Ania Card, Joshua Jones and Rachel Dawson in conversation - Traf Sq

Join us as we welcome three authors placing queer lives and culture front-and-centre in three fresh and thrilling debuts from Wales!ABOVE US THE SEA is an ode to the tangled remains of lost loves and the imprints left by grieving souls, yearning for connection. This is a story of aching and emerging, intimacy and distance, set against an increasingly hostile landscape.Longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize 2024, LOCAL FIRES is a stunning series of interconnected tales in which fires both literal and metaphorical, local and all-encompassing, blaze together to herald the emergence of a singular new Welsh literary voice.From the Valleys to the nightclubs of Cardiff, London and Manchester, NEON ROSES is a heartwarming, funny and a little bit filthy queer coming-of-age story with a cracking '80s soundtrack.

Ania Card grew up in south-eastern Poland before moving to the UK. She lived in Cardiff and London before moving to Brighton, where she now lives with her husband and cat. She studied film theory at King’s College London and worked in film production before returning to writing. Above Us the Sea is her first novel.

Joshua Jones is a queer, neurodivergent writer from South Wales. He co-founded Dyddiau Du in Cardiff, a library and artspace led by and for LGBTQ+ and Disabled communities. Local Fires (Parthian Books, 2023) is his first book, and was recently longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize. He was also the creative editor for the Room/Phòng/Ystafell (Parthian Books, 2023) anthology, celebrating queer voices from Wales and Viet Nam.

Rachel Dawson is a lesbian, working-class Welsh writer. In 2020, she was awarded a bursary by Literature Wales, which enabled her to write her debut novel, Neon Roses. She was born in Swansea and has done a variety of jobs, including selling sausage rolls and vibrators (not at the same time), and volunteering for an MP. She now works in the third sector and lives with her wife in Cardiff.

Host or Publisher Waterstones