I am delighted (in an introvert head-in-sand kind of way) to reveal the cover and blurb of my debut poetry collection Octopus Mind. It can now be pre-ordered from Seren Books! The publication date is 3rd July. Continue reading
Upcoming Festivals & Events
Literary Festivals and Workshops – Summer 2022
Tomorrow, I will be heading to the Ledbury Poetry Festival. I’m looking forward to some time out from the busyness of the PhD to swap roles and become the workshop attendee, rather than the workshop facilitator. I really enjoy running writing workshops, but I also love attending them, and often write some of my best poems in the relaxed (but also high-pressured) space of a festival workshop. Continue reading
Poet in Residence at the Cynon Valley Museum
For the month of June I’ve been writing and posting new poems on the Cynon Valley Museum website, responding to their online art exhibitions, and artefacts from their collection. I was privileged to work at the museum for a few months last year, before starting my PhD, and was impressed by their high quality art exhibitions, some of which you can now see online. Continue reading
Virtual Literature Festivals – Celebrate Literature from your Sofa!
My blog was originally created to review, celebrate and promote literary festivals and events, as well as posting book reviews, and this has been a challenge in recent times – everything has been cancelled! But people are attempting to make the best of this situation, transferring their events online, so here’s a list of the virtual literary festivals and events still taking place…
Looking Forward to Literature Festivals in Wales – 2020
Here’s my annual round-up of all the literature festivals taking place in Wales in 2020. From the smallest of bookfairs run by local communities to the most popular literary festivals on a monumental scale…
Please use the comments below to add information about any literature festivals which I have missed out, and I’ll continue to update this post throughout the year. I should also add that some of the organisers are not able to announce their programmes until later in the year, so you may need to check back for further details.
The Hay Festival on a Budget – A Survival Guide for Stewards
Having never been to the Hay Festival before, I wasn’t sure what to expect on my first visit in May 2016, but I decided to sign up for the stewarding role, as I had a very limited budget. It was an incredible, addictive experience and I will certainly be going back again this year.
Before going, I decided to do a bit of research online, to see if anyone had written about what stewarding was really like. But there was very little information out there, so here is my own survival guide for stewarding at the Hay Festival, which I hope will be useful for others… Continue reading
Regular Creative Writing Workshops & Groups in Cardiff
If you live in Cardiff and you like creative writing, whether it’s poetry or prose, then you’re in the right place – there are plenty of regular writing groups, workshops and activities on offer, to suit a range of interests. NB. This post has not been updated since Covid. Please check details of workshops as some of them will have changed. See below for a list of everything creative writing in Cardiff… Continue reading
Regular Literary, Creative Writing and Performance Poetry Events in Cardiff
I’ve pulled together a list of all the regular literary events, spoken word gatherings, book launches and poetry performances which take place in Cardiff throughout the year. NB. This post has not been updated since Covid – Some of these events change venues or dates on occasion, so please check their websites or pages for more details. If I’ve missed any out please let me know, or add your own events via the comments below… Continue reading
Upcoming Literary Festivals & Events
It’s been nearly a year since I first decided to create a book blog (on 23rd January 2016), and what a year it’s been! I’ve read and reviewed some thrilling and beautiful books, interviewed some interesting writers, discovered some thought-provoking poetry and attended some fabulous festivals… Continue reading