The Dragon and the Crescent (Seren, 12.99), Grahame Davies's new study of the relationship of Wales and Islam across nine centuries, is being featured at a series of events across Wales starting this spring.

On May 10, 6pm-8pm, the book is being officially launched at the Senedd in Cardiff Bay. Entrance is free. Please RSVP: seren@serenbooks.com

On Saturday June 4, at 10am at the Hay Festival , Grahame Davies will be talking about the book to Merryl Wyn Davies, Director of the Muslim Institute . Details of the event, which costs 5, are here .

On Wednesday June 8 at 1.15pm-2.15pm at the Drwm venue in the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth, Grahame Davies will be giving a talk about The Dragon and the Crescent as part of a series of events to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible. Admission is free.

On Wednesday August 3, 12pm-1pm, Grahame Davies will be delivering the annual Cymdeithas Carnhuanawc lecture at the National Eisteddfod of Wales at Wrexham in memory of the author 'Carnhuanawc', Thomas Price (1787-1840). The subject of the lecture, which will be delivered in Welsh, will be Wales and Islam. It will be held in the Societies' Tent 2 (Pabell y Cymdeithasau 2).

On October 27, at 5pm, Grahame Davies will be delivering a seminar on the subject of Wales and Islam at the University of Wales's Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies .

Read more:- HERE

Our 2011 interview with Nerys Jones, Welsh mezzo-soprano and harpist who appeared at the West Coast Eisteddfod in Los Angeles and will be directing the 78th Gymanfa Ganu at Bryn Seion Welsh Church, Beavercreek, Oregon on June 23rd 2013.

AmeriCymru: Many thanks for agreeing to be interviewed by AmeriCymru. When did you take up playing the harp? At what point did you become aware that it was the instrument for you?

Nerys: I started playing the harp at the age of 8 till about 14. Sadly, I gave up playing at that time, partly due to the fact that we did not have a harp in the home for me to continue practicing seriously. I always dreamt of owning my own harp. Two years ago I was fortunate enough to receive a Salvi Lever harp as a gift from my husband, but having not played for 30yrs, it was quite a challenge to figure it all out again!

AmeriCymru: You have played soprano roles with many of the worlds leading opera companies including the Welsh National Opera, Scottish Opera and the English National Opera. Do you have a favorite role?

Nerys: As a High Mezzo Soprano, and short in height, I was given the challenge of many 'pant roles' (young boys, that would have originally been sung by 'Castrati'). I have much affection for the character Cherubino from Le Nozze di Figaro, Mozart (The Marriage of Figaro) which is the role that I have sang the most, but the role that gave me the most enjoyment was Hansel from Hansel & Gretel.

AmeriCymru: You were born and educated in Mid Wales. Can you tell us a little more about your Welsh background? What is your fondest childhood memory?

Nerys: I was born in the heart of Wales (Montgomeryshire) and grew up on a farm just outside a village called Llanfair Caereinion. I have 2 brothers and 1 sister and I was a bit of a 'tom boy'. One of the fondest memory of my childhood was walking with my 'Taid' (grandfather, who lived to the age of 99) on a regular basis up to a hill on his farmland, and looking out over the wondrous beauty of the Vyrnwy Valley.

AmeriCymru: You studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. How did you enjoy your time in Scotland?

Nerys: My time in Scotland was one of great joy. I made friends for life, and Glasgow will always have a special place in my heart.

AmeriCymru: You migrated to the USA in 2006. Prior to that you had your own TV show on S4C, Yng Nghwmni Nerys Jones (In the company of Nerys Jones) . Care to tell us a little more about your experience working in television?

Nerys: I stumbled across the TV work in my teenage years, when I was an active member of 'Cwmni Theater Maldwyn' (Montgomeryshire Theatre Company), and through this I was given my first opportunity to perform on S4C. I sang twice in the 'Can i Gymru' (Song for Wales) competition and was asked on many occasion to guest star on various shows. This opened the door for me to host my own show, singing songs in Welsh by the likes of Cole Porter, Gershwin and of course Whitney Houston!

AmeriCymru: What will you be performing at the WCE? Care to give us a sneak preview?

Nerys: I am very excited to be taking part in the WCE. My program will consist of well known Welsh folk songs: Suo Gan, Dafydd y Garreg Wen and of course the fun nonsense song Oes Gafr Eto to name just a few.

AmeriCymru: What do you listen to for pleasure? Any recommendations?

Nerys: I love Country Rock, but one of my favourite singers of all time would have to be Whitney Houston (female) and Freddie Mercury (male).

AmeriCymru: Will Wales win the Rugby World Cup?

Nerys: Absolutely!!!!!!!

AmeriCymru: What's next for Nerys Jones?

Nerys: Continue to add more songs to my voice & harp program, and maybe even start having lessons again.....time permitting. In October I will have the privilege of conducting my first Gymanfa Ganu (Congregational Hymn singing) for the Seattle Welsh Society, and I will also be singing my first operatic role in Russian, Madam Larina from Eugen Onegin.

AmeriCymru: Any final message for the readers and members of AmeriCymru?

Nerys: At the age of 4, I took part in my first Eisteddfod, and it became an important part of my life for the following 14 years, and I am thrilled to be a part of this event in LA, to enjoy and share the amazing culture of Wales.....The Land of Song! Diolch o galon am y gwahoddiad i ddod a rhanu diwylliant rhyfeddol Cymru Fach!

Interview by Ceri Shaw Email

Please find below the text of an email circular which we hope you will consider cutting and pasting and forwarding. The urgency of the appeal and the nobility of the cause are self explanatory.Read more on the campaign HERE go to the cmpaign home page HERE

EMAIL CIRCULAR TEXT ( Between the dotted lines. Simply cut'n'paste and send to all your friends )

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Please help get the word out. Forward to everyone in your address book. This offer is open to everyone.



Hi Everyone

Please help us bring Welsh actor and YouTube guru David Garland Jones to the USA this September. This unique, never to be repeated offer runs for the next 90 days and can be used to mark ANY special occasion. Your 'special occasion' need not be in the next three months....book early for Christmas Your 'special occasion' need not be all that special....joke video dedications of all kinds acceptable Your video will be displayed on a private youtube url which you will receive via email. You can share this url with friends and family or with anyone you like.

Nothing says I love you better than some cheesy verse and a custard pie:)

Legendary Welsh actor , raconteur, wit and internet phenomenon David Garland Jones will record a personalised message for any occasion:- birthday, anniversary, get well soon, congratulations on getting a new job etc

1. Simple Greeting: $10 For that special occasion...birthday, anniversary, dog's birthday etc. All videos will be supplied on a private url which can be shared as a gift with your loved one or other family members.David will read out a simple personal greeting e.g. "This is from Dan Shanks in Nebraska A big hello to my darling wife after 40years of marriage. Love you forever, Dan" --

2.Greeting Plus: $25 For $25 David will read out a greeting and also a verse or eulogy of your choice. ( serious or humorous )

3.SuperDeluxe Custard Pie Option: $50 And finally, for $50 you get the full package!!!This will be the greeting, the speech and then DGJ gets a cream pie in the face. Watch the video for an example of this superb offer.

For more details and to order go to this url:- http://www.indiegogo.com/DGJ-In-The-USA-Will-He-Make-It-To-LA


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Speaking as a hard-core short story fanatic, I can honestly say that Lloyd Jones' "My First Colouring Book" has been the high point of my literary year so far. It's great to see a Welsh author who has so far mastered this genre as to be worthy of mention alongside Carver, Cheever, Maupassant, Mansfield and, dare one even suggest it, Chekhov himself.

Lloyd Jones is fond of referring to his writing as "scribblings". In this collection he has elected to "scribble" in a dazzling variety of colors, all of which are intensely evocative.

There are many fine things in this anthology. There is "Blood," which warns of the potentially cataclysmic dangers of "exotic blood transfusions". There is "Post Office Red," which asserts the critical importance of preserving a sense of mystery and wonder. The closing sentence of this story reveals the "moral" of the tale with the same blinding clarity achieved by Mansfield in "The Doll's House". In "Black," an intellectual atheist meets a lady friend at a lake near the oldest church in Wales. It is close to the festive season and they are invited to join the Christmas service. The protagonist spends his time in the church indulging sexual fantasies about old girlfriends and the female occupant of the burial plot in the pew beneath his feet. On the drive back home they pass a dark and sinister stranger on the road and he has perhaps the closest thing to a religious experience that he will ever know. "Wine" is a heart-warming "feelgood" tale about a devout christian who performs a charitable act in order to fill a gap in the "O" section of his address book. It contains elements of high farce and compares favorably with the best of O Henry.

Also not to be missed are the four short essays at the end of the book which describe walks in North, South, East and West Wales. As a South-Walian and a keen hill-walker back in the day, I deeply appreciated his account of a sojourn in the Black Mountains and his visits to Cwmyoy and Partrishow churches. Both are magical places and evoked masterfully.

Lest anything I have so far said gives the impression that this is a light-hearted collection, please allow me to observe that these stories contain some of the most profound and poignant meditations on life, love and death in 21st century literature. In a recent interview with Americymru, Lloyd Jones was asked about his future literary plans. He replied, "Maybe some more short stories?". We sincerely hope so.

In short, this book is a treat for short-story fans, lovers of literature and lovers of Wales. If you fall into all three categories, then it is simply a "must read". If you are buying a gift for Christmas, either as a gift to yourself or for someone else, you couldn't do better than "My First Colouring Book."

CS

For Special Promotion

We are currently offering the main advertising banner on AmeriCymru ( see graphic below ) on a rotating basis ( every third day ) for a six month period.. The rate for this promotion will be $150 dollars. and will include other features ( promoted interviews, blog posts etc as part of the package )

If you have goods, services of Welsh or Welsh American interest to offer and are interested in advertising on the premier Welsh American niche social site ( and through our associated channels on FB, Twitter etc ) please contact us on americymru@gmail.com

THIS IS A LIMITED OFFER AND WE WILL ONLY BE ACCEPTING ONE PARTNER.

We also have limited spots in the right hand column ( 125x125 or 250x250 ) - see this blog post

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

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Pheidippides was the first man to demonstrate the sheer folly of running for 26 miles. In his defense it should be pointed out that the Greek public transport system was in its infancy in those days. This from the Wikipedia :-

The traditional story relates that Pheidippides (530 BC490 BC), an Athenian herald, was sent to Sparta to request help when the Persians landed at Marathon, Greece. He ran 240 km (150 mi) in two days. He then ran the 40 km (25 mi) from the battlefield near Marathon to Athens to announce the Greek victory over Persia in the Battle of Marathon (490 BC) with the word "" (Nenikkamen, "We have won") and collapsed and died on the spot from exhaustion.

Most accounts incorrectly attribute this story to the historian Herodotus, who wrote the history of the Persian Wars in his Histories (composed about 440 BC). In reality, the traditional story appears to be a conflation from several different ancient Greek sources having varying levels of authenticity.

Robert Browning gave a version of the traditional story in his 1879 poem Pheidippides.

This is one reason why I will only be running a half marathon. Being half dead at the end of ones exertions is no biggie. A bit like having a severe hangover which can be mildly exhilarating.

As I get into my stride ( groan ) in this, the longest running ( groan again ) blog series in AC history I shall rely less on wiki quotes and expound more on the joys of physical training.

Anyway....dont miss tomorrows thrilling episode:-

Why It Is Unwise To Run Into Walls At High Speed
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