Recently Rated:
Stats
Executive Director of Llangollen expresses delight in “excellent early ticket sales...”
By Ceri Shaw, 2009-06-02
Llangollen Festival to benefit from the British staycation
With many British holiday-makers opting to holiday at home this year due to the economic downturn, the town of Llangollen, North Wales is set to receive a record number of visitors as it plays host to one of the worlds most vibrant Festivals, the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, which this year takes place from 6th to 12th July.
Llangollen ywr gyl yn gwyliau!
Gyda chymaint o Brydeinwyr yn dewis cael gwyliau adref eleni oherwydd y dirwasgiad, mae tref Llangollen, Gogledd Cymru yn barod i dderbyn y nifer fwya o ymwelwyr wrth ir ardal eu croesawu i un o wyliau mwyaf blaenllaw, sef Eisteddfod Gerddorol Ryngwladol Llangollen, syn digwydd y 6ed ir 12fed o Orffennaf.
| |  |
WEST COAST EISTEDDFOD 2012 - MULTNOMAH ARTS CENTER, SAT OCTOBER 13TH - BUY TICKETS HERE
Live in or near Portland Oregon? Click the links above to reserve your tickets for this years West Coast Eisteddfod at the Multnomah Arts Center on Saturday October 13th.
Live concert featuring Chris Chandler, John Good's Tramor, Sexbomb also music from Halley Weaver and book signings by Jen Delyth
Live competitions in Poetry and Short Story Telling ( no registration fee ) cash prizes ( email americymru@gmail.com if you wish to compete )
Dont live near Portland? Never fear you can still compete for cash prizes in our online Eisteddfod ( poetry and Short story ) see links below. Officila deadline for submissions is September 15th but we may ask the judges for a one week extension. Watch this space!
FEATURED GROUPS ( CLICK POETRY OR SHORT STORY TO ENTER YOUR SUBMISSIONS FOR THE 2012 WEST COAST ONLINE EISTEDDFOD )
Click to enter the Welsh Country/Stories in Welsh Stone competition.
Americy mru: What is Welsh Country magazine and what is it's mission? Americymr u: Can you tell us about the history of the magazine, how it came to be?
Kath: In November 2009 Welsh Country celebrates its fifth birthday and it's amazing how quickly that time has gone. My partner and I had been living in Wales and were in partnership with a super equestrian publication until the owners wanted to alter its direction, which we didn't think would work, so we had an amicable parting of the ways and they are still great friends of ours. So the question was: 'What do we do next?' We spent over six months researching a magazine idea and spotted a gap in the market for a pan-Wales magazine. More research, endless meetings including with Visit Wales, Forestry Commission, National Trust in fact any Welsh group or body that we thought might or should support us in our efforts!! Meetings and yet more meetings and we were still convinced that not only was there a huge market in Wales for the type of magazine with the format that we had planned, but also a massive market abroad with expats.
Americymru: What does Welsh Country magazine have for its readers, what does it offer?
Kath: I was looking for an eclectic mix, hoping that anyone - whatever their age, taste and passion, will find something of interest in our pages. We cover both countryside and lifestyle, all we need is a Welsh link and we'll try and cover it. We also listen to our readers and really appreciate their feedback and suggestions. Our advertisers are of course as important as our readers and we work with them as closely as possible to ensure they get the most out of Welsh Country to grow their businesses. We pride ourselves in 'thinking outside the box' which is possibly the reason so many Welsh Government agencies aren't always as helpful as they should be with us - but hopefully they'll take their blinkers off very soon and we can work together and help each other!! It's so important that we make a huge effort with our advertisers because we want them with us for the long-term and to develop good relationships with them and us. Many advertisers now sell Welsh Country magazine for us whether it is in their art gallery, farm shop or coffee shop , this is a big help in our direct distribution and also gives them an extra source of income. Again it's another way to work together and help each other.
Americymru: Tell us about a typical issue, what articles and features would readers find?
Kath: BBC's Mel Doel has been with us from our early days and writes her feature about what's happening in the Welsh countryside with topics as diverse as bee keeping, Post Office closures, Barry Swan Rescue Centre, how Wales is suffering in the climate change, the Welsh milk industry meltdown, Welsh piers and the allotment lottery - those are just samples of topics Mel has covered. Tom Hutton does our walking pages and encourages us to enjoy Wales on our feet. He tries to find walks around Wales and Tom's another freelance writer that was with us from the start. Occasionally we look at equestrian events and I have recently returned from Badminton following Australian Matt Ryan who has been living in Abergavenny for many years and is swapping nationality to Britain . Also riding there was Monmouthshire owner/rider Sara Squires who did amazingly well at her first attempt, actually beating Olympic Gold medallist Matt............. We have more Badminton news on our website www.welshcountry.co.uk
Our fishing expert Moc Morgan takes care of those who love spending time and enjoying the peace and quiet on Welsh riverbanks. Geoff Brookes, again another writer who has been with us for years producing and preserving tales of sadness and sorrow as he uncovers stories behind old gravestones. His first book is now out - Stories in Welsh Stone' - and I'm pleased to report sales are going well. Richard Cain of Penlan Perennials is another long-term stalwart who keeps up up-to-date in the garden and takes some superb photos so we always have a really colourful and inspiring feature. Steve Judd , astrologist, star-gazes for our readers and sends in horoscopes - but maybe like me, you 'only believe horoscopes if his prediction is good!' Then of course we have Welsh food - another topic we are so passionate about. We started promoting Welsh food in our early days, really before many then got on the bandwagon. We then ran an ongoing ' Buy Local - Eat Local Campaign' that was followed by a 'Best Of Welsh' guide which lists lots of excellent food producers and I'm pleased to say many of them now do mail order, which is so important for many people living in rural areas or perhaps have just very busy lives. This guide is not only helpful for end-users, but for hotels, delis, coffee shops etc. who are wanting to show our visitors how good Welsh local produce is, whilst of course reducing food miles. One of our food producers was so delighted with the work we have done to promote local produce that she recommended me as a Local Hero in last year's Countryside Alliance Awards - I didn't win, but the nomination was a huge boost for me and my team. We also cover news in Wales, music, book reviews, beauty products, clothing, motoring, interviews and history, as I said it's eclectic........................
Americymru: How is Welsh Country different from other magazines?
Kath: Although people still think we are either fully funded by the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) or funded by Visit Wales, we are the only pan Welsh magazine that is not funded by WAG. Welsh Country has always been produced, published and printed in Wales. Mind you being loyal to Wales does cost though, as we could print in France and it would be far cheaper!!
There is a pan Wales magazine that is very political but we at Welsh Country want to show Wales in the best possible light so we never publish any negative comment at all except in the 'Grumpy Old Geezer' feature, where he whinges about the price of diesel, the closure of Tourist Information Centres etc. That certainly does not mean that Welsh Country does not see problems within government both local and national, as we are constantly contacted by smaller businesses that are having problems with Welsh bureaucracy of one sort or another. As a consequence Welsh Country have regular meetings with both Members of Parliament that sit in London and also Assembly Members and Ministers from Cardiff.
Its good to put something back into society and I personally cannot stand big bully tactics or unfairness and if we as a small part of the independent media can make our voice heard privately, rather than in print then I feel we are doing some good. I see that as an important role for Welsh Country, our behind-the-scenes work, and the People In Power know that if we can't change and improve things by talking - then we have the option of using print...........
Americymru: Do you accept freelance content or submissions from your readers?
Kath: Occasionally we do, but we are restricted in amount of spare space we have. In the past we have run a feature about Welsh Abroad - why a person, with Welsh connections moved abroad, their background, when they moved and what they are doing now. Of course we need to know what they miss most about Wales too, but with our growing appreciation of Americymru maybe we should bring that feature back. So dont hesitate to email me and you never know your story may be in print in the future.
Americymru: Any advice for writers and other would-be content submitters?
Kath: Yes please read Welsh Country first and then you'll understand what we are aiming for which is to entertain as well as inform. Would-be writers must get a feel of Welsh Country and only then email me with ideas first please.
Americymru: What's your day like as an editor?
Kath: Busy, busy, busy - oh for more hours in the day. The month after an issue has been printed and distribution has been done, we have a post-print meeting to see what queries have arisen in last few days before the printers, plus I get feedback from my team when they have at last got a copy in their hands. Then we talk about the next issue, which I will hopefully have lots of ideas for, but you can be sure my team will have lots great ideas too. A publication like ours could not survive, especially in these tough times, without the enthusiastic group of people that we have working for us - they are brilliant.
I also use that month to catch up on - yes, you've guessed it - meetings. These could be with our printer, Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones, our local Member of Parliament Mark Williams, with a food festival or a producer, my list of meetings seems to go on for ever, but at least boredom is never a problem and variety is certainly the spice of life here at Welsh Country. The month before we go to print obviously gets very hectic as we are often chasing or querying features, promised images which have either not arrived, or simply aren't good enough quality for us.
Our Pamper pages are photographed in-house by Tony our talented designer, so they take some time to finalise, but feedback on those Pamper pages has been amazing, when we have been told by those in the beauty industry that we are as good as Vogue, that's a good incentive to keep us all working hard to maintain our high standards. Writing, proofing, tweaking, seems to be constant parts of my day, plus taking calls and dealing with hundreds of emails. I'd be lost without email that's for sure. Regular editorial meetings with my team are vital to keep everyone in the loop and ensure we hit our print date. Or I could be trying to sort out an interview with one of our Welsh celebrities or out with our tradestand promoting Welsh Country at Food Festivals or tourist events, it's a very varied day with no time to get bored.
Americymru: How can people in the USA get subscriptions to Welsh Country?
Kath: Visit our website www.welshcountry.co.uk is one way or you could tel: 00 441559 372010. Both take credit and debit card payments.
Americymru: Any final message for the members and readers of Americymru?
Kath: I'm so delighted to have made contact with you all at Americymru and looking forward to building a strong and mutually beneficial relationship with you as we both seem to be on the same wavelength. I know how much so many of you miss Wales and I really hope that by reading Welsh Country - your countryside magazine for Wales - we can give you another link to your homeland and you can get that longed-for taste and feel of Wales each issue.
On the 13 th September 2012 , Big Pit in Blaenafon will host a memorial concert in remembrance of those who have lost their lives in coal mining accidents. The concert comes two days before the first anniversary of the Gleision Colliery tragedy .
This concert will be held at Pit Bottom , 300 ft underground . An upright piano will be placed into the cage to make the descent into the mine. Several dignitaries and special guests including the First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones will be attending the concert.
Performing will be Daniel and Laura Curtis who are considered as one of the foremost ambassadors for the preservation of the music of Ivor Novello and T he Great American Songbook . Welsh writer and actor Boyd Clack will also be writing a new poem to mark the event as well as joining Daniel and Laura in song. The BBC One Show will be covering the concert for inclusion as a VT in a future programme.
Daniel Curtis said I have wanted to do a concert at Big Pit for a long time. I contacted the museum with my fingers crossed that they wouldnt think I was crazy! Luckily it wasnt the craziest request they had ever received. Its great that we are making this happen. My great grandfather died in Senghenydd Colliery and I really wanted to hold a concert to pay tribute to pay my respects and raise awareness for those who have died in mines . Singing was an important part of mining history with many miners being members of their local Male Voice Choir. The number of people who lost their lives through the years is one the biggest tragedies running through the history of Wales and Britain .
Peter Walker, Keeper and Mine Manager added: We are only too happy to work with Daniel and Laura Curtis on this concert, as we feel passionately that any effort to keep the memories of this most important industry alive is vitally important . We have had many weird and wonderful events underground, and we look forward to sharing the excitement of this unusual concert.
Stage and screen legend Jo na than Pryce has supported the concert by saying: Coal mining is ingrained in our history and has to been one of the toughest and most dangerous jobs that anybody could do. My father worked in two mines in the Holywell area including the Bettisfield Colliery, but my mother rescued him from the mines when they married and both became shopkeepers. It is very important that we remember those who have lost their lives working in mines, but also those who have died from diseases like pneumoconiosis caused by the inhalation of dust. Due to my theatre commitments with King Lear, I am unable to attend the memorial concert at Big Pit, Blaenafon but I would like to add my support to the concert and wish Dan and Laura Curtis all the very best. Taking a piano underground is certainly unique idea and will, without doubt, create a very special and poignant atmosphere. Jonathan Pryce CBE .
The piano has kindly been donated by Pianos Cymru who are an award winning piano dealership in the NorthWest Wales area and have recently opened another branch in Chester called Jones Pianos . They have been established since 1970 and offer an extensive range of pianos. They have twice won the prestigious Kawai Dealer of The Year Award which is a National Recognition Award to the Piano Dealer that has served the piano world best thorough the UK that year. They have supplied and maintained pianos for major Music Festivals across the UK , and worked for International stars that have included Jose Carreras, Jamie Cullum, Bryn Terfel, Michae l Ball and Dame Shirley Bassey. www.pianoscymru.com
'Darkness Visible: A Novel of The 1892 Homestead Strike' - Interview With Author Trilby Busch
By Ceri Shaw, 2012-09-11
Trilby Angharad Busch , is a descendant of Welsh, German, and Lithuanian immigrants. After retiring from teaching college English she devoted herself to writing an historical novel about Welsh immigrants in her hometown of Homestead, PA. AmeriCymru spoke to Trilby about her novel and future plans at the 2012 North American Festival Of Wales in Scranton P.A.Website: Darkness Visible
...
...
REVIEW
...
This is a book that works on many different levels. With a full complement of credible and well developed characters it is a useful contribution to the social history of late 19th century industrial Pennsylvania. There is no shortage of drama. The account of the pitched battle between the strikers and Pinkertons which is central to this tale does full justice to the tragedy and horror of the actual historical events.
For anyone who is not acquainted with this dark and violent chapter in the history of American labour relations the brief introductory remarks and accompanying links in the interview below should provide an invaluable introduction.
On a personal level Darkness Visible is the story of a Welsh immigrant worker who loses and recovers his faith, a process in which the appalling developments unfolding around him play no small part . But perhaps more interestingly it has been written by a fourth generation descendant of one of the casualties of the conflict ( for more details see the interview below ). This provides the author with a unique historical perspective and her devotion to recounting these events is evident both from her painstaking and meticulous background research and from the sympathetic and artful manner in which she develops the narrative.
This is an important book about an important event. If you read only one work of historical fiction this year, it should probably be 'Darkness Visible'.
INTERVIEW
AmeriCymru: What inspired you to write Darkness Visible?
Trilby: My parents and I were all born in Homestead, Pennsylvania, and both sets of grandparents lived and worked there most of their lives. During my childhood, everyone in town-- and probably most people in the Pittsburgh area-- had heard about the 1892 strike.
I grew up listening to stories from my father, whose grandfather was killed in the Homestead Works of Carnegie Steel in the immediate aftermath of the strike. As I did research to corroborate his stories and learn more details about the strike, I found many terrible and fascinating stories from contemporaries and eyewitnesses. I wrote this book as an imaginative recreation of those events in a work of historical fiction.
The Homestead works from across the river
AmeriCymru: Tell us a little about the 1892 strike. How significant an event is it in American labor history?
Trilby: The 1892 Homestead Strike is a very significant event in American history. The strike was chosen as one of the events featured in the 2006 PBS-TV series, "Ten Days That Unexpectedly Changed America." The violence surrounding the confrontation between workers and company is an infamous chapter in labor history. Henry Clay Frick , running the company while Carnegie was off in Scotland, locked out the workers at the end of June 1892. On July 6th, the conflict came to a head when Frick sent in 300 Pinkerton guards to secure the way for replacement workers. They were met by 3,000 armed strikers and townspeople and a 10-hour running gun battle ensued. In the end, the strikers won, but inevitably lost the war a week later when Frick convinced the governor to send in the Pennsylvania Militia. In this way, Frick and Carnegie busted unions in the steel industry for nearly 40 years.
AmeriCymru: You have a personal connection with these events. Can you tell us more?
Trilby: As I said, my great-grandfather was killed in the Works after the strike. He was an unemployed German immigrant with a wife and 11 children to support. After the battle, the Carnegie Company desperately needed skilled "fireman" to fire up the industrial boilers that ran the mill, and he answered the call. He was killed by union saboteurs who set a boiler to explode while he was working on it. Fictional versions of him, my grandfather, and other family members appear as minor characters in the book.
AmeriCymru: Was there a strong Welsh involvement in the strike movement?
Trilby: Yes. Many of the members of the union, the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers , were Welsh. At that time Wales led the world in the technology of steel production, and the Carnegie Company actively recruited engineers, chemists, and skilled workers from Wales.
AmeriCymru: What was the subsequent history of the Homestead Works?
Trilby: In 1901 Carnegie sold the company to J.P. Morgan of US Steel. In 1937, anticipating the need for steel in the war that loomed on the horizon, US Steel took over the whole lower part of Homestead below the railroad tracks, expanding the Works into that area. In its heyday, the Homestead Works produced nearly one-third of the finished steel in the United States, a behemoth operation spreading for five miles along the bank of the Monongahela River. In 1983, US Steel, weary of foreign competition and disputes with workers, shut down the Works for good. In its place sits the Waterfront Shopping Complex, a large mixed-use commercial area of stores, apartments, and office buildings.
AmeriCymru: Where can people go to purchase Darkness Visible?
Trilby: Darkness Visible is available for sale via Paypal on its website, and on Amazon.com , you can get either the paperback or Kindle versions. If you go to Homestead, the book is available in the shop of Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area in the Bost Building.
AmeriCymru: What's next?
Trilby: I'm kicking around two ideas: 1. a sequel taking place in the Depression, following the children of Emlyn Phillips and/or 2. a collaboration with my daughter Ceridwen--a mystery/satire involving ghosthunting and preservation politics in present-day Minnesota.
AmeriCymru: Any final message for readers and members of Americymru?
Trilby: A number of people have gotten confused about my connection with the Welsh characters in the book. Actually, there is none. I am the descendent of scabs, immigrants from another country--as are so many of the present residents of the Steel Valley. However, I decided to use the information and contacts I had acquired in my search for relatives of my Welsh grandmother (a search that was not successful) in developing the characters of the skilled worker and unionist's family in the story.
One of the most controversial figures in South Wales' history was born this day in 1784. John Frost , Mayor of Newport and leader of the Chartist uprising has been hailed as a hero, criticized for his poor leadership qualities and even denounced as a traitor to his cause by some of his co-conspirators.
Whatever your estimation of his role in the events of November 4th 1839 it is undoubtedly true that he was a tragic figure. It seems likely to this armchair general that Frost's heart was in the right place but that he had no idea of the power of the elemental political rage that he was harnessing to his cause. In the end he found himself completely out of his depth. As he himself admitted he was not the man for the job.
Heres his wikipedia page:- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Frost_(Chartist)
And here is the wikipedia page for the Newport Uprising:- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newport_Rising
Some years ago John Humphries wrote an account of the roles played by several of the leading participants in the uprising including Zephaniah Williams and the extraordinary Welsh Texan John Rees ( a.k.a Jack the Fifer ). For our review of 'The Man From The Alamo' go to this page:- Remember, Remember The 4th of November!
AmeriCymru at Wordstock - Event Floorplan
 | ||
| AmeriCymru at Wordstock ( stall 302 ) Please click image above to enlarge. |
The venue: Oregon Convention Center
http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons" href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AOregon_Convention_Center_Dusk_1_%28edit%29.jpg"> 
Photo from Wikimedia Commons
