Gwen Owen, a Scot with a Welsh-sounding name, considers herself to be an honorary Englishwoman, having lived in the South East with her English husband (and four English children) for many years. The written word (both reading and writing) has been important to her since early childhood.. Gwen was astonished and delighted to be one of the runners up in the 2024 Telegraph Poetry Competition. She was also long-listed in the 2024 Plough Poetry Prize.