Mari Ellis Dunning
Born (1993-07-15) 15 July 1993
OccupationWriter
LanguageEnglish, Welsh
NationalityWelsh
Alma materUniversity of Aberystwyth
Period2012–present
Notable worksSalacia (2018)
Notable awardsThe Terry Hetherington Young Writers Award, 2016
Website
www.mariellisdunning.cymru

Mari Ellis Dunning (born 15 July 1993) is a Welsh writer based in Aberystwyth. Her debut poetry collection Salacia was shortlisted for the Wales Book of the Year in 2019.[1] She has also published a children's book.

Early life

Mari Ellis Dunning was born on 15 July 1993. She is a University of Aberystwyth alumna,[2] having studied for an MA in Creative Writing there.[3]

Career

Dunning's first solo publication was a children's book called Percy the Pom Pom Bear, published simultaneously in Welsh and English. The book was launched on 23 April 2016 at the Abergavenny Writing Festival.[4] Later that year, Dunning won the Terry Hetherington Young Writers Award with her short story 'Cartref'.[5] Her debut poetry collection, Salacia, followed in 2018. Published by Parthian Books, Salacia was later shortlisted for the 2019 Wales Book of the Year.[1] In an interview with The Cardiff Review, Dunning revealed that the collection "is filled with poems centred on my own experiences, mental health, and narrative poems in the voices of various women whose stories I was completely compelled to tell. I like to get inside a person's head and let the writing stem from there."[3]

In 2022, Dunning published her second poetry collection Pearl & Bone, again with Parthian Books. The collection deals with pregnancy and early motherhood, as well as telling the stories of different women across history (including poems in honour of Christine Keeler, whose image features on the book's cover).[6] Pearl & Bone was named as the best collection by a Welsh poet in Wales Arts Review's 'The Best of 2022' list.[7]

Publications

Fiction

  • Percy the Pom Pom Bear (2016)

Poetry

  • The Wrong Side of the Looking Glass (with Natalie Ann Holborow) (2020)
  • Salacia (2018)
  • Pearl & Bone (2022)

References

  1. 1 2 "Welsh book prize shortlist announced". 13 May 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  2. ↑ "Alumni on the Welsh Book of the Year shortlist - Aberystwyth University". www.aber.ac.uk. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  3. 1 2 "New Welsh Writers: Mari Ellis Dunning". The Cardiff Review - A magazine of new graduate writing. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  4. ↑ "What's on at Aber's writing festival?". Abergavenny Chronicle. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  5. ↑ "Cheval - Past Winners". chevalwriters.org.uk. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  6. ↑ Buzz (20 October 2022). "Aberystwyth poet collects tender, raw verse about motherhood in PEARL & BONE". Buzz Magazine. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  7. ↑ Review, Wales Arts (31 December 2022). "The Best of 2022: Our Number Ones". Wales Arts Review. Retrieved 19 May 2023.


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