Hanan Issa
National Poet of Wales
Assumed office
July 2022
Preceded byIfor ap Glyn
Personal details
Born1986 or 1987 (age 36–37)
NationalityWelsh
OccupationWriter
Websitehananissa.com

Hanan Issa (born 1986/1987) is a Welsh-Iraqi poet, film-maker, scriptwriter and artist. She is the current National Poet of Wales.[1][2]

Biography

Issa grew up in Cardiff, Wales.[3] Her first solo publication was My Body Can House Two Hearts, a pamphlet of poetry published by Burning Eye Books in 2019. The pamphlet was one of three to win Burning Eye's debut pamphlet competition.[4]

During her writing career, Issa has also worked a film-maker and scriptwriter. In 2017, her winning monologue 'With Her Back Straight' was performed at the Bush Theatre as part of the Hijabi Monologues project.[5] In 2020, Issa was the recipient of a Ffilm Cymru/BBC Wales commission, which resulted in her writing and directing the short film The Golden Apple (2022).[6][7] She worked on the Channel 4 comedy series We Are Lady Parts, working alongside the show's creator Nida Manzoor.[8]

Alongside Darren Chetty, Grug Muse and Iestyn Tyne, Issa acted as a contributing editor to the essay anthology Welsh (Plural): Essays on the Future of Wales, published by Repeater Books in 2022.[9] with Issa noted that "connections between one loyalty and another flow as easily for me as one body of water running into another."[10] Issa also co-edited (with Durre Shahwar and Özgür Uyanık) the essay anthology Just So You Know: Essays of Experience, published by Parthian Books in 2020.[11]

In July 2022, Issa was appointed as the National Poet of Wales, succeeding Ifor ap Glyn.[12] The announcement was made on 6 July on BBC Radio 4's Front Row, with presenter Samira Ahmed interviewing Issa following the announcement.[13] Following an extensive selection process, Issa was appointed for a period of three years, with her tenure set to run until 2025. She became the first Muslim poet to hold the title.[14]

Publications

Poetry

  • My Body Can House Two Hearts (2019)

As editor

  • Just So You Know: Essays of Experience (2020)
  • Welsh (Plural): Essays on the Future of Wales (2022)

References

  1. ↑ "Hanan Issa". Literature Wales. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  2. ↑ "Wales appoints Hanan Issa as its first Muslim national poet". the Guardian. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  3. ↑ Prideaux, Sophie (8 July 2022). "Hanan Issa becomes first Muslim named as National Poet of Wales". The National. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  4. ↑ "Winning Debut Pamphlets Launch This October!". Burning Eye Books. 3 September 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  5. ↑ "Stories announced for Hijabi Monologues London". www.bushtheatre.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  6. ↑ "Hanan Issa announced as the new National Poet of Wales | AberdareOnline". www.aberdareonline.co.uk. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  7. ↑ "BBC Wales - Ffolio, The Golden Apple". BBC. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  8. ↑ "Hanan Issa named National Poet of Wales". The Bookseller. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  9. ↑ "Roughly the size of Wales: four reflections on Welsh identity in the 21st century". the Guardian. 1 March 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  10. ↑ "Review: Welsh (Plural) - Essays on the Future of Wales". Nation.Cymru. 12 March 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  11. ↑ "Just So You Know | Durre Shahwar and Özgür Uyanık". Wales Arts Review. 19 August 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  12. ↑ Review, Wales Arts (7 July 2022). "Hanan Issa announced as National Poet of Wales". Wales Arts Review. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  13. ↑ "BBC Radio 4 - Front Row, New national poet of Wales, Lucian Freud show, The Royal Cornwall Museum, The Blue Woman opera". BBC. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  14. ↑ "Hanan Issa is the first Muslim chosen as national poet of Wales". Arab News. 8 July 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022.


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