“There is a real sense of pride in how far Honno has come over the past 40 years. We’re taking the press in new and exciting directions, but our founding principles remain at the heart of everything we do.” So says Elen Martin, sales, marketing & business officer at the Welsh women’s press, which celebrates four decades of publishing this autumn. Martin, also a board member at Cyhoeddi Cymru/Publishing Wales, is one of three current part-time members of staff, alongside commissioning editor Rebecca Parfitt, also a writer, poet and film-maker; and production editor Gemma June Howell, a novelist, academic and founder of Women Publishing Wales.
Inspired by the example of existing feminist presses including Virago and The Women’s Press, Aberystwyth-based Honno was founded in 1986 “to promote creative writing by women with a connection to Wales, past and present, in Welsh and English”. At the time, few publishing houses in Wales were interested in promoting women’s literature or women writers, particularly those writing in English, and even fewer were actively looking for new female talent.
Since 1986, Honno –which loosely translated from Welsh means “that female one” – has published more than 250 titles, and through the many anthologies it has released alongside its single-author titles has brought the work of more than 500 women into print. Current chair of Honno, author Lindsay Jayne Ashford is among many authors who credit the press with launching her career.
Honno gave me that crucial break in publishing
“Honno gave me that crucial break in publishing my first novel. It continues to offer women like me opportunities that are potentially life-changing,” she says. Noteworthy writers published by Honno over the years include Rebecca F John, Stevie Davies, Kathy Biggs and the now revered Tessa Hadley, who released an early short story in 1994 Honno anthology Luminous and Forlorn: Contemporary Short Stories by Women from Wales.
While Honno also does an excellent line in reviving neglected Welsh classics by women, sourcing new writing talent remains a prioritys, which act as a gateway for new writers. Says Parfitt: “We have nurtured and fostered many writers’ careers from the beginning and we are very proud to see these authors develop into success stories.” The challenge – as always for small presses – is in retaining the authors they foster
“An ever-diminishing government funding pot for the arts here in Wales means that grant funded organisations such as ours are limited in what we can afford to offer for advances,” acknowledges Parfitt. Continues…
