News Archive

BayLit 2008: Shock of the New

Wednesday 8 October - Tuesday 14 October 2008
Cardiff Bay, Various Venues

Shock of the New. This is what Ezra Pound wanted. What Robert Hughes thought art generated right through the last century. Flickering change. In 2008 has this changed?  Literature may still be new but does it continue to make waves? BayLit, the Academi’s annual bilingual festival will try to find out. Expect the young, the new, and the alternative.

Throughout the events we will be listening to and looking at innovative themes, emerging authors, original ideas and unique writing styles within literature but also in politics, film, theatre, technology and the media.

Highlights include poetry collective Aisle 16 taking us on a bizarre poetic travelogue of motorway service stations, while Cymdeithas y Rhyfeddod attempt to define the imagination with their extraordinary multimedia experiment featuring 24 familiar voices from Welsh-language Literature. Plus an evening of Speedy Scripts from young playwrights Ceri Elen, Huw Foulkes, Lleucu Siôn, Elis Gomer and Gwilym Dwyfor follows the arrival of the World Poets Tour in Cardiff, led by Choman Hardi.  Poet, critic and newly appointed editor of New Welsh Review Kathryn Gray introduces an evening featuring young Welsh writers Zoe Brigley, Meirion Jordan, Louise Walsh, Tom Anderson and Joe Dunthorne.

Join us at The Point on Thursday 9 October for The Big Gig and Poetryfilm which combines experimental film and live readings from Lois Barrar, Rhys Iorwerth, Iwan Rhys, Tiffany Atkinson, Richard Marggraf Turley and Anna Lewis followed by music from Jamie and the Lionhearts and Derwyddon Dr Gonzo. Or drop into Borders, Cardiff during the week for one our lunchtime readings. Two workshops from Yemisi Blake and Eurig Salisbury look at the Creative Art of Blogging and a revolutionary new take on cynghanedd. Plus, is rural the new urban? Cynan Jones, Horatio Clare and Tom Bullough discuss while David Llewellyn asks the question are we shocked yet? All this and much more…

For a full list of events, information on the speakers and to download a brochure click here to visit the BayLit: Shock of the New section of our website. 

Contact Academi on:
029 2047 2266 / post@academi.org