About Us - Wales Arts Review

About Us

Wales Arts Review works to bring our readers the best critical writing from Wales, and the best critical writing about Wales. It is a place where passionate and informed arts critics, from Wales and beyond, can find expression. Our writers are neither drum-beaters nor axe-grinders but simply knowledgeable and dedicated people who care deeply about culture and society.

Founded in March 2012, Wales Arts Review is a media platform where a new generation of critics and arts lovers can meet to engage in a robust and inclusive discussion about books, theatre, film, music, the visual arts, politics, and the media.

Wales Arts Review commissions and publishes content in the English language, yet it proudly acknowledges that Wales is a bilingual nation with a richly diverse bilingual culture. We therefore do not restrict our focus to arts and literature delivered only in the medium of English. We have published reviews and articles examining works by Welsh language artists and companies; from the work of Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru to TV hit crime-thriller Y Gwyll. We have also covered the National Eisteddfod and were proud to announce that the winner of our 2014 ‘Greatest Welsh Novel’ prize was Caradog Prichard’s Un Nos Ola Leaud. Wales Arts Review looks forward to working with partner organisations on future projects that critically evaluate and celebrate all the languages of Wales.

We believe that a vibrant arts scene is the expression of a confident, healthy and creative society. We further assert that a flourishing and vigorous critical culture is vital to its sustenance and development. As such, we regard Wales Arts Review as an important building-block in the new outward-looking, forward-thinking Wales.

Read our Diversity and Inclusion Policy here.

About Us

Emma Schofield

Editor@DrEmmaSchofield

An academic, commentator and writer, Emma Schofield has a PhD from Cardiff University where she also teaches in education and curriculum design. Emma is developing her PhD research for publication with University of Wales Press and has written widely on literature, culture and politics in Wales. Her edited collection exploring the impact of devolution on the lives of women in Wales will be published in 2023 by Parthian Books and her short fiction has appeared in a number of publications. She has featured as a contributor on a range of shows across BBC Radio Wales, Radio 3 and Radio 4, having been selected to take part in the BBC’s New Generation Thinkers scheme.

Ben Glover

Managing Editor@BenGlover77

Ben Glover is a political essayist, activist and campaigner. After graduating from Cardiff Metropolitan University, Ben has worked for a number of political parties on various projects and elections, both on a local and national level. The primary focus of his academic research and political writings has been investigations into the structures of power in Wales and abroad.

Cerith Mathias

Contributing Editor@cerithmathias

Cerith Mathias is a Producer, Writer and Events Manager. She has been at the helm of numerous BBC Wales political programmes including The Wales Report with Huw Edwards. Cerith is the Director of Pontypridd Children’s Book Festival, Co-Director of Cardiff Book Festival and a Co-Director of Pontypridd Books.

Craig Austin

Senior Editor@TheCraigAustin

Craig Austin is the Review’s lead writer on pop culture, his primary focus being the relationship between the arts and social and political change. Having spent his formative years in South Wales, Craig now lives in London, his location acting as an invaluable means of promoting Welsh arts to an ever wider audience. His writing has also appeared in NME and The Guardian.

Bethan Hall

Assistant Editor@

Bethan has a master's degree in Music from Cardiff University. Specialising in musicology, her interests lie predominantly with film music, analysis and the representation of nature through sound. Bethan also enjoys baking cakes and after the lockdown hopes to further her skills as an open water diver.

Gary Raymond

Executive Editor@GaryRaymond_

Gary Raymond is a novelist, critic, editor and broadcaster. He is one of the founding editors of Wales Arts Review. He is the presenter of BBC Radio Wales's The Review Show, and has appeared as a commentator on a wide range of platforms, including BBC Radio Four's Front Row, and The Guardian. As well as being a prolific non-fiction writer, he has written three novels and two non-fiction books.