Hanan Issa - The National Poet of Wales

Hanan Issa, a Welsh-Iraqi poet, filmmaker and artist is the national poet of Wales. As national poet, Issa will represent the diverse cultures and languages of Wales and act as an ambassador for the people of Wales.

Her publications include her poetry collection My Body Can House Two Hearts and Welsh Plural: Essays on the Future of Wales. Her winning monologue With Her Back Straight was performed at the Bush Theatre as part of the Hijabi Monologues. She is part of the writers’ room for Channel 4’s award-winning series We Are Lady Parts. She was the recipient of the 2020 Ffilm Cymru/ BBC Wales commission for her short film The Golden Apple.