UWTSD welcomes the Dylan Thomas International Summer School to Lampeter

19 June 2023

The Dylan Thomas International Summer School has returned to the University of Wales Trinity Saint David’s (UWTSD) Lampeter campus once again.

Group of people posing for photograph in the sunshine, ocean in the background.

The Dylan Thomas Summer School is a 12-day intensive writing programme hosted by the University’s Lampeter campus. It was founded by Menna Elfyn in 2014 and is co-directed by Pamela Petro and Dominic Williams.

The current cohort comprises of undergraduate and postgraduate students from Lesley and Smith College in the USA, where Pamela Petro, teaches Creative Writing. Among the other students following the syllabus are those who are using the summer school to build an MA qualification from UWTSD and professors from other colleges in the USA who are undertaking the course for their own professional development.

Dominic Williams, one of the course directors said:

“Once again, we had an excellent summer school in Lampeter. This unique and intensive residential writing programme is rooted in sense of place and the writing workshops are mostly located in-situ at the places visited around Wales. Those studying are encouraged not to be students in the classroom and tourists in the landscape, but creative writers at work 100% of their time here.

“One of the most successful and celebrated elements of the summer school is the series of free entry public readings that the university hosts in parallel with the summer school: a high-quality programme of Wales’ finest living writers. An amazing opportunity for our American guests to meet these writers, but also of huge value to the local community of Lampeter and Ceredigion who might otherwise never get to see these cultural icons of their own national literary tradition.

“I’d like to thank everybody for their support and the students for being so engaged and contributing so much to the sessions.”

Kath Griffiths, International Regional Manager (North America and Outward Mobility) Wales Global Academy said,

“We’re delighted to be hosting the summer schools on our campuses once again this year. It’s a wonderful opportunity to show everybody the wonders of Wales and our beautiful campus locations.”