Inspired by the Red Poets, in 1999 Gemma June Howell won second prize for her poem 'Fear of the Unknown' at The Aber Valley Arts Competition. While studying Politics at Swansea University (2003-2006), she founded The Creative Writing Coalition and produced experimental poetry magazine, 'Think Allowed'.

Since completing her Creative Writing MA she’s had plays Changing Faces (2007) and Jackpot (2008) performed in Rough Diamonds at the Dylan Thomas Theatre in Swansea.

In 2009 Gemma launched her debut collection of short stories published by Hafan Books. Her collection, Inside the Treacle Well “focuses an unflinching eye on life in the southern valleys”(Nigel Jenkins) and has been selected for the eligible list for Wales Book of
the Year 2010.

Gemma also edited Cardiff's Pure Poetry publication: Square Magazine's Feminist Issue #6 and gained Finalist status at the John Tripp Award for Spoken Poetry 2009 with qualifying poem 'Birth by Defect.' She contributes her work to the Red Poets Society and lectures in Creative Writing & Politics. She is a member of new film collective, 'Unaknowledged Artists' and her book, 'Inside the Treacle Well,' is to be made into a film by Retronica Video next Spring.