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Matthew Jones is the author of many acclaimed quiz books including the bestselling Welsh Rugby Quiz Book which has been recently updated with over fifty new questions and reprinted after selling over 12,000 copies. This week, he publishes the comprehensive The Wales Quiz Book which will test the readers’ knowledge on Wales and all things Welsh.
‘It’s always fun to test your own knowledge, and even better to challenge others,’ said Matthew Jones, ‘Now here’s a chance o prove to family and friends how much you know about Wales and test your memory on Wales’ rich tapestry of history, culture, landmarks and people.’
The Wales Quiz Book includes fifty rounds of ten questions on a variety of topics including music, films, successful individuals, memorable events, geography and more. Some questions are harder than others but Matthew is confident that ‘there's something for everyone’.
‘From Tom Jones to Manic Street Preachers, Richard Burton to Rhys Ifans, there's a real spectrum of enjoyment bursting from this book’ said Matthew Jones.
‘It’s an impossible task to pack everything about Wales into 500 questions, but The Wales Quiz Book gives a fantastic mixture of facts to suit everyone.’ added Matthew, ‘ This is a fun way for you to see how much you know about the country and its people, and getting friends together is even more enjoyable – people love a good quiz!’
Matthew Jones is the author of Welsh Sports Quiz Book, The Rugby Union Quiz Book, The Lions Rugby Quiz Book, The Six Nations Rugby Quiz Book and the bestselling Welsh Rugby Quiz Book . He lives in Cardiff and does media and PR work in English or Welsh.
The Wales Quiz Book by Matthew Jones (£3.99, Y Lolfa) is available now.
WELSH LANGUAGE WORLD BOOK DAY BOOK TO BE PUBLISHED FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER
By AmeriCymru, 2018-02-08
Na, Nel! Un Tro by Meleri Wyn James, illustrated by John Lund, will be published by Y Lolfa in time for World Book Day celebrations on 1 March 2018. The book will be part of the official World Book Day activities in Wales, which is supported by the Welsh Government and Waterstones. This will be the first time that a Welsh-language book has been included in the range of special £1 books that are published annually as part of the UK-wide campaign.
Angharad Sinclair, Reading Promotions Project Manager for the Welsh Books Council, said, 'It’s such a pleasure to include a Welsh-language book for the first time for World Book Day. I’m sure children across Wales will enjoy reading about Nel’s next adventure! The Na Nel! series is extremely popular and proves that original series can hold their own and sell really well.'
Garmon Gruffudd, Managing Director of Y Lolfa, said, 'We’re delighted to be part of this pioneering scheme. Nel is well established as one of Wales’s most popular characters and we hope that this will be a further boost to the series.'
The book will follow the adventures of Nel, the mischievous girl who appears in the popular Na, Nel! series. It will capture the fun and playfulness of the stories and encourage children to go on to read the other books in the series. In the new book, Nel will cast herself in the middle of the story once again and show how mischief follows her, wherever she goes
'I’ve loved reading and writing since I was a child, and now I love reading with my own children and sharing the Na, Nel! stories with young readers all over Wales. It’s an honour that Nel’s original adventures have been chosen as the first Welsh-language book to be part of World Book Day this year' said author Meleri Wyn James, 'I hope that children will seize the opportunity to buy Nel’s latest adventure for a £1, and that it will encourage them to read more of Nel’s stories and to dip into the wealth of Welsh books which are available to children today.'
Meleri Wyn James is an experienced author and editor and has published over 25 books for children, young people and adults. Since 2014 she has been responsible for creating a number of adventures for Nel, the mischievous little girl.
World Book Day was designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, and is marked in over 100 countries around the globe. World Book Day is a partnership of publishers, booksellers and interested parties who work together to promote books and reading for the personal enrichment and enjoyment of all. A main aim of World Book Day in the UK and Ireland is to encourage children to explore the pleasures of books and reading by providing them with the opportunity to have a book of their own.
In Wales, the campaign is coordinated by the Welsh Books Council and supported by the Welsh Government and Waterstones.
Additionally, a brand new production by Theatr Arad Goch, which is a stage adaptation of the popular books by Meleri Wyn James, will visit theatres around Wales during the summer of 2018. Na, Nel! Wwww! travels to 17 theatres across Wales between May and July with a new, original story by the author, bringing the popular characters alive on stage for the first time.
A new colourful activity book will be published to coincide with the show, Na Nel!: Waw!, which will encourage children to use their imagination and is full of Nel’s usual fun and laughter.
Na, Nel! Un tro... by Meleri Wyn James (£1, Y Lolfa) is available now.
ORIGINAL WELSH CHILDREN’S BOOK CHOSEN AS PART OF THE WELSH GOVERNMENT’S FLYING START SCHEME
By AmeriCymru, 2018-02-01
Geiriau Cyntaf Cyw by Helen Davies (Y Lolfa) was chosen as the successful book after the Welsh Books Council was asked to be part of the tendering process to supply 10,000 copies of a Welsh title as part of the Flying Start programme.
Flying Start is part of the Welsh Government’s early years programme for families with children under four years of age living in disadvantaged areas of Wales. As well as providing childcare, an enhanced health visiting service and access to parenting programmes, it also provides parents with support in regards to speech, language and communication.
Evidence shows that speech, language and communication ability is an important predictor of later progress in literacy and has an impact on social skills as well as behaviour of children.
The successful title had to be a Welsh language picture book for pre-school children - preferably with a Welsh theme.
Geiriau Cyntaf Cyw (Cyw’s First Words) is a colourful picture-word book presenting a simple vocabulary in various locations such as the garden, farm and seaside. It was originall published in cooperation with S4C and Boom Pictures Cymru. It is suitable for children who are attending nursery or for young children aged between 3 and 5 years old.
‘The Lolfa is very proud that Flying Start has chosen one of the Cyw books for the scheme,’ said Garmon Gruffudd, managing director of Y Lolfa, ‘I hope, as a result, that parents will find more of the great original books that are available to children in Welsh.’
I am delighted that this book, which has received Welsh Government support via the Welsh Books Council's grant scheme, was chosen for Flying Start’ added Helgard Krause, Chief Executive of the Welsh Books Council, ‘It will give children and parents living in Wales access to an authentic Welsh book originated entirely in Wales and hopefully contribute to lifelong enjoyment of reading.’
Copies will be distributed around Wales as part of the scheme by the beginning of February.
CHILDREN'S COMIC MELLTEN IS LOOKING FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF WELSH CARTOONISTS
By AmeriCymru, 2018-01-17
The prize for the winning entry will be an original piece of artwork by Mellten creator, Huw Aaron and a Family Ticket to Hay Festival 2018. The strip will also feature in the next issue of the comic! There is also a prize available for the winning school – a workshop with Huw Aaron himself.
The competition is open to all and you competitors can choose to complete the Capten Clonc cartoon strip included in the seventh issue of Mellten or create a totally new character or cartoon.
The competition closes on the 31 st of March and the names of the winners will be announced in April. Competitors are asked to send their work to cllc.plant@books.wales or through the post to – “Mellten Competition” , Welsh Books Council, Castell Brychan, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, SY23 2JB.
‘'We are delighted to be working with Mellten and y Lolfa on this competition and give the children and young people of Wales the chance to get their imagination going by creating a new cartoon character or strip,’ said Angharad Wyn Sinclair, Reading Promotions Project Manager, ‘What better way to celebrate World Book Day this year than by reading the latest issue of Mellten and trying out in this competition? We look forward to seeing the various creations!’
‘The seventh issue is a great example of encouraging children to create and use their imaginations,’ says Huw Aaron, ‘We at Mellten are very eager to help and develop children’s creative talent. I myself especially want to see the next generation of cartoonists creating their own comics in the future.’
‘The creative talent is certainly there but children need the opportunity to showcase their talents’ he added.
In the pages of the seventh issue Gwil Garw discovers himself in a bit of trouble, Bloben discovers its affection for Cyw and Iola is preparing to race at the Space Rally competition.
There will be more stories from the shadows as the storyteller tells the story of Pontarfynach’s mysterious bridgge, the Allwedd Amser mystery will continue while poor Boc is missing on the farm and the animals are all on the run.
Aimed at children between 7 and 13, Mellten is the first original Welsh language comic in decades. The next issue will appear in March. Individual issues are available or it is possible to subscribe for £8 a year via the website, schools or local bookshops.
The seventh issue of Mellten (£2, Y Lolfa) is available now.
In Wales construction of most cinemas took place in 1910 and 1911, although a number of buildings had been converted into cinemas before that.
‘In days gone by a weekly visit to the “flicks” was as common as watching the television is today. It was an adventure and one of the few modes of entertainment available,’ said author Alan Phillips, ‘It was a chance to step back in time or to the future, a chance to forget daily toils and, for an hour or two, be transported to a make-believe world’.
Wales had its own film pioneers, such as John Codman, son of the Llandudno pier Punch and Judy man, who travelled throughout north Wales with his magic lantern living picture show. Then there was Arthur Cheetham who filmed day-to-day scenes throughout the country for the purpose of showing them at venues across most of Wales. He eventually settled in Rhyl and in 1906 established the Silvograph Animated Pictures - the first permanent cinema in Wales.
But, by the 1960s the advent of television and increased running costs caused cinema attendances to decline and several went into financial difficulty.
‘Times have changed now,’ added Alan, ‘Some cinemas or theatres were converted into bingo halls or were used for other uses, such as supermarkets, or eventually demolished. Today several cinemas have been taken over by J.D. Wetherspoon pubs, and they have retained the décor to give us a glimpse of their former glory days’.
There are still some independent cinemas left in Wales, mostly run by local authorities with the help of volunteers. Over the years the Welsh Government has supported the venues with grants from the European Development Fund which have enabled the cinemas to invest in modern equipment such as digital projectors.
As well as being a former cinema projectionist himself, Alan notes that his motivation behind the book were ‘more than anything seeing the number of cinemas that have closed throughout Wales since the 1960s’.
Alan Phillips studied history at University College of Wales, Swansea, before joining the RAF. He worked as a cinema projectionist with the Kinema Corporation and later with the Ministry of Defence.
The Cinemas of West Wales by Alan Phillips (£6.99, Y Lolfa) is available now.
Am Newid by Dana Edwards follows main protagonist Ceri who returns to her childhood home but has changed a lot since she left. She goes to join Merched y Wawr and despite being a woman, the fact that some still think of her as a ‘boy’ mean that it is not easy for them to accept her.
But Ceri isn’t the only one who’s changed. Over the past twenty-five years, her community’s language, culture and attitudes have also changed.
‘I wanted to write something that was contemporary but that would also demonstrate a timeless attitude shown towards people who are deemed different or who don’t conform to our idea of ‘normal’,’ said Dana Edwards.
‘Issues on gender and sex appear in the press almost daily – schools change their toilets to be unisex, policemen change their outfits to also become unisex, and the discussions on abolishing the need to state your sex in the next census. So I thought that writing about this would be both timely and relevant.’
The novel looks at how Ceri copes with the change in her world, how the world copes with Ceri, and the change that comes when she decides to settle down once again in west Wales.
‘In the past, Welsh novels have been accused of being old fashioned,’ said Dana, ‘but I do hope that Am Newid , amongst many other contemporary Welsh novels, prove that that isn’t true anymore.’
Said author Lleucu Roberts, ‘ Am Newid is a compelling, easy to read novel and Dana Edwards has shown herself to be a capable author who knows how to weave a plot and develop characters.’
The novel will be launched at the Winter Fair in Builth Wells on Monday 27 November at 2pm at the Merched y Wawr stall at Clwyd Morgannwg Exhibition Hall with Tegwen Morris, Merched y Wawr director, who will be in conversarion with Dana.
‘Its very appropriate to launch at the Merched y Wawr stall as the organisation is the backdrop to Ceri’s story,’ said Dana, ‘Merched y Wawr has a reputation for being a very welcoming and inclusive organisation, but how will Ceri be welcomed?’
During the launch, Carol Nixon will talk about her experiences of living as a trans woman in Wales and singer Siân James will perform a few songs that celebrate diversity. There will be a rainbow LGBT+ cake and mulled wine to close the launch party.
Dana Edwards is from Aberystwyth. Am Newid is her third novel following The Other Half (Accent Press, 2014) and Welsh novel Pam ? (Y Lolfa, 2016).
Am Newid will be launched at the Merched y Wawr stall at Clwyd Morgannwg Exhibition Hall at the Winter Fair in Builth Wells on Monday 27 th November at 2pm with Dana Edwards, Tegwen Morris, Carol Nixon and Siân James.
Am Newid by Dana Edwards (£7.99, Y Lolfa) is available now.
Gareth Thomas moved to the Vale of Glamorgan six years ago following a career in England as an actor, teacher and director.
Like many others he had heard of Iolo Morganwg but knew little of his story or significance.
His imagination was fired by the attention given to ‘Old Iolo’ in the National Eisteddfod in Llandow and visits to the places in the Vale associated with the bard such as his memorial in the church in Flemingston, the Samson Pillar in Llantwit Major, St Mary Church where he was married, the examples of his work as a mason that can be seen across the Vale and Cowbridge and The Bear Hotel where Iolo performed much of his seditious verses and delivered passionate speeches on political issues.
‘The more I learnt, the more I marvelled at his story’ said Gareth Thomas, ‘It’s a tale that needs to be told.’
But Iolo proved to be an enigma. There were differing opinions amongst his friends on the subject of Iolo - some of whom admired him as a hero who helped form the national identity of Wales and others who saw him as a cheat and con-man. Having read the research of Gwyneth Lewis, Geraint Jenkins, Mary-Ann Constantine and others, Gareth came to the conclusion that here was a story with real contemporary significance.
The result is Myfi Iol o , a new Welsh language historical novel which recounts Iolo’s true story which is published this week.
The novel is set at the end of the 18 th century where Iolo is a young man with a host of talents and limitless energy. He is full of anger against the injustice he sees and is committed to the cause of freedom in Europe.
‘Iolo’s story has every element you would wish for in an historical novel: adventure, mystery, love, revolution, violence, drugs, passion, spies and betrayal’ said Gareth.
The scene moves from Cowbride to the grand drawing rooms of Mayfair, from Gorsedd ceremonies on inhospitable hillsides to the luxurious bordellos of Covent Garden, from his cottage in Flemingston to a hearing before the Privy Council in Downing Street.
‘Here was a man who inspired friendship but turned friends into enemies. Here was an incredibly talented man who ultimately failed to win a livelihood in any field.’ said Gareth, ‘Was Iolo a conscious trickster – or was he inspired by a bigger vision?’
The novel has already recieved substantial praise by the author Dr Mary-Ann Constantine calling it ‘a fasincating novel about a fasinating person’.
The novel will be launched in the Georgian ballroom in the Bear Hotel in Cowbridge on November 23 at 7pm.
‘It was in The Bear hotel in Cowbridge that Iolo Morganwg performed his poetry and spoke passionately about politics. So there’s no better place to launch the novel!’ added Gareth.
The launch will be led by Carys Whelen who will be interviewing the author and there will be readings from actors Eiry Palfrey (Gwaith/Cartref, Dinas) as ‘Peggy’ and Danny Grehan ( Harri Tudur, Casualty) as Iolo Morganwg.
Gareth Thomas was born to parents from Cwm Rhondda and studied drama in the Barry and London. He worked in England as an actor, teacher and director before learning Welsh aged fifty. His first novel, A Welsh Dawn , was published in 2014. He currently lives in Cowbridge.
Myfi, Iolo by Gareth Thomas (£9.99, Y Lolfa) is available now.
Lliwio’r Chwedlau / Colouring Welsh Tales by artist Dawn Williams published this week includes 21 beautiful pictures of scenes from popular Welsh folk tales to colour in, including Gelert, Pwyll Pendefi g Dyfed, Branwen and Llyn y Fan Fach.
The book is a follow-up to the incredibly popular Lliwio Cymru / Colouring Wales, the first Welsh colouring book for adults published last year which sold over a thousand copies in its first run.
‘Following the success of Colouring Wales we thought it would be an ideal time to publish a colouring book depicting scenes from some of Wales’s most popular folk tales and well-known legends’ said Meinir Edwards, an editor at Y Lolfa publishers.
‘The book contains some beautiful, exciting and dramatic scenes from the ancient Mabinogion, Britain’s earliest prose tales. Stories such as Blodeuwedd and Culhwch and Olwen were compiled in Middle Welsh in the 12th–13 th centuries from earlier oral traditions’ said Meinir, ‘The book also includes some historical figures such as Dwynwen , the patron saint of lovers, and the Red Bandits of Mawddwy , plus favourite childhood stories such as Twm Siôn Cati and The Lady of the Lake . The stories are our heritage, and they fire the imagination.’
‘I’m so glad to have been given the opportunity to create a second Welsh colouring book based on the best of our mythology,’ said Dawn, ‘Welsh mythology is an integral part of our culture and history as the people of Wales and has formed the backbone of our literature. I hope this book will be a different way to tell these stories – and encourage people to relax as well.’
According to the Mental Health Foundation 59% of adults in Britain say they are under more stressed today than they were five years ago. Although colouring is an activity for children it is now being used as a form of alternative theraphy to help adults relieve stress and anxiety.
The professional artist Dawn Williams was born in Bangor and raised in Ynys Môn. She now lives in Llanrug and is married with three sons.
Lliwio’r Chwedlau / Colouring Welsh Tales by Dawn Williams (£4.99, Y Lolfa) is available now.
A well known Welsh artist has accused the art scene of being ‘too elitist’.
The famous artist, Wynne Melville Jones, said that ‘art needs to be for everyone and not just for a select few who are financially privileged’.
‘Too often public galleries and private business concentrate more on people who are wealthy’ said Wynne, ‘But I strongly believe art should be a medium that enriches everybody’s life’.
His comments follows the publishing of Darluniau o Gymru / Paintings of Wales this week.
This striking bilingual book shares some of Wynne Melville Jones’s most well-known paintings, as well as telling the story behind the pictures.
Best known for his images of west Wales , the artist now paints landscapes from all over the country and some of his works have created interest far beyond. His painting of Soar-y-Mynydd chapel is owned by former US president Jimmy Carter, and his picture of ‘Elvis Rock’ at Eisteddfa Gurig, Ceredigion, is now on display in Graceland Tennessee.
Most recently his painting of Pantycelyn went on a tour around Wales including visiting the Senedd in Cardiff, as a response to the lack of celebration and recognition for influential national figure Williams Pantycelyn, three hundred years after his death.
The book was launched last Saturday at an exhibition of some of the works featured in the book at Oriel Rhiannon, Tregaron in the company of Ben Lake MP and Sulwyn Thomas with Bois y Fro and Merched Soar performing
‘I sincerely hope the paintings in this volume will appeal to a variety of people and that it will bring fine art to a new audience’ said Wynne,
‘Many of my paintings include Welsh iconography. This is where I’m from and I feel pride in my Welshness, my heritage, and my language and culture. I feel passion and responsibility for all things Welsh’ added Wynne.
‘These paintings will enrich your lives – enjoy the book, the feast awaits you.’ Added David Meredith, Chairman of The Sir Kyffin Williams Trust.
‘Painting brings me great pleasure. I hope I can share this pleasure with others – that is all I need’ said Wynne.
Best known for his pioneering work in bilingual communications Wynne Melville Jones ( Wyn Mel ) is a former art student, who has rediscovered his zest for painting and is establishing himself as one of the most prolific artists in Wales.
Darluniau o Gymru / Paintings of Wales by Wynne Melville Jones (£12.99, Y Lolfa) is available now.
Essentially, this novel, set at the end of the eighteenth century, shows that cowboys were as much invented in Wales as in Wyoming.
Running through this Welsh Western, with its personalities, adventure and incidents, the storyline has the strong cultural, emotional and human elements that make Westerns so appealing – by exploring how people act in the drama of their own lives.
Written very much in the style of an old-fashioned Western, this tale of Welsh drovers taking a large herd of cattle from the 'wild west' of North Wales to London in the 1790s stakes a claim for these interesting characters to be the first cowboys. What happens in Westerns happened here to drovers on their cattle drive.
Engaging the reader with its authentic period feel and rich in excitement, All Through the Night tells the rights-of-passage tale of a young man seeking to escape his background. Relations between the drovers and the good and bad people they encounter on their cattle drive make for a lively and emotional tale.
Combining romance and the romantic appeal of life in the saddle with the struggle to ensure that relationships and families survive against all the odds, this book has all the ingredients needed for a satisfying tale of strong individuals being tried and tested on life's journey.
At heart, it is about loss, which is, perhaps, the basic story arc of all our lives; losing people, losing cultural heritage, losing our innocence - all in the relentless unfolding of our life's experiences.
AUTHOR
Neil Thomas was born in Wales and, in his mind at least, is never far from it. In All Through the Night, his first work of fiction, he has taken delight in trying to demonstrate that we should not think that Americans have the monopoly over the Wild West, cowboys, trailhands, rawhide and cattle drives.
MARKET
The book is for all readers of general historical fiction who will enjoy its quirky, original angle – that everything we have come to expect from a good Western happened in Britain, only many years before. The salute to the cultural heritage of Wales will add a regional appeal to its wider national and international appeal.
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
A Welsh Western?
You might think it too eccentric, but is it?
A new novel ( All Through the Night) published by Thorogood on the 30 th September has the following idea as its ‘elevator pitch’ (to use the jargon of the film world): that cowboys were invented as much in Wales as in Wyoming.
How so? Well drovers took large herds of cattle across country from Wales to London and it is easy to develop the notion that everything that happens in Westerns could have happened to them.
The book is set in the 1790s and the story revolves around the ‘cowboyos’ who take one particular cattle drive from Anglesey to London, crossing the Menai Strait (ok, so it’s not the Rio Grande, but…) and finishing by selling the herd to Smithfield dealers.
But, it is really a novel about the characters of the drovers themselves, of those they leave behind and meet on the way, of the adventures and adversities they face and how the experiences they have shape their lives.
All the ingredients of a classic western, in other words, but featuring the culture and personalities of the Wild Welsh rather than the Wild West.
Neil Thomas
October 2017
“It’s the best Welsh Western ever published ” – says the author, who just happens to be Neil Thomas!
