Calendar Corner (1): National Poetry Week

5 Cwmdonkin Drive, Swansea, Wales, UK

We are much looking forward to participating in ...

The International Dylan Thomas Birthplace Festival 

Ways with Words

3 – 9 October 2011

David and I join Peter Thabit Jones (ed. The Seventh Quarry) and other poets on Saturday 8 October. Do take a look at the programme for Dylan's Birthplace and don't forget the National Poetry Day website.

Anthology Alert (9): Memories ~ a Host of Golden Daffodils

The cover

Local writers, Ann Cooke and Dr Ruth Jenkins, have produced a sparkling new prose anthology on the subject of 'Memories'. The collection costs £5 (plus, I imagine, an additional charge for p&p) and profits will go to St James' Church in the Uplands, Swansea, Wales, UK. Please leave a comment here (or send me an email) if you would like to buy a copy, and I will put you in touch with the editors.

The volume was launched in the Parish Hall at St James' last Saturday evening. It was a wonderful occasion of prose and poetry. Byron Beynon gave a fascinating paper on Idris Davies and the subject of memories. He touched on key themes from the anthology, weaving these into a narrative on the Faber poet from Rhymney, whose work continues to excite a wide readership today.

After a magnificent buffet, we were treated to three pieces from the new collection. One was about the evocative and transformative power of music, a second on the ever-popular subject of the Mumbles Train (which is sadly no more) and finally, a lively account of a carol-singing expedition in Llanelli by the Reverend Dr Duncan Walker.

Congratulations to Ann and Ruth and to all my fellow contributors. Subjects covered range from a lively and colourful selection of 'memories of 1960s Swansea' (by Paulette Luise Pelosi) to biographical sketches (e.g. a grandmother, a grandfather - and my pen portrait of my godfather). There are recollections of happy times and of darker days.

Why not support a worthy cause and buy a copy of this hot-off-the-press booklet. You will then be able to enjoy some of the 'Ohhh and Ahhh-moments' (in the words of contributor, Torsten Herbst) for yourself.    

• Idris Davies biography online here
• You can read my Idris Davies poem here

International Echoes (13): 俳句 in Response to the Earthquake

Cherry Trees in Cwmdonkin Park, Swansea, Wales, UK (where the young Dylan Thomas played)

We continue to reel at the events of the past few days and at the prospect of what is still to come. Our hearts go out to those who have been affected.

You might like to read some Haiku (俳句), written by members of our global community in solidarity with our friends in Japan, New Zealand and elsewhere.

Ban'ya Natsuishi has been preparing a blog post of these sentiments. If you click the link and scroll down far enough, you will see that I have sent a Haiku from Wales.

Magazine Moment (19) : Cultural Horizon Magazine, Romania

Congratulations to editor-in-chief, Daniel Dragomirescu, in Bucharest for bringing out the latest edition of 'Orizont Literar Comtemporan' / 'Contemporary Literary Horizon' so speedily after the recent 'Antologia'.

Atlas may struggle to bear the weight of the world on his shoulders (on the red and yellow card in front of the magazine), but the world of 'Orizont Literar Comtemporan' is a welcoming, buoyant and cosmopolitan cosmos of its own that propels its reader into new realms of art, literature and the vibrant exchange of ideas. The undergirding of Atlas, however, reminds us that there is a sense in which the reader finds him or herself peering forward towards ever widening horizons, 'standing on the shoulders' of those literary giants who have begun to pave the way.

The issue opens with USA writer, Peggy Landsman's witty piece, 'Daniel's Cosmic Suitcase', about the magazine's editor, who reaches for the stars. I have alluded to this in a previous post. Some features are more earth-bound, such as 'All Things Mothering' by Terra Trevor (USA), subtitled, 'Braiding Native American Heritage Month with Thanksgiving: A Native American Mother's Perspective'. This account begins with an evocative opening:

'Wind, smelling of woodsmoke, rattles the yellow leaves off the peach tree ...'

But all has not always been well in the garden, for Katerina Kostaki's poem (in Greek with English translation) is about 'The Apple of Discord'.  

The magazine features a substantial excerpt from Daniel Dragomirescu's novel, 'Cronica Teodoreştilor / Chronicle of a Lost World'. Thanks to the translation by Loredana Andreea Matei, a second year student on the MTTLC course at the University of Bucharest, I am able to enjoy the narrative, 'Chained by Law', about Stelian Teodoescu, 'a former inspector of the Cooperation Institute' who 

'headed backwards to the other side of the yard, 

where a barn was under construction, 

filled with memories...'

Carole St-Aubin takes us back (or moves us forward) to Christmas - in the kitchen 'where love is the ingredient in every feast'. Khem Guragain from Nepal adds an oriental flavour with his book review of an autobiographical novel, 'The English Teacher' by N.K. Narayan. The protagonist, apparently, experiences an understandable sense of bitterness when he finds that he is required to 'stuff the students' at Albert Mission College' with Shakespeare, Milton and Carlyle. (Aside: I would very much hope that Shakespeare and Milton would feature on the school syllabus in England today, but I would be pleasantly surprised to find a mention of Carlyle!). 

The thought-provoking poetry of Roxana Drăguşin has a wistful philosophical air about it in places. Roxana has provided her own translation in English, and I was particularly struck by this phrase from 'Călătorii' / 'Travellers':

'We pick up smiles, flowers, butterflies ...'

Wales is not forgotten! My interview with Gillian Drake explores the realm of writing for children and adults in terms of the joys and responsibilities of creating 'another world' or bringing to light 'another dimension of this one'. My sincere thanks to Gillian for being in the 'Dialoguri Galeze' spotlight on this occasion.

* * *

If you would like to take out a subscription to the magazine, you will find details below:

• MAGAZINE PRICE: 12 EUROS | 15 DOLLARS PER COPY (SHIPPING INCLUDED). PayPal: details to the right of the magazine page if you click here.
• Antologia Revistei Orizont Literar Contemporan (ed. Daniel Drogmirescu, Bucharest, Romania): PRICE PER COPY: 40 EUROS | 50 DOLLARS PER COPY Via PayPal: details to the right of the magazine page if you click here.   

Recent contributors:

• Kristina Kostaki's blog. Kristina, a contributor to the magazine, lives in Greece. She has written a post about the 'Orizont Literar Contemporan' anthology here. 
• M. Denise C's blog, here 
• French painter, Hélène Glehen 

Window on Wales (4): Castles in the Frame

Dryslwyn Castle: shades of summer . . .

I have just been enjoying the photo gallery of castles in Wales on the BBC Wales site here. If you have photos that you would like to submit, you will find the details on the site.

I wonder how many castles you think there are here in Wales! I knew there were a lot, but I had no idea that there were this many, with about 100 'still standing'.

It made me wonder how many of these have either featured in poems or provided inspiration for poets over the years. Speaking personally, I don't have to think very hard to name a few castles (e.g. Carreg Cennen, Tretower, Dryslwyn and Manorbier) that have influenced my own writing to one degree or another over the years.

Incidentally, you might like to see the wildlife I have seen recently as part of The Tree Year project (see side bar) in the vicinity of the castle at Dryslwyn.

Fiesta Time (2): International Poetry Festival in Swansea, June 2011

Blue Plaque: Dylan Thomas House, Number 5, Cwmdonkin Drive, Swansea

 ~ ~ ~

SWANSEA, WALES: JUNE 2011

The Seventh Quarry 
and
Cross-Cultural Communications, New York 

A three-day festival of poetry, drama, workshops, and music 

will take place from 16th to 18th June, 

featuring writers and performers 

from the U.K., America, Canada, Argentina, Israel, Europe, Eastern Europe, and India.

Hosted by Peter Thabit Jones and Stanley H. Barkan 

at the Dylan Thomas Theatre, Swansea. 

Extra festival events at The Boathouse, Laugharne; 

Dylan Thomas House, Swansea; 

and the Nick Holly Art Studio, Swansea.

A commemorative chapbook will be produced 

and several awards will be announced. 

Further details and a brochure forthcoming.

~ ~ ~ 

Publications (4): Poem of the Month - and others

A dram, used in the coalfields of South Wales

I was surprised and delighted last night to receive an email, informing me that my poem, 'Elegy for Idris Davies', has been voted Poem of the Month by Anne Stewart on the SecondLightLive web page. This poem was published by Peter Thabit Jones in The Seventh Quarry. You can read it here.

More locally, three of my poems have just appeared in our Poetry Group's Christmas anthology, 'Tuesday Poetry', produced by Jean Salkilld. My poems are about (1) Christmas, (2) the rose-red city of Petra and (3) winter at the Westonbirt Arboretum.

Further reading

• Biography: Idris Davies
• Westonbirt Arboretum

Window on Wildlife (14): Red Kite

David (Gill) took this photo of a Red Kite at the weekend. I thought I was posting it on my wildlife blog, 'Wild and Wonderful', but since it ended up here, it seemed a shame to remove! 

                                

I have posted a close-up of the Kite here.

Going Green (1): Writing Workshop on Climate Change

I have been continuing to enjoy the annual Dylan Thomas Festival in the Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea.

I spent Saturday afternoon at an enjoyable, informative and highly stimulating workshop on the topical theme of 'Climate Change'. The afternoon was organised by Emily Hinshelwood and led by eco-poet, Susan Richardson (and here). It proved a very popular event, and a good time was had by all. We balanced a spell of organic writing with a time set aside for a more structured approach, in which each participant began to create a poem in response to various prompts around the given theme.

Emily Hinshelwood and Susan Richardson

The workshop was delivered under the auspices of Awel Aman Tawe. This organisation is running a poetry competition to encourage people to write their own 'Climate Change' poems. Gillian Clarke, the National Poet of Wales, and Menna Elfyn, award winning poet have agreed to act as judges. The closing date is 30 November 2010. There are categories for adults and children, with prizes of £200, £50 and £25 (adults) and £20, £10 and £5 (children). Further information is available from the Awel Aman Tawe website, if you tap 'competition' into the search box. It's time to formulate those ideas.

Fiesta Time (1): Andrew Motion at the Dylan Thomas Festival 2010

I have just come in after a wonderful evening at the Dylan Thomas Centre. The annual Dylan Thomas Festival is in full swing, and the theme for 2010 concerns the three Thomases; Dylan, Edward and R.S.

Andrew Motion was speaking on (perhaps) my favourite of the three, Edward. 

Sir Andrew Motion has written extensively on Edward Thomas, and it was good to listen to some of the poems again. 

Many of you will know 'Adlestrop', but did you realise that Edward's father spent some time working for the railways? I must find out more ... 

Magazine Moment (15): The Seventh Quarry

Swansea Bay from Mumbles,
with the Swansea-Cork ferry

I was delighted when the Summer 2010 edition [issue 12] of The Seventh Quarry arrived today, featuring an international spread of work from Wales, England, Holland, Romania, Italy, Catalonia, Israel, South Africa, Canada and America.

The magazine includes an interview with one of the leading Catalonian poets, Dr August Bover. Dr Kristine Doll poses interesting questions about the 'difficult to understand' label that attaches itself to the art of poetry.* I had the privilege of meeting August at a stimulating and memorable workshop in the Dylan Thomas Centre some months ago. Allan Peterson appears on p.5 as the issue's poet in profile.

The magazine opens with a poetry sequence including a moving piece, A Circle of Meadow, by Vince Clemente, The Seventh Quarry's Consulting Editor for America. A stylish concrete poem, Elephant, by Dave Lewis from Wales is embedded with 'memories' and 'stories' from the watering holes. Gerald England's witty contribution seems to me to combine the lazy dog pangram with a kind of abcedarium. I much enjoyed Gillian Drake's evocative poem, Lost - and am delighted that my poem, The Women of Linear B, has been included on p.11.

In Chapter 1 - Swansea Bay we are treated to an excerpt from a forthcoming Cross-Cultural Communications publication, Love For Ever Meridian; Finding Dylan Thomas in the 21st Century by John Dotson, who enjoyed 'taking in the shore-places of Dylan the boy' on a recent visit to South Wales.

The penultimate page of this issue carries a description of the latest Poet to Poet chapbook, Nightwatch by Aeronwy Thomas and Maria Mazziotti Gillan, in the series published jointly by Cross-Cultural Communications and The Seventh Quarry Press ... of which more perhaps in a future post.

Thank you, Peter, once again for another bumper edition!


* Postscript: On the subject of the meaning of poetry, there is a substantial article entitled by The Virtue of Verse by George Watson, fellow at St John's College, Cambridge in the current Times Higher Education Supplement (29 July-4 Aug 2010) - available online, with livelink highlighted above.

***

N.B. If you would like to take out a subscription
to The Seventh Quarry poetry magazine,
details can be found here.

Window on Wildlife (11): Dragonflies

These creatures begin life in the water and move out from it as they develop. We have about forty types of Dragonfly and Damselfly in the UK. More than twenty species can be seen at WWT Llanelli. I am wondering how many varieties I have spotted here and at Dinefwr near Llandeilo.

I am a total novice at Dragonfly identification; any help here would be appreciated!

WWT Llanelli

[i]

Above

? Aeshna juncea - Common Hawker

P.S. July 2010: For an update on this I.D. [i], please see comments below!

[ii]

Above

Sympetrum striolatum - Common Darter

[iii]

Above

Sympetrum striolatum - Common Darter

[iv]

Above

Sympetrum striolatum - Common Darter (female)

[v]

I have not been able - as yet - to identify this Dragonfly.
It had compact heavy features
and seemed to enjoy dive-bombing, 'helicopter-style', into the water.

Same as above

Same as above

Same as above

Same as above:
I think it may be a Chaser
(having looked at a Four-Spotted Chaser on the Kenfig blog here)

[vi]

Above

I think this is a Hawker of some description!

[vii]

Above
Common Darter, Sympetrum striolatum
Family Libellulidae - Chasers, Skimmers and Darters

N.B. I have attempted to give each individual Dragonfly a number e.g. [vi],
which will appear just above a its photograph.
It is possible that there may be more than one example of any species.

• British Dragonfly Society
  

I will focus on the Damselfly in my next post.

Magazine Moment (10): Quill and Parchment (USA) - Featured Photographer

I am grateful to editor, Sharmagne Leland-St. John, for inviting me to join her as her fellow 'Featured Photographer' for the June issue of the subscription online magazine, Quill and Parchment.

If you would like to see my photographs of Wales in the magazine, you are invited to follow the link here, and type the following Guest Passwords into the box that will appear when you click on Sharmagne's cover photograph of Tynemouth Castle (a site I know well from my years in Newcastle):

NAME: june
PASSWORD: lake

I hope you enjoy the issue!

Something New (1): Green Leaf Worm

Caswell Bay,
Gower, Swansea, South Wales, UK

I keep trying to hone my skills of observation, and am always on the look-out for something new. I owe so much to those of you fellow-bloggers who consistently draw my attention to unusual aspects of the natural world. Thank you.

It has been an amazingly sunny weekend here in South Wales, with hardly a cloud in the sky. We spent quite a bit of time on the coast. I was delighted to see a Common Starfish at Caswell Bay on Gower. I must have occasionally seen these fine creatures before, but I can't think when that would have been. It was a great thrill to see the Starfish clinging to the side of a rock pool. The translucent tangerine colour was amazing. I was so frustrated that I did not have my camera with me at the time - my own fault entirely, of course.

We also saw quantities of extraordinary green worms on the rock faces around the edge of the beach. Neither of us is aware of ever having seen these creatures before. What did we do in the days before Google? As a youngster, I turned, of course, to the weighty volumes of the Children's Encyclopedia Britannica. Anyway, a quick Google search led me to Jessica's Nature Blog, and enabled me to discover that these worms are Green Leaf Worms Eulalia viridis (Linnaeus). Do follow the link to read about them and to see what they look like! Jessica Winder's photograph also solves another mystery: it has helped me to identify an unattractive orange substance - like a slime or fungus - that we noticed in rocky crevices. Apparently it was 'encrusting sponge' (you can see some amazing examples here by clicking and scrolling down). Thank you, Jessica.

We also noticed some small fairly uniform spherical creatures along the tideline. They were like transparent globules, about 1cm across. I wondered if they were perhaps eggs of some kind, or Sea Squirts or baby Jellyfish. It seems likely that they were either Sea Gooseberries aka Comb Jellies (Ctenophores), exactly like the one in the photo here, or Salps. Salps are Tunicates, which have sac-like bodies enclosed in a membrane-tunic, with two openings or siphons for absorbing and dispelling water.

'Curiouser and Curiouser'...

• Jessica's Nature Blog
  

Poems on the Web (6): Thalatta! Thalatta!

A blue plaque in Tenby, South Wales

I am delighted that Dr Marc Latham's Folding Mirror Poetry form is listed on Professor Lewis Turco's 'manuscript-in-circulation' entitled The Book of Odd and Invented Forms. The two examples of the form are:

• 'Hourglass of Time' by Claire Knight, 2009 First Prize winner of the Haiku section of the New Zealand International Poetry Society Competition (and winner of the Jeanette Stace Memorial Prize).
• 'Thalatta! Thalatta!' by yours truly.

I have long admired Professor Turco's work, 'The Book of Forms: a Handbook of Poetics', and am delighted that he is planning a sequel. You can read about Dr Marc Latham's Folding Mirror Poetry form on the FMP site here.

Competition Corner (4): Spring Fever

March 2010: Sunset
Seeing out the last traces of winter?

Above: clumps of spawn underwater.
Clumps of spawn float to the surface in large round clumps
so that the eggs can be warmed by the sunshine.

Above and below: surface spawn
clumps so that the sun can warm the eggs.
The spawn floats to surface in large round clumps so that the sun can warm the eggs.

Below: Frog

I wonder which date marks the start of spring for you.

Here in Wales we often associate St David's Day on 1 March with the start of the new season. Midnight (more or less) on 20 March is considered the official first day of spring for 2010 in the Northern Hemisphere, as this corresponds with the Vernal Equinox when the sun will lie directly over the equator. The Southern Hemisphere will observe the Autumnal Equinox on that day. I understand that Australia and New Zealand designate the first day of September as their official first day of spring.

I wonder what signs you particularly associate with the new season. Here in Wales it could be the sight of new lambs or the first daffodil. We saw our first frog spawn (pictured above) at the weekend in Carmarthenshire. The frog photo was 'one I took earlier', but I thought it was encouraging to think that this handsome creature is the end product of the metamorphosis - not forgetting the tadpole stage in the middle.

There is still time to go over to the WriteLink Spring Fever Poetry Competition and cast a vote and/or leave a comment. The poll will close on 21 March, so there are only a few days to go.


You can read my puffin poem here (and the page gives access to all the other competing poems). Details of the contest can be found in my previous post here. A big thank you to those who have been along and left a mark already!

Window on Wales (3): Beach Huts, Langland

It's been a long winter, but at last there are signs of spring. My thoughts even turned on to summer when I read Kay's post about beach huts. It made me wonder whether those of you who live in other parts of the UK or beyond have a beach hut photo to post?

I took these in the summer, when there were blue skies overhead. Langland is on the Gower Peninsula. It is adjacent to Mumbles and very close to Swansea, home town of the poet, Dylan Thomas.

Incidentally, speaking of Gower, you might enjoy looking at these fabulous adder photographs at Nicholaston on the Welsh Wildlife site, accessed via the excellent Gower Wildlife Blog. I was amazed to think of adders in early spring, especially after such a cold winter.

Seasonal Spotlight on Aberglasney (2): February 2010

I thought it might be interesting to compare the following photos with ones taken on 9 June 2009 at Aberglasney, the garden lost in time and home of the poet, John Dyer, Carmarthenshire, Wales, UK. So this is a second batch of occasional seasonal photographs.

'Hear the thrush, while all is still,
Within the groves of Grongar Hill'

John Dyer (d.1757)

• The House at Aberglasney (partly open to the public, often with exhibitions)

• The view from Aberglasney to Grongar Hill (the view from my favourite seat)

• The Upper Walled Garden (with Celtic design flowerbeds)

• The stream in Pigeon House Wood - my apologies: my eyes alighted on the robin, and I forgot to photograph the stream!

• The Cloister Garden: an early crocus
  

• The stream in Bishop Rudd's Walk

Invertebrate Life

• I did not take any photographs of invertebrates this time. I noticed a number of snails in the stone-work. I looked for insect life on the edge of the pond in The Pool Garden, but did not see anything. (We have seen newts and an eel here: my photo of an eel at Aberglasney is here)
  

Bird life

• This magnificent Red Kite was circling overhead.

• I think this was a Green Finch. It was hard to see, right in the tree top - but its yellow feathers glinted in the sunlight.

• I guess it was not surprising that there was no sign of the Pied Flycatcher we saw last June.

Plants

• Snowdrops (and at top of post)
  

• Early signs of a Bluebell
  
  
  
• Primroses
  

... And finally, for Aberglasney's literary links (Wordsworth, Gillian Clarke...), you may like to click here. I hope you have enjoyed this virtual visit to the garden.

Postscript
We drove home via the castle at Dryslwyn, where we saw a Nuthatch...

and a Tree Creeper...

Seasonal Spotlight (4): Christmas Greetings!

'And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night...'
Luke 2:8

Happy Christmas!
Nadolig Llawen!

Snowy hillside near Hay on Wye, Wales, UK

• The nation's favourite Christmas carol
• Vote for a favourite Christmas carol here