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Published this week, When Dragons Dare to Dream is the follow-up to Jamie Thomas’ successful The Dragon Roars Again and starts where that left off, charting the amazing progress of the Welsh football team through the Euro 2016 finals.
‘Qualification for Euro 2016 meant absolutely everything to us, as a team, as a nation of people who have waited our whole lives to see Wales competing at a a major tournament,’ said Joe Ledley. ‘That feeling of qualifying was just amazing, and we couldn’t wait to get to France to put our country on the map and make a nation proud of us once more.’
‘We players had the time of our lives – every single day was a pleasure, and I like to think the fans enjoyed it just as much as we did; we just didn’t want it to end!’ said Joe, ‘To try and tell our nation’s incredible story over the summer is no easy task, but Jamie’s done a brilliant job of it with this new book. It’s a must-read for any football fan!’ he added.
Euro 2016 was the first major tournament for the national team since 1958. The success of the team was a dream come true for many fans and culminated with the team reaching the Euro 2016 semi-finals.
The book includes in-depth analysis of and insight into the journey taken during the summer of 2016, including an exclusive interview with Mark Evans of the FAW which offers a glimpse into the preparations for and events in the team base during the tournament. Players and team staff also offer their exclusive comments, including Joe Ledley and Chris Gunter.
‘I’m very pleased to say that this is another very good book that tells Wales’ incredible story from the perspective of so many people who were involved: players, coaches, fans, journalists, everyone!’ said Chris Gunter.
Raised on Anglesey, author Jamie Thomas is a 23-year-old Media Masters graduate and lifelong Wales fan who writes on many aspects of Welsh football for various media outlets.
‘I was ecstatic with the reception my first book received from everyone – whether that be people involved with the Wales squad on a day-to-day basis, fellow Wales fans or other journalists,’ said Jamie.
When Dragons Dare to Dream by Jamie Thomas (£9.99, Y Lolfa) is published on November 1 st .
Conformist new album 'Lifestyle Bible' streaming in full now, mastered by Jerome Schmitt
By Ceri Shaw, 2016-10-31
Electronic producer Conformist releases his new album “Lifestyle Bible” on the 28th of October 2016 through Consumer Consumer records. It's preceded by lead single “Komputer Jenerated”.
Adventurous Cardiff based Electronic producer Conformist (aka Michael Simmons), releases his astounding second album “Lifestyle Bible” this winter. Following up upon and building upon his critically acclaimed debut album “Paid to Fake It” which crash landed back in 2013.
With “Lifestyle Bible” Simmons delivers a breathtaking yet concise album, fresh and ahead of the pack. Each of the 8 songs on “Lifestyle Bible” are meticulously pieced together creating a dense and layered collage of sounds; stuffed to the gills with unique samples sourced from a hoarded stockpile, revealing hidden detail with every listen.
‘Lifestyle Bible’ was written, recorded and produced by Conformist during 2014-2016. The album was mastered by Jerome Schmitt ( Alt-J, Diplo, Mr Scruff ) at The AirLab and will be released on CD and digital formats on Conformists’ own Consumer Consumer Records label. As a producer Simmons takes inspiration from Public Enemy's Bomb Squad and cut n' paste pioneers Coldcut, Steinski and The Dust Brothers and whose imaginative work has been compared to everyone from the Art of Noise to the Avalanches and Aphex Twin .
'Lifestyle Bible' channel hops through genres from the DIY-Industrial sample board of “Rock N’ Roll Dead Man” , to lead single "Komputer Jenerated" a crunchy smash n' grab dose of warped electro, that chews up Atari Teenage Riot and Kraftwerk , through the skittering Electronic mental-meltdown of “Life! Death! Prizes!” to the Vangelis- on-Acid album closer of “Nothing Important Happened Today.” The album is littered with playful stabs and homage to Punk, Hip Hop, Techno and a vast array of other genres that are all filtered through and reassembled to bring to life Simmons’s unique vision.
‘Paid to Fake’ it Press quotes:
"Paid To Fake It is the sort of record that will take your breath away...7/10" The 405
a musically kaleidoscopic head f**k...brilliant” Louder Than War
“a cluster-f**k of awesomeness” The Music Mag
“a head-spinning deluge of audacious beats and samples...staggering" Wales Online
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In Alun the Bear and the Football Match by Morgan Tomos Alun has the opportunity to train with the Wales football team. But he can't play very well so he decides to be a referee instead. But what kind of referee will Alun be?
‘I was inspired by the Wales football team’s recent success during the Euros this summer’ explained the author Morgan Tomos on what inspired the latest Alun adventure.
‘But I can’t kick a ball to save my life!’ he addedd, ‘Alun and I have that in common!’
Morgan Tomos is from Caernarfon originally but now lives in Birmingham. He is a trained animator and enjoys travelling around schools in Wales discussing books and hosting workshops with the pupils.
This is the third story in the Alun yr Arth series to be translated into English. Over 50,000 Alun yr Arth books have been sold to date and recently a new website, apps and Twitter account were launched. The series has long established its place as one of the most popular series in Wales for children under 7 years of age.
‘I look forward to seeing what the Wales team do next and Alun and myself wish them the best of luck as they look to qualify for the World Cup!’ added Morgan.
Alun the Bear and the Football Match by Morgan Tomos (£2.99, Y Lolfa) is available now.
BUY A BOOK FOR WALES - SUPPORT THAT AMERICYMRU PRIZE FOR THE NOVELLA
Here at AmeriCymru we are committed to promoting Wales around the world as the nation that respects and promotes excellence in the Arts. In the past we have organised events ( Eisteddfodau) in Portland and L.A. and our latest venture is a partnership with the New Welsh Review to promote an international competition - The AmeriCymru Prize for the Novella. For more details and to enter, please see below. Meanwhile if you are not a writer you can still be a part of this initiative. Organising events of this kind costs money and we are raising funds to cover transport costs, prize money etc.. So...we are urging our members and readers to BUY A BOOK FOR WALES . All proceeds from these sales go to support the AmeriCymru Prize For The Novella . The winner will be announced at the Hay on Wye Book Festival in 2017.
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AmeriCymru Prize For The Novella - Now Accepting Entries 
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.
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HALLOWEEN ON AMERICYMRU
Still time to carve your Welsh Dragon Pumpkins for Halloween!
Was William Richards (on the run in Ohio after shooting a gamekeeper in Cardiganshire) inspired to don female attire by the Rebecca Rioters? Are his descendants still alive in Ohio today?
In a fascinating blog post author and AmeriCymru member Chris Saunders tells the story of Will Cefn-Coch, a poacher from Cardiganshire who shot and killed a gamekeeper during a pursuit in 1868. After the 'incident' he wore women's clothing to elude his pursuers and escaped to Ohio where he married an Irish woman and settled down. Did he live happily ever after?
Read Chris Saunders post (linked below) for more info.
W hen people think of Welsh folk heroes, Twm Sion Cati and Owain Glyndwr invariably spring to mind, and rightly so. Not many people mention Will Cefn-Coch. In fact, I’d never heard of him myself until I recently read a book about Welsh murders. But his story is deserving of a much wider audience.
Until November 1868, plain old William Richards was an ordinary 28-year old bloke living a simple life in Cardiganshire. Times were hard in those days. There was a glaring gap between rich and poor, and lots of countryside folk took to poaching to feed their families. There simply wasn’t enough to eat, especially in winter. Although still technically a crime, most people considered sneaking onto privately-owned land to fish or hunt game a necessary evil. Except the rich landowners, obviously, who employed gamekeepers to combat the problem. These guys were not looked upon with much fondness by the locals, in much the same way I imagine Community Support Officers are these days.
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Lliwio Cymru / Colouring Wales is the first adult colouring book for adults with a Welsh theme running throughout the pictures. It contains 21 beautiful hand-drawn Welsh pictures by the artist from Llanrug, Dawn Williams, including pictures of Branwen, Saint David, Blodeuwedd, the Red Dragon, ‘Cariad’, and Calon Lân and the Welsh national anthem, Hen Wlad fy Nhadau.
There has been a recent growth in the sales of colouring books for adults and psychologists claim that focusing on colouring can remove or hinder negative thoughts or encourage relaxation.
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.
‘This is a unqiue and innovative book within the Welsh publishing industry,’ said Fflur Arwel, Head of Marketing for Y Lolfa, ‘Hundreds of colouring books for adults have been published in recent years but this is the only one with a Welsh dimension to it.’
‘Research has shown that colouring can alleviate conditions such as stress or transport people back to the easier days of childhood,’ Fflur added.
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.
‘From the moment I used my pencils for the first time I became hooked on art!’ explained Dawn, ‘I was very young – a child in a children’s home in Llandudno and loved to sit at the desk in the playing room and show the other children how to draw.’
‘It was a way of escaping to another world the second the pencil would touch the paper,’ said Dawn, ‘and I am encouraged by the need to escape to my own kingdom of colours and inspired by nature and people and all the world around me!’
‘I jumped at the chance to create a Welsh colouring book – art is important to me and I am very grateful for the opportunity. Its theraputic and a chance to escape to somewhere if I feel down,’ added Dawn.
Lliwio Cymru / Colouring Wales by Dawn Williams (£4.99, Y Lolfa) is available now.
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When Dragons Dare To Dream
Published this week, When Dragons Dare to Dream is the follow-up to Jamie Thomas’ successful The Dragon Roars Again and starts where that left off, charting the amazing progress of the Welsh football team through the Euro 2016 finals.
‘Qualification for Euro 2016 meant absolutely everything to us, as a team, as a nation of people who have waited our whole lives to see Wales competing at a a major tournament,’ said Joe Ledley. ‘That feeling of qualifying was just amazing, and we couldn’t wait to get to France to put our country on the map and make a nation proud of us once more.’
‘We players had the time of our lives – every single day was a pleasure, and I like to think the fans enjoyed it just as much as we did; we just didn’t want it to end!’ said Joe, ‘To try and tell our nation’s incredible story over the summer is no easy task, but Jamie’s done a brilliant job of it with this new book. It’s a must-read for any football fan!’ he added.
Euro 2016 was the first major tournament for the national team since 1958. The success of the team was a dream come true for many fans and culminated with the team reaching the Euro 2016 semi-finals.
The book includes in-depth analysis of and insight into the journey taken during the summer of 2016, including an exclusive interview with Mark Evans of the FAW which offers a glimpse into the preparations for and events in the team base during the tournament. Players and team staff also offer their exclusive comments, including Joe Ledley and Chris Gunter.
‘I’m very pleased to say that this is another very good book that tells Wales’ incredible story from the perspective of so many people who were involved: players, coaches, fans, journalists, everyone!’ said Chris Gunter.
Raised on Anglesey, author Jamie Thomas is a 23-year-old Media Masters graduate and lifelong Wales fan who writes on many aspects of Welsh football for various media outlets.
‘I was ecstatic with the reception my first book received from everyone – whether that be people involved with the Wales squad on a day-to-day basis, fellow Wales fans or other journalists,’ said Jamie.
When Dragons Dare to Dream by Jamie Thomas (£9.99, Y Lolfa) is published on November 1 st .
CaStLeS release their new single 'Amcanu' on the 4th of November , it’s followed by their debut album 'Fforesteering' on the 18th of November 2016
North Walian trio CaStLeS craft music that swirls between the sounds of Os Mutantes, Ennio Morricone and the mountains of Snowdonia: theirs is a unique sonic brew delightful voodoo grooves laced with psych riffs and hypnotic reverb soaked melodies.
Fforesteering is a continuation of the themes of 'PartDepart' EP which was released at the tail end of 2015, inspired and possessed by by the North Walian landscape and the location of the caravan within which it was recorded, many songs brought to life simply by being out and about in the country. The band say of the recordings: “nature is a place of comfort and reflection, to retreat to and hide from it all at times, as a subject, it can be used as an analogy to human society and our own personal nature.”
Formed in Snowdonia, Wales back in 2008 by brothers Dion and Cynyr Hamer, after various musical manifestations as a duo, they were joined by Derwyddon Dr Gonzo bassist Calvin Thomas. Early demo releases received radio plays on BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio Wales & Cymru as well as a TV appearance on S4C.
CaStLeS took a brief hiatus in 2011 whilst Cynyr and Dion were touring Europe and America with Welsh rock band We Are Animal. During this time CaStLeS were writing new material. In early 2015 the band released two Welsh language singles a week apart. Argau and Ar Agor were positively received and resulted in the band being asked to record a radio session for BBC Radio Cymru's C2 show and a live performance on S4C TV's Ochr 1.
These releases along with their debut EP 'PartDepart' as well as a live reputation earned by travelling up and down the country. Earned CaStLeS their debut performance on the BBC Introducing stage in August 2016 at Reading & Leeds Festival.
Dates
Swn Festival - 22/23rd of October
CaStLeS 'Fforesteering album launch" w/ Ani Glass, Winter Coat, Conformist at The Moon Club, Cardiff- 15th November
Links
https://www.castlesofficial.com" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.castlesofficial.com&source=gmail&ust=1476985899838000&usg=AFQjCNH4lBjfHtVo1Xmov1wsOhDKRtLMQQ"> https://www.castlesofficial.
https://www.facebook.com/
https://www.twitter.com/
CaStLeS's debut album 'Fforesteering' out November 18th https://t.co/I2S2lumACV pic.twitter.com/YWUlY9cP9o
— americymru (@americymru) October 19, 2016
We have arrived back in Wales for the autumn of our years and we veisited Aberfan as a sort of pilgrimage - to pay our respects as it were. Both my wife and I were greatly moved
The world needs to know, that when the darkness comes, how black it is.
How a town like Aberfan, so small, so modest, with its peaceful tumbledown streets could
be struck by such an ghastly, catastrophic tragedy.
Aberfan, a soft and lovely name, serene in the black of a coal hewn valley, in a coal hewn
place called Wales.
They lived their lives in the shadow of the great hill of spoiled land,
they sang and went to Chapel and believed in what they had.
They knew and loved their neighbours from habit and
the comfort of a known tomorrow. They were content.
Children were the treasure of that place. Nurtured in a hard
but lovely family that spanned the town from end to end.
In the shadow of the filthy tip placed by skilled and knowledgeable men.
They trusted and cared for one another, a village of togetherness
All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small.
They sang, they believed. Tomorrow was to be half term,
what joy, what sweetness in the coming day;
at home, no school, just a chance to play.
And then, with the Devil, riding down the hill, the blackness came.
A monstrous surge of filthy slurry.
Half the village children, teachers and carers too
Wiped out, gone, slaughtered in a trice.
This was not a war. It was much worse, it was the sin of carelessness.
The arrogance of an ignorant establishment.
Worse still it was a sin of omission,
a sin of ‘we don’t care’; until it will always be too late.
Buried alive! Buried alive in that black filth!
Sacrilege, obscenity!
A pain that’s worse than death for those who mourn.
Now we care. We weep, but we cannot take the pain away.
Fifty years have passed, and still the guilty live
Guilty because they live, because they didn’t lose,
Guilty because they couldn’t cry
Guilty because they didn’t die.
They queued to find their dead,
wrapped in blankets in the Chapel morgues
A grief unreal in its magnitude
Where each heart beat for one another.
Aberfan is torn apart,
where modest heaven has descended into hell.
Where the future is no more.
Blackened and drowned into foul oblivion.
The sepulchre of love now sits high on the hill
Where parents join their loves at last.
Memorials sweet cannot and never will,
wipe out the blackness of that dreadful day.
