The Rhys Davies Competition

The Rhys Davies Short Story Competition 2001

Judges: Phil Carradice, Catherine Merriman and Bernice Rubens

First Prize:
Tristan Hughes, Angelsey, A Sort of Homecoming
Tristan Hughes was born in Atikokan, Canada, where he lived for two years before moving to Wales. Educated at David Hughes School, Menai Bridge, the universities of York and Edinburgh, and King’s College, Cambridge, he is currently completing a thesis on Pacific and American travel literature. Tristan began writing fiction a year ago when he returned home from university to live on Anglesey.

Runners Up:
Ken Barlow, St Asaph, Hello
Ken Barlow was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and Welsh father, before being raised in St Asaph, North Wales. He took the MA Novel Writing at the University of Manchester, and is currently in the process of editing his first novel. A selection of his short fiction has appeared on the website www.the–phone-book.com, funded by the North West Arts Board.

Belinda Bauer, Cardiff, Mysterious Way
After seven years of working as an agency news reporter in Cardiff, Belinda Bauer won the Carl Foreman / Bafta Award for Young British Screenwriters which enabled her to study for 18 months at California State University. Her first film, Happy Now, is opening at the Wales Film Festival in November. Mysterious Ways is her only attempt so far at short-story writing. She has recently adapted it for the screen and will be directing a short film based on the story later in the year.

Jo Hughes, Swansea, The Ghost of the Old Year
Jo was born and brought up in Swansea. She is a photographer and designer and has an MA in Literature from Swansea University. Her stories have appeared in a number of magazines and anthologies, and have also been broadcast on Radio Four. She was one of the winners of the Rhys Davies Competition in 1995 and 1999, and was shortlisted for the Ashram Award. She is currently working on her first novel

Brian George, Cwmbran, Ten Quid for a Busted Casio
Born in Rhondda, now living in Pontypool. He worked as a teacher, lecturer and now schools adviser. His stories and poems have been published in a number of Welsh and English magazines, his articles and submissions on contemporary French theatre and popular music have been included in a variety of academic publications and he is currently putting together a collection of stories for publication

Ruth Joseph, Cardiff, Patchwork
Married to Mervyn, her children are Sarah and Joe, and she has one grandchild Jasmine Judith. She is an ex consultant Nutritionist and Samaritan and is currently completing her M.Phil at Glamorgan University. Her work includes a Health/Cookery book for W H Smith and she is currently working on an anthology of short stories entitled Flesh. She has painted and exhibited in watercolurs and is passionate about child and animal cruelty

Stevie Davies, Mumbles, Woman Recumbent
Stevie Davies, Mumbles, Pod
Stevie Davies is the Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellow at Swansea University. She has published eight novels, of which the latest, The Element of Water (2001) was long-listed for the Booker Prize. Stevie is also a historian, biographer and literary critic and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature

Rhodri Clark, Conwy, Watershed
Rhodri Clark was born and raised in the Rhymney Valley and now lives in Conwy. He graduated in music from the University of Manchester in 1990 and works as a journalist, mainly for The Western Mail. His stories have been published in Planet and the New Welsh Review and broadcast on Radio 4.

Dennis Lewis, Pencoed, Love’s Ligature
Born in the Rhondda Valley, currently living on the wrong side of the tracks in Pencoed. He is a poet and short story writer. His work has been broadcast on BBC radio, published in Poetry Wales, New Welsh Review, Cambrensis and Roundyhouse magazines, and has won the Aber Valley Undercurrents short story and poetry competitions. He is currently working hard on a collection of short stories and staying sober one day at a time.

Deborah Davies, Cwmbran, The Point
Deborah Davies is a Creative Writing Tutor and PhD student at Cardiff University. She is currently completing her first collection of short stories, bringing together many that have appeared individually in literary magazines and competition anthologies. Her story Negligee was broadcast on Radio 4 and Radio Baby was a runner-up in the last Rhys Davies competition. She uses the name Deborah Chivers to publish her poetry.