Pigeon

Shortlisted for the 2017 Dylan Thomas Prize. Lola and Pijin make up stories to test each other, stories of daring and adventure, of bad people and of Gwyn who drives his ice-cream up the hill to their town every week. Gwyn is a dangerous man and Pijin knows it. Lola is not so sure. As they grow up and their friendship grows more complicated, some of their stories fall silent, but some will come true. Pigeon is a journey through the uneasy half-forgotten memories of childhood, a story about wishful-thinking and the power of language.

Alys Conran's fiction, poetry, and translations have been placed in several competitions, including The Bristol Short Story Prize and The Manchester Fiction Prize. Having previously studied Literature at Edinburgh, she completed her MA in Creative Writing at Manchester. She also ran projects to increase access to creative writing and reading among traditionally excluded groups in north Wales. She was recently awarded a scholarship to write a second novel.