Sarah R. Persson

About

Sarah R. Persson is a writer, radio host and educator living in Wales.  She was longlisted for the National Poetry Award 2026 and shortlisted for the Borzello Poetry Prize in 2025.  Sarah has most recently been published in Mslexia, New Welsh Review, the New Welsh Voices edition of Poetry Wales and in a series of Sunday Poet slots for Nation Cymru.  Her first novel ‘The Flaxen Child’, an upper middle-grade fantasy set in the Swedish forest,  is currently out on submissions to agents.

In June 2026, Sarah will be showcasing her work at The Turner House in Penarth as part of a collabortion with twelve artists and sculptors.  This project has been based around standing stones and is called 'In Conversation with Ancient Landscapes.'  This follows on from a partnership with visual artist, Nick Davies based around the myth of the Merry Maidens, with Sarah's poem 'Moon Merging Women' being exhibited at Penwith Gallery in Cornwall.

In 2024, Sarah was invited to perform at Tranås Arts festival in Sweden and at the Dylan Thomas’s birthplace and her poetry was highly commended in the Classical Association poetry competition.

Sarah is committed to the power of creative communities and runs a Poetry & Pints night on the second Sunday of the month in Llantwit Major as well as hosting a radio show.  'First Draft' the radio show for writers airs on the last Thursday of the month and in each episode, Sarah interviews writers, publishers and creatives about the world of writing and asks them for their advice on different elements of writing.  She was also a founder of the very successful These3Streams arts festival.   Sarah is currently leading a joint poetry and illustration project with author and artist, Martin Kaye, which is pairing poets in Llantwit Major with illustrators, with an exhibition planned for October 2026.

Sarah has an M.A. in Creative Writing from Swansea University (2023, distinction)

Areas of Interest and Specialism:

• Poetry: writing and editing

• Workshop facilitator

• Middle Grade Fiction

• Building creative communities

• Education: teaching of creative writing,

• English teaching within girls' education

• Myths, legends, folklore of Wales and Sweden

• Short Stories 

• Presentation and public speaking skills