Pantolwen Press is a small independent press that operates with support from The Books Council of Wales. It has published the first two novels of The Isle Fincara Trilogy by A G Rivett and VU by Kenneth Sinclair. The Isle Fincara Trilogy is a work of speculative fiction set on a medieval Celtic island. The third book, The Shareg, will launch at the October 2026 Wild Goose Festival of Writing and Storytelling. VU is an ambitious experimental fiction: almost a novel, almost a form of its own. Both writers draw on history, and aspire to beauty. They also write with awareness of the fragility and resilience of the natural world, and the impacts of humanity. Seeking new vision, they draw on timeless values..
The Bryn Glas Blog is mostly written by Gillian Paschkes-Bell, editor at Pantolwen Press. In occasional short pieces on books, she offers fresh perspectives and a personal response.
New vision. Timeless values. Photographs from Unsplash. Starting top-left, clockwise, by: Aaron Burden, Christin Hume, Jilbert Ibrahimi and Seven Shooter.
Curling up with a good book is an archetypal image. Though it arose in pre-internet times, it’s a picture that still evokes comfort. But books can sometimes take us outside our comfort zones and change how we view the world.
We may emerge inspired or disturbed. See the world anew through its pages — or at least with a little more insight. The best books possess a transformative power. Like all magic, they await a receptive mind to release it.
