They Are Still Here (Maen Nhw Yma O Hyd)

Times are hard. Perhaps not quite hard enough for Arthur to awaken from his long sleep, but other characters from mythology and history may still be here to lend a hand.Are you having trouble with an unscrupulous landlord? Is your village or wildlife reserve being threatened by a multi-national corporation? Is funding being cut for the very services that allow your community to thrive, or function at all?

Throughout history, from the Chartist movement to the formation of the NHS via the Rebecca Riots, Welsh communities have been at their most fierce when they are under threat, and despite the oppression of Welsh language and culture over the centuries, Wales has endured. We are still here, even if now and again we need a little help from the supernatural. That might come from one of Arthur’s knights, or a helpful saint. It could be one of the fair folk, a dark little coblyn from the mines, or even a monstrous giant. They are all still here, and perhaps can be persuaded to help out in our time of need. (When we say ‘help out’, we do mean ‘help’, not swoop in and save the day. Please give your mundane characters meaningful roles to play. We want these stories to be about community, not about supernatural saviours).

They are Still Here (Maen Nhw Yma O Hyd) will be an anthology of fantasy tales of resistance and resilience. The setting should be broadly contemporary; near past and near future will be considered. The threats will be modern, but the resolution will be rooted in the strange and fabulous mythological history of Wales.

We do not insist that contributors identify as Welsh or live in Wales, but we do expect the stories to be deeply rooted in actual Welsh settings, not in a Hollywood version of Wales, and to show a thorough understanding of Welsh perspectives. So if you don’t have a strong connection with Wales, please do some research before writing the story.

We are aiming to include 15 stories of up to 7,000 words each.

Please include your name, email address and word count on the first page of your story.

Please use a clear font in 12 pt font (Times New Roman or similar is ideal).

Please include a brief cover statement stating that your story is for They Are Still Here.

No horror or poetry please.

Unfortunately at the moment we can only accept submissions in English – if you have a story that is also available in Welsh we may be able to add that to the ebook, so please let us know!

The advance payment will be £150 per story.