Hey writers. You get to go abroad and write, and they pay you £3,000!

Writers in Wales are being invited to apply for a new Translators’ House Wales/HALMA scholarship worth more than £3,000.

The successful applicant will spend two residences in two different European countries during 2010.

The new scholarship stems from Translators’ House Wales/Tŷ Cyfieithu Cymru’s membership of HALMA – a network which connects and co-ordinates 27 literary and translation centres across Europe.

The writer from Wales will spend two months writing in two centres of their choice. Their work will be translated into the language of the host country and presented at two public events.

Applicants should send a copy of their CV and a short letter outlining the reasons for their application to by midnight on Wednesday 21 October 2009.

Established in March 2009, Translators’ House Wales is a partnership between Wales Literature Exchange and Tŷ Newydd National Writers’ Centre in Llanystumdwy, Gwynedd.

“We are delighted to be able to offer this unique opportunity to a writer from Wales,” said Sioned Puw Rowlands, Director of Wales Literature Exchange, which is based in the Mercator Institute at Aberystwyth University.

“HALMA was set up in 2006 and following Translators’ House Wales’ successful application to become a member earlier this year, we now have a new way of connecting with writers, translators and promoters of literature across Europe – from Finland to France, and Bulgaria to Belarus.”

The Director of Tŷ Newydd, Sally Baker, said: “HALMA has a wonderful network of literary and translation houses which enable us to nurture and develop links between writers in Ws and the rest of Europe.

“This scholarship is the latest in a series of initiatives between Translators’ House Wales and HALMA. In September, we took author Joe Dunthorne to a HALMA conference in Slovenia which brought together writers, translators and publishers. We look forward to being able to taking part in similar events and collaborations in the future.”

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