Bethany Handley

Writer, poet and disability activist

photo by Jess Hand

Bethany Handley is an award winning writer, poet and disability activist from South Wales.

Bethany’s writing and activism has been featured by BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Wales, BBC One News, BBC Wales, the Poetry Foundation and Country Living, and published by magazines including POETRY, Poetry Wales, PlantLife, The Welsh Agenda.

She explores nature and disability and challenges the barriers that Disabled people experience.

Latest work

Work
Disability Representation, Welsh Stories & the Joy of Cinemas
Disability Representation, Welsh Stories & the Joy of Cinemas

Ahead of the UK release of The Almond and the Seahorse, Bethany interviewed award winning writer, playwright, and leading figure in the disability arts movement Kaite O’Reilly on behalf of Film Hub Wales (British Film Institute).

Poet Laureate’s Library Tour
Poet Laureate’s Library Tour

Bethany joined Poet Laureate Simon Armitage and poet and writer Owen Sheers for the Laureate's Library Tour.

Access for All with Country Living
Access for All with Country Living

Poet and activist Bethany Handley reads aloud for Country Living, on International Wheelchair Day

Designed Out of Nature
Designed Out of Nature

In a feature for Plantlife Magazine, Bethany asks what barriers exist for Disabled people accessing nature and proposes five solutions for improving access.

Reading at London Literature Festival at the Southbank Centre
Reading at London Literature Festival at the Southbank Centre

Bethany reads from her award-winning piece, ‘The National Trust’s Bomb Disposal Squad,’ at the Creative Future Writers’ Award Showcase as part of London Literature Festival.

BBC Radio Wales Reading
BBC Radio Wales Reading

Bethany reads from her award winning essay, ‘The National Trust’s Bomb Disposal Squad’

Welsh Landscapes, Disability and the Myth of Personal Independence
Welsh Landscapes, Disability and the Myth of Personal Independence

The natural world does not choose to exclude many Disabled people. We exclude Disabled people by design.

Anthology of Welsh Disabled Writers
Anthology of Welsh Disabled Writers

d/Deaf and Disabled people continue to be underserved by the Welsh literary scene. This anthology will create a space to have our voices heard and to preserve our rich and diverse voices for future generations to come.

Interview with Poetry Wales: Poetry, Ableism and Bearing Witness
Interview with Poetry Wales: Poetry, Ableism and Bearing Witness

In an interview with Poetry Wales, Bethany explains how her poem Cling Film asks the non-disabled reader to bear witness to ableism.

Access to nature

Bethany spoke to BBC Radio 4’s Saturday Live about the joy of accessing nature as a Disabled person and the need to diversify our nature narratives.

Watch the clip here.

Listen to the feature on BBC Sounds here.

Features and Collaborations

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