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Welsh singer Karen Ann grew up in the South Wales valleys and started performing in eisteddfodau (traditional music competitions) at school. She left Wales at eighteen and fell in love with Latin America after going AWOL in Mexico at 21. Shes played in jazz duos in Costa Rica and rock bands in Argentina and sung tango in English in the USA. Finally putting down roots in one of South Americas smallest countries she felt the tug of her own and returned to singing Welsh and Celtic traditional music, forming a duo with the guitarist Jorge Galemire in 2005 which evolved into Trelew in 2007.

Q1 What part of Wales are you from?
The South Wales Valleys a small village called Maes-y-cwmmer in the Rhymney Valley. My parents still live there. I was born in Newport, Gwent.
Q2 When did you emigrate to Uruguay and why?
I'd been fascinated with South America, particularly Argentina, since I was a child. I can still recall a primary school geography lesson about the gauchos. I ended up marrying an Argentinian and we lived in Costa Rica, Liverpool, Buenos Aires and Washington before moving here in 2000. Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay where we live, is across the River Plate from Buenos Aires. It's a small city, quaint, right on the water and it has a great quality of life. I'm a Valleys girl and Buenos Aires is just too huge for me.

Q3 You are the founder of a Welsh band called "Trelew' in Uruguay, how did this come about?
We chose the name Trelew because of its Welsh and South American roots. It's the name of a town in Patagonia, founded by Welsh immigrants in the 1880s. We're not exactly a Welsh band - though we definitely draws on Welsh traditional songs and our own lyrics have Welsh themes like the Welsh emigration to Patagonia. We wrote the songs after reading the diaries of some of the early colonists incredible epic stuff. Another of our songs is about my grandmother's life growing up on charity in Aberdare after her father suffered an accident down the pit. So Welsh issues are important to our music but we're based in South America and all of the musicians except me come from Latin musical traditions.
Q4 How would you describe your music?
Traditional British folk meets Buenos Aires melancholy meets Pampas zamba (a type of South American folk rhythm). People have told me our new album could be used a film soundtrack, it evokes sweeping South American landscapes, journeys across the sea. Galemire, the guitarist is amazing. He has created these walls of acoustic guitars that are just incredible. Then there's the bandoneon which is such a haunting instrument completely associated with tango - though South Americans who know the bandoneon will find that it sounds completely original in this album. There's definitely something about the old country and something definitely South American about it, and the fusion has its own life.
Q5 Do you have any plans to tour in the America's or elsewhere overseas?
We'd really love to play the States it's amazing how many festivals there are going on... Right now we're putting together a tour of South Brazil. And of course, we really want to play in Trelew, Patagonia we're working on that one
Q6 What do you miss most about Wales?
Bacon butties and my nan.

Q7 Do you think you will ever move back to Wales?
It's not really on the cards right now. Though I go back there all the time -all my family are there.

Q8 - What are your dreams and ambitions for the future?
We'd like to complete our Welsh-Patagonian trilogy which still has only two songs!

Q9 What do you think is the best way for Wales to go about raising its profile overseas?
Publicise the countryside, the people are so friendly and the fact that it is a lot cheaper than London so worth going and spending at least a week. People who know who have been from this part of the world -IF they go at all- go for a day on the train to Cardiff. It's just not enough. My mum works in Caerphilly Tourist Information Centre next to the castle so if anyone reads this and goes there, drop in and say hello
Q10 - Do you have any messages for our AmeriCymru readers?
We'd love to get greetings from the North of the continent. You can find us on Facebook and MySpace.

Trelew's first album named Trelew was released in September. It's available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/Trelew and shortly on Amazon, Itunes and all other good internet stockists.

Interview by Dave Parry

FFLUR DAFYDD WRITER IN RESIDENCE AT INTERNATIONAL WRITING PROGRAM, IOWA UNIVERSITY
Fflur is currently writer in residence at Iowa University, where she will be researching her next English language novel, The Library, between September 3rd and October 12th, 2009. She is supported by the British Council and will also be taking part in a number of events see below:
Schedule of Events for Fflur Dafydd
(as of 8/20/2009:)
Public Events in Iowa
9/9: Reading at Prairie Lights Books, 7:00 PM
15 South Dubuque Street, Iowa City, IA USA
1-800-295-BOOK; http://www.prairielights.com/
9/25: Panel Presentation at the Iowa City Public Library, 12:00 PM
Meeting Room A, 123 South Linn Street, Iowa City, IA USA
(319) 356-5200; http://www.icpl.org/
Panel Topic: Translation/Writing Between Languages
Description: In what ways has translating, or writing across more than one language, been important to your literary thinking and/or to your creative process?
Other panelists: Vicente Groyon (Philippines), Soheil Najm (Iraq), Lijia Zhang (China)
NB: other events are forthcoming and may include one or more musical performances by Fflur at one of several venues in downtown Iowa City.

Academic Presentations/Classroom Visits in Iowa
(NB: Classroom visits are NOT open to the public)
9/21 International Literature Today. Fflur Dafydd will speak for 15-20 minutes to students enrolled in this undergraduate literature course.

Special Seminar in Creative Writing
Fflur Dafydd will teach a special creative writing seminar to undergraduates at the University of Iowa. This four-week course will meet from 2:30-4:30 PM on 9/11, 9/18, 9/25, and 10/2. Students will gather in a seminar room at the Writers House at 111 Church Street, a unique campus space dedicated to fostering writing, artistic collaboration, and literary performance at the University of Iowa.

Activities in Portland, Oregon, 10/3-10/9
(Includes public events and classroom visits)
Fflur Dafydd will join four other IWP writers in Portland, Oregon for several days of readings, talks, and other professional programming. Barry Sanders (west-coast-based author, Senior Fulbright Scholar, two-time Pulitzer Prize nominee, and English professor) is hosting this series of literary events, in collaboration with colleagues at the Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland State University, Oregon Council for the Humanities, and other local partners. This will be the first IWP delegation to take part in such a dynamic slate of activities in the city.
The precise programme in Portland is still TBD, but will include some or all of the following activities:
An opening reception at Pacific Northwest College of Art, a fine arts college located in the city of Portland. http://www.pnca.edu/ .
Visits to classes at PNCA and the opportunity to participate in a group reading in the Commons, a large open art-space in the heart of campus: http://www.pnca.edu/studentlife/facilities/commons.php
An informal roundtable discussion at Portland State University, sponsored by the creative writing department and the English department on the topic of politics and writing.
Trips to see the countryside of the Pacific Northwest--the Gorge, the falls, the many rivers, etc.

Read more HERE

Really Welsh Coffee!! The Secrets Out

"So how is coffee thats sourced in Africa & South America, by third generation Italians, actually Welsh we hear you ask. Well, as we said, the beans are first chosen individually for their resemblance to rugby balls(slight exaggeration but bear with us) by highly trained bean spotters, who we feed only on leeks and laver bread.

Coffee beans from Pure Estates are selected and they make their transatlantic journey in welsh wool sacks, while we play Max Boyce records over and over into the cargo hold.

By the time we get them, they can virtually sing Cwm Rhondda Once on Welsh soil, our beans bach undergo a further selection, (not everyone makes the squad on a tour) then we roast them here, grind them up to release all that lovely flavour and blend the results carefully to achieve a balanced taste and bouquet."

Read more HERE

"The volcano is right over there.....honest!"

Cadwyn ywr isdeitl ar Hanes a chadwyn ydy hi, gydar dolenni (cysylltiau) rhwng y geiriau, yn dibynnu ar ba eiriau yr ydych chin dewis eu clymu'i gilydd, yn newid yr ystyr(on). Yr oeddwn yn awgrymu cyfieithiadau am y rhestr, ond maen lan i chi wneud y gwahanol gadwyni!

A Chain is the subtitle of this poem and thats what it is. With the links (connections) between the words, depending on which words you choose to tie together, changing the meaning(s). I have suggested translations for the list but its up to you to make the different chains!

Hanes (gan Elizabeth Barrette ) a chain poem
had (seed)hoedl (life)haf (summer)hamdden (recreation)hedd (peace)haddef (home (to confess?))her (challenge)helbul (turmoil)hin (weather)hyder (confidence)haul (sun)hyfrydwch (delight)hil (race/lineage)hydref (Autumn/Fall/October)hewl (road/way)hiraeth (longing/homesickness)henc (limp)hebryngydd (conductor/conveyor)heth (severe cold weather)hanesydd (historian)