Wildlife

  It is lovely to see that Unspeakable Beauty by Georgia Carys Williams has been picked a Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru / Books Council of Wales Book of the Month for February! ' Unspeakable Beauty is perfectly measured; reading this novel is often a breathtaking pleasure... A truly impressive achievement from a rising star of Welsh literature.' – Gosia Buzzanca, Buzz Magazine 'an elegant psychological exploration of obsessive behaviours, be that the physical and psychological demands placed on an aspiring ballerina; or the predatory tendencies of a man who comes to objectify a woman made vulnerable by her quiet nature... a lyrical, compelling and addictive read' – Sophie Buchaillard, Nation.Cymru Growing up in a lonely house on the edge of a wild common, Violet Hart is a quiet and sheltered only child who has always dreamt of becoming something extraordinary: a ballet icon as famous as Margot Fonteyn. Guarding her dream closely after suffering catastrophic loss, Violet fal...

 

 

  I am so happy to see Ben's memoir coming out in hardback next month through Calon Books... https://www.uwp.co.uk/book/whose-song-to-sing-wildsmith/ Details of launches here:  https://linktr.ee/BENWILDSMITH He's already made it onto Stewart Lee's Cultural List of 2025 and is a Folding Rock Top Pick for 2026.  Loads of lovely blurb quotes too... here's one: ‘This book is everything that a memoir should be: gripping, informative, moving, hilarious, a fascinating doorway into the fun and frozen wastes of being someone else, a glimpse into a life well and vividly lived. Laceratingly intelligent, fearlessly self-analytical, it is, in part, a sequence of joyous, if hard-won, awakenings, into rugby, politics, literature, addiction, adoption, music, Welshness, love of several kinds. All praise.’ – Niall Griffiths I'm sure I'll see some of you at one or more of the events...

Coming soon from Parthian Books ... (Patrick's cover still to be revealed...) and pre-orders available here: https://www.parthianbooks.com/collections/pre-order

The first Ponty Poetry of 2026 is on Wednesday January 14th from 7.00 - 9.00pm in the Cwtch Café at the YMa Arts Centre in Pontypridd, with the usual open mic and featuring the excellent Cardiff poet Roberto Pastore as the special guest! 'There is a sense of imminent doom and ferocious hope, resplendent even in despair. His use of language is beautiful, elegiac, yet never overwrought' – Jenny White, Western Mail 'Bert’s poems make the reader aware of other worlds, other planes of existence; how heavy night hangs, whispers overheard in dreams and waiting rooms, what is sheltered within our bodies. Profound, darkly funny, and deeply human.’ – Joshua Jones Come early if you would like to read - or you can just listen, of course. EVERYONE IS WELCOME! Hope to see you there - https://www.ymaonline.wales/ Please “Pass It On!” PS The Gas Road free car park is nearby CF37 4TH, the Bus Station is across the street, and Ponty Train Station is 10 mins away!  

Happy New Year Folks! It was lovely to see both Rae Howells / This Common Uncommon and the win for West Cross Common and my first issue of New Welsh Review (featuring Philip Gross , Clare Potter , Abeer Ameer and the Borzello shortlist) both picked for Nation.Cymru's Cultural Highlights 2025: Poetry Roundup alongside lots of other wonderful poets and publications including Rhian Elizabeth , Sophie Bouchiallard, Menna Elfyn , Poetry Wales 's 60th anniversary year (including a poem by Ben Wildsmith !), the Afonydd ( Arachne Press ) anthology edited by Sian Northey and Vanessa Owen , and Beyond / Tu Hwnt (Lucent Dreaming). I have many more poetry highlights of 2025, of course, but I've been a bit slow gathering them / blogging. I'll definitely miss some here, but... it was a delight to read all the entries for the Borzello Poetry Prize and work with some wonderful poets for Parthian including bringing out new collections by Christina Thatcher (highly commended in...

  Barry, 1 Jan 2026