Mari Ellis Dunning
Mari Ellis Dunning (born 15 July 1993) is a Welsh writer based in Aberystwyth. Her debut poetry collection "Salacia" was shortlisted for the Wales Book of the Year in 2019. She has also published a children's book. Early life. Mari Ellis Dunning was born on 15 July 1993. She is a University of Aberystwyth alum, having studied for an MA in Creative Writing there. Career. Dunning's first solo publication was a children's book called "Percy the Pom Pom Bear", published simultaneously in Welsh and English. The book was launched on 23 April 2016 at  the Abergavenny Writing Festival. Later that year, Dunning won the Terry Hetherington Young Writers Award with her short story 'Cartref'. Her debut poetry collection, "Salacia", followed in 2018. Published by Parthian Books, "Salacia" was later shortlisted for the 2019 Wales Book of the Year. In an interview with "The Cardiff Review", Dunning revealed that the collection "is filled with poems centred on my own experiences, mental health, and narrative poems in the voices of various women whose stories I was completely compelled to tell. I like to get inside a person’s head and let the writing stem from there