Ty Newydd Prose Boot Camp

This weekend, Tyler returned from teaching on a week-long residential course at the Ty Newydd Writing Centre in north Wales, in Llanystumdwy, near Criccieth.  This time around, his co-tutor was Cynan Jones, author of the award-winning (and stunning) short novels, The Dig and The Long Dry.  During 'Prose Boot Camp', students were put through their paces in regards to concision, reveal, structure, setting, and submitting.  The group worked hard, had fun, and came together as a team.  We asked Tyler for a quick quote, and he had this to say:

'Ty Newydd is an exceptional place: remote and isolated but also warm, welcoming, nourishing.  The office staff are amazing, the chef - Tony - incredibly hospitable and helpful, and the courses always seem to attract the right kind of students: dilligent, focused, engaged, and enthusiastic.  Cynan and I had a brilliant time collaborating on the course, and the final night readings were truly memorable.'

More information on future Ty Newydd courses, including the annual and renowned Poetry Masterclass, is available on their website, which also has instructions on how to book a place.  If you've never been, it's definitely worth finding the time to set aside for the experience.  Just take a look at the jawdropping house and grounds...

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The Search Published in PRISM

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Tyler's story, 'The Search', has been published in the Summer 2016 issue of PRISM: International, one of Canada's longest running and most highly regarded literary periodicals.  Previous contributors include none other than Margaret Atwood, Seamus Heaney, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Michael Ondaatje.  Though we on his publicity team like to take Tyler down a peg or two whenever possible, we were pleased to see that he at least brought his A-game to this one: his story, 'The Search' is a haunting piece about a North American living in a small British town, who volunteers to join the hunt for a missing girl.  The issue, and subscriptions, can be purchased through the PRISM website here.

Cill Rialaig Residency

It seems whenever we at Tyler's publicity team blink, he's sneaking out the back door of his house or office, ducking his domestic and/or administrative duties, and withdrawing to some remote location in pursuit of his so-called 'muse'.  Like all (okay, most) writers he is flaky, superstitious, prone to bouts of over-confidence followed by sudden dips of depression, and feels the need to nurture his muse in order to maintain his artistic intuition.  We get that.  We understand it.  We support it.  But for this last retreat, did he really have to apply for a residency in such a remote location, without Wifi or mobile access?  It made it impossible to keep tabs on him, which we suppose was the point.  Small wonder, considering he was living in a stone cottage in a pre-famine fishing village, clustered on the cliffs overlooking the Irish coast; he did think to take a photo, so you can see the admittedly beautiful, semi-mystical site below...

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And yes, we grant that being awarded a prestigious Cill Rialaig Residency was a real boost for Tyler, and seemed to put a little pep in his artistic step, but such was the extent of his hermitry, and immersion in the craft, we began to worry he was getting delusions of grandeur, and might adopt a new monk-like devotion, and like so many tourists since the filming of The Force Awakens, start playing at being Luke Skywalker on nearby Skellig Michael.  But Tyler did come home eventually, with a bundle of new work, so it seems the retreat was productive.  That's all great - but he'd also racked up a bundle of what we at his team call 'obs', or obligations: not just to us but to his put-upon family.  Time to clean some dishes, Skywalker, and change a few nappies.