Owain Glyndwr Develops Unassailable Lead in Americymru Hardest Welshman Poll
By Ceri Shaw, 2008-12-31
Book of the Day 10/21/13 The Welsh Language: A Pocket Guide (University of Wales - Pocket Guide)
By Ceri Shaw, 2013-10-21
Book of the Day 10/21/13 The Welsh Language: A Pocket Guide (University of Wales - Pocket Guide) The Welsh Language Act 1993 is 21 today!! This book offers a brief history of the Welsh language from the earliest times to the present.
http://welsh-american-bookstore.com/index.php/BookLibrary/Welsh-Welsh-American-History/Welsh-History/The-Welsh-Language-A-Pocket-Guide-University-of-Wales-Pocket-Guide.html
.
Follow the whole nine yards here (a 95 part series) :- Half Marathon Blog
Why I am running:- West Coast Eisteddfod Bryn Seion Church
For details of how to sponsor see this post
.
I noticed that I have written a good deal on the subject of quitting smoking and a number of people have offered advice on the subject. I also recall blogging on the subject of knowing the course in advance and launching a Kickstarter appeal for the sponsorship drive.
SO..here is the plan. Over the next two days ( both of which are free days for me ) I will:-
1) Embrace the frozen fowl i.e completely quit smoking by sheer application of will power ( my ant like prowess in this department may be somewhat of an impediment ). I will call upon Gaabriel to bear witness on Tuesday night that I have indeed been nicotine free for 48 hours
2) Tomorrow I will set up an Indiegogo or Kickstarter appeal for $1500 which is the total amount that we will be looking to raise in half marathon sponsorship. This is not the total amount that we need for the event BUT other funding will come form other sources, particularly the spoon appeal.
3) On Tuesday I will tour Sauvie Island and we will present a full pictorial record of the trip on this blog. That way both you, dear reader, and I, will 'know the course'
Gaabriel wrote a brief description of the island for this post:-
Sauvie Island, a mass of land larger than the island of Manhattan, is a bit north of the city of Portland, bounded on one side by the Columbia River, which separates Oregon and Washington state, on another by the Willamette River, which runs through the city of Portland, separating it east and west, and empties into the Columbia to join its rush to the sea a few hours west. It's an idyllic site, about half farms and half wildlife refuge, with public beaches, including one clothing optional.
The island is very popular with picnickers, hikers, birdwatchers and bicyclists and hosts fall pumpkin picking and the annual Halloween pumpkin trebuchet, in which one or more farms erect a trebuchet which shoots the largest pumpkins they can find at an abandoned car.
.
She has assured me that all this is "lots of fun" and threatened to take me birdwatching and kayaking there on the river.
.
Description | The Columbia River and w:Sauvie Island from Skyline Boulevard in unincorporated Multnomah County, Orergon. Looking north. |
Date | 20 March 2011 |
Source | Own work |
Author | M.O. Stevens |
Gyl SWIGEN Festival is pleased to announce the line up of bands & artists very generously donating their time & support to perform at our all day charity music event in aid of Shelter Cymru & Oxjam Cardiff taking place on Saturday 22nd October 2011.
Hosted in the beautiful Grade II listed Ebenezer Chapel , Gyl SWIGEN Festival (Bubble Festival, in Welsh) will showcase 20+ Welsh or Wales-based artists/bands (as well as a few from farther afield) performing on 2 stages throughout the day & night. The acoustic stage will feature solo & acoustic artists, as well as open mic slots (with a small donation) for any local musicians who'd like to perform on the day.
Expect, then, a delightfully eclectic array of laptop pop, folktronica, chillwave, burnt-out indie pop, contemporary folk, show tunes, Broadway-style indie-folk, psychedelic folk rock, avant garde noiseniks & melodic doom rock. Not to mention the arts & craft stalls, cake stalls, book stalls + hot/cold food & beverages served all day.
CLICK HERE TO SEE PDF FOR FULL LINE UP & MORE DETAILS
Gyl SWIGEN Festival, Saturday October 22nd 2011, Ebenezer Chapel, Charles Street, Cardiff.
Doors = Midday 11pm. Main Stage 1pm 11pm (last band). Acoustic Stage = 2pm 9pm (last band). Admission = 6 (waged), 5 (unwaged / advance / discount).
We reproduce below the adjudications for the 2013 West Coast Eisteddfod Online Poetry Competition ( Peter Thabit Jones ) and Short Story Competition ( Lloyd Jones ). We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our contestants for the many excellent submissions we received this year. Watch this space for exciting announcements about the 2014 competitions!!
To our winners ...congratulations/Llongyfarchiadau!!!
West Coast Eisteddfod 2013 Online Poetry Competition Adjudication
Peter Thabit Jones
I enjoyed reading all the submissions and I would like to thank those who submitted to the 2013 americymru poetry competition. I read and re-read all the poems and I ended up with work by: Jolen Whitworth, Zane Gregory Newitt, Anna Voelker, Leah Angstman, Darrell Lindsay, Paul Steffan Jones, and Dawn Schout.
The 2013 americymru poetry competition winner is Simply Beginning by Anna Voelker. I found all of Annas poems offered a fresh and most interesting poetic voice. Simply Beginning kept calling me back to its directness, its unsentimental but effective way of gaining and sustaining ones attention. I thought of Robert Frosts careful casualness and I particularly liked its disarming conciseness.
West Coast Eisteddfod 2013 Online Short Story Competition Adjudication
Lloyd Jones
Many thanks to those of you who entered this year's competition. The standard was generally high and I enjoyed reading your stories. So here's my verdict:
The Mustache Tree by NRoseJ is a charming children's story, and if the illustrations had also been done by the author this entry would have been a strong contender. I like the idea of the Storybird website which "curates artwork from illustrators and animators around the world and inspires writers of any age to turn those images into fresh stories."
I know it shouldn't make any difference, but the professional-looking artwork does skew the scenario so I'm afraid that NRoseJ will have to go without a prize.
Some of you have written stories from the viewpoint of an animal or a plant. This is notoriously difficult to carry off, and way out of favour in the modern world. Sorry, but I'm not a fan; this sort of fiction has to be short, sharp, and either very funny or deeply ironic. It's a matter of fashion, and this time I'm with the majority: anthropomorphism, also known as furry fandom, may be fine on TV but it's a no-no in modern literature.
Literary choice is so subjective and biased, so I'll be brief. My shortlist included (in no particular order):
Leaky Waters a strong story muddied by a curious ending, which I found too hectic and improbable.
Chiaroscuro a well-written mood piece.
An Extremely Stormy Night vigorous and lively, but let down by some untidy writing.
Ministry of Loss Kafkaesque and nicely pitched, but rather formulaic.
For me, the end choice was between Chiaroscuro and Ministry of Loss. The first is rounded and complete, while the latter feels like the beginning of a book rather than a complete short story. On that basis I award Gaynor Madoc Leonard the main prize for Chiaroscuro , while urging Paul Steffan Jones to develop his story in an original way, since he includes some nice touches.
If you have any negative feelings towards me after reading this adjudication feel free to take it out on Ceri, who's younger and fitter than I am (and definitely up for it). If you really do insist on sorting it out with me personally my address is The Ruin, Bardsey Island, Wales.
As we still say in Abergwyngregyn ta-ra for now, del.
We are pleased to announce today that the winner of the West Coast Eisteddfod Poetry Competition for this year ( 2011 ) is Nancy E. Wright. You can read the poem here:- Remembering Fengdu . Our judge Peter Thabit Jones ' adjudication can be found below, Llongyfarchiadau/Congratulations to Nancy E. Wright and many thanks to all our contestants for your excellent submissions. Details of the 2012 online poetry competition can be found further down the page .
Adjudication by Peter Thabit Jones
WINNER: Remembering Fengdu by Nancy E. Wright
RUNNER-UP: An Anatomy by Maude Larke
HIGHLY COMMENDED:
Mumbles by Dianne E. Selden
Hidden by Cynthia Baculi-Condez
Mayflies In A Jar by Meilani Rita
Blood Lust by Gillian Morgan
Eric by Peter Lewis
Adjudicator: Peter Thabit Jones
2012 West Coast Eisteddfod Online Poetry Competition
WCE Online Poetry Competition - Hall of Fame Welcome/Croeso Page
We are pleased to announce that the winner of the West Coast Eisteddfod Poetry Competition ( English language category ) will be featured in the prestigious international poetry magazine - The Seventh Quarry Peter Thabit Jones, the editor of the magazine which is based in Swansea, will feature the winning submission together with an appreciation and a picture of the author. The winner will also receive a free annual subscription to the magazine for one year plus the cash prize of $150 ( 100 GBP approx ).
You may submit your entries in Welsh or English. The language categories will be judged separately and there will be a prize for each. Accompanying graphics are not permitted. There is a US150 dollars (approx 100GBP ) prize for the winners in each category. The final submission date is September 15th 2012.
All poetic styles and conventions are welcome ( limericks, however, will not be considered for a prize ) There is no upper or lower word limit. Entries need not reference Wales in any way , shape or form. You may submit up to five entries in each category and work which has appeared elsewhere is acceptable provided you have not surrendered your copyright.
The winner and his/her work will be featured on this site on what we hope will be a heavily trafficked page. Judges to be announced. Check back for further announcements.
How To Submit Your Poem
Members
-
Simply join this Group and post your poems individually (and any links) as separate discussions in the group forum ( here ). Please include your name in the subject line. If you wish to include a link to your website or blog please do so but remember that we appreciate a reciprocal link from your blog or website to the Poetry Competition page. Please DO NOT post attachments ( unless you have unusual formatting requirements ). You can simply cut and paste the text of your poem. We welcome submissions that are published elsewhere online provided they are your own work.
-
Post your poem on your website or blog and post a link to the relevant url as a separate discussion in the group forum ( here ). If you adopt this procedure we will REQUIRE a reciprocal link to the main Poetry Competition page from your blog or website.
Non Members
-
Post your submission on your blog and email us with the url ( americymru@gmail.com ). We will include it on the Group page. In this case mutual linking is required.
-
Email your submission to us and we will post it on the group page and credit you as author. in this case mutual linking is an option but not required.
The Fine Print
-
There is no entry or submission fee for this competition. The requirement to backlink if you are posting on your own blog and linking here ( or submitting a link to your blog on this page ) is obligatory and designed to be mutually beneficial.
-
Any materials submitted in this group will remain the sole property of the author. We guarantee not to display any poem or any portion thereof on other pages or sites without the express permission of the author. Likewise materials submitted here or linked here can be removed or unlinked at any time by the author or at his/her request.
- Cash prizes in the language categories will only be awarded in the event that there are a minimum of 12 competiton entries.
Janet & Don on the Celticos/AmeriCymru Trail Tour - Video From S4C Coming Soon!!!
By Ceri Shaw, 2013-10-09
As regular readers will be aware we interviewed AmeriCymru member Janet Folatjar a few weeks ago about her forthcoming visit to Wales. At that time she agreed to a follow up interview which we are please to present today.
Jant and her husband Don from Pittsburgh, PA visited Wales and signed up for the Celticos /AmeriCymru Trail Tour . We spoke to Janet about the trip and her experience with Celticos.
While Janet was in Wales she was interviewed by Welsh language TV station S4C ( see pic below ). S4C have agreed to make the interview available for viewing online so that our readers in the US can access it. Keep checking back for the latest developments. We will post as soon as the video is available.
AmeriCymru: Hi Janet and thanks for agreeing to do this follow up interview with us upon your return from Wales. How did you enjoy the trip?
Janet: Ceri our trip was wonderful! I would say it was a once in a lifetime experience. The weather was mild and sunny which allowed beautiful vistas of North Wales and Anglesey. What a beautiful area...I never imagined it to be so picturesque! We could have not seen so many unique places without the help of Celticos. Being a bit timid about driving, I had originally planned on using public transportation during our stay. But I when I found that the Ameri/Cymru Trail tour visited many of the places I wanted to see it was a "no brainer". It really simplified getting around and we saw many unique places that we would have not been able to access via public transportation. Alywn, our tour guide, is very knowledgeable about the local history which provided information we could have not found in a guide book. Alywn also arranged contact/meetings with local people to enhance the experience. We were overwhelmed by the tour and learned so much about North Wales.
AmeriCymru: In particular how would you rate the Celticos/AmeriCymru Trail tour?
Janet: I would rate the tour as excellent!
AmeriCymru: What, for you, was the highlight of your vacation?
Janet: Wow, there were so many highlights! I really enjoyed visting the old slate quarries in Llanberis and copper mine in Almwch. I also enjoyed the stop at the New York Cottages Museum in Penmaenmawr. I never knew that there was a fort built to protect the UK against the Americans during the Revolutionary War or that the lifeboat system in UK is all volunteer!
AmeriCymru: Would you recommend others to book with Celticos?
Janet: Absolutely!!! Celticos offers tours that take the tourist away from the typical site. We are looking forward to visiting again and plan on touring with Celticos in the future!
READ JANET & DON'S 5 STAR REVIEWS ON TRIPADVISOR HERE
Don & Janet being filmed by S4C