Honno Press

Honno Press
Name	Honno Press
Founded	1986
Founder	Ruth Adam; Welsh Women's Aid (origins)
Country	United Kingdom
Headquarters	Aberystwyth
Distribution	Turnaround Publisher Services; Independent Publishers Group
Publications	Books
Topics	Welsh literature; women's writing

Honno Press is a cooperative publishing house established to recover and promote Welsh women's writing in English and Welsh. Founded in 1986 in Aberystwyth by a voluntary collective with antecedents in regional activism, Honno has published reprints and contemporary titles spanning fiction, poetry, memoir, and scholarship. The press operates within networks linking regional institutions, feminist organisations, and literary bodies across Wales and the United Kingdom.

History

Honno emerged from campaigns associated with Ruth Adam and local activists influenced by movements like Second-wave feminism, aligning with groups such as Welsh Women's Aid and feminist collectives in Cardiff, Swansea, and Newport. Early catalysts included archival projects connected to National Library of Wales and coordination with community groups around Aberystwyth University and Bangor University. In the 1990s Honno collaborated with curators from St Fagans National Museum of History and scholars linked to the Welsh Books Council; its reprints drew interest from editors at The Guardian and reviewers from The Times Literary Supplement. Throughout the 2000s the press expanded ties to festivals like Hay Festival and fundraising partners such as Arts Council of Wales and grant programmes from Heritage Lottery Fund and European cultural initiatives involving Creative Europe. Honno's catalogue reflects involvement with local charities including Wrexham Maelor Hospital reading groups and partnerships with regional libraries like Ceredigion Library Service.

Mission and Publishing Focus

Honno's mission connects to feminist publishing legacies exemplified by organisations such as Virago Press and archival goals similar to work at Women’s Library. The press prioritises rediscovery projects—rescuing out-of-print fiction and poetry by authors linked to Cardiff and rural Pembrokeshire—and commissioning contemporary voices emerging from communities around Gwynedd and Monmouthshire. Genres include historical fiction informed by events like the Rebecca Riots, autobiographical memoirs tied to figures such as Dame Margaret Lloyd-George (family context), and poetry reflecting landscapes of Snowdonia and the Bannau Brycheiniog range. Honno publishes bilingual titles in collaboration with organisations like Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg and works with translators associated with University of Wales Trinity Saint David.

Notable Authors and Works

Honno's list combines reissued writers and living authors who have been reviewed in outlets like The Guardian and anthologised by institutions including Swansea University and Cardiff University. Notable contributors and titles (examples of associations rather than exhaustive list) include writers with ties to Angharad Tomos-style activism, poets resonant with traditions preserved at National Library of Wales, and memoirists whose life stories intersect with histories of Llanelli and Merthyr Tydfil. Honno has published material referenced by scholars at Aberystwyth University and cited in bibliographies held by British Library collections. The press has brought attention to regional authors celebrated at the Hay Festival and who have been shortlisted for prizes administered by the Welsh Books Council and recognised by panels including representatives from Literature Wales.

Awards and Recognition

Titles from the press have been shortlisted for national prizes administered by bodies like the Welsh Arts Council and have received commendations from reviewers at The Times and The Independent. Honno publications have featured in longlists for awards associated with Wales Book of the Year and have earned nominations from juries linked to Society of Authors. The press’s historical recovery work has been acknowledged by heritage funders such as Heritage Lottery Fund and cultural organisations including Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales, while individual authors have been invited to deliver readings for civic programmes at venues like City Hall, Cardiff and events organised by Royal Society of Literature affiliates.

Organizational Structure and Funding

Honno operates as a cooperative with a volunteer board and employed staff, drawing governance models from co-operative examples such as Feminist Press and community publishers in Bristol and Edinburgh. Funding streams include sales handled via national wholesalers like Turnaround Publisher Services, grants from Arts Council England and Arts Council of Wales, project funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, and donations coordinated through partnerships with local trusts such as Community Foundation Wales. The press works with printers in Wales and the United Kingdom, and engages legal and rights services comparable to arrangements used by independent houses affiliated with Independent Publishers Guild. Honno’s administration has collaborated with academic departments at Bangor University and Cardiff Metropolitan University for internships and research placements.

Distribution and Outreach

Distribution channels encompass independent bookshops across Cardiff and Swansea, online retailers serving the United Kingdom and international markets, and specialist wholesalers like Turnaround Publisher Services and Independent Publishers Group. Outreach programs include author events at festivals such as Hay Festival and community readings supported by local libraries in Ceredigion and Powys; educational outreach has involved seminars at Aberystwyth University and workshops with organisations such as Woman’s Hour (BBC-affiliated projects) and regional cultural initiatives funded by Creative Wales. Honno maintains networks with feminist publishing collectives and historical societies, ensuring its titles reach both academic researchers at National Library of Wales and readers attending literary events at venues like Wales Millennium Centre.

Category:Publishing companies of Wales