SEREN CARDIFF POETRY FESTIVAL
After the success of the last two years, Seren Cardiff Poetry Festival (formerly Seren Cornerstone) is moving to the Temple Of Peace in Cathays Park, for a weekend of readings, lectures and creative writing workshops. Aptly timed for Valentine’s weekend, the Poetry Festival promises an exciting and diverse line-up from both new and established voices.
Kicking off the weekend is poet Rhian Edwards, presenting Vinegar Valentine – a workshop exploring lovers lost and unrequited inviting participants to write a character portrait about a lover, promising to be creative, visceral and humorous. For the Meic Stephens Lecture, Kieron Smith discusses the poetry and documentaries of Swansea-born John Ormond. On day two, Deryn Rees-Jones will be reading from her new collection Erato, which features autobiographical narratives and poetic sequences questioning both the beauty and the horrors of the world.
Poems For The Planet joins poets Carrie Etter, Jane Lovell and André Mangeot in readings of their work, focusing on the consequences of the climate crisis on the natural world. On Saturday evening, the inaugural Wales Poetry Award will be given. The final day of the festival will welcome Eric Ngalle Charles’ short film A Hymn To Tolerance, which looks at his life, from his early years in Cameroon, to being trafficked to Russia, before finding his place of refuge in Cardiff.
The festival will also be paying tribute to Cardiff-born poet Dannie Abse, CBE (1923-2014) in Remembering Dannie Abse. His daughter Keren Abse, Seren Director Cary Archard, and Managing Editor Mick Felton will all say a few words and read one of his poems. Welsh poet Robert Minhinnick will read from one of his essays on Abse’s work, and Lynne Hjelmgaard will recall her final years spent with Abse. The event promises to be a celebration of the life and work of a man considered to be one of the leading poets of his generation. Finally, the event concludes with Manic Street Preachers frontman James Dean Bradfield presenting Desert Island Poems; interviewed by Huw Stephens, Bradfield will share a selection of his favourite verses. words ELLIE HUTCHINGS
Temple Of Peace, Cardiff, Fri 14-Sun 16 Feb. Tickets: £30-£55 for a weekend pass; events priced individually. Info: www.cardiffpoetryfestival.com