Fiction Showcase (Penarth Lit Fest)

Welsh fiction is having a moment. We’ll be joined for this panel event by rising literary star Jon Doyle, author of Port Talbot set Communion (an Observer Best Debut of 2026), and two more authors to discuss their stunning new books and their ties to Wales. Full line-up to be revealed soon.

Join us for the perfect literary afternoon.

Jon Doyle is a writer based in Port Talbot, South Wales. He was part of Literature Wales' Representing Wales scheme in 2022/23, and won the Writers & Artists Working-Class Writers' Prize 2023. He holds a BSc and MRes in Zoology and MA in Creative Writing from Cardiff University, and a PhD in Creative Writing from Swansea University. His work has appeared in Short Fiction, Hobart, Ploughshares Online, The Rumpus, 3:AM Magazine, Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction among other places. Communion is his first novel.

Communion:
When Mack O'Brien left his home in Port Talbot for the seminary as a teenager, he didn't imagine he'd be back a decade later, unordained and still at a loss as to what makes for a moral life. He takes a job as a security guard at the local steelworks and begins an uneasy transition into the world he once rejected. When the men of the steelworks organise an unprecedented strike in protest against job cuts, he sees no reason not to go along with it.

***
Saturday 20 June | 12.30 pm
Belle Vue Pavilion, Belle Vue Park, Albert Crescent, Penarth CF64 1DA
Tickets: £10.00 - Event Only / £5.00 - Inclusive Ticket / £5.00 - Student Ticket

Buy a Festival Weekend Pass and get free entry to all festival events, plus some brilliant bookish perks.

The Penarth Literary Festival is organised by Griffin Books and runs from Friday 19 - Sunday 21 June. The festival coincides with Independent Bookshop Week and includes a packed programme of author events, workshops, and lots of other bookish fun for all ages and interests.