Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from 2014

Dinefwr 2014: Speed Dating Writers

Don’t miss the chance to fall in love during Dinefwr’s ‘speed dating’ event with Parthian and Seren writers on Saturday 21st June! [This post is mostly taken from www.parthianbooks.com ] For the second year, amid the magical and mythical surroundings of Dinefwr Park and Castle, Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, the Dinefwr Literature Festival will take place on the weekend 20-22 June. This bilingual festival (Welsh-English) is a celebration of words in all their different forms – poetry, prose, history, stand-up comedy, song lyrics – and  it offers an amazing programme of national and international writers, award-winning poets and emerging literary talent, among which Parthian and Seren are represented rather nicely! All the events are situated in a stunning 17th century property, Newton House, and in the Old Laundry, on Saturday 21st June at 8.15 pm, the Speed Dating Writers event will take place, featuring three novelists, two poets and a Canadian on a high-octane rid

Hay Festival 2014

I had a splendid time at the Hay Festival this year. On my first trip up we were celebrating Parthian's 21st birthday with a cabaret style evening of readings, mini q&a sessions and an amazing birthday cake made by one of the fab Hay crew. Rich and I hosted and evening that featured readings from Tyler Keevil, Rachel Trezise, Sion Tomos Owen, Jemma L. King, Carly Holmes, Holly Muller, Dan Tyte, and Joao Morais, and an interview with Rarebit's illustrator John Abell. Here are a few photos... Books, Books, Books: Including the first outing of new books Tonypandemonium by Rachel Trezise and The Undressed by Jemma L. King Let Them Eat Cake Autograph Corner Deckchairs and Wine Me + Hay Loot The Parthian Dance Troupe? With many thanks to the Queen of Hay Street Style Rebecca Pescod for taking these! We all had rather a lot of fun and we hope you did too... Rebecca is Never Underdressed Bethan Elfyn (L) and Viv Albertine (R) on a

Spring Update 2: My Own Writing

Catch me airing a mix of new and old poems at The Back of the Pub Poetry Club in The Fountain Inn on the Friday Night of the Dylan Poetry Weekend (2-4 May 2014) in Laugharne, along with Mab Jones and pals. My dearest friend Rhian Edwards is on at 7pm that very same night. Loads of other great people doing proper turns on the rest of the bill, and some brilliant theatre bits and bobs too. I will also read a couple of poems at the Bare Fiction event on the 30th of April at Gwdihw in Cardiff. The Arabic translation of my short story 'Aquatic Life' appeared in Albataka Review: Brush with Fate - Voices From Wales along with other stories in translation by Rachel Trezise, lloyd robson, Nigel Jarrett, Jon Gower, Tristan Hughes and Lewis Davies.

high-piled books... The Work & Stuff update

Hello long-neglected blog. So, I've made it to the other side of teaching my first semester on the MA in Creative and Critical Writing at the University of Gloucs (and some undergrad bits and pieces there and at Cardiff MET)... and also to the other side of organising Griff Rhys Jones' Cardiff Cameo Club Book Launch, The Welsh Cultural Embassy at The Wheatsheaf, and trips to both Laugharne (Take 1) and London Book Fair almost intact, bar a sprained ankle - damn you rainy road potholes. Time for some R&R and a bit of a Spring shake up in between seeing friends and family. BUT first for two updates... ONE: THE WORK & STUFF UPDATE Lots of the books I - and my brilliant authors - have been working on over my last year at the editorial helm of Parthian have recently been, or will soon be, launched into the world and I've been meeting with my 2015 authors too. Congratulations to Craig Hawes who has been longlisted for the Edge Hill Short Story Prize for his d

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Lots to report, lots to report... 1. Rarebit , my anthology of 21 illustrated short stories to celebrate Parthian's 21st birthday launched on National Short Story Day - 21/12/2013 and is currently Welsh Book of the Month in Waterstones for January 2014. Contributor Dan Tyte wrote a fab blog about the launch so I don't have to . I'm pleased as punch with all involved, especially that John Abell for all the amazing artwork, and Team Parthian for lots of help in many other ways. Here's a little anecdote from my weekend: On Saturday I ran into a friend outside the pasty shop, as you do. 'I've just bought Rarebit ,' she said, quickly adding 'for a friend' as if it were a dangerous book to be caught buying for yourself. 'I saw it because it was on the Book of the Month table in  Waterstones Cardiff . Actually, the person in the queue behind me was buying it too.' Here's a snap of the display of Rarebit s in Waterstones after this conver