Gwen Davies' Western Mail Insider column

Two blogs of interest from NWR... one relating to the Writers Chain India, where WAI are hopefully funding me to go this November, ... the other relates to the short story and my Kindle novella 'Arrivals'

Reading India, Translating Wales

Since spring, under WLE-LAF auspices, I’ve met writers at Ultracomida from Russia, Bulgaria, Slovakia and, most recently, from India. Those of us lucky enough to be there last month, where Reading India - Translating Wales took place, are still talking about it. The seven-strong team of Welsh-language and Indian poets had clearly bonded during their mid June translation residency at Ty Newydd. Multi-award winning writer and translator K Satchidanandan joked that the trip from Kerala was ‘worth it’ just to see Eurig Salisbury’s buoyant hair! The production values, as well as the poetic ones, were high. Part of the British Council-supported India Wales Writers Chain, which launched last year at Hay Festival Kerala (where poets Gillian Clarke, Menna Elfyn and Paul Henry were also present), the Aber event delivered a tremendous sense of an unbreakable chain. This was achieved through an inclusive and incantatory choreography of their performance: a presentation of work in Welsh, Manipuri, English, Bengali and Malayalam.

http://newwelshreview.blogspot.com/2011/08/reading-india-translating-wales.html

The Kindle Single and Masters of Ecstasy

"Novellas per se sell even worse than story collections. But just as capitalism abhors a vacuum, so Amazon created the Single Kindle: a marketplace for digital texts (including nonfiction and essays) of between 10,000 and 30,000 words. Parthian, ever quick off the mark, have brought out SK versions of the lead novellas from longer print editions: Aled Islwyn’s Muscles Came Easy (42 pages, £2.39) and Susie Willd’s Arrivals as well as highlights from classic Library of Wales authors Hilda Vaughan and Arthur Macken's 'The Great God Pan'. Hopefully Seren will give Glenda Beagan's similarly titled ‘The Great Master of Ecstasy’ the same e-treatment."

http://newwelshreview.blogspot.com/2011/07/kindle-single-and-masters-of-ecstasy.html

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PHOTO BLOG: Poetry at the Clocktower

We had a lovely day of poetry outside the Poetry Bookshop in Hay today and it stayed mostly dry too! Here’s me telling the audience some things about Bert (Roberto Pastore). Thanks Sian Lile-Pastore for the photo. And the rest of the photos as promised... Imogen Davies, Richard Davies, Niall Griffiths, Nigel Jarrett and Ifor Thomas took the early spots... (thanks to Christina and Ifor for these photos...) Richard (Parthian) & crowd Niall Griffiths reading Niall Imogen Ifor Thomas reads Nigel Jarrett reads Next up we had readings from Christina Thatcher, Abigail Parry and Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch, followed by readings from Ness Owen, Mari Ellis Dunning, Jemma L. King, Tracey Rhys, Patrick Jones, Roberto Pastore and, drawing the short straw to go last, yours truly. Abigail reads Abigail again Roberto Pastore reads Ness Owen reads Everyone loves Bert Tracey Rhys reads Patrick Jones reads Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch A shot of Christina in red in the crowd Stalls at Hay Castle ...

BOOK REVIEW: 'one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary Welsh writing in English'

There is a wonderful extended review essay 'Ecological Literacy' by Steven Lovatt in the latest issue of New Welsh Review exploring recent books that seek to restore natural and cultural ecologies and recognise how the cultural nature of our landscapes is preserved in language. It offers an in-depth look at This Common Uncommon by Rae Howells, and here are three of our favourite snippets: "Rae Howells’ new poetry collection, This Common Uncommon , is a fierce and loving affirmation of the local, exemplifying the sort of care-full attention to the interdependence of people, other animals and plants that will be required if anything worthwhile is to be saved from the present ruin." "Howells confirms the evidence of her first collection, The Language of Bees, that she is a highly adept poet, possessing one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary Welsh writing in English." "If West Cross Common is developed for housing, nobody can now claim ignoran...

GIG ALERT: Voicebox Wrexham

Celebrate 11 years... (11 YEARS!) of Voicebox with an absolute class creative cabaret of Wrexham's Arts Scene with the infamous Voicebox Open Mic with your host Natasha Borton! This month we have a very special takeover with Parthian Books. Parthian is an independent publisher based in Cardigan, Wales. Since its foundation in 1993, Parthian has published some of the best-known works of contemporary Welsh literature. Parthian's motto is “A Carnival of Voices in Independent Publishing”. Monday 11th November at Rough Hands Tap, Wrexham Entry is £5 (£3 concessions) Doors: 7pm Open Mic 7:30 - 8:30 Susie Wild - 8:45 - 9:15 Patrick Jones - 9:15 - 9:45 Penblwydd Hapus Voicebox Headliners: Susie Wild is author of the poetry collections Windfalls and Better Houses, the short story collection The Art of Contraception listed for the Edge Hill Prize, and the novella Arrivals. Her work has featured in many publications including Poetry Wales, Ink Sweat & Tears and The Atlanta Review and...

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