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  It's NOT too late to enter... you can still join us onstage for the Eisteddfod at NAFOW!



We will have six competitions in singing and poetic recitation, all offering cash prizes, on Saturday, September 5 , at the Hyatt Regency Columbus. For recitation, two competitions (Adult and Welsh Learner's) involve reciting a poem from memory in Welsh, and English Language Recitation is on offer as well. Hymn Singing involves singing one hymn of your choice in Welsh, while Solo Voice involves singing two pieces, at least one of which must be in Welsh.

 

Our signature competition (Solo Voice/Semi-Professional) offers the David G. Morris Memorial Award, a generous cash scholarship for travel to compete in the 2016 National Eisteddfod of Wales. This competition is for singers (residents of the Americas) with some professional training but whose income is derived only partially from performing; many of our winners have gone on to great success in competing in Wales.

All of our competitions involve highly qualified adjudicators who provide a very friendly and supportive atmosphere in which to display and develop your own talent in recitation or singing. You will make wonderful new acquaintances, and everyone leaves with the satisfaction of maintaining a great Welsh tradition on behalf of all of North America!

The NAFOW Eisteddfod entry form, including further details on all competitions, is available here: http://www.nafow.org/WNAA_NAFOW/PDFs/Forms/forms2015/eisteddfod_2015.entry.pdf .

The deadline for entering all competitions is August 20, 2015 .

Please contact us directly (email: eisteddfod@nafow.org / phone: 412-215-9161 ) with any additional questions... and we'll see you in Columbus!         


 

Posted in: NAFOW | 0 comments

  Internationally renowned Welsh pony and cob expert launches his long-awaited autobiography




From the Horse’s Mouth: Dr Wynne’s Diaries will be launched at the Welsh Pony and Cob Society Pavilion at the Royal Welsh Show on Tuesday, 21st of July from 2pm.

One of the best-known names and respected figures in the world of Welsh ponies and cobs will launch his autobiography at the Royal Welsh Show this year. Co-owner of Ceulan Stud, breeding and showing these beautiful animals is in Dr Wynne Davies’ blood. In his long-awaited autobiography – From the Horse’s Mouth: Dr Wynne’s Diaries – he offers a fascinating portrait of several generations of his family and their connection to ponies and cobs, as well as his life story, which is inextricably linked to the horses.

From Dr Wynne’s early life at Ceulan Stores, Tal-y-bont, to teaching in the Rhondda and the eventual relocation of Ceulan Stud, we follow every step in the life of a man so committed to his field that he was awarded the MBE in 1995 for long-standing dedication to Welsh ponies and cobs. 

The book includes over a hundred photographs of Dr Wynne’s family, friends, ponies and cobs. Photos include wonderful moments from the family album, handlers, participants and notable successes at various shows, international travel and a rich collection of Ceulan’s stock.

In her foreword to the book, The Hon Dame Mrs Shân Legge-Bourke says, “When I read Dr Wynne’s first book, I realised that there was very little mentioned as to how or why he got so involved with the Welsh Pony. I am delighted that this interesting and amusing diary has come to fruition, which reveals so much of his life, passion, interest and success over the years.”

Ceulan has a proud tradition of breeding show-winning Welsh ponies and cobs and their success has been on an international scale as many have been sold to breeders all over the world. The legacy continues with the next generation as Dr Wynne’s son, David, has joined his father at Ceulan. 

A native of Ceredigion, Dr Wynne Davies has been a member of the Welsh Pony and Cob Society since 1948 and has worked as their publicity officer since 1978. He is a prominent and familiar figure at the Royal Welsh Show, having been the Grand Parade commentator since 1976 and Main Ring commentator since 1980. A prolific and enthusiastic author, he is a recognized authority on Welsh Ponies and Cobs and has written many books on the subject.

From the Horse’s Mouth: Dr Wynne’s Diaries will be available from all good bookshops and online retailers.

For more information, please visit www.gomer.co.uk



About Dr Wynne Davies  

By profession, Dr Wynne Davies was Head of the Chemistry section at the South Glamorgan Institute of Higher Education, which became the University of Wales Institute Cardiff.

He has been a member of the Welsh Pony and Cob Society since 1948, a member of Council, was President of the Society in 1984 and Publicity Officer since 1978. He was elected Honorary Life Vice-President in 1991 for his 37 years of service on Council and received the M.B.E. at Buckingham Palace in October 1995 for his services to Wales and to the Welsh Pony and Cob Society.

Dr Wynne Davies has been Grand Parade commentator at the Royal Welsh Show since 1976 and Main Ring commentator since 1980, he has contributed articles and Show reports to various UK and overseas magazines since 1952 and reported the Royal Welsh Show for Horse and Hound every year between 1954 and 2012. He has written many publications on the Welsh breeds, including The Welsh Cob (J.A. Allen, 1998), The Welsh Mountain Pony (J.A. Allen, 1993), An Introduction to Welsh Ponies and Cobs (Whittet Books, 1993), Welsh Ponies and Cobs (J. A. Allen, 1980) and Welsh Ponies and Cobs: Ceredigion Champions (Gomer, 2010).




Royal Welsh Agricultural Show Ground, Llanelwedd




From the wikipedia:- Royal Welsh Show "The Royal Welsh Show (Welsh: Sioe Frenhinol Cymru) is the biggest agricultural show in Europe. It is organised by the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society, which was formed in 1904, and takes place in July of each year, at Llanelwedd, near Builth Wells, in Powys, Mid Wales. The first show was held in Aberystwyth in 1904, and its success led to the development of the permanent showground at Llanelwedd, first used in 1963."



For the first time S4C will stream the Royal Welsh Show in the USA and internationally. Click here or on the image below for more details.



Posted in: Books | 0 comments


 



Blend of old and new - Côr y Penrhyn

Blend hen newydd - Côr y Penrhyn



AmeriCymru: Many thanks for agreeing to be interviewed by AmeriCymru. The Choir will be performing at the 2015 North American Festival of Wales in Columbus, Ohio. Can you tell us how this came about? Have you performed in the USA before?

Alun: Thank you for the opportunity.

We sang at the 2006 NAFOW in Cincinnati, Ohio, and were again invited to sing at this years’ festival for which we are very grateful. In 1979, the choir visited Toronto, Canada and took part in the Canadian World Music Festival in that city.

This will be the choirs’ fourth visit to the USA, for we first visited in 1993, when we celebrated 100 years since the original choirs’ visit to the “World Fair” or “World's Columbian Exposition” that was held in Chicago in 1893. Since then we have undertaken short tours in 2000 and 2006.

During our tours in the USA in the past we have visited New York, Chicago, Boston and Cincinnati as well as Poultney, Vt. and Granville N.Y. where we have made lifelong friends. This will be our first visit to Washington D.C.and Columbus, Ohio.

Côr y Penrhyn in Chicago 1893

Côr y Penrhyn in Chicago 1893



AmeriCymru: Can you tell us something about the choir's history? When was it founded?

Alun:  The original Côr y Penrhyn was formed from a number of members of many smaller choirs who used to meet, and compete against each other. These choirs were made up entirely of men who were working at the Penrhyn Slate Quarry, located here in Bethesda.

Slate was, and still is, quarried using the “gallery” method of quarrying. The galleries are steps in the mountain side, and each gallery had a large number of men working the rock face. The men working the galleries formed small choirs which competed against each other in eisteddfodau (Welsh Cultural Competitions with a history spanning many centuries) and they also had soccer teams which competed against each other.

In the late 1800’s the men decided to form one choir, to be called “Côr y Penrhyn” to represent the area and travel to Chicago to the World's Columbian Exposition.  The first eisteddfod held outside of Wales was held at that exposition.

The visit to Chicago is the first recorded concert of ‘Côr y Penrhyn’ and on their return to Wales and to the quarry, the choir split again to smaller choirs. The choir as we know it today was not formed again until 1935.   

When the original choir returned to work in the quarry they faced tough working conditions which led to the longest industrial dispute in UK industrial history.  In 1900, the then Lord Penrhyn, locked the men out of the quarry when they attempted to set up a union and this “lock-out” lasted for 3 years.  

During those three years many families left the area, and dispersed to all corners of the world, some to travel to South Wales to work in the coal mines, some to Australia but several families chose to emigrate to North America, especially the Vermont and Upper New York State area, where they went to work in the slate quarries of that region.  

As was mentioned above, Côr y Penrhyn has a long standing friendship with the residents of Poultney, Vt and of Granville N.Y. where we always receive a warm welcome. We are returning to Poultney this year on what will be our third visit to the town.

Bethesda, north Wales

Bethesda, north Wales



AmeriCymru: Where in Wales is Bethesda? Care to describe the area a little for our American and Canadian readers

Alun:   Bethesda is situated in North West Wales in the County of Gwynedd and right at the edge of the Snowdonia National Park.  It is approximately 5 miles south east of the University City of Bangor. The name is of course biblical in origin as are many towns and villages in North Wales for when these places were founded mostly in the 19th century the whole of Wales was in the grip of intense religious revivals and the people turned to the Bible for inspiration.

Welsh is the dominant language in Bethesda (known locally as “Pesda”) and in the 2001 census, 77% of the residents were Welsh speaking.

We have a Welsh language monthly newspaper, Llais Ogwan, established in 1973  http://www.llaisogwan.com/ and which has a circulation of approximately 1500 serving a population of about 4,000 in Bethesda and the surrounding areas.

Bethesda lies in the Ogwen Valley in a compact, mountainous region of Wales, about 6 miles away from Snowdon, Wales’ highest mountain, but also just a few miles away from the sea.

AmeriCymru: In addition to your appearance at NAFOW you will be performing at the Washington National Cathedral on August 27th. Can you give us more details about the performance.?

Alun:   Our performance at the Washington National Cathedral was arranged when our numerous friends in the USA made enquiries on our behalf as to possible concert venues whilst we were  visiting, and the cathedral was put forward as one possible option.  Following a meeting with the cathedrals’ Musical Director and his team, we were invited to perform on the 27th August.

Our performance at the cathedral is going to be in the form of a multi-media presentation rather than a formal concert.  In addition to being conducted by our young, talented Musical Director, Owain Arwel, we will be joined by the famous Welsh actor, John Ogwen who will be our narrator, and by a brilliant young harpist, Glain Dafydd, who, in conjunction with our accompanist Frances Davies, will be contributing to the presentation.  The performance will also include a visual aspect in the form of a video backdrop.

https://www.cathedral.org/events/sms20150827.shtml

AmeriCymru: What is your repertoire? Is there a particular piece that you all enjoy performing more than others? Do you have a signature piece or one that's more often requested by audiences?

Alun:   We have a varied repertoire, alongside hymns and old favourites such as “Myfanwy”, which reflect the non-Conformist tradition with which male voice choirs were first associated, today’s repertoire includes perhaps even more challenging pieces.

One recently commissioned work combines words by one of Wales’ most gifted poets, Ieuan Wyn, with music by Welsh composer Gareth Glyn.  In a lighter vein, there are Welsh and English pop song adaptations as well as ever popular spirituals and opera choruses as well as choruses from musicals made popular on the London and New York stage. “Anthem” our latest CD, gives a taste of that diversity.

The most often requested piece, and one which is famous in male choir repertoires is the hymn tune “Gwahoddiad” (Invitation) which includes a rousing “Amen” ending.

AmeriCymru: Where can people buy recordings of the choir online? What CD's are available?

Alun:   We have quite a few videos on You Tube, especially from our concert at the Chicago Cultural Center where we performed at the Myra Hess concerts on two separate occasions.

“Anthem”, our latest CD is available for purchase on our website www.corypenrhyn.cymru

AmeriCymru: You'll be in Ohio this year but what's next for the Penrhyn Male Voice Choir. Any new recordings or tours in the pipeline?

Alun:    We have a busy schedule in 2015 -16 with concerts all around the UK.  

No major foreign tours have yet been planned, although we would always endeavour to be available for concerts in the USA, if invited. We are always being urged to sing in various Celtic festivals in France and Ireland and there is a standing invitation for us to return to Germany, but we have to decline many such invitations because of our full programme of commitments at home.

AmeriCymru: Do you have any final comments for the attendees and organisers of the North American Festival of Wales?

Alun:  We are very grateful to the organisers of the NAFOW for their kind invitation, and we are very much looking forward to meeting friends, old and new, and especially to performing at the concert on Saturday and the Cymanfa Ganu on Sunday.

We hope that the attendees will be delighted by our “new” concept of a multi-media presentation, which will make up half of our concert but which will, of course, be combined with a more “traditional” first half concert.



Posted in: Music | 0 comments


A top national tourism award has crowned Brynteg Holiday Home Park in Llanrug, near Caernarfon, Best Relax and Explore destination in Wales.

Domestic holiday giant Hoseasons, presented the top spot to the  Brynteg team at their 10th annual Gala Awards – a prestigious event showcasing the very best of the self-catering specialist’s lodge and holiday parks across the UK. Commenting after the presentation held at the Hilton Metropole Hotel in Brighton, James McAllister, Managing Director at Brynteg said:

“We are absolutely delighted to have won this award. At Brynteg we are committed to showcasing North Wales as a top holiday destination; supporting the local tourism economy by promoting the vast choice of outdoor activities, visitor attractions, and the breathtaking scenery we have to offer.

“We attract visitors from all over the World and every member of the Brynteg team is dedicated to making sure our customers have a great holiday experience, so it’s fantastic to know their hard work has been recognised.”

The national awards are broken down into eight UK regions and presented to the highest performers in customer satisfaction monitoring carried out by Hoseasons. The news comes just weeks after Visit Wales re-affirmed Brynteg’s status as a 5 star destination; a rating based on the standard of facilities available and overall quality of visitor experience.

“Winning this award means Brynteg is one of Britain’s most popular and successful UK holiday locations.” said Simon Altham, managing director of Hoseasons, who presented a sparkling black marble plaque to the Brynteg team.

Nested in the heart of Snowdonia, Brynteg offers a range of luxury static caravans and lodges for both rental holidays and purchase. Facilities include an on site fishing lake, lakeside bistro, country club, spa, tropical indoor pool and leisure complex.

For more information on Brynteg visit  www.brynteg.co.uk or call 01286 873100





Posted in: Tourism | 0 comments


Aug Stone is an American musician, writer and producer from Connecticut who has recently been spending time in Wales with Gwenno and Ani Glass amongst others. His article in The Quietus - Tongue Of The Dragon: A Look at Welsh Language Outsider Pop focuses on contemporary Welsh language popular music and its challenges and opportunities. AmeriCymru spoke to Aug about the article and his recent experiences in Wales.



Aug: "I should start off by saying that I’m not Welsh. However, I have grown very fond of Wales recently. I’ve visited three times in the last year and a half and have met a lot of very talented, and very nice, people. There’s an aspect of Wales that reminds me of where I grew up in Connecticut and Boston (where I’m once again close to now). The fact that there are lots of interesting things going on, great art being made, and also just some lovely towns and countryside to spend time in, but all this gets overshadowed by the great metropolis nearby (New York City, London) looming over everything. I think this plays into people’s psyches, there’s an element of self-defeatism – ‘why even bother?’ – that gets people down and keeps them from reaching their true potential. Which is sad. I haven’t noticed this in Wales, I must say, but talking to Ani Glass about her song ‘Ffôl’, she pointed this out to me, how people complain about nothing really going on but not doing anything about it."

 



AmeriCymru: Hi Aug and many thanks for agreeing to this interview. You say in your recent article on The Quietus that "..... 2015 is shaping up to be a good year for sounds in the Welsh tongue." In what way?

Aug Stone: In April, Domino Recording Co. reissued Super Furry Animals’ Mwng album for its 15 th anniversary. The Super Furries had initially put it out themselves and it went to Number 11 in the UK charts and is to this day the best selling Welsh language album. And Heavenly Recordings have just released Gwenno’s Y Dydd Olaf , which has been getting a lot of great press. Which is nice to see, that people are willing to look past the language barrier to appreciate such a fine record and maybe even take the trouble to learn what the Welsh words are that Gwenno’s singing. Peski Records originally released Gwenno’s album last year and it sold out after a few months, when Gwenno was supporting Gruff Rhys on his UK ‘American Interior’ tour (If you don’t know about Gruff’s ‘American Interior’ project, I can’t recommend it enough. Album, film, and book about John Evans’ quest to find the mythical tribe of Welsh speaking Indians roaming the plains and just by way of this very much contributing to the founding of America. Seriously, the book is fascinating and a great read) So these two were re-releases of Welsh language albums by much bigger record companies, showing that this music is important and deserves a wider audience. And then there’s Ani Glass’ songs. Which have been getting played on Radio Cymru, ‘Ffôl’ was even Track of the Week last week. I co-produced these but they’re Ani’s songs so I can honestly say they’re great pop.



Gruff Rhys ‘American Interior’ trailer


AmeriCymru: What attracted you to Welsh language music?

Aug Stone: I have a lot of time for the Saunders sisters. I’ve followed Gwenno’s career since she first joined The Pipettes in 2005. I remember when I first saw The Pipettes live, turning to my friend Harvey Williams and saying ‘this is everything music should be!’ It was fun and catchy, great songs. All this was in English, as was Gwenno’s first round of solo songs. But then one day in the summer of 2013, I clicked on a post on Facebook by Dave Higdon who runs the Poptastic Confessions blog. It was about a band called The Lovely Wars, which was Ani’s post-Pipettes band. And their song ‘Young Love’ had all the right ingredients – catchy as all get out, fantastic female vocals, synths and guitars like I love. It became my favourite song of 2013. Their next single ‘Brân i Frân’ was the first time I recall hearing a Welsh language pop song that really struck me and stuck in my head. My band, The Soft Close-Ups, were lucky enough to play with The Lovely Wars twice in London in 2014. Great gigs, they were fab live.



The Lovely Wars ‘Brân i Frân’ video


After that single came out, I checked to see if Gwenno had released anything recently and I found ‘Chwyldro’ had come out a few months before and I had somehow missed it. ‘Chwyldro’ is just fantastic. One of the most badass pop songs released in recent memory. It’s got that killer swagger of a groove, moving through that spacey atmosphere, and what does it mean? ‘Revolution’.



Gwenno – Chwyldro


Last summer I was heading to Wales to visit Nik Turner from Hawkwind, who was going to show me some of the ancient stone sites around Carmarthen (his grandkids ended up visiting that day so we all went to the beach at Mwnt. Which was lovely. I played the harmonium in the little church at the bottom of the rock, and Nik told me Mwnt is one of the gateways to the Underworld in Celtic mythology). Ani suggested I check out the Eisteddfod that was going on at the same time with Gwenno playing that night. It was a very long day. I woke up at 5:15 AM to leave London by 7. I rented a car and drove for the very first time on the ‘wrong’ side of the road (quite easy after five minutes of getting the hang of it), got lost (of course), and finally made it to my Air B’n’B in Cross Hands with just enough time to drop off my bag before departing again for Llanelli. When I arrived at Maes B I was starving and walked the mile to Maes A for some lovely vegan food at No Bones Jones. Then I walked back along the water as the sun was setting. I was very, very tired and everything seemed slightly surreal, all the more so because once I got to the stage area I was easily the oldest person there by 20 years, surrounded as I was by teenagers getting drunk for the very first time.

Then Gwenno took the stage, dressed in all black, looking pure rock n roll. And the new songs along with the cosmic sounds she was conjuring up within them were just fantastic! It was one of those magical moments that pop fans like me live for.

The next night I caught her again at the Eisteddfod gigs being put on around Llanelli by Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg. Carl Morris was DJ’ing and, per usual, he hipped me to some very cool sounds. Most notably I remember hearing Pop Negatif Wastad that night.

AmeriCymru: Do you think that the contribution made by Welsh language bands to modern pop culture in the UK and internationally has been adequately recognised?

Aug Stone: No. Of course not. As with any language other than English – with the exception of Spanish, as it’s so widely spoken – people tend to ignore it. Well, I should say the media ignores it rather than people. Because I think, given the chance, if this stuff was getting played, then people would like it. It’s just that they’re not being exposed to it. It’s great that Gwenno’s album is getting so much press, and radio play on BBC 6 Music. It’s really unheard of for a non-English language song to be getting aired like that.

AmeriCymru: How important, in your opinion is Gwenno to the revival of interest in Welsh language bands?

Aug Stone: Gwenno is important full stop. She’s an artist in the true sense of the word, pursuing her own path and making something interesting out of it. Her album is intriguing – it’s inspired by Owain Owain’s ‘Y Dydd Olaf’, an obscure 1976 Welsh sci-fi novel. Sonically it’s awesome to listen to. And it works as a pop record. ‘Patriarcheth’, which blew me away when I first heard it live at the Eisteddfod– it was very much standing there with a huge smile on my face just going ‘WOW!’ (another ‘this is what music should be moment’. The ‘oo oo oo’s that rang out into the night echoed in my head for days afterward. I couldn’t wait to get the album) – is so catchy and deliciously pop, and what’s the chorus? ‘Patriarchy, and your soul is at stake’!

So yes, when something like this comes along, you hope that it will draw attention to other great artists working along the same lines, from the same area. And also inspire people that they can make something like this too, not only in Wales, but for any minority language culture. Break down barriers to realise great music is great music.

AmeriCymru: How important are Datblygu in the history of Welsh language pop?

Aug Stone: I can only speak about them second-hand, having not known them at the time they were first around. But every Welsh person I speak to references Datblygu very quickly once the topic of cool music comes up.

Gwenno and the Peski records chaps host a radio called Cam o’Tywyllwch playing experimental underground sounds from Wales and around the world. The name comes from the title of the first compilation of alternative Welsh music (containing two Datblygu songs) released 30 years ago by Rhys Mwyn’s Recordiau Anrhefn label. I spoke to Rhys whilst researching my piece for The Quietus and he’s great. So enthusiastic about pop music in general, and it’s always cool to speak to someone who believes pop music can change your life, which of course it can. Anyway Gwenno and Peski hosted the CAM15 festival in Cardiff this past April and by all accounts it was a big success. Datblygu played for the first time in 20 years, playing almost all new material, and Dr. Sarah Hill and Gwenno were saying how great it was to see them get the respect they deserve by the few hundred people in the audience.



Cam o’Tywyllwch


AmeriCymru: You have recently co-produced Ani Glass' (Ani Saunders from The Pipettes) new Welsh language solo songs. Care to tell us more about that experience?

Aug Stone: I’m a huge fan of Ani’s songs. She’s got a fantastic voice and huge pop sensibilities. One day last year she asked me if I knew anyone who might be interested in producing some of her new solo songs. As I’d like to get more into producing other people’s music, I said that I could have a go. She sent over a demo of ‘Ffôl’, which is a great song but also quite different from the music I’m used to working on. It’s more r’n’b. But it was cool to have the challenge. And the first thing I came up with was that dub bassline (which I love) and so Danny Gold (Boston producer I work a lot with), Sean Drinkwater (Freezepop, Lifestyle), and I did the music and sent it to Ani and thankfully she was so pleased she sent us a bunch more songs.

‘Little Things’ was quite thrilling to work on especially once we got that bassline, that’s where it all came together. There always seemed to be some point early on in each song where something would spark a reference to Depeche Mode in my mind and we wisely followed that. And there’s a few more excellent songs to come.

It was an interesting way of working because we don’t speak Welsh and we were recording in Somerville, Massachusetts with Ani being across the ocean in Cardiff. So there was a big element of just trusting our instincts that what we were doing was right for the songs. On a personal level it’s been a great experience because although Sean and I have played in bands together for over 15 years we’ve never really collaborated on anything before. So this was really nice.

AmeriCymru: Any final message for the members and readers of AmeriCymru?

Aug Stone: There’s a lot of great music coming out of Wales, Welsh language or not, that I highly recommend checking out. I’ve found a lot of great instrumental, mostly electronic, acts. Hippies vs Ghosts I heard recently are ace. In a different vein, R Seillog. Peski Records have put out a really good compilation that would be a good place to start - http://www.peski.co.uk/cam1/index.html

But there’s great Welsh bands singing in English too. That last Trwbador album was one of my favourite records of 2014. ‘Start Your Car’ and ‘Several Wolves’ are just incredible songs. And Cian Ciarán’s (from Super Furry Animals) new project Zefur Wolves have made a really great rock record.

Since writing that Quietus piece two songs have been stuck in my head non-stop. Killer anthems, Y Cyrff’s ‘Cymru, Lloegr A Llanrwst’ and Anhrefn’s ‘Rhedeg I Paris’. And here they are:



Cymru, Lloegr A Llanrwst


 

Rhedeg I Paris



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AmeriCymru:  How did this idea for the Swansea map come about?

Rose:  I’ve been involved in some international art collaborations with fellow artists Melanie Ezra and Alban Low; Melanie lives here in Swansea and Alban is from London. Alban approached Melanie and me to get involved with his idea to publish a group of 10 artist maps. We jumped at the chance because it’s so different to the normal tourist maps that get produced; this is about our feelings about Swansea, what we like about the place as citizens and artists. It’s a chance to do something different and focus on the things we think are important about the city.

AmeriCymru:  How did you and Melanie go about compiling it?

Rose:  First of all we met up to discuss the little idiosyncrasies that interested us around the city centre. Swansea is full of art, culture and history and we wanted to put in the things that fascinate us. We ended up with a huge list, far too many for the format. The next stage was to go through our existing artwork to see if we had images that would correspond in some way to the places we had chosen. Because of the timescale, we couldn’t realistically do new work and it’s an interesting process to use existing work for a different purpose.

Then we narrowed it down to 18 locations that can be walked easily across the city centre, taking in quirky and historical places as well as the seafront. Melanie took the lead on the layout of the visuals, while I researched facts about the places we chose to put on the map. We’re fine artists, not graphic designers so we decided not to get too bogged down with computer graphics packages and instead laid out the pictures and text onto a sketchbook around Melanie’s hand-drawn map, a bit like we’d work into our own sketchbooks or work boards anyway.

The map in progress



Once the map section was finalised, we put together the rest – the front cover, a biographical section on each of us and a final page giving a list of weblinks to many of the interesting sites we’d had to leave off.

AmeriCymru:  Care to tell us a little about the reaction to the map?

Rose:  The map was launched at an exhibition in London at Sunbury-on-Thames in 2015. There were loads of people there and a lot of maps sold. All the maps, a set of 10, were very well received. Since then, there have been a lot of Internet sales of the Swansea map, not just local but also from Australia and the USA where they’re a hit with ex-pats. The map seems very popular for birthday presents and wedding gifts and some parents have bought them for youngsters about to move to Swansea. It’s ridiculously cheap so it’s a quirky and affordable present to give and people seem to like our different insight.

Locally, there’s been a lot of interest because we’re showing people a new way to look at their city. Many locals didn’t realise what’s around them, you take what’s around you for granted and sometimes you need to see things through new eyes.

Melanie (left) and Rose at the launch of the map in London



AmeriCymru:  What is your favourite part of Swansea?

Rose:  Oh that’s a hard one. The map takes in Dragons, Doctor Who and the Da Vinci Code; street art, sand and Granny’s Custard; galleries, museums and allotments. And a castle! Swansea’s a great place but if I had to choose one part it would be the beach. I walk along it most days and even though it rains a lot, the climate is reasonably mild and the beach is fringed with palm trees! There are the remains of an ancient petrified forest when the tide is out with clay deposits that were originally used for the earliest Swansea potteries; it’s a fine, orange terracotta when it’s fired but black and sticky in its natural form. The clay dissolves into a sludge that we locals call ‘Granny’s Custard’, it squidges between your toes!

AmeriCymru:  Where can our readers go to purchase a copy of ’Swansea: On The Map: An Artist’s Walk’?

Rose:  It’s available directly from the publishers, Sampson Low Ltd…….
http://www.sampsonlow.com/

…. and from Amazon, here’s the link -
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Swansea-Artists-Walk-Melanie-Ezra/dp/1910578061/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1429604582&sr=1-2

And here are the technical details:

Published April 2015
ISBN 978-1-910578-06-3
A3 fold out map
Author – Melanie Ezra and Rose Davies
Editor – Alban Low, Melanie Ezra and Rose Davies
SLB0014

AmeriCymru:  Any final message for the readers and members of AmeriCymru?

Rose:  It’s great that so many people in the USA are interested in Wales and I hope this map motivates people to find out more about the area around Swansea. Melanie and I both publish daily blogs that feature life in Swansea as well as art and culture, so please feel free to drop by and visit us in the blogsphere. We’re also on Facebook and Twitter.

Rose Davies (Rosie Scribblah) is an artist and printmaker, scribbler and ageing headbanger. She works directly from life, carrying a sketchbook at all times looking for any opportunity to have a scribble. She works from her studio in Wales, UK where she lives with her husband and cats, who often feature in her drawings and blogs.

Blog:  https://scribblah.co.uk/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rosie-Scribblah-Printmaker-and-Scribbler/149442308432211?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
Twitter:  @RosieScribblah

Melanie Ezra is a UK-based fine artist who works using her own original photographs to create beautiful and intricate collages. She often works in series, providing visual responses to external stimuli such as literature, science, and music. She considers herself a specialist in the deconstruction of time and the extension of the moment.

Blog:  http://melanieezra.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/melanie.ezra?fref=ts
Twitter:  @melanieezra


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  A Message From Ian Samways



"We are proud to offer, as part of our Eisteddfod competitions at the North American Festival of Wales (NAFOW) , the David G. Morris Memorial Competition for Solo Voice.  This is our signature competition, with the opportunity to win a cash scholarship ($3,500 US) for travel to compete in the 2016 National Eisteddfod of Wales.
 
This year’s David Morris Competition will be held Saturday, September 5, at the Hyatt Regency Columbus.  It is open to singers (residents of the Americas) with some professional training, but whose income is derived only partially from performing.  Several David Morris winners have gone on to great success in competing in Wales, including a first-place winner at the 2012 National Eisteddfod in Vale of Glamorgan.  More information can be found on the attached flyer.

Each competitor is required to sing two pieces from memory (contrasted selections drawn from art song, oratorio or operatic repertoire), at least one of which must be in Welsh.  (Competitors should note that participation in the National Eisteddfod of Wales will involve singing in Welsh.) 

The NAFOW Eisteddfod entry form, including further details on the David Morris competition, is available here:   Eisteddfod Entry Form . Entries must be received by August 20, 2015.  

For further information on this extraordinary opportunity, please contact us at any time (email: eisteddfod@nafow.org ; phone: 412-215-9161 )."  





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