Growing up in Wales, I spent many a rainy afternoon with my head buried in a book. I even recall my exasperated mother telling others that I must actually eat books, such was the speed I got through them! I would visit Bangor library weekly and always be disappointed when I could only take five out at a time. On the sunnier days, I, like all of my childhood friends, would be out and about exploring the most amazing backdrop that a child could grow up in. Yr Wyddfa, Llyn Padarn, Betws Y Coed, Castell Penrhyn… the list of magical places to explore were endless.
Fast forward a good twenty (or perhaps thirty) years and ping, the instagram post from Mudiad Meithrin advertising Awdura popped up. My heart skipped a beat. It felt like this advert was speaking directly to me! AWDURA was a chance to combine my love of the two things that had shaped me, my beloved Wales and my beloved books. I felt quite emotional, as I realised, I had never before come across a literature opportunity specifically for ethnic minorities in Welsh. I think, even then, I could feel that it was going to be a pioneering project. A venture that had the potential to break through the walls of preconception around welsh literature. No you don’t have to be Gymry Cymraeg to write a welsh story. And yes you can write about your own version of Wales, because your experience of being welsh, is just as important as everyone elses.
And I am pleased to report, that this is exactly how it feels today, now that I am fully immersed in the Awdura project. We have had two virtual meetings so far. It is so empowering to listen to all the other AWDURA participants from different racial backgrounds. I recognised myself in their stories. I felt after all these years of trying to melt into the background, it was time to step forward and diversify that background. We also have two mentors in our meetings, the established Welsh authors, Jessica Dunrod and Manon Stefan Ros. I have just had a one to one session with Manon, and she was so helpful and inspiring. We finished the call and I spent the next two hours sketching my story board, in fact it was gone midnight before I had put my pen down!
Now that I have a few stories starting to take shape, the next stop on the Awdura journey looks very exciting! We have a workshop planned in October in Aberystwyth. I know that there is just a small chance that any of my own stories will be published, but that almost feels secondary to the process of learning how to write. It definitely feels secondary to the bigger picture; that this project feels like a watershed moment, an opening of the gates – a chance to bring multicultural stories, from multicultural authors to all the children of Wales.
Mili Williams
