Stephen Lawry was born in 1978 and grew up in Gilfach Goch in the Rhondda, the youngest of three brothers. After a happy and ‘typical’ valleys childhood, as a teenager Stephen became involved in drugs and alcohol, culminating in addiction, mental illness and a criminal record. While spending three years as a guest of Her Majesty’s Prison service Stephen volunteered for the Samaritans – ‘THE most rewarding thing’ – and used his now abundant ‘spare time’ to study Psychology, Maths, Sociology, Art, English and I.T. among other subjects. It was during this period that Stephen rediscovered his love of words, beginning to write poetry. Since 2014 he has exhibited several times at The Factory in Porth, combining his writings with paint on canvas, sculptures and installation pieces. His writings and art reflect the turbulence of his life, and are, he says, an acceptance of those experiences as integral to his identity. He credits the honesty of his work to an 'inspirational' colleague's openness about her own struggles. 'If it wasn't for her... none of what I've written would have come out.' Today, there is nothing Stephen likes better than spending time with his family in Porth.