Paintings and poems

 I had a very interesting afternoon on Saturday visiting the Ceridwen and Gwion Bach exhibition at Y Gaer in Brecon. The artist Tim Rossiter is exhibiting a series of his paintings there, completed over fifteen years, based on the Welsh myth that tells of the impregnation of the enchantress Ceridwen by Gwion Bach. If you don't know the story, do look it up - it's one of the oldest and the best known of all Welsh stories. The child that results from the bizarre union (and who, rather like Moses, is set to sea in a leather bag) is reputed to become Taliesin, the renowned sixth century bard. 

The paintings themselves were fascinating but I was particularly interested to hear the poetry that had been written in response to some of Taliesin's work. Two poets - Graham Harthill and Ric Hool - read; a third, Frank Olding, who was to have read in Welsh was unfortunately unwell. I enjoyed the readings very much but couldn't help thinking how masculine the poets' takes on the story perhaps were - indeed, Graham Harthill himself acknowledged them as such. I'm sure many women would find very different meanings in the myth - but then, what resonates in each of us when looking at any story will depend on many factors, not simply gender of course. A lot to ponder on there!

Appropriate timing!

On Sunday the Gloucestershire poet, my friend and ex-colleague Iris Anne Lewis shared a lovely afternoon with me as we launched our two new poetry collections. Coming in the same week as National Poetry Day - today, October 3rd - it could not have had more auspicious timing. We were fortunate to have the use of the Friend's Meeting House in Cirencester, a seventeenth century building with a beautiful panelled library that just lends itself to spoken word presentations. And we were lucky indeed to have Angela France, senior lecturer in poetry at the University of Gloucestershire, and Anna Saunders, the Director of the Cheltenham Poetry Festival, reading alongside us. Another Welsh poet, my friend and mentor Rona Laycock, very ably chaired the afternoon and we had a very attentive and appreciative audience. Many thanks to everyone who came and helped to make it such a memorable occasion.

So, after another lengthy gestation, The Photo I Didn't Take has finally made it out into the world. When I despair of the mishaps and the health problems of the last few months, I can now comfort myself with the knowledge that I have brought out both a prose and poetry publication this year! Time to move on now though and get stuck in again with the pilgrimage project that was relegated to the back burner with so many adverse things going on. 

If you happen to be in the lower Wye Valley area during October - do drop into the Wye Valley Craft Association centre at Abbey Mill in Tintern. Amongst the beautiful pottery, jewellery, woodwork and glassware you'll find a display of books by local authors - novelists, poets, children's writers, memoirists. So many great ideas for those Christmas presents you've promised yourself you'll get early this year! To say nothing of those you can treat yourself to ...