The digital home of Welsh culture.

The digital home of Welsh culture.

Menu

Theme: Literature

The Tree Men of Wales and Bengal – Soma Ghosh

Inclusive Journalism Cymru: Understanding Our Past to Know Our Present In partnership with the Wales Broadcast Archive, Inclusive Journalism Cymru commissioned three members to explore historical broadcasts and create original work reflecting on contemporary Wales. Writer, performer, and podcaster Soma Ghosh responded to a 1960 interview by Welsh broadcaster Vincent Kane on Merlin’s Oak in […]

Kaja Brown

Our Artist of the Month is Kaja Brown, an award winning writer, journalist and intersectional activist living in South Wales. Kaja explores themes of social justice, disability, mental health, LGBT+ life and environmentalism in her writing. They have been published in Atmos, Refinery 29, Shado Mag, Diva Magazine, The Welsh Agenda, Inclusive Journalism Cymru, and […]

Archif presents… Lowri Hedd Vaughan

Poet and writer Lowri Hedd Vaughan contemplates her creative practice and her connection to nature. She shares gentle reflections on her writing, intertwining her deep appreciation for the natural world in Welsh. Archif is a living record of contemporary artists in North Wales, documenting their work, personal stories, and creative journeys by Gwenno Llwyd Till, […]

Pennod 59 – Mae’r Ysgrifbin yn Rymusach na’r Cleddyf

The Pen is Mightier than the Sword: Writing and Ideology after the Wars In this episode we look at Welsh literature on both sides of the ideological divide after the wars between Parliament and King came to an end. You’ll hear Rowland Vaughan admitting that he didn’t succeed in killing radical threats to order with […]

Folding Rock: The Launch Party

We’re celebrating the very first issue of Folding Rock, and you’re invited! Book your place here Join us at Tramshed Tech Grangetown for an evening of readings from some of our brilliant contributors, live music, exclusive goodies, a chance to meet other literature lovers, and a bookstall by our friends at Book Space Cardiff. When: […]

Folding Rock 1: Roots

Front and back cover of Folding Rock Issue 1

Folding Rock 1: Roots will be published on 6 March 2025. Pre-order here and subscribe to Folding Rock here. Featuring new work from writers including Sophie Mackintosh, Jay Griffiths, Joe Dunthorne and Rachel Dawson.   Roots can take hold in myriad ways: in the places we are born, the ones we come from, and those we […]

Sut i Ddarllen

Sut i Ddarllen, sgyrsiau onest a dadlennol am ddarllen. Mewn podlediad newydd, fe fydd Francesca Sciarrillo yn trafod pob math o agweddau ar ddarllen – o’i ddylanwad i’w effaith ar ein bywydau bob dydd. Yn rhannu atgofion ac argymhellion, rhinweddau a rhwystredigaethau a hynny gyda gwesteion difyr. Felly ymunwch â ni.

Lucent Dreaming

Lucent Dreaming is an independent magazine for new and emerging writers, based in Cardiff.

Pennodau 58 – ‘Rhyfedd, Rhyfedd, Rhyfedd’: Morgan Llwyd rhan 3

‘Wonder, Wonder, Wonder’: Morgan Llwyd (3) In this episode we consider two books which were published by Morgan Llwyd during his last years, beginning with Gwyddor Uchod (‘The Science Above’), a long poem which discusses the stars and the planets, combining science and Christian mysticism. We define ‘mysticism’ as well along the way and note […]

Pennod 57 – Tri Aderyn a Dau Fyd: Morgan Llwyd rhan 2

Three Birds and Two Worlds: Morgan Llwyd rhan 2 Seeing as Richard Wyn Jones joined the Morgan Llwyd fan club in the last episode, here’s an opportunity to discuss the masterpiece of that mystic of an author, ‘The Book of the Three Birds’. We explain first of all that that is not the book’s real […]

Creating Caring Work Cultures

Yellow image with photo of people sitting in an office, talking and laughing

The subject of care is familiar to us all. We may have loved ones who receive professional care; we ourselves care for our pets, friends, the planet; more and more we are encouraged to practice self-care. But what does it mean to care in the context of work? Are those concepts even compatible? Inclusive Journalism […]

Planet presents an evening at Y Cŵps!

Planet: the Welsh Internationalist magazine ceased publishing in 2024 after 54 years due to the loss of funding, and we hope to relaunch in the future. However, for one night Planet will awaken from its dormancy for a special bilingual event on a very hot topic… with some of the most exciting contemporary voices in […]

The story of our storytelling commons, our People’s Newsroom

We’re a collective of artists, storytellers, community organisers, facilitators, creators and journalists. We found each other as we glanced around at a media industry crumbling at the feet of our communities. We locked eyes, and in doing so, caught glimmers of light, greenshoots of hope, and began to see ourselves better in the inspiration of […]

Pennod 55 – Barddoniaeth y Brenhinwyr

In this episode we look at a selection of poems composed by royalists during the ‘civil wars’ of the seventeenth century. We see that poets adapted old methods and themes in order to treat current developments which were shaking their world. Interestingly enough, It’s possible to suggest that political and religious conservatism generated incredibly energetic […]

What is a storytelling commons – and why is it so hard to talk about?

For the past year, the People’s Newsroom has been developing the idea of a storytelling commons. This article gives an introduction to what we think that means – and also why it is hard to put into words.   Storytelling Commons 101 As a very basic definition, a commons is a collective resource which is […]

Gift Guide: Best Fiction of 2024

Looking for the perfect gift for those who love fiction? Here are a few suggestions. Lace by Catrin Kean (Honno Press) In the early 1900s in Wicklow, Ireland, the lives of six-year-old Mary and her siblings are torn apart when their father dies leaving the family penniless. Mary’s mother is forced to travel to Dublin […]

CWYR Issue 1 DE-VICES

Introducing CWYR issue 1: DE-VICES featuring work from nine queer artists, this issue endeavours to provide a tentative exploration into the way queer folx interact with, utilise, and resist digital technologies.

CWYR issue 2 is released today 🔊

Oyez, oyez! CWYR issue 2 is released today 🔊 Presenting a feast of queer creativity, fulfilment is explored in exclusivity. Contained within 44 recycled pages, lie poetry, photography and writing on the Dark Ages 🕯️ Printed and bound by @folium_publishing, the cover is completed with silver thermo powder finishing. Available for purchase through the link […]

CWYR Issue 2 Launch

CWYR ISSUE 2 LAUNCH: FULFILMENT Mynnwch eich dyddiadur allan oherwydd rydym yn lansio ail rifyn CWYR ar ddydd Gwener 13eg Rhagfyr! Ymunwch â ni o 6:30PM @rare_mags i fwynhau ein rhifyn diweddaraf, yn ffres oddi ar y wasg (bach). Drop by to grab a copy of the fulfilment issue and listen to tunes mixed by […]

CWYR ISSUE 2 LAUNCH FULFILMENT

Get your diary out because we’re launching the second issue of CWYR on Friday 13th of December! Join us from 6:30 pm at Rare Mags to enjoy our latest edition, fresh off the (small) press.  

Episode 54 – ‘The earth shook: an introduction to the Welsh literature of the ‘Civil Wars’

Episode 54 – ‘The earth shook: an introduction to the Welsh literature of the ‘Civil Wars’

There is a great amount of Welsh-language literature surviving which is related to the ‘Civil Wars’ between Parliament and King Charles I.

We note in this episode that the most famous Welsh author of the period, Morgan Llwyd, was a Puritan who supported the Senate, and we quote from a poem by him which describes the warfare as an earthquake shaking his world. However, most seventeenth-century Welsh people supported the king, and we discuss how one Welsh poet suffered because of his political and religious loyalties. And although there are many texts which testify to the connections between Welsh people and the conflict and violence, we also look at one example which reminds us that it is not lightly that one takes literature as a reliable historical source.

The Flag is Up

For International Day of Disabled People, here is a blog about the latest iteration of the Progress Pride Flag designed by our Training and Funding Officer Rachel Stelmach.

Rachel has written about the history of the flag and her new design which includes disabled people.

CWYR Zine

CWYR Zine

CWYR is an independent publication providing a platform for LGBTQ+ creatives. Each issue examines a central theme through a queer lens, using fiction, poetry, interviews, and artworks to provide unique insight into the experiences of queer folx.

Winter Reads

Looking for Christmas gifts?

Winter Reads, a taste of the brilliant books from Wales available over the coming months, is out now!
Pick up your free copy from your local bookshop, or browse the catalogue here!

Pennod 53 – Pechod yn Llanymddyfri: Y Ficer Prichard

Sin in Llandovery: The Vicar Prichard

In this episode we discuss the way Rhys Prichard (c.1579-1644), vicar of Llandovery, used simple free-metre poetry to spread religious lessons.

In addition to considering his general agenda, we look in detail at one poem which shows that he was very worried by the sinful life he saw in his own parish, and which depicts Llandovery as a kind of Sodom a Gomorrah. It was only after his death that his work was published as a collection under the title Cannwyll y Cymry [‘the Candle of the Welsh’]. The work would be reprinted repeatedly, ensuring that ‘the Vicar Prichard’ was among the most popular Welsh poets of the period before 1800. However, in our opinion the most interesting thing about this poet is way in which Rhys Prichard was made part of the Welsh Puritan lineage; looking anew at evidence about his life and his own beliefs, we conclude that he was actually diametrically opposed to the Puritans who fought against the king. We thus have here a striking example of literature taken out of its original political and religious context and used for completely different ends.

Haunting stories for long winter nights

In these haunting tales, nothing is as it seems. A tormented voice calls from the barred windows of an empty room. A dusty museum exhibit possesses sinister powers. A glass of blackberry wine links the living with the sins of the dead.

Between 1965 and 1975, Elizabeth Walter published five collections of supernatural stories. But whilst the names of her contemporaries such as Robert Aickman are now widely recognised, Walter is relatively unknown to modern readers. Mixing folklore, history, and ancient traditions, these gothic stories draw on Walter’s Welsh heritage and the rich inspiration of South Wales and the border country.

Including the mysterious ritual of ‘The Sin-Eater’, the folk horror of ‘Dead Woman’ and the poignant ‘Come and Get Me’, Let a Sleeping Witch Lie is the perfect way to rediscover Elizabeth Walter’s chillingly remarkable talent.

Order Let a Sleeping Witch Lie online https://www.serenbooks.com/book/let-a-sleeping-witch-lie/ or in bookshops now