Blogs
A cottage industry, which has published books on thehistory of St. Clears, has been rewarded with a place at the National Libraryof Wales. Mrs. Stella Griffiths has been working tirelessly to publish thephotographs and diary of her late father Stanley Phillips. Having publishedthree books and produced a DVD with rare footage of life in St. Clears Stellas work has placed St. Clears firmly on the map for visitors to the library.
Thebooks have also been accepted by the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea andGreenwich Maritime Museum in London. Stella said, It has been extremely hardwork and a very emotional journey. It was hard work putting on an exhibition ofmy fathers work which was so well received in St. Clears. I am now taking abreak with a cruise around the Norwegian Fjords following the route my fathertook all those years ago. I am taking his diary with me and it will be fantastic to see all the places he wrote about so passionately. It will be asif he is there by my side. Local photographer Alan Evans has helped Stellaproduce much of the material.
The books can be purchased at www.stanleyphillipsphotography.co.uk or by calling 01994231776
Reproduced by kind permission of Alan Evans http://sanclertimes.ning.com
More people than ever are tucking into delicious Welsh food and drink according to new research commissioned by the Welsh Assembly Government. Nine out of ten people questioned were able to name at least one Welsh food, highlighting the year on year increase in awareness and purchasing of Welsh food and drink among consumers, which is now at its highest level since 2005. Conducted across the UK over the summer the survey shows a rise of 11% over the past 12 months in awareness of Welsh produce (83%), with the purchase of Welsh food an drink by Welsh consumers rising to 85% - the highest ever level.
By Mona Everett
Previously printed in Ninnau
Leaders from over two dozen local Welsh Societies met during the 2010 North American Festival of Wales in Portland for a lively give-and-take at the annual meetingof Affiliated Welsh Organizations (AWOs). Working from an ambitious agenda,WNGGA Board member, Mona Everett moderated the discussions while Liz Heath, ofthe Puget Sound Welsh Association, took notes.
Participants took turns sharing ideas and swapping stories and brainstorming ways the local societies can keep in touch and help each other all year long. (Did you know that WNGGA has over 100 Affiliatemembers from the US, Canada, Wales, New Zealand and Australia?)
A summary of this meeting will be sent to all the AWOs, and additional information will beprovided for future Ninnau articles.
The Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu Association had been at work all year to establish better communications with, and between, local Welsh societies. Any Welshsociety or organization which supports the mission of the WNGGA may join as an Affiliatedmember. Organizational dues are currently $50 for a life-time membership.
The AWOs are at the heart of the WNGGA. Most of the individual and life-time members of WNGGA also belong to at least one local Welsh society. The WNGGAmails its newsletter, HWYL, and NAFOWregistration and publicity materials to all AWOs. These in turn are shared withthe local members. Many people first hear about the Festival through their local society.
This past summer, WNGGA began sending e-letter updates to the AWOs and will expand this to include individual members and other interested parties this year. Aswe all know, email updates can be sent much faster and are much cheaper thanpostal mail. To this end, it is now a priority of the WNGGA to have the mostcurrent contact names, along with email addresses and websites (if any) for allthe AWOs and individual members. Please be sure your current contactinformation is on file, by sending it to:
Mona Everett,
1314 Woodvale Drive,
Madison, WI 53716 USA,
or email it to publicity@wngga.org .
There are many advantages of individual membership in the WNGGA. A short list of these includes: saving on registration costs for NAFOW; receipt of thenewsletter, HWYL, three times a year;and automatically receiving all mailings/emailings with the latest news andregistration materials for NAFOW. Most importantly, membership supports the WNGGA mission to preserve our Welsh heritage and allows WNGGA to continue tosponsor the North American Festival of Wales. In addition, members have a voicein the organization, by voting at the Annual General Meeting (AGM), serving onthe Board of Trustees, and volunteering their talents to help plan or run aNAFOW.
It is the hope of WNGGA that every AWO will encourage all their members to join and support WNGGA. Individual memberships start at just $10 per year.Membership forms may be printed from the website: www.wngga.org , or may be requested from WNGGAInternational Headquarters, PO Box 410, Granville, OH 43023 USA.
Besides the advantages for individual members, AWOs are also eligible to volunteer to bring a NAFOW to their city and may help plan and run the Festival; to join other AWOleaders on the private online AWO discussion group to exchange program ideasand strategies for solving problems facing local Welsh societies; to have theirAWO contact information listed on the WNGGA website so prospective members canfind them (and join); and to attend the AWO meeting at every NAFOW and meetother leaders from other societies.
In addition, each AWO is entitled to send a representative to vote on their behalf at the AGM and is able to nominate eligible members from their local society to serve on the WNGGA Boardof Trustees. Be sure your local society is taking advantage of all thesebenefits.
Remember every member helps WNGGA continue to sponsor the NAFOW we know and love and is always invited to suggest ways to make it better-known and loved.
National Coal Miners Museum at Lake City (Coal Creek), TN
Submitted by Mona Everett, with permission of the Coal Creek website and Ninnau (previously printed in Ninnau )
A proposed National Coal Miners Museum to be located on a site in downtown Lake City (Coal Creek), Tennessee, convenient to Interstate 75, will celebrate the regions dramatic coal mining heritage through unique interactive
experiences.
The museum will tell the story of the Coal Creek Wars of 1891-92, which led to the abolition of the convict leasing system through out the South. It will also relate the heroism and courage of the miners and rescuers
associated with the Fraterville Mine Disaster of 1902 and the Cross Mountain
Mine Disaster of 1911. The Welsh educational and religious influence and
Appalachian artifacts will join to tell the story of a strong willed and
resourceful people, according to the museum mission statement, crafted by the
designers.
Why Coal Creek?
This East Tennessee area was settled by immigrant Welsh coal miners in the mid-1800s. They provided the coal that helped rebuild Knoxville and surrounding areas after the Civil War.
The Coal Creek War was fought in 1891-1892 and was credited with abolishing the corrupt convict lease system throughout the southern states.
The Fraterville Mine Disaster of May 19, 1902 killed 216. Disasters like Fraterville raised public awareness about the dangers of early 20th century
coal mining and led to the creation of the U.S. Bureau of Mines and safer
mining conditions in mines across the country.
The Cross Mountain Mine Disaster of December 9, 1911 was one of the first successful rescue operations led by the U.S. Bureau of Mines, even though only
five of the eighty-nine men and boys trapped in the mine were rescued by
engineers and apparatus crews and eighty-four perished, this was a success at
the time.
The Plans
The proposed size of the museum is between 25,000 and 40,000 square feet, and is dependent on fundraising. The museum will serve the community as a whole and will be used as a cultural center, hosting traveling
exhibits, dances, a market space, and educational events.
The layout of the museum will provide visitors with a valuable experience, including:
Labor and Coal Mining education--An 1890s era coal mining experience
A visit into the town of Coal Creek, Tennessee in the late 1800s
The Coal Creek War and labor disputes and the convict lease system
The Fraterville and Cross Mountain Mine Disasters -- Experience the disasters
The Science of coal mining today -- This hands-on and interactive, more like a discovery museum. The focus will be on science and how coal is obtained and how it is used today. Many people may not know that over
half of the country's energy still comes from coal.
Of the top 50 spots for tourism in Tennessee, 22 of them are in East Tennessee. The museum would most likely attract an average of 180,000 visitors a year
To celebrate this mining history and preserve it for educating future generations, Mayor Buck Wilson of Lake City (formerly the town of Coal Creek),
Tennessee is working with many others to build the Coal Miners' Museum of Coal
Creek and connect it to the many historic sites found
throughout the watershed.
Fund raising is underway for the project, which is expected to cost between $12 to 20 million, depending on the finished design. A completion date for the museum has not yet bee announced. Tax-deductible donations may be sent to:
Mayor Buck Wilson
P.O. Box 66
Lake City, TN 37769USA
To read more about the Welsh settlers of Coal Creek, the history of coal mining in the area, or to learn more about the Museum and to see artist renderings, go to http://www.coalcreekaml.com/ .
Does anyone else do this?
The Cambrian Heritage Society of Madison, Wisconsin, brought Welsh traditions and culture to the public attention in March and April 2009. In honor of St. David, I arranged to put a display of Welsh items up in my localpublic library. Besides me, Cambrian Heritage Society Board members David and Ellen Lloyd of Friesland and Danny Proud of Madison, also contributed items to the display.
Some of the items displayed, along with brief written explanations, were Welsh books and videos, lovespoons, rugby accessories, slateitems, Welsh beer, water and whiskey bottles, Welsh tea, honey, jewelry featuring leeks and daffodils, acollection of Red Dragons, and toy sheep and bears and a Mini-Cooper, all with theWelsh flag on them. One of the more unusual items was a pigmented beeswax paintingDavid and Ellen and brought back from Wales.
The oak and glass case sits prominently in the front reading area of the library, and with a Draig Goch windsock flying gaily from the ceiling above it, garnered a lot ofattention and interest from the library patrons.
The Society is considering making this an annual event and moving the display to different library branches each year.
Previously printed in Ninnau
Llandysul is a market town in the Welsh county of Ceredigion (Cardiganshire), West Wales, and the hometown of writer/singer Dr. Fflur Dafydd, who delighted her various audiences at the Chicago NAFOW with spontaneous shouts of, West is best! as she entertained and educated with her singing and lectures.
A professor at the University of Wales, Swansea, Dr. Dafydd presented seminars on two topics, based on books she has written. Twenty Thousand Saints, began as a translation of her award-winning book, Atynaid, but, as she explained, soon took on its own storyline when the English did not seem to convey the same tone. Atynaid, is a semi-autobiographical account of her 2002 stay as a writer-in-residence on Bardsey Island, off the west coast of North Wales. While, Twenty Thousand Saints is set on Bardsey Island, and one of the characters is a poet-in-residence, Dr. Dafydd assured us that the book is no longer autobiographical and she switched things up a bit, even adding a main character.
As the story opens, we learn that the island is woefully short on men and the all-female film crew that is making a documentary on the island, is eagerly awaiting the imminent arrival of the boat which is promising to drop off a male writer. In the meantime, the women have found diversion working with Deian, an archeologist who enlists their aid under false pretenses. The island is also home to Viv, a former nun-turned-hermit, who has the disagreeable task of hosting the annual hermit convention on her island. Yes, Dr. Dafydd writes with a lot of humor, but youll have to pick up the book to see what unfolds when the boat delivers a female poet-in-residence.
After giving her audience a taste of the storyline, Dr. Dafydd answered questions about living on the island. Although there are only about six full-time residents, the island can swell with tourists when the weather is good. It is a favorite locale for creative types to get away and seek inspiration or find peace and quiet to work on their projects. The islands inhabitants are at the mercy of the sea, though, and can be cut off from the mainland for days at a time, if the boat cant make the crossing.
Welsh Icons
What makes an icon? In an effort to go inside Welsh icons and separate out the hype and stereotype, Gomer Press has published several small books by various authors who know Wales inside and out. Welsh Icons, by Dr. Fflur Dafydd, is one of the series, and in her lecture she provided behind-the-scenes glimpses into several well-known icons and how they became icons and how the Welsh people are changing the meanings.
In an effort to debunk stereotypes, Gomer gave her a list of items generally associated with Wales, from harps to sheep for her consideration. Sadly, the piece on sheep was left out of the book, even though Dr. Dafydd says it was one of her favorites.
Cardiff
During her lecture, she was able to discuss only some of the topics, beginning with Cardiff, the Welsh capital. A modern city, Cardiff retains its historic climate with the castle and older architecture. The radical transformation of the citys decaying docks in the 1980s, into Cardiff Bay with the Senedd Building and the Millennium Centre, projects a modern European image. These transparent buildings, lighted from within at night, reflect on the water, and seem to say, Were more a part of Europe now, not a rural backwoods. The Millennium Centre, completed in 2004 is striving to reach iconic status worldwide, as a center for performing arts, while showcasing the bilingual reality of Wales. Nothing is easy, though, and there are some who dont think enough Welsh events are being held at the Centre.
A recent linguistic shift, due to migrants from rural areas moving into the city, has produced 20,000 Welsh speakers in Cardiff. Due to this influx and widespread Welsh-language education, more Welsh events are being held in Cardiff, and musicians have access to more venues. Even the daily Western Mail has more Welsh content. Television station S4C features a popular drama, Caerdydd, in its fifth series now, which draws on current events in Cardiff, and because it is subtitled, has fans among both Welsh- and English-speaking city-dwellers
Eisteddfod
The Welsh seem to have a push-pull relationship with many iconsunwilling to remain stagnant, there is nevertheless, volatile discussion over seemingly minor changes. But changes are generally embraced eventually . Even the National Eisteddfod, which was held in Cardiff for the first time in 30 years this summer, is not immune to controversy. When the traditional green and gold pavilion gave way a couple of years ago to a big pink tent, rumblings were heard far and wide; when alcohol was first allowed on the field, many thought it would be the end of the world as they knew it. What has actually happened is acceptance--festival goers can now have a genteel brew while discussing the winning and losing entries, and the pink tent is well on its way to becoming a genuine icon in its own right.
The Gorsedd of the Beirdd, often viewed as odd assortment of druids in sheets by those outside of Wales, are certainly iconic representations of cultural identity. Dr. Dafydd recounted her own experience donning the bardic robes for the first time. As a young woman, she was definitely in the minority, but even that aspect of the pomp is changing and that fact alone bodes well for the continuation of the Eisteddfod tradition.
The Welsh take their Eisteddfod seriously. While attendance on the maes is sometimes called a week away from real life, debating the merits of the winning entry will continue throughout Wales, until the rumors of the next years winner begin to surface.
Language
The Welsh language is fast becoming an urban language and is continuously evolving. English-speaking parents are sending their children to Welsh medium schools, so they can get aheada 360-degree turnaround from earlier days when Welsh was seen as the language of the lower classes and a stumbling block to success.
Dr. Dafydds parents and many of their friends were active in the Welsh Language Society while she was growing up.
Protests over English-only signage and other slights often resulted in arrests. Now that Wales is becoming more and more bilingual, the targets of protest are not as obvious as taking down a sign or painting over something. Dr. Dafydd reported protests are more subtle but still on-going. While much progress has been made, they are not yet where they want to be.
Music
Wales, of course, is known as the Land of Song, with the harp as its national instrument. From earliest Celtic harps, musicians moved to the triple harp and double-action harp, continuing to produce traditional sounds. Today, there has been a shift in harp music. Artists, such as Catrin Finch, have introduced the electric harp, producing a street-wise, avant garde sound, bringing the harp to the urban youth scene. Rebelling against stereotype, but keeping the iconic instrument, harpists are experimenting with pop, rock, hip-hop, jazz, rap and punk.
However, most current singers grew up with the Welsh chapel experience--another icon--and learned to sing there and this still comes through in their music. The hymns of the Welsh religious revival are brought alive for the 21st century by vocalist Lleuwen Steffan, with Huw Warren and Mark Lockheart on piano and saxophone, on their CD, Duw A Wyr (God Only Knows). The familiar Methodist hymns are updated, but still treated with reference.
In a country where more people are still mono-lingual English- speakers, artists continue to sacrifice for the Welsh language.
Folk singer Meic Stevens turned down lucrative offers which would have had him singing only in English and playwright Saunders Lewis, also chose Welsh over English. Others, like protest singer Dafydd Iwan, drove their message home in their native tongue.
Dragon
The Welsh dragon signifies the solidarity of the nation. Wales is the only country with same flag in 2001 as in 1001. Welsh businesses daring to fly a Union Jack in place of the Welsh flag are likely to discover their banner missing. Today, the Red Dragon is a highly recognizable branding image. The draig goch motif can be seen everywhere. Its on clothing, jewelry and even beer bottles.
With Welsh Icons, Gomer Press has succeeded in its attempt to peer out and let the reader peer in. With short, 2-to 4-page chapters on each topic, the reader is provided with an easy-to-read, generously-illustrated romp through modern Wales. Other icons discussed include actors and actresses; coal mines; rugby; Llanfair PG; mountains; and St. David. Personally, Id still like to read what Dr. Dafydd had to say about sheep.
Oh, yeah, West is best!
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Mike Jenkins lives in Merthyr and is a full-time writer and Creative Writing tutor, having spent over 30 years teaching in secondary education. The author of seven previous poetry collections for Seren , he has also published novels and short stories. He has won the John Tripp Award for Spoken Poetry and Wales Book of the Year, and is former editor of Poetry Wales and founder and co-editor of Red Poets magazine. As well as a blog, he writes regularly for Cardiff City fanzine Watch the Bluebirds Fly and reviews music for the political magazine Celyn. AmeriCymru spoke to Mike about his poetry and his views on some contemporary political issues.
Mike: I started writing these poems about 10 years ago, before my last book Walking On Waste came out from Carreg Gwalch. The latter consisted of sonnets, haiku, dialect poems and a few others.Moor Music is written entirely in open field, a departure for me. Although this is a new form in recent times, I originally experimented with this at university in Aberystwyth, where I studied American Literature in my first year and was inspired particularly by Charles Olson. I was even pretentious and arrogant enough to answer an exam question on Shakespeare in this form!
I didn't suddenly decide to choose this form. It may have come out of the glaucoma I was diagnosed as having and a desire to spread words as widely as possible. It may have come from sheer creative restlessness (a desire to escape the title of Mr. Oblong, as Welsh poet Peter Finch once dubbed me), as I relished its freedom. It may have derived from the actual fields of the moorland at back of my house, an area of industrial land and pasture long reclaimed by Nature, which we call The Waun locally.
At any rate, there are significant differences between my approach and Olsons, with his many found interjections and grand abstractions. I focus more on music and imagery. Hopefully, there a sense in which these reflect musical compositions.
They represent the confluence ( the aber) between the moors and music. At the time when I began these I was immersed in music : my son was an accomplished cellist, my older daughter played in a fine Welsh language band called Gilespi and I was greatly influenced by many tributaries of sound, from the jazz of the Esbjorn Svensson Trio to the fado singing of the Portuguese Mariza.
While music is a current running throughout the book, it never drowns it. There are poems about Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, Albert Einstein and the last miners strike, so it is not a concept book as such.
I love to read from it: the spaced out nature of the language does suit my awkward eye-sight!
Mike Jenkins reads 'Einstein at the Comp' from his new poetry collection "Moor Music"
AmeriCymru: You have also recently completed a novella entitled 'The Climbing Tree'. What is the theme of this work and where can our readers obtain copies?
Mike: The Climbing Tree is a short novella set in the near future. I originally began it by claiming it was in the Present Future Tense , but the publisher (Pont) werent impressed by this grandiose invention and I rightly cut out that over-complicated phrase!
I first wrote it as a stage play called Waste, which was never put on. Its written in the Present Tense from the viewpoint of a teenage girl called Low, who belongs to a gang called the Commos. Most of their lives are spent up an oak tree (the climbing tree of the title).
This near future is one of terrible floods and many refugees, but Low strives to keep the Commos together against all the odds. She also wants to retain the spirit of the fourth member of the gang , Oz, who mysteriously disappeared a few years before. She often talks to the absent spirit of Oz, her confessor.
I have always been a big fan of Steinbeck (master of the novella) and hope theres something of his overriding concern for humanity in this book. Low becomes embroiled with the opposing gang, the Astros, but there is some hope at the end, which didnt exist in the plays bleak finale.
It is available from the publisher www.gomer.co.uk or the Welsh Books Council at www.gwales.com
AmeriCymru: When did you decide to write and what determined your choice of poetry as your favored medium?
Mike: I began writing when I was about 15 and poetry was, for many years, my most important means of expression (think I wrote more poems than I had conversations!).
My parents were divorced, which was an unusual occurrence in the 1960s and I lived with my mother, who was very enthusiastic about my poetry-writing. She gave me a book called New Poetry, which included the American poets Berryman and Lowell and I related to these much more than the English ones. Then I came across Ted Hughes and Thom Gunn and their work had a lasting effect.
I wrote for the school magazine and won a poetry competition at school on The First Man on the Moon. I still recall the poem, which was very cynical for a teenager, with the phrase and trees still stood being prominent.
Now I write prose almost every day, as Im working on another novel for teenagers. Hopefully, this will also be taken by Pont Books, but I have no promise of publication at the end, so it is precarious.
However, poetry was my first love and will, no doubt, be my last. Lines and images come to me, often when least expected and I relish those epiphanies, which are much more rare when writing fiction.
AmeriCymru: You have worked as a teacher in both Merthyr and Cardiff for more than 20 years. How has your experience in the classroom informed your writing?
Mike: I have taught for over 30 years. I began in N.Ireland, then at a Gymnasium (Grammar School) in W. Germany, after that for 20 years in Merthyr Tydfil and 10 in Cardiff.
My experiences have played an integral part in my writing, both fiction and poetry. Wanting to Belong, which won the Wales Book of the Year in 98, would not have been possible without my background as an English teacher. It comprised ten interlinked stories from teenagers viewpoints and the school scenes owed much to my experience, as did the characters.
My poems and stories in Merthyr dialect were especially influenced by my time in the classroom. I have written two books entirely in this vernacular, Graffiti Narratives and Could Bin Summin (both published by Planet). Some of the poems take the voices of pupils I taught, while others are invented characters based on them. Single phrases would spark poems, such as Ol Shakey does my ead in (or, Shakespeare drives me mad).
The chalk-face has sometimes been very tough, but also a place where the most unlikely pupils can create works of wonder.
AmeriCymru: Much of your writing, particularly the poetry, is passionately political. What role do you feel poetry should play in the political process? How difficult is it to convey a sense of political commitment in verse?
Mike: Poetry and politics have always had a very close relationship for me, though never party politics, as Ive never been a party member for any length of time (2 years in Plaid Cymru and they didnt do much).
The very first poems I had published, engaged with issues I felt very strongly about. There was one in Planet (when John Tripp was poetry editor) about the conflict between boss and worker and based on my time working in garages in Barry. The other was in the Irish Press, a national newspaper in Ireland which, every Saturday, published poetry and stories (David Marcus was the literary editor) : it was called Rat City , dealt with the war in N.Ireland and was inspired by the First World War poet Isaac Rosenberg.
I do believe poetry can change peoples perceptions, often quite radically, just as songs can. However, it isnt going to reach the kind of audience which a lot of music can. While few songwriters have actually responded to our present situation of appalling cuts and deep recession, many poets have sought to show the human cost of greedy banks deregulated by New Labour under Blair and Brown.
Poetry should protest, harangue, satirize and empathize, but must never become propaganda or a simplistic denial of the other side. For example, I have written poems from viewpoints totally opposite to my own: one from the persona of a fascist, based on a pupil I once taught. I am a great admirer of the songs of Randy Newman, who is a master of this.
Though poetry can make a difference, I do wish it had more of an influence. In Wales, in gets short shrift on the media, except on the Welsh language channel S4C. I think its too controversial for Radio and BBC Wales!
AmeriCymru: Many of our readers will have been intrigiued/shocked by the recent 'student riots' in the UK. As a teacher and a politically committed poet, what is your take on this phenomenon? How will these developments affect your future work?
Mike: Student riots is in itself a pejorative phrase taken from the media. Much of the violence was actually caused by the police, especially with their use of kettling, a totally inhumane treatment. However, there is no denying the sheer strength of feeling has driven people to acts of violence, as well as the police brutality.
What has happened already is only the beginning and once the Trade Unions get their act together, the protests will be even larger and, possibly, more explosive. Once the cuts start to affect the majority of people, combined with inflation and unemployment, many will take to the streets and I expect the police response to be draconian.
I am heartened by the fact that university tuition fees were not raised by the Welsh government in Cardiff: yet more proof that devolution does work. We have a very different government here to the right-wing one in Westminster. This was evident under New Labour, but has been accentuated under the ConDem coalition.
Its hard to say how it will affect my future work. I write a blog every week on my website www.mikejenkins.net and it will become more topical and angry for sure. It seemed that most of the media were more concerned with the attacks on Charles and Camillas car than the future plight of higher education, where universities will go bankrupt and close for lack of funds.
AmeriCymru: Your poems reflect a concern with both 'social' and 'national' issues in Welsh politics. How do these two strands of 'radicalism' affect your work? is there, at times, a contradiction between them?
Mike: If I do deal with social and national issues , then it is primarily through the local ; the people and events and landscapes of the town where Ive lived for over 30 years, Merthyr Tydfil.
Merthyr has a proud history of rebellion (the Rising of 1831), of producing great peoples remembrancers like Prof. Gwyn A. Williams and also of its enthusiastic involvement with the Welsh language and fight for self-determination. Our M.P. for many years was S.O. Davies, who was a champion of self-government when few others were espousing it.
I believe that full self-government cannot be achieved without a combination of socialism and anarchism. S.Ireland has been proof of this: a country ruled by successive neo-liberal regimes and dependent on outside investment and regressive taxation. Without the control of our resources and industries how can we have any claims to independence? For far too long we have been a cheap labour economy, prone to the vagaries of the global market and abandoned by multi-national companies.
I am not a radical, that term was applied to Thatcher. I am a revolutionary. I believe in non-violent revolutionary change into a society shaped by sharing and sustainability, where people come before profit every time.
My ideals necessarily inform my work, but people are always at the centre, with all their contradictions.
AmeriCymru: Care to tell us a little about your work with the 'Red Poets"?.
Mike: The Red Poets have been going for 16 years. We can be found on the website www. RedPoets.org , where youll get a sense of our performances and also our history. We produce an annual magazine of leftist poetry and a few articles and translations. We have featured a few poets from the States such as David Lloyd, who is a Professor of Creative Writing in Syracuse and whose family came to the USA from Wales.
Red Poets used to be a collective based as much on performance as publication, but there are fewer gigs nowadays. We publish work by Welsh Nats, Trots, Commies, anarchists and even left Labourites. We are genuinely inclusive and also very open to humorous verse.
We were born out of Cymru Goch (the Welsh Socialists) and, in fact, a number of the original members of that political group remain regular contributors, such as myself, Tim Richards and Alun Rees.
I believe we are unique and the result of an amazingly high number of committed left-wing writers in Wales. We are very much in the tradition of John Tripp, Harri Webb and , of course, Idris Davies. There is no other group anywhere else that Im aware of, not even in Scotland.
AmeriCymru: What's next for Mike Jenkins?
Mike: Next up will be my collaboration with the excellent Merthyr painter Gus Payne (check out his website under Michael Gustavius Payne).
During 2011 and 2012, Gus will be exhibiting his work at various galleries throughout Wales, together with phrases and lines from my texts and an accompanying booklet of my prose-poems and micro-fiction. The artwork and texts are all based on Welsh idioms, phrases and occasional place-names and the overall title will be Dim Gobaith Caneri, an idiom meaning no hope, like a canary.
Our collaboration has been interesting because I didnt write in response to his images , nor did he seek to illustrate my words. What we did was to consider the same idioms, often coming up with different interpretations.
However, Gus and I do share many things. Politically, we have similar ideals; we are both learning Welsh and are both inspired, directly or indirectly, by the people, town and surroundings of Merthyr.
I am very excited about this and hope that my texts are a match for his startling and evocative paintings.
AmeriCymru: Any further message for the readers and members of AmeriCymru?
Mike: I would like to say thanks for the messages of support for my long poem Journey Of The Taf which appeared on the ameriCymru website. Its a great encouragement to know that people so far away are taking so much interest.
As the Super Furry Animals have inferred, we are making rings around the world.
Now's the time of year for the new year's resolutions. I don't usually really bother but this year I'm doing it and I thought there might be strength in numbers, or at least embarrassment if I'm too wimpy to make them happen. so here are (some of) mine and I invite anyone to add theirs!
1. Get in good physical shape! I used to run and do yoga and blah, blah, blah but since the computer became my life, I spend most of my time standing or sitting at it (I have a standing workspace) so it's back to the gym and probably the bike for me, and for Ceri and the kids because misery loves company... oops! I mean, because I love them....
2. Get organized! I'm a stereotypical messy artist, our house is full of things that I won't throw away because I might be able to make sculpture of out them or projects I'm in the middle of. This year I vow to turn that around, to get on a schedule, to prioritize the things I need to do so I can wear all my hats and get more things done.
3. Be a better parent. If I put in a schedule as part of getting organized, that can include family time and time to help my kids with their homework instead of just working all the time and parenting by yelling at them to pick up their stuff.
Okay, there's three from me! Anyone else?
Here are the latest scores and rankings:-
1. Sexbomb 30 points
2. Lorin Morgan-Richards 15 points
3. Mona 14 points
4. Rhianne 13 points
5. SwanseaJack 4 points
It will take a big effort to unseat the reigning champ this month. BUT for most of those in the top five a single post that hits the number one spot might do it. SO if you have time on your hands between now and Dec 31st the game is still afoot.
The 'Sheep of Excellence' are growing restless in their pen and this months winner will also receive a copy of 'A Court In Splendour' by Liz Whittaker. Read our interview with Liz here:- 'An Interview With Liz Whittaker - Author of 'A Court In Splendour'
Pob Lwc and Blwyddyn Newydd Ddaa/Happy New Year.
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