Ceinwen E. Cariad Haydon

Ceinwen retired in August 2015 after a career as a Probation Officer, a mental health social worker and latterly a practice educator. Writing has always been important to her as a private pursuit. Over the last few years she has started to write to communicate with others. Her work is mainly short fiction and free verse poetry, although she experiments with different forms. She has completed a manuscript for a novel, as yet unpublished. She has been published on the curated short story websites, Fiction on the Web and Literally Stories; and also in Alliterati, Newcastle University’s literature and arts magazine. Eventually, she hopes to facilitate creating writing projects with hard to reach groups e.g. people living with dementia, prisoners, mental health service users. She hopes to support people to find their own voices. She is currently studying for an MA in Creative Writing at Newcastle University and expects to graduate in 2017.

Credentials

Ceinwen E. Cariad Haydon in 60 seconds

When did you start writing?

1962 as a child in Leicester.

What do you love about short stories?

This condensed form disciplines the writer to strive for economy of language, clarity of focus and distillation of the narrative.

Do you write in other forms?

Longer prose and poetry.

What distracts you from writing?

Anything going on around me - I need to seclude myself to write.

Outside of writing, what are your other passions?

Walking in the Northumberland hills and in Scotland, drinking wine with good friends, going to the Tyneside Arthouse Cinema to see films, retreating to our static caravan set on a small rural site and spending time with my adult children and their families.

What is your favourite book?

'Olive Kitteridge: A Novel in Stories' by Elizabeth Strout.

Who are your favourite writers?

Lydia Davis, Daphne Glazer and David Almond.

Where is your dream location?

Scottish Highlands and Islands.

What one item would you put into Room 101?

Right wing politicians and media moguls.

Do you have any advice for new writers?

Write every day whether you have a specific project on the go or not, (aim for at least 500 words), and read, read, read.