Support the West Coast Eisteddfod and Get A Graphic Ad For A Year - Only $50!
By Ceri Shaw, 2011-02-07
Plans for this years West Coast Eisteddfod are proceeding apace. For the latest info see the links above. AmeriCymru is pleased to offer a $50 dollar graphic ad to the next six backers of our Kickstart Appeal . Your ad will appear either in our right hand column ( on 15000 pages approx ) or in our javascript rotation at the top of the AmeriCymru homepage. We will design it for you if you wish and you are free to change the content or the destination url at any time during your run if you have a special promotion or competition that you want to highlight.
In addition we are offering featured interviews ( widely promoted on the web and via social networking sites ) with business owners, artists and performers as part of the package. As if this wasn't enough your $50 will also entitle you to:-
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A signed copy of an exclusive art book on Welsh Mythology and Legend
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Fifty tickets in the draw for Original Artwork by Jeff Phillips
AND
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Fifty chances to win this years unique West Coast Eisteddfod Lovespoon handcrafted by David Western.
(more details to be announced shortly )
It may also be possible in some cases to negotiate sale or return agreements so that we can feature your products on the AmeriCymru table at the event.
CAN WE GET ANY MORE GENEROUS? THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME TO BACK THE WEST COAST EISTEDDFOD !
Email: americymru@gmail.com for more details and to book your ad.
West Coast Eisteddfod Promotional Video |
Lloyd Jones will need no introduction to most of our readers. He is the author of two novels, "Mr Vogel" and "Mr Cassini", and has recently published his first collection of short stories ( "My First Coloring Book" ). In this interview he speaks about his life, work and future literary plans
Many of your writings revolve around journeys or more particularly walks. It is well known that you do a lot of hill-walking/hiking in "real life". What initially attracted you to this form of recreation?
"I had been very ill, mentally and physically, following a major breakdown caused by stress and alcohol in 2001. As I recovered from my near-death experience I found that walking was the best medicine for body and soul. It still is - I go for a walk every day. Every walk is a celebration of the concept of freedom".
To what extent is "Mr Vogel" autobiographical?
"Almost all the book is based on my life. I walked completely around Wales, a journey of a thousand miles, in 2002/3 and I have walked across the country eight times in eight different directions since then. Also, I was a patient at Gobowen hospital in Shropshire, strapped to a metal frame for a year, when I was aged about six. The bonesetters of Anglesey, featured in my book, were a real family and they have descendants in America".
You have published a collection of poems which were distributed privately. Do you have any plans to publish further poetry anthologies?
"No. Friends have assured me that my poems should remain in a locked drawer. I have written a narrative poem for 2008 with an entry for each day - and it''s still going strong, in November. It will have 369 poems eventually, and will be published to critical acclaim when I''m dead; if my family burn it my mini-epic will be remembered as the great lost poem of the twenty-first century. Or maybe not."
It has been suggested that "Mr Cassini" is an attempt to explore and elucidate modern problems and neuroses utilizing ancient Welsh myth and legend. Is this true and if so, what role do the stories of the Mabinogion play in the book?
"Yes, Mr Cassini is an Arthurian book based on the legend of Culhwch ac Olwen - probably the first Welsh story ever recorded. Mr Cassini is also a voyage around my alcoholic father. In the Mabinogion legend, the beautiful Olwen''s father is a nasty giant who forces Culhwch to perform a number of Herculean feats before the two can wed. Arthur (Duxie in my book) helps them in their quest. I have tried to use the Arthurian legend in a contemporary Celtic context - as a reaction to the romantic and sentimental rubbish promulgated by TV and film directors."
It has often been suggested that short story writing is a very different art to novel writing. Did you find this to be the case in the course of writing the stories which make up "My First Colouring Book"?
"Short stories are supposed to be a Welsh speciality. The form doesn''t sell particularly well in Britain but it''s popular in North America. Compared to the novel, the short story is a different kettle of fish, and I enjoyed reading a wide range of exponents, from Chekhov and Maupassant to O''Henry and Kate Roberts before tackling the form myself. I thoroughly enjoyed the micro form after writing two macros."
Is there any particular theme which unites the stories in this collection?
"Eros and thanatos - love and death. And colours, obviously. There''s a mysterious, recurring house which links many of the stories. This house demanded its own presence."
What are your future writing plans?
"I have just completed the first draft of a novel in Welsh called Y Dwr (The Water), due to be published by Y Lolfa in 2009. I plan a year off in 2009: I hope to travel to India with my daughter and cross Wales for a ninth time, if I live. It''s going to be a walking year, I hope. Can''t wait. I have no plans for a book after that because I think I''ve dumped enough poo on a very patient Welsh public. Maybe some more short stories?"
Do you have a particular process when you write? Do you have to set yourself up to write or just jot it on candy bar wrappers or do anything in particular to grease your creative wheels?
"Every book is different and has its own dictates, but I tend to write on a laptop in short bursts in the early morning, on my own, in absolute silence. I write a first version, leave it for a while, then return to it. At some stage I engineer a transaction to another person, during which I perceive what needs to be done without words being exchanged. I see myself as a free range hobby writer who delivers bantham eggs complete with shit and straw."
How important is Anglo-Welsh literature to the future development of a distinct Welsh cultural identity?
"Sport, war and literature are possibly the most important components of nationalism. Wales has constantly reinvinted itself to stay ''alive''. If there are enough people who feel passionately about the country, Wales will survive; but the country is under enormous pressure at the moment because of a massive incoming and other global forces, so the next 100 years could be decisive. I wouldn''t like to predict the outcome. We are at the crossroads: Wales could go the Cornish way or it could go the Scottish way. My own writing could be another tiny evolutionary addition to Welsh morphology, or it could be one of its death throes."
Any plans to visit the US?
"American foreign policy under Bush really frightened and angered me: I found it hard to be objective and optimistic about the USA for quite some time. Also, our TV channels are clogged with poor American programmes; I fear that Britain is losing its identity, almost becoming a ghost American state like Puerto Rica. It seems to me at a distance that America is two countries, one dominated by thoughtful liberal people who tend to be on the Democrat wing, and another ''country'' dominated by the Republican Christian right. The latter is a big turn-off for me, so I have to fight a tendency to be bigoted against America with its putrid Hollywood/cool/gunslinging culture, although I know that the continent has also produced a huge amount of excellent stuff in the last century. I suppose I have become reactionary about hawkish America, while tending to forget that America is stuffed full of normal, decent people. Perhaps I have fallen into the trap of simplification and generalisation. But I get the impression, with the election of Obama, that America is now more willing to listen to the rest of the world. I would like to shrug aside my bigotry and come over to see the many beautiful places in America."
Many people in the US are concerned to promote Wales to the wider American public.. What do you think is the most important thing that Americans can learn from the history and culture of Wales? "
Small countries face a constant battle for survivial. Their biggest threat is the screen. Television, cinema and computers have made it increasingly possible for people to live in a virtual world, and that''s the most striking change during my lifetime: the virtualisation of the world. I won''t even watch nature programmes on TV now because it''s too convenient to watch pretty-pretty ahhhh material on the screen whilst the real thing is being wiped out all around us. People will watch panda bears on TV whilst never thinking of looking at a live robin in their garden. Wales is real and it''s different. Wouldn''t it be awful if everywhere in the world were the same? I''m planning to visit India next Spring. Wouldn''t it be terrible if India were full of little Lloyd Joneses? I''d throw myself in the Indian Ocean! As the French say, Vive le difference!"
"Wales has survived against incredible odds. Many thousands of people, probably millions, have died in the fight to keep Wales ''different''. The story of Wales is amazing. The literature of Wales is amazing. And the people of Wales are amazing. It''s a tiny, beautiful country with fabulous diversity. But the Welsh are now an endangered species; the old, shy upland folk are disappearing. Do your bit to save a truly original and different minority. Help to save Wales any way you can...and the best way is to say proudly: I''m Welsh!"
One of Britain’s brightest football managers, Roberto Martinez tells his story
By Ceri Shaw, 2008-11-11
My story so far
When I have a day off, I must admit, I take the whole day off, away from the game. Roberto, on the other hand, is still living and breathing football on his free day. Jordi Cruyff
Roberto Martinez is one of the sharpest minds and most inspiring personalities in Welsh and British football today.
At only 33 years of age Roberto Martinez decided to bring a premature end to his playing career after being offered his dream managers job at Swansea City. After only fifteen months in the job he won the club the first division title and for himself the LMA Manager of the year award.
Since then Roberto has won the praise of countless managers, pundits and players, but none more so than from Swansea City supporters. At Swansea the fans recognise what he did as a player and captain, helping saving the club from relegation from the football league, before earning them respect in the Championship as one of the most exciting teams in the second tier of British football.
Originally from Balageur in Catalonia, Roberto Martinez played for his home town in the Spanish third division before moving to play Real Zaragoza in La Liga. In 1995 he was spotted by Dave Whelan, the millionaire owner of Wigans famous Three Amigos, alongside Jesus Seba and Isidro Diaz. He then played for Motherwell, Walsall, Swansea and Chester before deciding to follow his fathers footsteps into management when offered the job at Swansea City in 2007.
In Kicking Every Ball Roberto Martinez looks back over his life on the move and the ups and downs of his playing career. From his early days in Catalonia to his current role as one of the brightest managers in British football today. The book, published by Welsh publishers Y Lolfa, also includes a forward by the internationally renowned football player Jordi Cruyff.
KICKING EVERY BALLRoberto Martinez
12.95 ( 20.1968 USD approx )
Y Lolfa
ANNOUNCEMENT: WCE Online Poetry Competition Deadline Extended Till October 7th!
By Ceri Shaw, 2013-09-16
So there is still plenty of time to enter. Here is the Competition Group page on AmeriCymru:-
Read the rules and submit your entry for a chance to win a $200 cash prize AND publication in the prestigious Welsh American poetry journal Seventh Quarry
Pob lwc/bext of luck to all our entrants!
Chris T-T, Thee Faction, Patrick Duff, Gwenno, The Milk Race, Totem Terrors, Fist of the First Man, The Lash, and Laurence Made Me Cry in first wave of artists!

TICKET INFORMATION:Tickets Day 6Weekend: 10book at www.wegottickets.comContact:LINKS:PARTNERS:PROMOTERSVENUES:
Be On The Front Cover Of Eto - The Americymru Focal View International Salon - Two Weeks To Go!
By Ceri Shaw, 2013-08-14
The AFV International Salon is open to all photographers. Our main aim is to develop strong links between creative photographers and established writers and poets. Our digital catalogue will be presented on-line every year.
Read more here...
You have until the end of August to submit your entry AND don't forget that the winner of the current competition will have their image featured on the front cover of the Fall edition of eto our bi-annual anthology of new fiction from Welsh and Welsh American authors.
To read more about eto go here :- Eto Fiction
To read snippets from the forthcoming issue go here:- Issue Two
Meanwhile here is a slide show of some of the submissions which have already been received. .
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