Two headliners share the billing at the May Cellar Bards spoken word event in Cardigan.
Special guests will be Ness Owen and Julia Bell, who have both had collections published by Parthian Books earlier this Spring.
Julia Bell, a writer and academic, grew up in west Wales being the daughter of a vicar. ‘Hymnal’ is her first poetry collection and is a memoir in verse which offers a series of snapshots about religion and sexuality.
She is also the author of novels, short stories and essays. Her work has been published in the Paris Review, Times Literary Supplement, The White Review, Mal Journal, Comma Press, and recorded for the BBC. She is the co-editor of the bestselling ‘Creative Writing Coursebook’ (Macmillan) which was updated and re-issued in 2019. Her book ‘Radical Attention’ was Book of the Year in the New Statesman and the TLS 2021.
Ness Owen is a poet and FE lecturer from Ynys Môn.
Her first collection ‘Mamiaith’ (Mother Tongue) was published in 2019 by Arachne Press and her second, ‘Moon Jellyfish Can Barely Swim’ was published by Parthian Books in April this year. Her poems have been translated into five different languages. She co-edited ‘the A470’, a bilingual poetry anthology about the infamous road running from the north to the south of Wales while her poem ‘And then the geese turned up’ was one of the winners of Greenpeace’s Poem for the Planet 2022.
Both poets will be reading from their new poetry at the Cellar Bar, Quay Street, Cardigan, on Friday, May 1. Doors and the bar open at 7.30pm. Entry is £3, and open mic spots are available – just sign up on the door by 8pm.
The Cellar Bards welcome writers of poetry, short stories, micro-fiction and novels to the open mic (max five minutes each). People who want to read can put their names down at the door on the night. Or go along to listen to two great contemporary poets, plus a variety of spoken word performances from the talented regulars.
See The Cellar Bards Facebook page for more information: https://www.facebook.com/groups/333544513348067/
