Gwyl Lyfrau Aberaeron Book Festival 2026

Susan Stokes-Chapman

Susan is a bestselling author of historical fiction set in the Georgian era (1714–1837), known for immersive storytelling, rich period detail, and evoking evocative atmosphere. Her debut novel, Pandora, was an instant #1 Sunday Times bestseller on publication in January 2022. Her second novel, The Shadow Key, followed in April 2024. In September 2025, she released The Twelve Days of Christmas, a festive short story collection in the tradition of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer. Two further novels, The Constellations and The Moth Farm, are forthcoming.
She regularly contributes to anthologies, and is working on her first collection of poetry. Susan is an advocate for supporting both emerging and established writers, particularly in Wales. She currently serves on the Society of Authors Cymru Committee and runs outreach sessions both in person and online. When not writing, she enjoys other creative pursuits, including gardening, crafts, art, and – of course – reading.
Born in 1985, Susan grew up in the historic city of Lichfield before studying in the coastal town of Aberystwyth, where she earned a BA in Education & English Literature and an MA in Creative Writing. She lives in a 500-year-old Welsh cottage in the woodlands of Eryri National Park with her partner Alex, and their boisterous golden Labrador, Iorek.

Susan is also tutoring a writing workshop on Saturday 17th, 11.30 – 1pm
Book Here

John Osmond

John Osmond is a writer and journalist, having worked for newspapers and broadcasters in Wales over the past four decades. He was a political correspondent with the Western Mail during the 1970s, the period covered in Ten Million Stars Are Burning, and a television producer in Wales during the 1980s and 1990s, the period covered in Soul on Fire.
In the early 1980s he edited the cultural and current affairs magazine Arcade – Wales Fortnightly. Later that decade he was Deputy Editor at the launch of Wales on Sunday newspaper. During this period, he also produced many documentaries, including the Channel 4 series The Divided Kingdom. 
In 1996 he was made the inaugural Director of the Institute of Welsh Affairs, a position he held for 17 years. He is a Fellow of Cardiff Metropolitan University, and has been awarded an Honorary MA by the University of Wales.
Born and brought up in Abergavenny near the Welsh border, John graduated from the University of Bristol and began his career in journalism with Yorkshire Post newspapers in the 1960s. Since then, he has published widely on Welsh culture and politics. John lives in Penarth and has three children. Wales 1979 and 1997 is his first novel.

Peter Stevenson

Peter has illustrated many books of folk and fairy tales for children and grown ups, including several for the History Press: Ceredigion Folk Tales: Welsh Folk Tales: The Moon-eyed People, Folk Tales from Welsh America: Boggarts Trolls & Tylwyth Teg, Folk Tales of Hidden People and Lost Lands: Illustrated Welsh Folk Tales from a storyteller’s repertoire, Welsh Folk Tales of Coast and Sea, and in 2026, Water Folk Tales, Mermaids Selkies & Swan Girls. He has also compiled and illustrated many fairytale picture books including 3 recent tri-lingual children’s books for the Cardiff publisher H’mm: Mermaids, Mari Lwyd and Myra.
Peter uses crankies in his storytelling, a large wooden box like a big picture frame that contains a long illustrated scroll which is turned by a handle to create a moving panorama to illustrate the story.

Gruffydd Aled Williams

Gruffydd Aled Williams was born in Glyndyfrdwy in the former county of Merionethshire. He lectured in the Welsh Departments at the University College of Bangor and later served as Professor of Welsh at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth. Since retiring, he has concentrated on researching Owain Glyndŵr and has published The Last Days of Glyndŵr (Y Lolfa, 2015), which won the Creative Non-fiction category of the Wales Book of the Year Award in 2016, and The Last Days of Owain Glyndŵr (Y Lolfa, 2017). At the Festival he will be discussing his new collection of essays Ar Drywydd Owain Glyndŵr.

Ben Wildsmith

Ben Wildsmith was born in Birmingham when Chuck Berry’s ‘My Ding a Ling’ was number one in the charts. He’s been a fright, a new start, a doley, a bank clerk, a l laundryman, a gardener, a liability, a lecturer, a shopkeeper, a musician and a friend. He’s a Nation.Cymru columnist, and a Hay Festival Writer @ Work whose poetry has appeared in Red Poets and Poetry Wales. He is the author of two previous books, Flags and Bones (2023) and From the Senedd to the Roofs (2024). Ben is a support worker with Cardiff’s homeless community. He lives in Rhondda Fach with his wife, Susie, and an assortment of questionable notions.
In Whose Song to Sing? Ben Wildsmith describes his turbulent life in a memoir examining notions of culture, belonging, authenticity and family, taking us from 1970s Birmingham to South Wales in the 2020s, via America, Australia and Thailand. His adoptive mother told him he was ‘chosen’, but the young Ben’s discomfort remained. As his family life disintegrated in his teens, he sought refuge in culture and in music, always returning to the songs and stories of the Valleys, the gift of his Welsh adoptive grandfather. From Thatcher’s Britain to 2020s Wales, with a soundtrack ranging from Emmylou Harris to the Pogues to the finest Welsh Male Voice Choirs we follow Ben’s path from relative childhood privilege to addiction and despair, before the healing power of community offers
a route to happiness.

Alis Hawkins

Alis writes Victorian crime fiction – the Teifi Valley Coroner series set in west Wales with blind ex-barrister Harry Probert-Lloyd and his chippy assistant John Davies; the Oxford Mysteries set in Oxford at the beginning of the womens’ college movement feature young Welsh polymath Rhiannon Vaughan and Oxford don Basil Rice. Her books have been shortlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger and longlisted for the Gold Dagger. She is a previous winner of the Aberaeron Book of the Year.

Alis is also tutoring a writing workshop on Saturday 17th 2.30 – 4pm Book Here

Sue McCormick

Sue McCormick was an actor for 40 years, on stage, TV and radio, and wrote four professionally produced plays. She lived in Aberystwyth and studied at Aberystwyth University, then completed an MA in Creative Writing at Lancaster. Her story, The Pig, was a finalist in the Scottish Arts Club Competition 2020, and her debut novel, Small Acts of Courage, was shortlisted for The Retreat West Novel Prize. She now lives in a small village in Dumfries and Galloway.
Sue took part in the 2025 Festival discussing her first novel Red As Any Blood. Her new crime novel Sharp As Any Thorn is out now.

Sarah Reynolds

Sarah Reynolds is an award-winning bilingual writer. Originally from Surrey, Sarah moved to Carmarthen in 2009. She’s written two Welsh-language novels: Dysgu Byw and Cyffesion Saesnes yng Nghymru. Her short story, ‘Catch of the Day’ won the Rhys Davies Short Story prize and the short film adaptation, Helfa’r Heli won a BAFTA Cymru award. She has written numerous short stories, articles and scripts. Traces of Alys came second in the Bridport Novel Prize. She is a lecturer in Creative Writing at Swansea University, and lives with her family in Carmarthen.

Sian Stewart

Brought up in Ceredigion, Siân Stewart went to secondary school in Ysgol Gyfyn, Aberaeron. After graduating with an honours history degree from Exeter University, she joined NHS Wales as a graduate management trainee. Her 30-year career culminated in roles as the Chief Executive of Cardiff Health Board and National Director for Mental Health. For many years she spent her weekends in Aberaeron, returning here full-time after taking early retirement and has been chair of Cymdeithas Aberaeron Society since 2023.
In 2019, Siân and her husband, Billy, bought the virtually derelict Portland House. They spent almost 4 years restoring it, finally moving into the house in 2023. At the same time Sian began researching the lives of the fascinating former residents which has culminated in the publication ‘The House that Bensha built.’ 

S E Morgan

S E Morgan (Sarah) spent her early years in Bridgend, Kidwelly, and a small village, Redwick on the Gwent levels. She studied medicine in Cardiff and went on to specialise in psychiatry. Later in her career, she moved into what was initially the Welsh Office and latterly the Welsh Government as an advisor and official covering mental health, but also a wider portfolio including veteran’s health, chronic illness and older adults’ medicine. She worked together with Sian there for several years. A keen hill walker and gardener, on retirement, she sampled various hobbies before settling on writing. Sarah normally writes when it rains, which gives her plenty of scope. Sarah has published five historical novels, four based on her family history. For breaks from all the research, she’s also written a series of rom-coms and a cosy fantasy novel, using the alternate pen name of Sally E Morgan (Two of these even feature Siân’s Maine coon, Jack.) All her books bar one are set in Wales.