Submission Guidelines

d/Deaf and Disabled people continue to be underserved by the Welsh literary scene. This anthology will create a space to have our voices heard and to preserve our rich and diverse voices for future generations to come.

We are looking for poetry, prose and creative non-fiction from d/Deaf and Disabled writers who are Welsh and / or Wales based. 

Work could explore your experiences as a d/Deaf and / or Disabled person, or could be about any topic of your choosing.

We are particularly keen to receive submissions that explore d/Deaf and Disabled joy, pride and relationships with nature. 

We believe d/Deaf and Disabled writers should have the space to write about whatever topic we choose. However, whilst it is important to represent the medical, we would like to avoid the anthology being dominated by the medical. 

Please send us your submissions by the 19th of January 2023.

Eligibility Criteria

We will accept submissions from d/Deaf and Disabled writers aged 16+ who are Welsh and / or Wales based. 

By d /Deaf and/ or Disabled writers we mean writers who have experienced disablist and / or audist barriers, and writers who consider themselves to be d/Deaf or Disabled. The anthology will adopt the social model of disability; we are disabled by the barriers we experience in our inaccessible, audist and ableist society and not by our impairments. 

We explicitly invite people to apply who have experienced barriers to inclusion (including physical, attitudinal, linguistic and cultural barriers among others) and also identify with one or more of the following categories: 

• Deaf, deaf and people with hearing impairments

• Blind and visually impaired people, and people with other sensory impairments

• People with mobility and physical impairments

• People with chronic illnesses and long-term health conditions (for example fibromyalgia, cancer or epilepsy) 

• People who experience mental ill health (for example depression or anxiety) 

• Neurodivergent people and people with cognitive impairments or learning impairments  (for example dyslexia, autism, neurological conditions or Down’s syndrome)

We are aware that this list is not exhaustive and that there may be other people who have faced discrimination and disablist or audist barriers, or who identify as d/Deaf or Disabled, and we also encourage these people to submit. 

If you are not sure this applies to you please feel free to contact us by emailing writebackteam@gmail.com

Submission Criteria

Word Limit: 400-2,000 words of prose or creative non-fiction OR 50 lines of poetry (or the equivalent length of text as a video or audio file) 

Pay Rate: £50

Language: Welsh, English, BSL 

Submissions must not have been previously published and / or broadcast.

We particularly welcome submissions from d/Deaf and Disabled poets who identify as one of the following:

● Black, Asian and Minoritised Ethnic

● LGBTQIA+ 

● Working class or from a working-class background

● Care experienced

You may submit up to 4 pieces of work, including poetry, prose and / or creative non-fiction. 

If you have any questions about submitting your work or would like support with submitting your work, please contact us: writebackteam@gmail.com

Please email your submission to writebackteam@gmail.com

Written submissions should be unpublished pieces submitted as a .doc/.docx file and in standard manuscript format. If you want to submit your work as an audio file or video, please drop us an email at writeback@gmail.com before transferring the file. 

Please don’t submit work that has been previously published elsewhere, including work you have published yourself, be it on your blog, or anywhere else.

We accept simultaneous submissions. Please contact us to immediately withdraw if accepted elsewhere. 

Please allow up to 8 weeks after the submission window ends for a response before inquiring about the status of your submission.

Upon acceptance, the Lucent Dreaming team will send a contract for you to sign.

About the editors:

Bethany Handley (she/her) is an award-winning writer, poet and Disabled activist from South Wales. 

Bethany’s work has been featured widely, including by BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio Wales, POETRY, Poetry Wales, The Welsh Agenda and on the Poetry Foundation. Her work explores the intersection of nature and disability and challenges the barriers that Disabled people experience. 

Bethany was awarded the gold Prize for Creative Non-fiction in the Creative Future Writers’ Award 2023 and she is one of the writers on Literature Wales’ Representing Wales 2023. 

You can find out more at www.bethanyhandley.com

Megan Angharad Hunter is an author and screenwriter from Penygroes, Dyffryn Nantlle currently living in Cardiff. Since graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Welsh and Philosophy in 2022, she has been working as a writer and children’s book editor. Her debut novel, tu ôl i’r awyr was published in 2020 before winning the Wales Book of the Year Award, and Cat was published as part of the award-winning Y Pump series. More recently, she co-lead a creative writing retreat for d/Disabled writers along with poet Bethany Handley, and in 2023 she took part in the Mathrubhumi literary festival in India before discussing accessibility in the publishing industry at the London Book Fair. Astronot yn yr Atig, her first book for children was published in October 2023 and she also volunteers occasionally with Llamau, a helpline providing support for young people facing homelessness. 

Sioned Erin Hughes is a writer and poet from Pen Llŷn (Llŷn Peninsula). She received her degree in Sociology and Welsh at Bangor University, before pursuing a Master’s degree in Creative Writing under Professor Gerwyn Williams’ guidance. She’s a freelancer who focuses her attention on writing, reading and leading creative workshops for children and young people. She was the curator and editor of the book Byw yn fy Nghroen (Gwasg y Lolfa Press) which won the Young People category award at the Tir na n-Og Awards in 2020, and in the same year she also published her first book for children, Y Goeden Hud (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch Press). Her first book for adults, Rhyngom (Gwasg y Lolfa Press) won the Prose Medal in the Ceredigion National Eisteddfod in 2022. At the moment, she is focusing on sharing creative pieces on her Instagram account, myfrydod365, which will be published in a book under the title O’r Rhuddin (Gwasg y Lolfa Press) in March, 2024. Among pieces that discuss nature, grounding, the value in human connection and so forth, she also shares her experiences of living with Myasthenia Gravis and Borderline Personality Disorder.

Canllawiau Cyflwyno

Nid oes cynrychioliaeth ddigonol o bobl b/Byddar ac Anabl yn ein llenyddiaeth yng Nghymru o hyd. Bydd y flodeugerdd hon yn creu gofod ar gyfer ein lleisiau ac yn gwarchod y lleisiau amrywiol a chyfoethog hynny er mwyn y cenedlaethau sydd i ddod.

Rydym yn chwilio am farddoniaeth, rhyddiaith a gwaith ffeithiol greadigol gan awduron b/Byddar ac Anabl Cymraeg ac/neu sydd wedi’u lleoli yng Nghymru. Gallwch archwilio’ch profiadau fel person b/Byddar ac/neu Anabl, neu gallwch ysgrifennu am unrhyw bwnc o’ch dewis chi. Rydym yn awyddus iawn i dderbyn ceisiadau sy’n archwilio hapusrwydd a balchder Anabl a b/Byddar neu’ch perthynas â’r byd natur.

Rydym yn credu y dylai awduron b/Byddar ac Anabl gael y rhyddid i ysgrifennu am unrhyw bwnc. Ond er fod cynrychioli profiadau meddygol yn bwysig, byddai’n well gennym pe na bai profiadau meddygol yn amlycach nac unrhyw agwedd arall o’r profiad Anabl yn y flodeugerdd.  

Anfonwch eich gwaith atom ni erbyn y 19eg o Ionawr 2023 os gwelwch yn dda. 

Meini Prawf Cymhwysedd

Mi fydd y flodeugerdd hon yn derbyn ceisiadau gan awduron b/Byddar ac Anabl dros 16 oed sydd yn Gymraeg neu wedi’u lleoli yng Nghymru.

Mae awduron b/Byddar ac/neu Anabl yn awduron sydd wedi profi rhwystrau ableddol a/neu glywedol, ac yn awduron sy’n uniaethu â’r hunaniaethau b/Byddar ac/neu Anabl. Mi fydd y flodeugerdd yn dilyn y model cymdeithasol o anabledd; rydym yn anabl o ganlyniad i’r rhwystrau yr ydym yn eu profi yn ein cymdeithas anhygyrch ac ableddol, nid o ganlyniad i’n namau. 

Rydym yn gwahodd pobl sydd wedi profi rhwystrau cynhwysiant (gan gynnwys rhwystrau corfforol, agweddol, ieithyddol a diwylliannol ymysg eraill) ac hefyd yn uniaethu gydag un neu fwy o’r canlynol i ymgeisio:

·  Pobl Fyddar, byddar a phobl â nam ar y clyw

·  Pobl ddall neu sydd â nam ar y golwg, a phobl ag unrhyw namau synhwyraidd eraill

·  Pobol â namau symudedd a chorfforol

·  Pobl â salwch cronig a chyflyrau iechyd hir-dymor (er enghraifft: fibromyalgia, canser neu epilepsi)

·  Pobl â chyflyrau iechyd meddwl (er enghraifft: iselder neu orbryder)

·  Pobl n/Niwroamrywiol a phobl â namau gwybyddol neu namau dysgu (er enghraifft: dyslecsia, awtistiaeth, cyflyrau niwrolegol neu syndrom Down)

Rydym yn ymwybodol nad ydi’r rhestr hon yn un gynhwysfawr, felly mae’n bosib fod pobl eraill nad yw’n uniaethu â hi wedi wynebu anffafriaeth a rhwystrau ableddol neu glywedol neu’n uniaethu â’r hunaniaethau b/Byddar neu Anabl, a rydym yn annog y bobl hynny i ymgeisio hefyd.

Os nad ydych yn siŵr a ydi’r meini prawf hyn yn berthnasol i chi ai peidio, cysylltwch efo ni dros ebost, os gwelwch yn dda: writebackteam@gmail.com

Meini Prawf Cyflwyno

Nifer geiriau: 400-2,000 o eiriau o ryddiaith neu waith ffeithiol greadigol NEU 50 llinell o farddoniaeth (neu’r hyd cyfatebol ar ffurf ffeil fideo neu sain)

Cyfradd tâl: £50

Iaith: Cymraeg, Saesneg, BSL

Rydym yn arbennig o awyddus i wahodd awduron b/Byddar ac Anabl sy’n uniaethu ag un neu fwy o’r canlynol i ymgeisio:

·  Cefndir Ethnig Du, Asiaidd neu sydd wedi’i leiafrifo

·  Y gymuned LDHTCRhA+

·  Cefndir incwm isel

·  Profiad o ofal neu ofalwyr

Gallwch gyflwyno hyd at 4 darn o waith, gan gynnwys barddoniaeth, rhyddiaith a/neu gwaith ffeithiol greadigol. 

Os oes gennych unrhyw gwestiynau am y broses o gyflwyno’ch gwaith neu os yr hoffech unrhyw gymorth efo’r broses ymgeisio, cysylltwch efo ni os gwelwch yn dda: writebackteam@gmail.com

Anfonwch eich gwaith at writebackteam@gmail.com os gwelwch yn dda.

Dylai’ch gwaith ysgrifenedig fod yn ddarnau anghyddoedig wedi’u cyflwyno ar ffurf dogfen .doc/ .docx ac ar ffurf fformat teipysgrif safonol. Pe hoffech gyflwyno’ch gwaith ar ffurf ffeil sain neu fideo, anfonwch neges at writebackteam@gmail.com cyn trosgwlyddo’r ffeil, os gwelwch yn dda.

Peidiwch â chyflwyno gwaith sydd wedi’i gyhoeddi yn rhywle arall, os gwelwch yn dda, gan gynnws gwaith yr ydych wedi’i gyhoeddi eich hunain, boed hynny ar y cyfryngau cymdeithasol neu yn rhywle arall.  

Rydym yn croesawu nifer o geisiadau ar yr un pryd gan yr un awdur. 

Gadwech hyd at 8 wythnos ar ôl i’r ffenest gyflwyno ddod i ben cyn cael ymateb, a chyn ein holi am statws eich cais.  

Pe gaiff eich gwaith ei dderbyn, mi fydd tîm Lucent Dreaming yn anfon cytundeb atoch i’w arwyddo.

Word Limit: 40,000-80,000+ words 

Pay Rate: Advance fee of £500, 20% royalties 

Genres: Any, but with a preference for accessible literary, fantasy, sci-fi, speculative and/or surreal fiction

Language: English

You must be a UK resident for your work to be considered. We are especially looking for novel submissions from writers who are under-represented in UK publishing. 

We enjoy beautifully written fiction that is readable, especially writing that embraces and explores inner-lives, relationships, identity and society. We like fiction with characters we can root for and care about. 


You may submit whatever you want, but certain themes and plot types stand a significantly smaller chance. You may, however, take this as a challenge to write one of them exceedingly well and convince us!

For an easier time, avoid:

• Zombies, vampires, werewolves, especially sexy ones
• Fanfiction based on non-public domain texts
• Gratuitous gore/torture and other violence for the sake of violence
• Erotica




Submissions Process:

Please email your polished first three chapters (or around 10k) to submissions@lucentdreaming.com with NOVEL SUBMISSION: STORY TITLE in the subject line. 


Include your name, cover letter, and word count. Your cover letter should contain any publishing history, and anything about yourself you feel is relevant.



Submissions should be submitted as a .doc/.docx file and in standard manuscript format.

Please wait until you’ve been accepted or rejected before sending us another novel. We aim to get back to you within two months. 


If we’ve rejected a story previously, don’t submit it again unless we specifically asked you to–even if it’s been fixed up based on our suggestions. If you do submit it, we’ll reject it unread.


Please don’t submit work that have been previously published in English, including work you have published yourself, be it on your blog, or anywhere else. 

New submission guidelines will be available soon