Jemma L. King

Jemma L. King is an Anglo-Welsh poet from Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England.[1] She spent much of her childhood in Shrewsbury[2] and Aberystwyth on the west coast of Wales. King won the Terry Hetherington Young Welsh Writer of the Year Award in 2011.[3]

Career

Her debut collection, The Shape of a Forest (Parthian, 2013), attracted national attention when it was shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize in 2013.[4][5][6] The book was reviewed in the Welsh literary press for its “haunting precision and historical sweep”.[7]

King’s second collection, The Undressed (2014), explores a cache of Victorian-era nude photographs.[3]

A third collection, Moon Base One, was scheduled for October 2025.[2]

Festivals and readings

King has appeared at international events including Newfoundland’s March Hare Festival and Festivaletteratura in Mantua, Italy.[3]

Awards

  • Terry Hetherington Young Welsh Writer of the Year Award (winner, 2011)[3]
  • Dylan Thomas Prize (shortlist, 2013)[8]
  • Wales Book of the Year – Roland Mathias Poetry Award (shortlist, 2014)[1]
  • Cambrian Mountains Poetry Competition (winner, 2024)[9]

Selected bibliography

  • The Shape of a Forest (2013)
  • The Undressed (2014)
  • Moon Base One (2025)

References

  1. 1 2 "Poet Jemma King shortlisted for Dylan Thomas Prize". BBC News. 12 March 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  2. 1 2 "On being a poet in Wales: Jemma L King". Nation Cymru.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Gillis, Susan (23 June 2014). "Peeled: In Conversation with Jemma L. King". Concrete & River. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  4. ↑ "Dylan Thomas prize: a judge's notes". The Guardian. 8 November 2013. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  5. ↑ March, Polly (27 June 2013). "Jemma King launches her first collection of poetry at the Dylan Thomas Centre". BBC News. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
  6. ↑ Turner, Robin (8 October 2013). "Welsh poet up for prize named after our most famous bard". Western Mail. ProQuest 1439979530.
  7. ↑ Williams, Georgia Carys (20 August 2013). "Books | The Shape of a Forest by Jemma L King". Wales Arts Review. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  8. ↑ Wroe, Nicholas (8 November 2013). "Dylan Thomas prize: A judge's notes". The Guardian.
  9. ↑ "A country of memorable poets!". Cambrian Mountains Society. 25 February 2024. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
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