A PRIZE winning Radnorshire poet is in line for another prestigious award.

Dr Rhiannon Hooson, now based at Presteigne, has been shortlisted for the Wales Book of the Year awards.

Her book, “The Other City” is one of three contenders for the Roland Mathias Poetry Award.

Published by Seren Books in 2016 to much acclaim, Dr Hooson has been described as being at the forefront of literary female voices, while rooted in the Welsh landscape.

The judges described “The Other City” as: “.. [announcing] a stunning new voice in contemporary poetry: from the first reading these are poems which are going to consume you as a reader, draw you back to them again and again.

“With their dark and compelling strength, their distinctive musical voice, and their refusal to explain or simplify, her poems reminded us of poems by Tiffany Atkinson or Louis MacNeice. Hooson is a writer who completely understands the magic, music and mystery of poetry, and she draws on all the power of language to create hauntingly beautiful and unforgettable poems.”

Rhiannon has spent time living and working in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. She now divides her time between writing, creative mentorship, running Presteigne Library, where she can be found on Tuesdays and Wednesdays stamping books.

Since the publication of her book, she has read at a variety of venues, literature festivals across the UK and Europe - including London, Milan, and the Hay festival.

The award for Wales Book of the Year comprises three shortlists of only three books in each section: poetry, novels, and creative non-fiction. Each section has a winner and then an overall winner. There is also a ‘People’s Choice’ where the public can vote for their favourite online at http://www.walesartsreview.org/ vote-now-wales-book-of-the-year- peoples-choice/

The Wales Book of the Year award ceremony will take place in Cardiff on November 13, with tickets for the award ceremony priced at £6 available online from http://tramshedcardiff.com