Available for
Workshop, Talk, Reading, InterviewAudiences
Age 3 to 5, Age 5 to 7, Age 7 to 11, Age 11 to 14, Age 14 to 16, Age 16 to 18+, Further Education, University, AdultGenres
Fantasy, Fiction, Folklore, Horror, Magical realism, Narrative, Picture book, Poetry, Short story, Stage/ScreenBook types
Fiction for young-adults, Picture book, PoetryOrganisations
Details
About Me
I'm Nia, a bilingual writer from Cardiff. I love visiting schools, libraries and festivals! I offer creative and exciting writing workshops for ages 7 and up, where we can explore poetry, invent new words, write spooky stories and much more.
I have been working as Bardd Plant Cymru (Welsh-speaking Children's Laureate) with Literature Wales, from September 2023-September 2025. During my time as Bardd Plant Cymru, I worked with thousands of students across Wales and lead workshops in schools, community centres, festivals and universities.
As well as school workshops, I have spoken at Hay Festival, Kolkata Book Fair, Llandeilo Literature Festival and Swansea Children's Literature Festival. I am an associate artist with Darllen Co.
I love to write about magic, identity and horror. My characters are often young people with big questions about how to move through the world around them. Representation is very important to me and I tend to write stories that incorporate themes of mixed-race and/or LGBTQ+ identity. The Welsh language is very important to me and I encourage confidence, self-expression and experimentation with Welsh through my workshops.
My book, Welsh Wonders: Betty - The Determined Life of Betty Campbell, tells the story of Wales' first Black headteacher, Betty Campbell, and her trailblazing work in teaching Black history and supporting a strong, diverse community across Cardiff and beyond.
Workshops
The following are a taste of some popular workshops I can lead:
- Jig-saw Poetry: Turning chaos into compositions by building poems one word at a time
- Word Invention: Creating new Franken-words and using them to write poems
- Campfire Stories: A masterclass on how to write a chilling ghost story
- School poem: Creating a collaborative poem to celebrate your school's values and achievements or commemorate a special event
- Themed poetry workshops: I can lead poetry workshops on any theme, including climate change, protest, local or national identity, space, World Book Day, dragons... the list goes on!
Details
I can offer full or half-day sessions in Welsh or English which can include workshops, author Q&As or readings. I can comfortably work with students age 7-18 in small or larger groups. I can offer virtual workshops via Teams for schools farther away.
I am happy to discuss longer-term involvement with schools more local to me.
I am also very willing to work with adults! I offer virtual poetry and short story writing workshops.
Please do get in touch with your requirements - I can tailor my workshops around your objectives.
Diolch yn fawr/ Thank you very much!