News Archive

BayLit 2007

17–21 April 2007
Cardiff Bay

BayLit is the Academi’s attempt to draw the two cities of Cardiff, the town and the Bay, together in one weekend-long literary extravaganza.  For 2007 Catalonia comes to Wales, St George emerges as someone with larger concerns than simply those of the English and two UK official bards, Wales’ National Poet and British Poet Laureate meet on stage for the first time. Expect concern, erudition, entertainment, books, literary shouting, engagement, and a terrific amount of writerly fun. Book your tickets now.

Tuesday 17 April 2007:

• A Night for the Unpublished
  The Norwegian Church - 7.00 pm
  £3 / £2

Are you an unpublished writer living in South Wales? Are you eager to get your work heard and to practice your performance skills in front of a live audience? Well, if you are, then our Night for the Unpublished is for you. As part of BayLit Academi are giving you the unpublished writers of south Wales the chance to step into the limelight. Your MC for the evening will be Lloyd Robson.Be amongst the first to hear exciting, original work by writers who may soon be taking centre stage in the literary scene in Wales.

To book your performance slot contact Academi: 029 2047 2266 / post@academi.org.

Thursday 19 April 2007:

• Taliesin Launch - Welsh Language Event
  Glanfa, Wales Millennium Centre – 7.30 pm
  Free entry

Come and hear the best of Welsh language literature: poetry, prose, essays and a wide range of reviews. The launch of issue 130 of Taliesin, the Welsh language literature magazine promises to be a feast for the ears.

Editors Christine James, Crowned poet and Creative Wales Award winner Manon Rhys host a night featuring many of the issue’s contributors.

Friday 20 April 2007:

• Gwyn Thomas and Andrew Motion in Conversation
  Function Room 1, Wales Millennium Centre - 7.30 pm
  £6 / £4.50

Gwyn Thomas the National Poet for Wales and Andrew Motion Poet Laureate meet on stage for the first time to debate what it is to be an official bard and how national identity plays its part in that role. This lively and never before witnessed discussion will be chaired by a poet who knows the subject only too well, the first National Poet of Wales, Gwyneth Lewis. Wales versus England. National Poet versus Poet Laureate. Neighbours from hell or perfect fellow travellers? This is a meeting of two incredible poetic minds that is not to be missed.

Born in Tanygrisiau and raised in Blaenau Ffestiniog, Gwyn Thomas was educated at Ysgol Sir Ffestiniog, University of Wales, Bangor where he is Professor Emeritus and Jesus College, Oxford. Publishing 16 volumes of poetry over 5 decades– his first, Chwerwder yn y Ffynhonnau (Bitterness in the Fountains, Gwasg Gee) in 1962 and the latest Apocalups Yfory (Apocalypse Tomorrow, Barddas) in 2005 along with translating perhaps the finest English language version of the Mabinogion. On accepting the appointment of National Poet of Wales in 2006 Gwyn said modestly that he hoped to “draw attention to the poets of Wales and their work”.  He has certainly done that.

Andrew Motion was appointed Poet Laureate in May 1999. After reading English at University College, Oxford and teaching at the University of Hull Andrew went on to edit the Poetry Review, become Editorial Director and Poetry Editor at Chatto & Windus and has recently been appointed Professor of Creative Writing at Royal Holloway, University of London. His most recent collection of poetry is Public Property (Faber, 2002).  His autobiography In the Blood: A Memoir of My Childhood (Faber) was published in 2006.

Saturday 21 April 2007:

• Lost in Translation? Welsh and Catalan Translation Workshop
  Glyn Jones Centre, Wales Millennium Centre – 9.30 am
  £4 / £3

Five poets, three hours and two poems to translate: Welsh to Catalan, Catalan to Welsh. Will they succeed? Aspiring and experienced literary translators are welcome to join in this cultural exchange and contribute to poetry in the making.  In association with Welsh Literature Abroad and Institut Ramon Llull.

• Parallel Voices / Veus Paral-leles
  Glanfa, Wales Millennium Centre - 2.30 pm
  Free Entry

Following the success enjoyed by Welsh poets visiting Barcelona in 2005, we bring you the second stage of this project in association with Institut Ramon Llull. Witness a feast of Catalan and Welsh language poetry celebrating the national saint day of Catalonia, La Diada de Sant Jordi or is that St. George’s Day?

Representing Catalonia are poets Albert Mestres, Francesc Parcerisas and Julia Zabala and for Wales Alan Llwyd, Mererid Puw Davies and John Fitzgerald.

• Catalan Connections
  Seligman Room, Wales Millennium Centre – 4.30 pm
  £4 / £3

Jordi Coca is one of Catalonia ’s leading fictional voices. His novel, Under the Dust (Parthian), an account of a 1950’s childhood in Barcelona won the Sant Jordi Prize and has become one of the most read novels in recent Catalan literature. Aneurin Gareth Thomas is a Welshman who has spent the last fifteen years in Spain working as a teacher, writer and translator. His first book Luggage from Elsewhere (Parthian) has been described as the great post-colonial novel about Wales in the dying years of the twentieth century.  His most recent translation is Paper Spurs by Olga Merino. Aneurin and Jordi will be interviewed by writer, editor and critic Dr Montserrat Lunati. Dr Lunati lectures in contemporary Spanish and Catalan fiction at the School of European Studies at Cardiff University.

• Wales Book of the Year 2007: Meet the Longlisted Authors
  Seligman Room, Wales Millennium Centre
  7.30 pm – English-language Long List
  8.30 pm – Welsh-language Long List
  £4 / £3 each or £6 / £5 for both Book of the Year events

Learn more about the writers behind the Wales Book of the Year 2007 masterpieces.  In the first of two intimate events, Francesca Rhydderch, Editor of the New Welsh Review will be interviewing Daniel G. Williams, Merryn Williams and Jeremy Hooker. Following a brief break, Ion Thomas, author and literary critic, will be interviewing Catrin Dafydd, Llwyd Owen and Herbert Hughes.

The Wales Book of the Year Short List of 3 books in each language will be announced at the Guardian Hay Festival on 28 May 2007. Two winners – one in each language – will be presented with a £10,000 cheque at a glittering award ceremony on 9 July 2007 at the Hilton Hotel, Cardiff.