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Mike Jenkins (born 1953) is a Welsh poet and fiction writer in English. He is also the father of the
Plaid Cymru Plaid Cymru ( ; ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom. Plaid wa ...
politician
Bethan Sayed Bethan Sayed (née Jenkins, born 9 December 1981) is a Welsh politician. She represented the South Wales West (National Assembly for Wales electoral region), South Wales West Region for Plaid Cymru as a Member of the Senedd from 2007 to 2021. ...
(née Jenkins) and of the journalist
Ciaran Jenkins Ciaran Jenkins (born 1984, in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales) is a Welsh journalist and reporter who works for ''Channel 4 News'', the flagship news programme of British broadcaster Channel 4. He is the channel's Scotland correspondant. Personal life ...
.


Early life and education

Born in
Aberystwyth Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...
, Jenkins was educated there at the
University College of Wales , mottoeng = A world without knowledge is no world at all , established = 1872 (as ''The University College of Wales'') , former_names = University of Wales, Aberystwyth , type = Public , endowment = ...
.


Work

A former winner of the
Wales Book of the Year The Wales Book of the Year is a Welsh literary award given annually to the best Welsh and English language works in the fields of fiction and literary criticism by Welsh or Welsh interest authors. Established in 1992, the awards are currently ad ...
competition for ''Wanting to Belong'' ( Seren), Jenkins is a former editor of ''
Poetry Wales ''Poetry Wales'' is a triannual poetry magazine published in Bridgend, Wales. Founded by Meic Stephens and now published by Seren, it is edited by Zoë Brigley. Since its first publication in 1965, the magazine has built an international repu ...
'' and a long-term co-editor of '' Red Poets''. He taught English at Radyr Comprehensive School in
Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
for nearly a decade and Penydre High School,
Gurnos Gurnos is a community of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough in Wales, United Kingdom. It consists principally of the Gurnos Estate. The population in 2011 5,280. Background The Gurnos Estate is a large housing estate established by Merthyr Tydfil Coun ...
,
Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydf ...
, for some two decades before that. At the end of the 2008–2009 academic year, Jenkins took
voluntary redundancy Voluntary redundancy (VR) is a financial incentive offered by an organisation to encourage employees to voluntarily resign, typically in downsizing or restructuring situations. The purpose is to avoid compulsory redundancies or layoffs. Reasons A ...
. He now writes full-time, capitalising on experiences gleaned from former pupils. An extract from one of Jenkins' poems has been used as part of the public-realm regeneration scheme for
Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydf ...
town centre. In 2009 Jenkins judged the 3rd International Welsh Poetry Competition. In 2011–12 he produced an
Arts Council of Wales The Arts Council of Wales (ACW; cy, Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru) is a Welsh Government-sponsored body, responsible for funding and developing the arts in Wales. Established within the Arts Council of Great Britain in 1946, as the Welsh Arts ...
-funded touring exhibition and booklet titled ''Dim Gobaith Caneri'', in collaboration with fellow
Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydf ...
resident, the painter Gustavius Payne, using
Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language family, Celtic language of the Brittonic languages, Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut P ...
idioms, through the medium of
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
, to comment on current world affairs, including the banking crisis and a local open-cast mine. He continues to live in
Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydf ...
, and has done so for over 30 years. His 2013 collection, ''Barkin!'', published by
Gwasg Carreg Gwalch Gwasg Carreg Gwalch () is a publishing company based in Llanrwst, Wales. They specialise in publishing works in the Welsh language, but also publish English-language books of Welsh interest. The company was founded by Myrddin ap Dafydd in 1980, ...
was shortlisted for 2014's
Wales Book of the Year The Wales Book of the Year is a Welsh literary award given annually to the best Welsh and English language works in the fields of fiction and literary criticism by Welsh or Welsh interest authors. Established in 1992, the awards are currently ad ...
Award.


Selected publications

*The Common Land ( Poetry Wales Press, 1981) (Poetry) *The Valleys (An anthology from south Wales Valleys, co-edited with John Davies) ( Poetry Wales Press, 1984) (Poetry and prose) *Empire of Smoke ( Poetry Wales Press, 1983) (Poetry) *Invisible Times ( Seren, 1986) (Poetry) *A Dissident Voice ( Seren, 1990) (Poetry) *Graffiti Narratives (
Planet A planet is a large, rounded astronomical body that is neither a star nor its remnant. The best available theory of planet formation is the nebular hypothesis, which posits that an interstellar cloud collapses out of a nebula to create a you ...
, 1994) (Poetry and stories in Merthyr dialect) *Are You Talking To Me? (Together with four other poets) (Pont, 1994) (Poetry for teenagers) *This House, My Ghetto ( Seren, 1995) (Poetry) *Wanting to Belong ( Seren, 1997) (Short stories). Winner of Wales Book of the Year 1998 *Red Landscapes: New and Selected Poems ( Seren, 1999) (New and selected poems) *Coulda Bin Summin (
Planet A planet is a large, rounded astronomical body that is neither a star nor its remnant. The best available theory of planet formation is the nebular hypothesis, which posits that an interstellar cloud collapses out of a nebula to create a you ...
, 2001) (Poems in dialect) *Barbsmashive (
Pont Pont, meaning "bridge" in French, may refer to: Places France * Pont, Côte-d'Or, in the Côte-d'Or ''département'' * Pont-Bellanger, in the Calvados ''département'' * Pont-d'Ouilly, in the Calvados ''département'' * Pont-Farcy, in the Cal ...
, 2002) (Novella for children) *Laughter Tangled in Thorn and Other Poems (Corgi Series: 3) (
Gwasg Carreg Gwalch Gwasg Carreg Gwalch () is a publishing company based in Llanrwst, Wales. They specialise in publishing works in the Welsh language, but also publish English-language books of Welsh interest. The company was founded by Myrddin ap Dafydd in 1980, ...
, 2002) (Selected poems) *Poems for Underage Thinkers (
Pont Pont, meaning "bridge" in French, may refer to: Places France * Pont, Côte-d'Or, in the Côte-d'Or ''département'' * Pont-Bellanger, in the Calvados ''département'' * Pont-d'Ouilly, in the Calvados ''département'' * Pont-Farcy, in the Cal ...
, 2004) (Poetry for children) *The Language of Flight (
Gwasg Carreg Gwalch Gwasg Carreg Gwalch () is a publishing company based in Llanrwst, Wales. They specialise in publishing works in the Welsh language, but also publish English-language books of Welsh interest. The company was founded by Myrddin ap Dafydd in 1980, ...
, 2004) (Poetry) *Child of Dust (
Gomer Gomer ( he, ''Gōmer'', ; el, Γαμὲρ, translit=Gamér) was the eldest son of Japheth (and of the Japhetic line), and father of Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah, according to the "Table of Nations" in the Hebrew Bible (Genesis 10). The epo ...
, 2005) (Short fiction) *Walking on Waste (
Gwasg Carreg Gwalch Gwasg Carreg Gwalch () is a publishing company based in Llanrwst, Wales. They specialise in publishing works in the Welsh language, but also publish English-language books of Welsh interest. The company was founded by Myrddin ap Dafydd in 1980, ...
, 2007) (Poetry) *The Fugitive Three (Cinnamon Press, 2008) (Novel) *The Climbing Tree (
Pont Pont, meaning "bridge" in French, may refer to: Places France * Pont, Côte-d'Or, in the Côte-d'Or ''département'' * Pont-Bellanger, in the Calvados ''département'' * Pont-d'Ouilly, in the Calvados ''département'' * Pont-Farcy, in the Cal ...
, 2010) (Young adult fiction) *Moor Music ( Seren, 2011) (Open field poems) *Dim Gobaith Caneri (Self-published using
Arts Council of Wales The Arts Council of Wales (ACW; cy, Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru) is a Welsh Government-sponsored body, responsible for funding and developing the arts in Wales. Established within the Arts Council of Great Britain in 1946, as the Welsh Arts ...
funding, 2011) (Poetry and micro-fiction using Welsh language idioms in English) *Barkin! (
Gwasg Carreg Gwalch Gwasg Carreg Gwalch () is a publishing company based in Llanrwst, Wales. They specialise in publishing works in the Welsh language, but also publish English-language books of Welsh interest. The company was founded by Myrddin ap Dafydd in 1980, ...
, 2013) (Poems & stories in Merthyr dialect) *Question Island (Alun Books, 2013) (A novel for teenagers) *Shedding Paper Skin (
Gwasg Carreg Gwalch Gwasg Carreg Gwalch () is a publishing company based in Llanrwst, Wales. They specialise in publishing works in the Welsh language, but also publish English-language books of Welsh interest. The company was founded by Myrddin ap Dafydd in 1980, ...
, 2015) (Poetry) *From Aberfan t Grenfell (with Alan Perry) (Culture Matters, 2019) (Poetry & drawings) *Anonymous Bosch (with Dave Lewis) (Culture Matters, 2021) (Poetry & photography)


References


External links


Poet's websiteLiterature Wales: Mike Jenkins profileWales Online: Author's notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, Mike 1953 births Living people Welsh writers British poets People from Aberystwyth People from Penparcau People from Merthyr Tydfil Socialist Labour Party (UK) members Welsh republicans British male poets 21st-century Welsh poets 21st-century British male writers 21st-century Welsh writers