I'll be reading some football-related poems (and some non-football-related poems) at a Euro 2016 warm-up event next Thursday (7th June) in Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff.
Presented by Parthian Books and organised by Nick Fisk – author of The Blues are Back in Town – the event will feature poetry and general football discussion from myself, Nick and Tim Brenan, and a quiz from David Collins, whose Welsh Football Quiz Book has just been published by Y Lolfa. The event starts at 7pm, and entry is priced at £3. You can find out more by going to the Facebook event page: facebook.com/events/1768657030087947
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I recently sent some poems into the Wales PEN Cymru New Voices Competition. Judged by Fflur Dafydd and Owen Sheers, the annual competition is open to unpublished writers aged 18–30, with the winner becoming Wales PEN Cymru's nominee for the PEN International New Voices Award.
Standards for the competition are pretty high (last year's Welsh nominee Rebecca F. John won the whole thing), so I was delighted to be named as a runner-up, alongside the incredibly talented Natalie Ann Holborow, when the results were announced last week. Wales PEN Cymru offers Welsh writers the opportunity to join an international organisation and belong to a world community fighting for free expression. Membership is open to writers, journalists, translators, editors and students of creative writing who subscribe to the aims of the PEN charter. Congratulations to Robin Ganderton, who was named as the competition winner and 2016 Welsh nominee. I'm hoping Robin will make it two in a row for Wales at the 82nd PEN Congress in Ourense, Galicia later this year. Pob lwc Robin! Welsh language press release: http://golwg360.cymru/newyddion/cymru/226599-cyhoeddi-enwebiad-pen-cymru-ar-gyfer-lleisiau-newydd-pen-rhyngwladol Currently Reading: Graham Hunter
30/4/2016
Just finished this excellent book on Pep Guardiola's Barça team by Graham Hunter. By far the best football book I've read. Was proud to see the Swans get a fleeting mention in the epilogue too.
The glass was given to me by our Spanish neighbour when I was quite young. Apparently Father Christmas is a culé. Happy St. David's Day!
1/3/2016
Love this 'warts and all' portrait of Swansea from Poets on the Hill and Art Across the City. Happy St. David's Day!
The Haiku Calendar 2016
1/2/2016
In April last year, I revealed that one of my haiku would be included in The Haiku Calendar 2016, published by Snapshot Press. Since 1999, Snapshot – an independent publisher specialising in English-language haiku, tanka and other short poetry – have run an annual competition to find 52 haiku to publish in their Haiku Calendar. Of course, by now the 2016 version has been printed and sent out. Edited by John Barlow, each calendar features haiku poets from around the world, and intends to explore and celebrate the relevance of kigo (a word or phrase associated with a particular season) in English-language haiku. As far as I'm aware there are no readily-available photographs of the actual calendar on the internet, so I thought I'd take some and share them with you.
In my experience, there are very few opportunities for haiku poets to see their work in print (most magazines dedicated to form seem to be completely digital, with a few notable exceptions). The 2016 calendar is the 17th published by Snapshot Press, and for that – along with their consistent output of high-quality collections and anthologies (Lynne Rees's Forgiving the Rain is my favourite) – they should be commended and celebrated. Copies of the 2016 calendar are still available, priced £7.99 (UK), €14.00 (Europe) or £12.00/US$20 (Rest of the World). To order one, go here: snapshotpress.co.uk/calendars/the_haiku_calendar/2016.htm The Lonely Crowd is an exciting new magazine that celebrates the short story, and they've just been kind enough to publish one of mine – 'Give a Dog a Bone' – on their website. Here's an extract:
I wanted the sun to come out, to dry up all the rain so I could go out and play on the hillside, instead of being stuck indoors. That side of the hill was always green and welcoming. Familiar. This side is cold and black, burnt by a forest fire that marched its way to the top before the firefighters smothered it. The sun is disappearing behind it now, turning late afternoon into evening. The drizzle has turned heavy. Read the rest of the story here: http://thelonelycrowd.org/2016/01/23/online-fiction-give-a-dog-a-bone Image © Jo Mazelis 2016 Morriston Hospital Official Opening
20/11/2015
Yesterday marked the official opening of Morriston Hospital's new OPD facilities, where I finally met the very talented David Jones (the man behind our poetry bench and panel designs). Once the plaque had been unveiled (and a fair few Welshcakes had been given a good home), David and I were very kindly given a tour of our panels, some of which are tucked away in smaller outpatient waiting areas. I genuinely love David's work, you can see more at davidjonesartist.com The new facilities at the hospital are really quite amazing – I’m so happy to have played a part in such an exciting and important project, especially in my hometown.
Take a look at Art in Site's case study to read a bit more about the project. Two good looking National Poetry Day purchases arrived this morning. Looking forward to judging beyond their covers.
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