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The story of a deep coalmine in Cwmtawe, the Swansea Valley.
'A tribute to those Tareni miners, their trials and tribulations but also their joys and successes both in and outside of work, and to their families and to all those others who worked the hard anthracite coalmines of the Swansea Valley.'
£30 plus P&P £4.95. Cheques to be made out to
Clive Reed at 17 Smithfield Road, Pontardawe, Swansea SA8 4LA.
For more information please email lynnegent46 at gmail.com
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Set in Ethiopia, The Crystal Fountain by David Morgan Williams is the story of two children, Omo and Asha, rescuing an ibex from a landslide on Mount Ras Dash. The injured ibex is brought back to health with the help of the two children and Henry, the hippo, and Crocus, the crocodile and some magical bubbles from the crystal fountain.
‘I wanted to write a humorous and entertaining story for young readers, which is also educational.’ explained author David Morgan Williams.
‘The animal characters are based on real-life animals who are a part of a group recognised as an endangered species ’ he said, ‘There is also an increasing deforestation threat, particularly in tropical countries where the rainforests are disappearing at an alarming rate. The depletion leads to changes in the atmosphere upon which all life depends.’
‘There is also the growing problem of poaching, the killing of wild animals so that their parts can be sold illegally for profit’ added David.
The book is aimed at readers between the ages of 5 and 7 years of age.
‘I hope the story will fire up my young readers’ imaginations.’ said David, ‘To me, this is what picture stories for young readers are all about, discovering new worlds and finding themselves, through the joy and excitement of adventure to be had through words and pictures’
David Morgan Williams was born in Cwm near Ebbw Vale, and now lives in Cwmbrân, Gwent. David is a graduate of University College of Wales, Aberystwyth; a former geography teacher; a senior lecturer in education at the University of South Wales, tutor for the Open University and visiting professor at California State University, Long Beach, USA.
The Crystal Fountain by David Morgan Williams (£5.99, Y Lolfa) is available now.
‘THERE ARE OBVIOUS TENSIONS IN WALES` RELATIONSHIP WTH ENGLAND WHICH NOBODY WILL VOICE PUBLICLY’ SAYS FORMER EUROPEAN COMMISSION REPRESENTATIVE IN WALES
By Ceri Shaw, 2016-12-08
In his newly-released autobiography Carl Clowes, founder of the iconic language Centre at Nant Gwrtheyrn and prime motivator for the unique link between Wales and Lesotho, describes how communities the length and breadth of Wales are struggling to survive, rarely believing that they have the potential to overcome the disadvantages they are faced with. And when the occasional aspiring entrepreneurial spirit does come along it is often shot down by an unimaginative bureaucracy.
In his book Super Furries, Prins Seeiso, Miss Siberia – a Fi , he claims the need for a real injection of vision and leadership is glaringly obvious.
‘Wales suffers from a lack of confidence’, he says, ‘even at the highest level, something that stems from centuries of being dominated by a culture that has always believed it has the right answer for us and, indeed, everyone else in the world’.
Quoting from a conversation with a former European Commission representative in Wales, ‘from my many meetings since I`ve been in this country, there is an obvious tension between Wales and England. It is something that nobody is willing to talk about publicly but it clearly exists and is of real concern’.
Carl Clowes concludes: ‘Only by establishing Wales as a sovereign state will we see servitude replaced by an empowered people, confidence regained and a belief in our capacity to move forward and away from the bottom half of virtually every table of performance in Europe’.
‘If we don`t take ourselves seriously, nobody else will. We deserve better but we need a vision and the political leadership to enable us to get there’ he concludes.
About the Author
A medical doctor by background, Carl Clowes was the Medical Director for Powys having started his career as a General Practitioner on the Llŷn peninsula where he established Antur Aelhaearn, the UK`s first community cooperative in 1974.
He has been honoured by the National Eisteddfod for his contribution `locally, nationally and internationally`, given the University of Manchester`s alumni Award for Social Responsibility and, latterly became the first doctor with an earlier career in General Practice to be made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners for his work with the Royal College in Lesotho. He is the Honorary Consul for Lesotho in Wales.
He was awarded the OBE in 2012 and in 2009 was given Lesotho`s highest Civil honour when he was made a Member of the Most Loyal Order of Ramatseatsana by His Majesty King Letsie III.
Super Furries, Prins Seeiso, Miss Siberia a Fi by Carl Clowes (£12.99, Y Lolfa) is availble now.
To look for the answer, the photographer Iestyn Hughes studied countless archives for evidence of the consequences of weather over the centuries.
As the world’s climate changes each year, the book shows the impact of these effects on the Alps and glacier shrinkage in Canada but primarily the dramatic views from across Wales – snow of 1947 and 1978, the summer drought of 1976, the 2003 floods, and the storms of 2013/14 along the west coast of Wales.
Tywydd Mawr – Extreme Weather in Wales is a comprehensive volume that contains well over a hundred photographs and drawings of extreme weather in Wales. It houses a treasure trove of facts, memories, photogarphs, folklore and the science of weather and climate.
‘I was motivated to compile this book following the terrific storms of 2013/2014 which thrust Aberystwyth into the media spotlight. Having always been someone who took a peculiar delight in storm watching, I hung around and documented much of this exceptional period with my camera’ explained Iestyn Hughes.
‘I was asked to contribute to a film on the weather and climate change, and this stirred my interest in the broader historical context of the weather as it had affected Wales over the centuries.’ added Iestyn, ‘Is the recent unpredictable weather brought about by climate change, or, when set in the context that’s longer than a memory of a generation, is it part of a natural long term pattern?’
‘Although this is primarily a Welsh-language book, the picture captions are bilingual, helping the less-fluent reader to appreciate their context.’ added Iestyn.
The images presented in the book come from different sources including a collection from the National Library of Wales, which includes the first ever photograph of a snowman taken around 1854 and one of the people skating on the Teifi in 1891. In addition to photographs, there are also paintings such as those by Breugel, Aneurin Jones and Kyffin Williams.
‘To us as Welsh people, and to the other residents of the British Isles, the weather is a large part of our lives. When we experience extreme weather, our social and cultural responses are direct, instinctive and highly creative.’ says Dr Hywel Griffiths, who wrote the introduction to the book and is a lecturer in the Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences at Aberystwyth University.
‘In poetry or myth, paintings or photographs, something about the weather inspires. In recent years we in Wales have experienced a number of examples of extreme weather, including storms and floods.’ said Dr Griffiths.
‘This book is an important contribution to the public conversation about weather and climate as it shows historical and cultural evidence that we as individuals and communities have proven, and coped with these extreme events in the past,’ he added ‘When we, who experienced the storms of 2013/2014, are no longer here to tell the tale, the pictures, as art and record, will endure.’
Originally from Llaniestyn, Sir Fôn, Iestyn became a native of Ceredigion after 35 years working at the National Library. In 2011 he left the establishment to follow new and creative endeavours. He has made a substantial contribution to books
He has contributed extensively to books by several publishers since, either as a picture researcher, or as a photographer. Tywydd Mawr – Extreme Weather in Wales is the fourth book to bear his name as the author, and it is a book that combines his interest in archive footage and his photographic talent.
Tywydd Mawr – Extreme Weather in Wales by Iestyn Hughes (£14.99, Y Lolfa) is available now.
CHRISTMAS SHOPPING ON AMERICYMRU
LOVESPOONS: Check out our fantastic selection of Lovespoons by internationally renowned carvers. Looking for a unique Christmas present? Look no further!
Lovespoons Page 1: https://americymru.net/welsh_lovespoon_store/p=1
GIFTS: Go here to find a selection of Welsh themed gifts!
https://americymru.net/welsh_gift_store
ADVERTISE ON AMERICYMRU
Still time to advertise for Christmas.
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A year’s worth of delicious recipes…
Blas / Taste contains over 90 delicious family-friendly recipes and is presented bilingually. The book also includes suggestions for activities to keep the children busy, creating home-made gifts, quick ideas and making the most of ingredients from the garden.
Lisa Fearn is a Carmarthen girl and a mother of five. She established a gardening and cookery school called The Pumpkin Patch in Allt y Gog Farm in Felin-wen, Carmarthenshire. By now, she has taught thousands of children to grow and cook their own food (she's taught a few parents too).
Lisa is a columnist with the Carmarthen Journal and a regular on Radio Wales and Radio Cymru. She is also a cook on the Prynhawn Da programme on S4C. Above all, Lisa has a great interest in the social power of food.
Lisa says “I love the outdoors, gardening and cooking. So, when our youngest reached school age, I took stock of what I knew and The Pumpkin Patch became a reality – a children’s cookery and gardening school teaching them how to grow and cook their own food. Within months the school was fully booked, and I started sharing our family-friendly recipes with people.
“Blas • Taste is full of our favourite ‘go to’ recipes at Allt y Gog Farm. They are the recipes that I hope my children will use when they leave home – Mum’s favourites. No fuss; easy meals and snacks that flavour the seasons and the year’s celebrations with the family. So invite everybody round to taste!”
Blas/Taste is a perfect gift this Christmas and is now available from your local bookshop or directly from Gomer Press on ww.gomer.co.uk / 01559 363092.
Lisa Fearn will launch the book at Aberglasney Gardens on Wednesday, 23 November at 7pm.
Lisa will also be signing copies of the book at:
Peppercorn, Llandeilo on Friday, 18 November, 1.30pm
The Royal Welsh Winter Fair, Llanelwedd, 28 November, 11am on the Siop Inc stand and midday on the Merlin’s Hill stand
Aberglasney Winter Fair, 2 December 2pm & 4 December, 2pm
The National Library of Wales, 8 December at 5pm.
Bibliographic details
Blas / Taste, Lisa Fearn, Photographs by Aled Llywelyn
ISBN 9781785621741, hardback, 248 pages
£14.99, Published by Gomer Press
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Blwyddyn gron o ryseitiau blasus…
Bydd y cogydd Lisa Fearn yn lansio ei chyfrol goginio gyntaf, Blas / Taste yng ngerddi Aberglasney nos Fercher, 23 Tachwedd.
Mae Blas / Taste yn cynnwys dros 90 o ryseitiau dwyieithog sy’n tynnu dŵr i’r dannedd. Yn ogystal mae’n cynnwys awgrymiadau
am weithgareddau i gadw’r plant yn brysur, creu anrhegion cartref, syniadau sydyn yn y gegin a gwneud y mwyaf o’r cynnyrch sy’n ffres o’r ardd.
Merch o Gaerfyrddin yw Lisa Fearn ac mae’n fam i bump o blant. Sefydlodd ysgol arddio a choginio boblogaidd i blant, sef The
Pumpkin Patch ar Fferm Allt y Gog yn Felin-wen, Sir Gaerfyrddin.
Erbyn hyn, mae hi wedi dysgu miloedd o blant i dyfu a choginio eu bwyd eu hunain (ac wedi dysgu ambell riant hefyd!).
Mae Lisa’n golofnydd gyda’r Carmarthen Journal. Mae hi’n westai cyson ar Radio Cymru a Radio Wales, ac yn gogydd ar raglen Prynhawn Da, S4C, hefyd. Uwchlaw popeth, mae gan Lisa ddiddordeb mawr ym mhŵer cymdeithasol bwyd.
Meddai Lisa “Rwy’n dwlu ar y byd tu fas ac ar arddio a choginio. Felly, pan ddechreuodd y cyw melyn ola yn yr ysgol, cymerais stoc o’r hyn roeddwn i’n gyfarwydd ag e. Ac felly y daeth The Pumpkin Patch i fodolaeth – ysgol goginio a garddio i blant, yn eu dysgu sut i dyfu a choginio’u bwyd eu hunain. O fewn misoedd, roedd yr ysgol yn llawn, a dechreuais rannu ein ryseitiau teulu-gyfeillgar â phobl eraill.”
“Mae Blas / Taste yn llawn o’n hoff ryseitiau ni yn Fferm Allt y Gog. Dyma’r ryseitiau rwy’n gobeithio y bydd fy mhlant yn eu defnyddio pan fyddan nhw’n gadael y nyth – ffefrynnau Mam.”
“Dim ffws - prydau a byrbrydau hawdd sy’n rhoi blas ar bob dim yn ei dymor ac yn ddathliad o flwyddyn gron gyda’r teulu a ffrindiau. Rhowch wahoddiad i bawb ddod draw i gael blas ar bethau!”
Mae Blas / Taste yn anrheg Nadolig delfrydol ac ar gael yn eich siop lyfrau leol am £14.99 neu’n
uniongyrchol oddi wrth wasg Gomer ar www.gomer.co.uk / 01559 363092.
Bydd Lisa Fearn yn lansio’r gyfrol yng ngerddi Aberglasney nos Fercher, 23 Tachwedd am 7 o’r gloch.
Bydd hi hefyd yn llofnodi copïau o’r llyfr yn:
Siop Peppercorn, Llandeilo, 18 Tachwedd am 1.30 o’r gloch
Y Ffair Aeaf, Llanelwedd, 28 Tachwedd, 11 o'r gloch ar stondin Siop Inc a 12 ar stondin Bryn Myrddin
Ffair Aeaf Aberglasney, 2 Rhagfyr, 2 o’r gloch a 4 Rhagfyr, 2 o’r gloch
Y Llyfrgell Genedlaethol, 8 Rhagfyr am 5 o’r gloch.
Manylion llyfryddol
Blas / Taste, Lisa Fearn, Ffotograffau Aled Llywelyn
ISBN 9781785621741, clawr caled, 248 tudalen,
£14.99, Gwasg Gomer
R.Seiliog has announced two UK dates for January 2017 in London’s the Waiting Room and Brighton’s Hope and Ruin, and releases the video for his recent single 'Cloddio Unterdach'. It’s lifted from his forthcoming 'Shedhead' EP released through Turnstile Music on the 18th of November
The Line of Best Fit called 'Cloddio Unterdach" "Electro magic" possessing "a surreal sense of mystery - it's an engrossing listen" Clash Magazine said "the sheer density of fresh ideas and wilful innovation on display is staggering.”
R.Seiliog is the alias of North Walian skewed musician/producer Robin Edwards. His forthcoming Shedhead EP is the latest bold futuristic release from a prolific outsider artist with a vivid imagination, to be released via Turnstile Music. https://hearthis.at/carolinein
Through its five tracks Edwards forges together pulsing elements of Komische influenced electronics, skittering psych splattered samples, enveloping trance like ambience, underpinned by an appreciation of un-shifting Krautrock time signatures. This is the unique shapeshifting sound of imminent space and time travel, weightless and genreless, interjected by searing moments of revelation.
“It’s like the slipping clutch of a self combusting engine built from mirrors blackened by astral soot reflecting back the whole in each tarnished component. “ Says Edwards “Inspired by the shape of whispering solar winds or a Cage chance conservationist uttering “it looks deliberate, let it dry!"
“There's something for every-single-one unified in the omni shallow depths; A fast one, slow one, happy one, sad one - and another one.” notes Edwards “Instrumental meditations on cats chasing tails, autumnal trips to short sighted opticians and much more, or less”
To coincide with the release of the Shedhead EP, R.Seiliog has also announced some select UK dates in the new year.
R.Seiliog’s forthcoming dates:
Nov 25 - Pontypridd, Clwb Y Bont
Jan 18 - London, The Waiting Room
Jan 19th - Brighton, Hope and Ruin
Links:
http://www.turnstilemusic.net/
A number of readers have asked us to clarify the first prize details for the AmeriCymru Prize For The Novella competition. They are listed below. The deadline for submissions is March 1st.
- 1000 GBP ( $1250 US approx) cash prize.
- Publication (in ebook format) by Welsh Rarebytes of the winning entry plus publication in excerpt form in the New Welsh Review Magazine.
- We will fly you to Wales (at our expense) and accommodate you for up to one week so that you can attend the Prize ceremony on June 1st at the Hay Literary Festival .
- A lunch meeting with a leading London literary editor (either in London or Hay)
For more details see below and here:- www.newwelshwritingawards.com
You do NOT have to be a member of AmeriCymru to enter this competition BUT you are more than welcome to join. If you wish to do so please go here:- Join AmeriCymru...
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The New Welsh Writing Awards 2017, run by New Welsh Review in association with Aberystwyth University and AmeriCymru, opens for entries on 26 September with two new categories, the Aberystwyth University Prize for Memoir and AmeriCymru Prize for the Novella.
Now in its third year, the Awards were set up to champion the best short-form writing in English and has previously run non-fiction categories with the WWF Cymru Prize for Writing on Nature, won by Eluned Gramich in 2015 and the University of South Wales Prize for Travel Writing, won by Mandy Sutter in June 2016.
This year sees the Awards open up to fiction and memoir, welcoming sponsorship from Aberystwyth University, the core sponsor and host of New Welsh Review, and US online magazine and social network AmeriCymru. The Awards are run in partnership with Curtis Brown, Gladstone’s Library and Tŷ Newydd Writing Centre.
New Welsh Review editor Gwen Davies will judge both categories with Welsh-American writer David Lloyd co-judging the Novella category. David is the author of nine books including poetry collections and novels, and directs the Creative Writing Program at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, NY.
Each category winner will receive £1,000 cash, e-publication by New Welsh Review on their New Welsh Rarebyte imprint and a positive critique by leading literary agent Cathryn Summerhayes at Curtis Brown. Second prize for each category is a weeklong residential course at Tŷ Newydd Writing Centre in Gwynedd, north Wales and third prize is a weekend stay at Gladstone’s Library in Flintshire, north Wales. All six winners will also receive a one-year subscription to New Welsh Review. In addition New Welsh Review will consider the highly commended and shortlisted nominees for publication in a forthcoming edition of its creative magazine New Welsh Reader with an associated standard fee.
The Awards are open to all writers based in the UK and Ireland plus those who have been educated in Wales. The AmeriCymru Prize for the Novella is also open to writers based in the US and Canada. Entries close at midnight on 1 March 2017. Full details, including terms and conditions, can be found online at www.newwelshwritingawards.com .
The longlist will be announced online on 3 April 2017, with the shortlist announced at an event at Aberystwyth University on 4 May 2017 and the winner at an event at Hay Festival on 1 June 2017.
Gwen Davies , editor of New Welsh Review says: 'We are seeking evocative, succinct and authentic short book-length manuscripts in English. For the novella category they will be between 8,000 and 30,000 words. For the memoir, between 5,000 and 30,000. If your top drawer hides a novella with the punch of Animal Farm or the poignancy and dialect of Mihangel Morgan's Pan Oeddwn yn Fachgen ; or the bite, and visceral local feel of memoirs such as Mary Karr's The Liars' Club or the sheer cheek of Charles Nicholl's The Fruit Palace , we want to hear from you.'
Co-judge David Lloyd says ‘I am delighted to serve as co-judge for the AmeriCymru Prize for the Novella. Ever since writing a novella for my first book of fiction, I have loved the form, which combines the intensity of the short story with the expansiveness of the novel. It can be devoured in one sitting or put down and picked up for leisurely reading. Anyone who has read James Joyce’s ‘The Dead’, Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness , Carson McCullers’ The Ballad of the Sad Café , or Kate Chopin’s The Awakening will know the pleasures of this genre in the hands of masters. I also very much value the international scope of this contest, which I hope will draw out authors from diverse backgrounds who write – or who are now inspired to try – the novella.’
Louise Marshall , Head of English and Creative Writing at Aberystwyth University, said: ‘We are delighted to be working with New Welsh Review to find the best writing talent in Wales and beyond. Memoirs are a fascinating and often surprising literary form and, just as these Awards have already celebrated Mandy Sutter’s and Eluned Gramich’s beautifully crafted and enthralling works, we are very much looking forward to discovering equally talented writers in the future.’
Ceri Shaw, co-founder of AmeriCymru, added, ‘AmerCymru is honored to be offered this opportunity to partner with the New Welsh Review and Aberystwyth University. We founded AmeriCymru to increase awareness of Wales and Welsh heritage and to bring Wales and its arts, including literature, to the attention of more people around the world. This competition provides voice and opportunity to new and upcoming writers, and we are excited to be able to contribute to this effort.’
Please Retweet 
AmeriCymru Prize For The Novella - First Prize Details - See more at: https://t.co/LUYZ6L4MzA #wales #writing #writers pic.twitter.com/scii8MNoYR
— americymru (@americymru) November 12, 2016
