Tegwen Bruce-Deans
Tegwen Bruce-Deans is a Welsh writer writing primarily in Cymraeg. She is one of only two people to have won both the Urdd Eisteddfod Crown and Chair.
Early life and education
Bruce-Deans was born in London, England, on 16 September 2000 and moved to the Welsh town of Llandrindod Wells when she was two years old. Born into an English-speaking family who lived in the Lewisham area of London, she learnt Welsh after moving to Wales and being enrolled in Welsh-medium education by her parents. Bruce-Deans attended Cylch Meithin Llandrindod, Ysgol Trefonnen and Builth Wells High School, and graduated from Bangor University in 2022. Her dissertation at Bangor focused on the Welsh literary canon's underrepresentation of women writers.Career
In 2023, Bruce-Deans published Gwawrio, a collection of poems that explore themes such as feminism, self-love and modern life in Wales. The collection was her first solo publication, and was released as part of publisher Cyhoeddiaday Barddas' Tonfedd Heddiw series celebrating new voices in Welsh poetry.Under the pen name 'Gwawr', Bruce-Deans won the Chair at the Urdd Eisteddfod held in Llandovery, Carmarthenshire, in 2023. Her winning poetry sequence was titled 'Rhwng Dau Le', and was on the theme of 'river'. The following year, she was awarded the Crown at the Urdd Eisteddfod held in Meifod, Powys. Her crowning in 2024 made her only the second ever person to achieve the 'double win' of Crown and Chair at an Urdd Eisteddfod.
Bruce-Deans cites writers Mererid Hopwood and Ocean Vuong as inspirations for her work. In 2024, she was one of five poets chosen to take part in the inaugural Pencerdd programme, which offers an opportunity to develop work in the ancient tradition of cynganeddu.