Hi

We are pleased to announce that we are in a position to offer a new premium ad space to our members and readers. If you look at the top of the page ( any page on the site ) you will see the words 'NEW AD SPACE - YOUR AD HERE?' in blinking text ( sorry about that but we wanted to catch people's eyes ). This space is fully customizable, can be any desired size ( within reason ) and can contain text, graphics, links and even embedded video.

We are entirely flexible and open to negotiation re: price, content ( some Welsh relevance please ) and design. We will assist with the design if required and will amend/alter the ad in line with clients ongoing requirements. This is perhaps the best opportunity we have offered yet to reach a Welsh/American-Welsh audience via the site. Interested? Please email americymru@gmail.com ( or comment below ) for further information but please hurry, this is a one-time offer and there is only one space available!

Diolch

AmeriCymru

AmeriCymru is immensely pleased and proud to announce that Paul Child , the man who leads the singing of the national anthem at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff before Six Nations matches and who is known as the "official voice of Welsh rugby" , will be appearing at the West Coast Eisteddfod: Welsh Festival of Arts in LA this year. He will be leading the singing of the anthem and appearing at the Friday night opening concert. For most of our readers Paul will require no introduction but for anyone who is not familiar with the man and his work here is a brief biography from the BBC music site:-

" Best known for his involvement with Welsh rugby, Paul Child is Wales' biggest-selling independent artist.

In 2000, Paul Child self-financed the album Wales Forever as a tribute to David Alexander. Although the cost was just 2,500, it has gone on to become the biggest-selling independently-released album ever in Wales, selling over 100,000 copies around the world.

In 2003, he appeared on the World In Union album alongside fellow Welsh stars Tom Jones and Shirley Bassey to commemorate the Rugby World Cup. His rugby connection has continued with pre-match appearances at the Millennium Stadium. Each time he's sung before the match, Wales have registered a victory.

Released in February 2006, Bread Of Heaven is the official album of the Welsh Rugby Union. "..... more .

Read our 2008 interview with Paul here:- Interview With Paul Child - Official singer of the Welsh Rugby Union

More on Friday nights concert here . Buy tickets here .

Paul Singing Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales

Well, the fun stuff has finally started. I've been busy scroll sawing out the shape of the spoon and am very pleased with how the wood has responded. There is lots of lovely grain patterns which should make the bowl and the leaf look really vibrant and the wood has been cutting evenly with no splitting or shattering. Wood this old and dry can sometimes be a bit brittle, but this walnut seems very good. The dowel that I came across last week shows up pretty well in this photo, but won't be quite so visible when the spoon is complete. I'm very pleased with the proportions and am even more confident that this will be a very smart spoon when complete.

In the second picture I have begun carving out the spoon bowl using a hand-made bent knife. These are specially made for me by Mike Komick at Preferred Edge Tools who specializes in crafting razor sharp, beautifully made blades. In the old days, the Welsh carvers used a ferocious looking bent bladed knife called a 'twca cam' which was often fashioned from whatever metal was at hand. Thankfully for me, I can rely on Mike to use the very best steel so that I can reap the benefits of a good, keen edge. Many carvers use gouges, electric grinding tools and curved scrapers to achieve the same ends, but I personally prefer the bent knife.

Carving the spoon bowl is one of my favourite parts of the process and is one I am happy to spend a good deal of time on. I tend to think that a lot of spoon carvers consider their bowls an afterthought with the lack of attention they give them showing up as a clunky and unsightly end to their hard carving efforts on the handle. But I'm starting to get preachy, so I'll get back to the tools and see how things shape up.

Before I go though, I hope that you are enjoying the blog so far and that you will feel inclined to donate a dollar or two to the Left Coast Eisteddfod! Every dollar you gift will equal a chance to win this spoon when it is completed. I hope you'll join in and I wish you good luck!

NWR - Vintage Issue Sale

In her editorial to the very first issue of The New Welsh Review, published in the summer of 1988, Belinda Humfrey wrote, for a long time to come, it is obvious that, should we wish, The New Welsh Review could go on, bursting at the seams, with writing from the land of its birth.

The magazine has been published quarterly for twenty five years since that first edition;the hundredth issue of magazine is still as relevant and bursting at the seams as the first. We've continued to profile the best writing from Wales, stayed at the forefront of magazine design while both spotting and curating diverse literary trends along the way.

Read more

eto edition 2 is coming in September. If you are an author and would like to be featured in this rapidly growing bi-annual anthology for Welsh and American Welsh authors please email americymru@gmail.com . Meanwhile here is a link to the Welsh American Bookstore page for Issue 1. Enjoy!

http://welsh-american-bookstore.com/index.php?option=com_booklibrary&task=view&id=1741&Itemid=478&catid=46#.UZjqZ0lMHoY

This message was received today from Alwyn Griffiths and is the official notification to the winner of the Celticos/AmeriCymru Trail Tour:-

A message from Alwyn

Llongyfarchiadau/

Congratulations to Brett Hull

I hope you can soon visit us in Wales to participate in the ameriCymru trail tour, or of course you pass the price on to friends or family.

.

Please feel free to contact me on alwyn@celticos.com to redeem your prize.

It has been enjoyable, exiting experience working with Ceri in creating the competition and I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ceri for his hard work. Diolch Ceri.

The ameriCymru trail is generating a great deal of interest on both sides of the Atlantic, both Ceri and myself will keep the ameriCymru members informed of all latest developments.

The Celticos team is looking forward to meet and give our guests from North America a Croeso Cynnes/Warm Welcome

Congratulations/Llongyfarchaidau to Brett Hull. If you want to learn more about the AmeriCymru Trail Tour go here:-

Celticos/AmeriCymru Trail Tour

Blodwen's Werin Furniture Range Hits Liberty's Of London.

William Morris, the great textile designer, artist, writer and founder of the Arts and Crafts Movement said "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful".

Both qualities apply to Blodwen's range of traditional farmhouse furniture, which is now also available at Liberty's of London as well as on a bespoke basis.

The Werin (Folk) range features the most iconic of Welsh furniture, which in true Blodwen style, has been re-designed into hand-crafted contemporary pieces full of simplicity, utility and beauty.

The Cardiganshire Pot Boiler Dresser and Farmhouse Trestle Table and benchare made from native Welsh Oak and are assembled using a combination of traditional mortice and tenon joints pegged together with oak dowels. No tools required!

A beautiful collection of traditional furniture, commonplace in Welsh farmhouses across the centuries - now presented, refreshed, for a new age.

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 a cash prize of $150 ( 100 GBP approx ).

The thirteenth issue features work from Wales, England, Ireland, France, Germany, Serbia, India, Korea, Belarus, and America. It also includes a POET PROFILE of American poet Robin Metz, three interviews, and an article by Vince Clemente. The second part of an article by John Edwin Cowen, which is entitled The Anchored Angel and the Dylan Thomas/Jos Garcia Villa Connection, is also published. It is accompanied by a sketch of Dylan Thomas by Garcia Villa, which was unpublished until its appearance in this issue.

Annual subscription:7 for Summer and Winter issues; or buy a single issue for 3.50. USA subscription $20for Summer and Winter issues;or buy a single issue for $10. Further information at www.peterthabitjones.com

Peter Thabit Jones reads from his latest anthology The Lizard Catchers