My name is Imogen, I’m 23 years old and come from Aberystwyth. My bilingual upbringing in Welsh and English sparked an early passion for languages that led to a degree in French, Spanish, and Catalan at Durham University. I spent the third year of my degree abroad – nine months in Barcelona as an English language assistant at a Catalan secondary school, and three summer months working as a holiday resort receptionist in the Pays Basque, near Biarritz in south-west France. This experience not only opened my mind to alternative cultures and values through meeting new people, but also inspired my first poetry collection, Distances.
Having had poems previously published in various literary magazines, such as Acumen Poetry: Young Poets and the Stratford Literary Festival’s Young Poets Collection in 2022, I decided to write and self-publish my first poetry collection to honour my travels across Europe during my year abroad. Although none of the poems are written in Welsh, they are all anchored by a sense of hiraeth as I came to terms with being away from home for twelve whole months. The collection explores how distance defines and distorts relationships. All relationships. Family. Friends. Partners. Our younger and older selves. The distance of time, of place, and of intimacy.
I grew up reading books in Welsh and English, some of which still inspire me, and I treasure my copy of Llyfr Mawr y Plant to this day. Literature can leave a lifelong impression, and that’s why I think it’s important to be selective about which books we introduce to children and young people. I believe that the previous shortlist and winners of the Tir na n-Og Awards provide the best examples of the books Wales has to offer.
My enthusiasm for literature led to a ten-month internship with Honno Welsh Women’s Press after graduating from Durham University in 2023, and as editorial and marketing assistant I contributed towards the promotion of literature by Welsh women. I am currently undertaking a Masters in Modernist Literature at the University of Edinburgh, specifically interested in feminine consciousness.
I’m honoured to be on the judging panel for the 2025 Tir na n-Og Awards. I’m really looking forward to delving into this year’s submissions and to discuss the shortlisted books with the other judges, books that will go on to inspire children and young people for generations to come.
