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Fort Belan, Ynys Mon

 
Photos: 16

The Welsh Poetry Competition 2017 organisers have announced the winners of the 11 ^th international competition, judged by acclaimed poet Kathy Miles , and the overall winner was Rae Howells for the poem Airlings .

The winners were as follows:

1 ^st Prize: Airlings by Rae Howells (Swansea)

2 ^nd Prize: Skimmers by Jane Burn (Consett)

3 ^rd Prize: On watching a lemon sail the sea by Maggie Harris (Llandysul)

Kathy also choose another seventeen poems for the ‘Highly commended’ section with another fifteen poems also given a ‘special mention’. As always winners came from all over the world. All winning poems and judges’ comments can be viewed on the competition web site – www.welshpoetry.co.uk

Judge Kathy Miles said: “It has been a real honour to judge this year's Welsh Poetry Competition. And, with over 500 entries, a somewhat daunting task, not least because of the quality of the work submitted. Subjects were wide ranging; love, loss, the failure of relationships, and – as one would expect in such dark political times – anger at the world we live in. Many poems dealt with heart-breaking scenarios: death, the decline of a loved one into dementia, homelessness, war, the refugee crisis. There were also many pieces that focussed on Wales, and I was reminded again of how much wonderful poetry is inspired by the history, culture and language of the landscape around us.

“Judging is necessarily a subjective process; but from the start I looked for something different. A quirky style, a new slant on an old subject, a strong narrative voice, or imagery that lifted the poem from mere description into something that truly excited the imagination. It was such a strong field that I read each entry many times before deciding on the final placings: every poet had something unique to say, and I wanted to give every poet the chance to shine. The Highly Commended poems in particular were very close, and all of an extremely high standard, so the choice was difficult.

“Inevitably, the poems which made it through were those that kept me awake at night. Poems which tugged at the edges of my dreams, or whose words huddled in little corners of my mind and leapt out when I least expected it. Well done to everyone who entered. It has been wonderful -and humbling- to see so much talent. A huge thank you to Dave Lewis for encouraging and fostering that talent and for inviting me to be the judge this year.”

Full list of winners:

WELSH POETRY COMPETITION 2017

Judged by Kathy Miles

1 ^st Prize: Airlings by Rae Howells (Swansea)

2 ^nd Prize: Skimmers by Jane Burn (Consett)

3 ^rd Prize: On watching a lemon sail the sea by Maggie Harris (Llandysul)

HIGHLY COMMENDED

4 ^th : Ten Minutes – Natalie Ann Holborow (Skewen)

5 ^th : Hare on the lane – Louise Wilford (Barnsley)

6 ^th : Sunflower Encolpion – Mara Adamitz Scrupe (USA)

7 ^th : Bergamask for the Neoplatonists – Mick Evans (Llangadog)

8 ^th : Bones, not human – Caroline Davies (Leighton Buzzard)

9 ^th : The art of moving a piano into an upstairs flat – Kittie Belltree (Cardigan)

10 ^th : lost poem – Mick Evans (Llangadog)

11 ^th : Otters – Gareth Writer-Davies (Brecon)

12 ^th : In the Bowes-Lyon Museum – Pat Borthwick (Kirby Underdale)

13 ^th : Running – Natalie Ann Holborow (Skewen)

14 ^th : Cawl – Mari Ellis Dunning (Swansea)

15 ^th : desert sculpture – Mick Evans (Llangadog)

16 ^th : Rough Magic – Noel Williams (Sheffield)

17 ^th : The Wren – John D Kelly (Newton Butler)

18 ^th : Top Corris – Zillah Bowes (Cardiff)

19 ^th : Grip – Mick Evans (Llangadog)

20 ^th : Bluebeard – Helen May Williams (Pendine)

March 10,2017

To: Her Majesty's Government Legal Office of the United Kingdom

One Kemble Street, London WC2B 4TS

CC: International Court of Justice

Peace Palace, Camegieplein 2, 2517 KJ The Hague, The Netherlands

Subject: Cease and Desist Order, Reparations under the articles of UNDRIP

Greetings,

My name is Llywelyn, Brenin Cymru (Llywelyn, King of Wales). I am the legal heir to the native Kings and Princes of Wales in accordance with the native Welsh law and international laws regarding the rights of dethroned monarchies. My fons honorum, royal titles and the rights that are coupled with them were recognized in nations party to the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards in May of2016. My tribunal award was recognized and enforced in the United States of America's Superior Court of California (Case# 37-2016-00044244-CU-PT-NC) in February of 2017. My right to this position and hereditaments precludes all others on the ancient international legal principle of laches, with the creation of the "Welsh Acts of Restoration" (April, 20 16) after I put forth my claim jus sanguinis, and by the fact that I have multiple existing international litigations granting final and binding judgments.

The reason for my letter today is:

1) To give you legal notice to immediately cease and desist suspending the actions of the native Welsh government.

2) To initiate communications and political remedies to begin the process of transferring political powers over to the historical, native, and lawful government of Wales in the most transparent methods possible, as to not disturb the well-being of her citizens any further.

3) To give you legal notice to immediately cease and desist exporting resources from Wales without properly agreeing upon trade negotiations and paying for said resources.

4) To notify you of my intent to seek reparations for the injustices and atrocities the nation of Wales is currently enduring and has suffered over the many years of British occupation, and the immoral treatment that I have personally witnessed.

5) To quiet the claim of any other parties in the matter. It is unjust and morally unethical to continue to subjugate the nation of Wales in the medieval practice that has been carried over into modem times, or to allow her noble people to sleep rough in the streets while you remove her resources at their expense. Your previous monarch, His Majesty King George VI most wisely said it best himself in his war outbreak speech in 1939 when referring to Nazi Germany's invasions, "It is a principle which permits a state, in the selfish pursuit of power, to disregard its treaties and its solemn pledges, which sanctions the use of force or threat of force against the sovereignty and independence of other states. Such a principle, stripped of all disguise, is surely the mere primitive doctrine that might is right'. This philosophy has been recognized in tribunals and courts internationally.

The last Prince of Wales under native title (Owain Glyn Dwr) never surrendered nor accepted the royal pardons he was offered, and the Welsh people have continued to display political protests since the occupation and illegal annexation of Wales. The flying of Y Ddraig Goch (The Red Dragon) is one such political protest. Y Ddraig Goch is linked to the Welsh identity and to the Welsh peoples historically documented presence on the British Isles during the withdrawal of the Roman forces. In 1959 the British monarchy attempted to change the flag of Wales and created their own variant, to which the Welsh proudly answered by continuing to display their true colors. Given the facts that there was never debellatio and that political protest has continued for more than 600 years; Wales is still de jure sovereign and independent today. Since the Welsh have been proven to be the indigenous peoples of the British Isles or "Celtic Britons" in forensic DNA studies carried out by the Oxford University, they are rightfully entitled to reparations under the articles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of lndigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

It is my great hope in writing you this letter that you will reconsider the current conditions and remedy these "primitive" injustices, thus changing your course to an enlightened one in these modem times. It is not my goal in seeking that which is lawful and just for Wales to derail your Government, Monarchy, or to have their peoples be made to suffer. I simply seek to correct the wrongs of the past that have been carried over in practice. I am willing to negotiate terms for restitution and reparations and also willing to table any disagreements for the International Court of Justice to hear.

I respectfully request as one monarch to another's government your further consideration and anticipate positive dialogue with you in these matters of great importance. Thank you for your time and consideration in these matters,

Cymru am Byth,

Llywelyn, King of Wales

Rex Britannorum

A historical novel for young adults published this week has been inspired by the life of Hedd Wyn, the famous Welsh poet who fought in the First World War.

An Empty Chair by acclaimed author Haf Llewelyn follows young poet Ellis, and when the First World War arrives, he has to join up and go and be a soldier like dozens of other young men from rural Trawsfynydd. His teenage sister Anni longs to have him home again on their family farm, Yr Ysgwrn, especially after seeing the terrible effect of the war on her best friend Lora’s father.

Meanwhile Ellis is in the trenches in Belgium, hoping to make it home safely, and to win the Chair at the National Eisteddfod – the most important prize in Welsh poetry.

The novel is published as part of the centenary commemorations for World War I, and particularly to mark the centenary of the battle of Passchendaele in July 1917, and Hedd Wyn’s involvement in it.

The novel follows the huge impact of the war on village life through the eyes of Hedd Wyn’s 14-year-old sister Anni, bringing the incredibly moving events to life for teenagers through a vivid voice of their own age. At the centre of everything is Anni’s relationship with her best friend Lora, and the difficult decisions the two have to face concerning family, friendship, love and honesty, as well the effects of the war on their whole community.

The original Welsh-language version of the novel ( Diffodd y Sêr , Y Lolfa, 2013) is highly critically acclaimed and won the Tir na n-Og secondary fiction prize in 2014. Since 2015, it has been a set text on the Welsh Literature GCSE syllabus.

A farmer’s son from Trawsfynydd, Hedd Wyn – real name Ellis Humphrey Evans – fought in the trenches in the First World War as part of the 15th Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers, and fought at Passchendaele in July 1917, one hundred years ago this month, and is famous for being awarded the Chair at the 1917 National Eisteddfod, held in Birkenhead shortly afterwards.

Haf Llewelyn comes from Ardudwy and was brought up very near Trawsfynydd and Yr Ysgwrn. She now lives in Llanuwchllyn and is a full-time author. After travelling to the small town of Ypres in Belgium, she was struck by the thousands of white gravestones in the World War I cemeteries there, and what the stories of those who fought at Passchendaele might be. Her inspiration to write this novel stemmed from that trip.

‘Seeing the names and ages of the young men carved on those white gravestones in Ypres made me realise the terrible price of war’ said Haf, ‘Sometimes it's difficult for us to connect with a time that has passed, but when visiting Yr Ysgwrn, the home of Hedd Wyn, time has somehow stood still.’

‘The scale of the loss is just incomprehensible when you see those thousands of gravestones, but when you bring it all down to one story about one actual person and the people at home who loved him, it somehow seems more real’ added Haf, ‘The terrible events of July 1917 continue to cast a shadow over the home of one of Wales's best-known poets.’

An Empty Chair by Haf Llewelyn (£5.99, Y Lolfa) is available now.

Between The Trees - Rudry Music Festival 2017

 
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Due to the number of festivals I have attended over the last 2 months, I have spent more time hanging between trees in my hammock tent than in any bed in a room with a shingled roof overhead. But, don’t feel sorry for me. This is a planned adventure – a bit of Jack Kerouac without the sex and drugs. More like a British version with camping in noisy rock festivals, and the Welsh cheering the long sunny days as though they were some kind of minor miracle.

The second weekend of July brought me into the valleys north of Cardiff, and the sunny days were still smiling on the Welsh summer. In a little village near Caerphilly named Rudry, which some of the Cardiffians have never heard of, at the village parish hall, is a folk festival called Between the Trees. Needless to say, I would be quite at home here. I had already spent a bit of time on and off with my friends Andrew and Dawn in Gwaelod y Garth. Andrew Thomas is a proper good, mildly rebellious Welshman who also happens to be one of the founders of Between the Trees. I had arrived at Andrew’s place shortly after the massive Glastonbury Music Festival in Pilton, and a quick revisit to the wonderful little New Age-y hippie town of Glastonbury, and then the work began. I was here to help with the festival. It is always far more fun to help work in a festival than it is to simply be a “punter.” My first task was to help my friends Charlie and Becky set up the lighting: strings of white lights 12 feet of the ground around the festival site, and colored flood lights on the perimeter giving an ambient glow to the trees surrounding the field. I had done this with Charlie in another festival back in May, but now he was busy moving out of his apartment, so Becky and I set up the posts and strung the lights around the grounds, and decided we were the new lighting masters. Move over Charlie!

Andrew cleared a cozy little gathering space in the woods, and I dragged hay bales into the clearing. This was going to be the place for my shenanigans during the festival. I was slated to lead a poetry workshop, arrange for some poetry sessions and storytelling, and lead an evening of Cigars, Whisky, and Philosophy.

After three days of set up, running around picking up supplies with Andrew, the two-day festival began. Friday evening started as we had only just finished the lighting, and the set up crew was busily buzzing around in that semi-panicked state known to all festival organizers. I had already made a mild stir for being the American who spoke Welsh. There were a few fluent speakers I tried to keep up with, and a whole lot of people who felt mildly guilty, because the American spoke Welsh better than they did. But, it was all good fun and we drank beer, listened to live music from local bands, and talked about life. As the night ended, I found a place in the trees to hang my hammock tent, and slipped into my little cocoon, as one noisy bird periodically screeched at me through the night.

On Saturday morning, after breakfast, I went into my cozy little hay bale nook of the woods. It was a fortunate location from which to work, because the day was sunny and muggy-hot. With a group of 8 people, we held a poetry workshop, and I had everyone write a limerick, because limericks are fun way to learn rhyme, meter, and include a short story within the small poem. I was wearing a tall steampunk hat, which had been given to me by some new friends from a conference in Sheffield. (The picture of me playing the guitar shows the wild hat.) Consequently, I ended up as the topic of some of the limericks. For example:

There once was a man with a hat

And people would flee when he sat

He brought a foul scent

Wherever he went

Because in his hat he had shat

Later that same day, I ended up playing a short music set to cover for one of the musicians who could not make the festival. A few of the limericks were read, and so I became the font of laughter again. I ended my short music set with a Welsh translation of the doxology, which translated into Welsh in the 1700s.

I Dad y trugareddau i gyd

rhown foliant, holl drigolion byd;

llu'r nef moliennwch, bawb ar gân,

y Tad a'r Mab a'r Ysbryd Glan.

That evening a group of about 30 people gathered in our cozy little clearing in the woods, and we held a lively philosophical discussion about language and oppression. My nerdy interests in post-colonial theory came out, and soon the discussion danced around the subject of English oppression of the Welsh language through the centuries, and how this affected Welsh culture and life. There were two fluent Welsh speakers in the group, a large smattering of people who had been taught Welsh in school, but felt guilty that they did not speak the language better, and some random slightly nervous Sais (Englishmen). The discussion was friendly, but a clear tension was evident, and it was not a tension between the English and the Welsh, rather it was a tension between North and South Wales. Only one person in the group had lived in North Wales, and even though she was fluent in Welsh, she had felt a bit left out as a kid, because Welsh was not her first language. It was interesting to hear the people from South Wales discuss how they it seemed to them that the people in North Wales believed that the only real Welshman was a Welsh speaker. Having spent a lot of time in North Wales over the years, I ended up being the North Wales defender for the discussion. I have heard about this tension from some of my friends, but this was the first time I experienced it in such a fashion as this. I love these kinds of events, where hard topics are discussed in safe environments, and I am hoping to repeat the difficult discussion on this topic in other locations around Wales. These events are where life happens and peace can be created between differing opinions.

The festival had two stages playing live music through the two days. One had full bands and the other was an acoustic stage. The music was folk and folk rock primarily, and was of a high quality. Most of the bands were from Wales. Here’s to hoping that this festival continues, grows and keeps singing and swinging Between the Trees in Rudry.

Link to Between the Trees Festival: http://www. betweenthetreesfestival.co.uk/

A book published this week will aim to break the taboo around grief whilst offering supporting through the medium of Welsh to those who are going through grief.

Galar a Fi (Grief and Me) contains the experiences of 14 people who have been through grief after losing a brother, sister, friend, son, daughter, father, mother or lover – and the way they coped with their grief and loss. The responses to grief vary from poems, letters, diaries, essays and short stories.

The volume was compiled and edited by Esyllt Maelor, who has experienced grief herself.

The book follows Gyrru drwy Storom (y Lolfa) which was published in 2015 – a book that presented moving accounts of living with mental health issues.

‘In her preface to that book, Alaw Griffiths noted that she could not find sufficient websites or books on mental health in Welsh. And there’s very little available in Welsh about grief too.’ explained Esyllt, ‘If reading is a form of counselling, then I wanted to read in Welsh.’

‘Like with mental health, there’s a taboo associated with grief too. So this book is an attempt to give a voice to the voiceless,’ said Esyllt.

The contributions are varied – with many young people in ther midst – Luned Rhys who wrote a poem about losing her father; Llio Maddocks who wrote a short story about losing her friend, Mared; Sara Maredudd Jones who notes how important it is to talk after losing a loved one; and Manon Gravell who wrote a diary of her last holiday with her father, Ray Gravell.

Branwen Haf Williams writes a letter to her father, Derek, the author Sharon Marie Jones talks to her son Ned, Nia Gwyndaf talks to her husbans, Eifion Gwynne, Mair Tomos Ifans sees grief as being ‘in a tunnel’ and Cris Dafis conveys his deep hiraeth and longing. The other contributors are Dafydd John Pritchard, Arthur Roberts, Iola Lloyd Owen, Manon Steffan Ros a Gareth Roberts.

‘I am forever grateful to the authors for their willingness to share and in doing to opening many doors for us, the reader. I hope this book will be of help to those who need it,’ added Esyllt, ‘Whenever you find yourself turning to it, I hope that one thing stays with you through the grief and pain of these pages. That thing is love. A deep, priceless love.’

Galar a Fi (£7.99, Y Lolfa) is available now.

Adwaith release their new double A-sided single 'Femme/Lipstick Coch' through Libertinism Records on the 25th of August.

Fast rising Carmarthen based female trio Adwaith unveil their brilliant new double A-side single 'Lipstick Coch' and 'FEMME' this summer. Vividly depicting their knack for melody and sound and their ability to create a direct emotional connection with the listener. Adwaith’s brand new double A-side single heralds a beginning of a new sound for the band. Whereas previously the band painted sounds with a palette of muted sombre colours Lipstick Coch and FEMME explode with bright confident neon.

'Lipstick Coch (Red Lipstick)' is a fully charged post punk anthem in the vain of The Slits at their most immediate, an anthem celebrating youth, androgyny and love.The flipside 'FEMME' on the other hand could quite easily have been a long lost single on Postcard Records or Cherry Red Records from the mid-80s. With its jangly C86 indie pop sound as a canvas to the witty, heartfelt lyrics Adwaith discuss femininity and the sexism experienced by them as young women. This is an inspirational song from an inspirational band willing to stand up for their beliefs.

These songs are brave, creative moves both musically and lyrically for the band, yet they retain the distinctive melodic gift that is so recognisable in all Adwaith’s songs. A gift that has gained the band fast critical acclaim and extensive radio plays, most noticeably on BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio 6, BBC Radio Cymru and Amazing Radio.

The release of the singles come hot on the heels of Adwaith’s Maida Vale recording session for Huw Stephens in these legendary BBC studios. Their summer is full of activity including a live set on the BBC Introducing Stage at FOCUS Wales festival broadcast live on Adam Walton’s BBC Radio Wales show.

Adwaith were introduced on the BBC Introducing stage at Latitude festival as the most exciting band from Wales in decades and will finish the summer on the Gorwelion /Horizons stage at Festival No 6. In the middle of all this activity, Adwaith have managed to record their debut album, and their label Libertino believe its 'creatively ground breaking and will stand as one of the important albums from Wales alongside the works of Gorky Zygotic Mynci, Super Furry Animals and Gwenno.'