Anthony Shapland grew up in Bargoed, South Wales. He is a writer and artist, and founder of g39, an artist-led space in Cardiff. He was part of the Representing Wales 2022 Cohort on a support programme run by Literature Wales with mentoring support from Cynan Jones. His short story 'Foolscap' was shortlisted for the Rhys Davies Award and he was selected for the 2023 Hay Writers at Work programme. A Room Above a Shop is his debut novel. Working in collaboration with artist and author Esyllt Angharad Lewis, Shapland also published a Welsh translation of the work in 2025 under the title Lan Stâr.