FESTIVALPROGRAMME27 October - 9 November 2012

DYLANTHOMAS

CENTRE

“O may my heart’s truth / Still besung / On this high hill in a year’sturning”, wrote Dylan Thomas in‘Poem in October’. Dylan sang inmany different forms, and ourfestival celebrates this in thevariety of genres we presentthroughout the fortnight, fromshort fiction to music, and fromsports writing to poetry. Enjoy!

Jo Furber, Literature Officer

WELCOME

F

C

PTL

Full Price

Concessions

Passport To Leisure

BOX OFFICE: 01792 463980Online booking is available: www.ticketsource.co.uk/dylanthomas

2 Dylan Thomas Festival 2012

Saturday 27 October, 2.30pm – 4.30pmPOETRY WORKSHOP WITH SAMANTHA WYNNE-RHYDDERCHThe rhymer in the longtongued room:celebrate Dylan’s98th birthdaywith a workshopon writing longpoems withacclaimed poet,SamanthaWynne-Rhydderch.Limited to ten places.TICKETS:

£10 £7C

F

Saturday 27 October, 7.30pmSTAN TRACEY QUARTET A CHILD’S CHRISTMASJAZZ SUITEInspired by Dylan Thomas’ shortstory, jazz legend Stan Tracey’s newsuite is performed by his currentquartet plus his grandson, Ben, asnarrator. Like Stan’s landmark UnderMilk Wood Suite, this joyous piecereflects Stan’s love of Dylan’s work,and the ways in which it continuesto inspire him. TICKETS: from £25 to £10

Sunday 28 October, 2pmHEARTS OF OAKBY LIZ WRIDEBased on a true story, Swanseaplaywright Liz Wride’s Hearts of Oak isa story of turmoil, love and hatred set inThe Smalls Lighthouse off the southwest coast of Wales. In 1780, two menare marooned on the lighthouse withnothing for company but their mutualdislike. Haunted by the memories ofthose they knew on-shore, they beginto question if they will ever leave thelighthouse alive. This premiereprofessional performance will bepresented script-in-hand and directedby acclaimed playwright D.J. Britton.TICKETS: £6 £4.20 £2.40

www.dylanthomas.com/festival 3

F C PTL

Tuesday 30 October, 7.30pm

ROSHI FERNANDO AND KEVIN BARRY IN CONVERSATION WITH JON GOWER We celebrate the short story with Impressprize winner Roshi Fernando, whosestunning collection of interlinked stories,Homesick, follows a community of Sri Lankan

immigrants in London.Sunday Times short storyaward winner Kevin Barryhas been described by IrvineWelsh as “ the most arrestingand original writer to emergefrom these islands for years.”Dark Lies the Island tellsstories about love andcruelty, crimes, desperation

and hope. They will be in conversationwith the multi-talented Jon Gower.

TICKETS: £6 £4.20 £2.40F C PTL

RoshiFernando

KevinBarry

4 Dylan Thomas Festival 2012

Wednesday 31 October, 7.30pmBRENDA CHAMBERLAINCENTENARY EVENT WITH NEW WELSH REVIEW,PARTHIAN AND FLUELLEN In the centenary of her birth, Parthianpublish fiction and drama by BrendaChamberlain, along with a biographyof her life. Join biographer Jill Piercyand New Welsh Review’s GwenDavies for an evening celebratingBrenda’s work, her connections withAlun Lewis, Lynette Roberts and DylanThomas, and the turbulent life behind itall. Fluellen also present a script-in-hand performance of extracts fromChamberlain’s play, The Protagonists. TICKETS: £6 £4.20 £2.40

Thursday 1 November, 7pm MENNA ELFYNLAUNCHES MURMURMenna Elfyn is the best-known, mosttravelled and most translated of allWelsh-language poets. Theextraordinary international range of hersubjects, breathtaking inventivenessand generosity of vision place heramong Europe’s leading poets, andwe’re delighted to launch her latestcollection in Welsh and English fromBloodaxe, the first ever Welsh languagebook to be a Poetry Book SocietyRecommended Translation. Menna willbe joined by one of her translators,Elin ap Hywel, and introduced byProfessor M Wynn Thomas. Free entry and wineF C PTL

BrendaChamberlain

MennaElfyn

www.dylanthomas.com/festival 5

Friday 2 November, 9.30am – 5.30pmTHE LONG REVOLUTIONIN JAPAN AND WALES: TRANSNATIONAL DIALOGUESON RAYMOND WILLIAMSA one-day conference arranged byCREW and supported by the RichardBurton Centre. What has the impact of Raymond Williams’work been in Japan? Are there grounds forcomparing the critical, cultural and politicalhistories of Wales and Japan? Is Williams’voice increasingly important in an age offinancial crisis? The third in a series ofconferences featuring Welsh and Japaneseacademics concerning the work of Williamsincludes papers by established figures suchas the eminent translator and academicYasuo Kawabata, and younger scholarssuch as Shintaro Kono and TakashiOnuki. It also features contributions fromSwansea University’s Dai Smith and ChrisWilliams.TICKETS: £10, includes tea and coffee

Friday 2 November, 7.30pm

PAUL DURCAN Legendary Irish poet Paul Durcan ison top form in his latest collection,Praise in Which I Live and Move andHave my Being, as he contemplatesthe fall of the Celtic Tiger, whilerailing against bankers and ‘bonusboys’. There are poems of love lostand won, and in memory of friendsand relatives who have passed on,but there is also joy in the birth of agrandson, and praise, too, for themodest heroism of truckers, airtraffic controllers and nurses.Durcan is an electrifying reader ofhis work – this is an event not tobe missed.

TICKETS: £8 £5 F C

6 Dylan Thomas Festival 2012

Saturday 3 November, 11.30am

DAVID BOUCHER THE PRICE OF FAMEDylan Thomas was adored in Americafor his outrageousness, although hisletters betray a certain bitterness abouthaving to be there. He could even getaway with mercilessly mocking hisaudience for being seduced by theallure of fame. In this talk, DavidBoucher explores how the negativeside of fame not only tortured DylanThomas, but also obsessed some ofhis great admirers such as Rexroth,Corso, Ginsberg, Kerouac, Bukowski,Cohen and Bob Dylan.ALL TICKETS: £4

Saturday 3 November, 1pm

LAUNCH OF KEIDRYCHRHYS’ THE VAN POOLWITH CHARLES MUNDYEKeidrych Rhys counted Dylan Thomas,Glyn Jones, Vernon Watkins, EmyrHumphreys, Alun Lewis, RS Thomasamong his friends; he was married toLynette Roberts, and edited Walesmagazine. This book includes Rhys’own poems, plus Charles Mundye’snotes and biographical context.Free entry and refreshments inassociation with Seren Books

KeidrychRhys

www.dylanthomas.com/festival 7

DavidBoucher

Saturday 3 November, 3pmEDGE HILL PRIZESHORTLISTEDWRITERS EVENT Three of theshortlisted writersfrom this year’sprestigious Edge HillShort Story Prize, A.J.Ashworth, ZoeLambert andRowena Macdonald,read from their workand discuss themerits ofcompetitions. Theircollections range fromMontreal toManchester, from boysoldiers to doomsdaycults, from love to warto grief to briefepiphanies. Prepareto be entertained!TICKETS: £6

£4.20 £2.40F

C PTL

A.J. Ashworth

Zoe Lambert

Rowena Macdonald

Saturday 3 November, 7.30pm

GRAHAM HUNTER:SWANSEA CITY ANDFC BARCELONAA journalist of international reputation,Graham Hunter covers Spanish footballfor Sky Sports, the BBC and newspapersand magazines across the world. Hisaccess to the Barcelona team is unrivalledand unprecedented. Barca: The Making ofthe Greatest Team in the World is theinside story of how the best and mostloved football team in the world came toredefine how the game is played. He’ll alsobe discussing the similarities between thephilosophies of Barca and Swansea City.

TICKETS: £8 £5 F C

GrahamHunter

8 Dylan Thomas Festival 2012

Sunday 4 November, 11am

MARK DAVIES‘A LITERARYTOUR OF THERIVER THAMES’From Chaucer’s pilgrimsto Tom Brown’s highereducation, via Alice inWonderland, Wind in theWillows, and PhilipPullman’s Dark Materials,historian, author andguide Mark Daviesexplores the ways inwhich the canal andrivers of Oxford feature ininnumerable works ofliterature. He will alsodiscuss Welshconnections in Oxford,including reference to itsformer resident, DylanThomas.ALL TICKETS: £4

Sunday 4 November, 1pm

RHIANEDWARDS‘ONLY POETRYALOUD’ Learn to maximise the livereading of your poetrywith John Tripp AwardWinner 2011-2012Rhian Edwards. Rhian’scollection, CluelessDogs (Seren), has justbeen shortlisted for theForward Prize for first book.The only requirement ofthe workshop is that youlearn an ‘I’ poem off byheart that has beenwritten by yourself. Thepoem must be at leasteight lines long and mustreference yourself, i.e.phrases pertaining to ‘I’ and ‘me’.TICKETS: £10 £7

Sunday 4 November, 2pmFRIENDS OF THEGLYNN VIVIAN EVENT:DAVID JONESBETWEEN THEWARS: THEYEARS OFACHIEVEMENTRenowned expert DerekShiel introduces ashowing of his fascinatingfilm on David Jones, co-directed with Adam Alive.Through interviews withscholars, artists, writersand friends, and imagesof his carvings,engravings, sketches andpaintings, itdemonstrates Jones’development as a painter,engraver and poet. TICKETS: £6

£4.20 £2.40F

C PTL

www.dylanthomas.com/festival 9

F C

Wednesday 7 November, 7.30pm

ROS BARBER AND SAMANTHAWYNNE-RHYDDERCHREAD FROM THEIR WORK

Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch’sacclaimed third collection, Banjo(Picador), commemorates thearrival of Captain Scott at the SouthPole in 1912, exploring the way inwhich music andtheatre enabledthe ice-bound

communities to survive. Ros Barber’s The MarlowePapers (Sceptre) is anextraordinary novel in verse,telling Christopher Marlowe’salternative story, in which heis exiled to France and writesplays and poetry under thename WilliamShakespeare. TICKETS: £6

£4.20 £2.40

Tuesday 6 November, 7pm

STUFFHAPPENS We join forces withThe Crunch spokenword night to present a laid back and inspiringevening of poetry, artand sparklingconversation. Find out more atwww.facebook.com/dylanthomasfestival

Free

FC PTL

Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch

RosBarber

10 Dylan Thomas Festival 2012

Thursday 8 November, 7pm NIGEL JENKINSLAUNCHES REALSWANSEA 2Real Swansea 2 is a further look at hishometown by poet Nigel Jenkins withcharacteristic insight, humour and aneye for the odd and unusual. FromDylan Thomas’ Kardomah and theGrand Theatre to brothels andSalubrious Passage, Swansea iscelebrated in stylish prose and pin-sharp poetry. Nigel will be inconversation with Real series editor,Peter Finch. Free entry and wine in associationwith Seren Books.

Friday 9 November, 7.30pm FERNHILLFernhill is regarded internationally asone of Wales’ finest folk groups.Singer Julie Murphy’s fans includeRobert Plant and Danny Thompson,both of whom have recorded withher. She is joined by Ceri RhysMatthews, Tomos Williams andChristine Cooper, as they presentmaterial from their latest album,Canu Rhydd (literally, ‘free poetry’)which has been featured by Radio 1DJ Huw Stephens, and Radio 3’sLate Junction.

TICKETS: £8 £5.50 £3

NigelJenkins Fernhill

F C PTL

www.dylanthomas.com/festival 11

PHILIPGROSS

ParcTawe

St DavidsSt DavidsShoppingShoppingCanolfanCanolfan

SiopaSiopaDewi SantDewi Sant

St David’sShoppingCanolfan

SiopaDewi Sant

Castle SquareCastle SquareSgwâr y CastellSgwâr y CastellCastle Square

Sgwâr y Castell

Grand TheatreGrand TheatreTheatr y Grand Theatr y Grand Grand Theatre

Theatr y Grand

NationalWaterfrontMuseum

AmgueddfaGenedlaetholy Glannau

O

YSTERMOUTH ROAD / HEOL Y

STUMLLWYNARTH

HEOL VICTORIA ROADWESTWAY / FFORDD Y G

ORLLE

WIN

OXFORD STREET / STRYD RHYDYCHEN

STRYD MANSEL STREET

STRYD DE LA BECHE

T

HE KINGSWAY / FFORDD Y BRENIN

ORC

HARD S

CCAASSTTLLEE SSTTRREEEETT // SSTTRRYYDD YY CCAASSTTEELLLL WWIINNDD SSTTRREEEETT // SSTTRRYYDD YY GGWWYYNNTT

CASTLE STREET / STRYD Y CASTELL WIND STREET / STRYD Y GWYNT

D FAWR

UNION STREET / STRYD YR UNDEB

ELLE VUE W

AY

SOMERSET PLACE, SWANSEA SA1 1RR

01792 463980 www.dylanthomas.com

DYLANTHOMASCENTRE

EXHIBITION

Supported by:

Whilst every effort is made to ensure that the details of this programme areaccurate, the City & County of Swansea reserve the right to alter any part of theprogramme without notice.

Photo credits: Stan Tracey by William Ellis, Paul Durcan by Mark Condren, Ros Barber by Derek Adams,Menna Elfyn by Bernard Mitchell , Fernhill by Jasmin Hedger, Nigel Jenkins by Branwen Jenkins, Liz Wride by Jess Ramthun.

We launch our partnership with the National Library ofWales by displaying a selection of of Dylan Thomas’personal items from their holdings, as part of NLW’soutreach programme.

12 Dylan Thomas Festival 2012

3081

3-12

DES

IGNP

RINT