, the leading golf magazine in Wales. A regular broadcaster on TV/Radio, he has completed numerous residencies (for schools, writers’ groups and Arts Associations). He leads regular creative writing classes for Cardiff University.

Dr Grahame Davies
Poet, editor and literary critic. His career as a journalist and producer has brought him a number of Welsh and UK industry awards. He now runs the BBC’s Welsh–language new media services.  In 1997, he was awarded a doctorate by the University of Wales for his study, written in Welsh, of the work of R.S.Thomas, Saunders Lewis, T.S. Eliot and Simone Weil. His second volume of poetry, Cadwyni Rhyddid, won the Wales Arts Council’s 2002 Book of the Year award.

Professor Hazel Walford Davies
Academic, cultural historian, literary critic. Her books include O.M. Edwards (University of Wales Press), Saunders Lewis a Theatr Garthewin (Gomer Press), State of Play (Gomer Press), Hwiangerddi O.M. Edwards (Gregynog Press) and Now You’re Talking (Parthian).

Geraint James
Head of Libraries for Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council since 1990 after being the Reference and Local History Librarian from 1980.  He is still very involved with local history and the arts and has an ongoing involvement with a number of local publishing projects including a self-financing series of local booklets.  He was charged with setting up the first arts department of the new County Borough Council in 1996 and ran a successful local community arts project funded by the Lottery. He also established the first Writing Squads in the County Borough.