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15th December, 2017

Friday Poem – ‘Shapes in Ice’, Ruth Bidgood

Friday Poem Ruth Bidgood Shapes in Ice

Our Friday Poem this week is the delightfully wintery ‘Shapes in Ice’ by Ruth Bidgood, from her New & Selected Poems.

Ruth Bidgood’s New & Selected Poems features work from her five early collections, starting with The Given Time (1972) through Kindred (1986) along with selections from The Fluent Moment (1996) and Singing to Wolves (2000). The final section is devoted to over fifty pages of new poems.
This generous selection of work highlights the steady accumulation of a significant oeuvre. Bidgood’s ostensible subjects are the storied landscape and history of her region of mid-Wales, the hills and valleys of Powys and Breconshire, but her themes frequently have a wider reach, a spiritual depth that is often darkly suggestive and mysterious.

Ruth Bidgood Shapes In Ice

New & Selected Poems is available from the Seren website: £9.99

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We had a wonderful evening reflecting on the essays in ‘The Waters That Raised Us’ at @ffotogallery in Cardiff a few months ago. We were joined by contributors @tayloredmonds, @kathrynellentann, @cjwagstaff1, @moedwards_, @sofia_brizio and @joshuajoneswrites who read from their work and answered questions from the audience. If you’re yet to get your copy of this important anthology, you can find it in your local bookshop!
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#TheWatersThatRaisedUs #Events #SerenBooks #BooksFromWales #NewBooks #Cardiff #Water #Essays #LoveReading #CaruDarllen #NationalYearOfReading2026 #GoAllIn2026 #Ymgolli

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We had a wonderful evening reflecting on the essays in ‘The Waters That Raised Us’ at @ffotogallery in Cardiff a few months ago. We were joined by contributors @tayloredmonds, @kathrynellentann, @cjwagstaff1, @moedwards_, @sofia_brizio and @joshuajoneswrites who read from their work and answered questions from the audience. If you’re yet to get your copy of this important anthology, you can find it in your local bookshop!
.
#TheWatersThatRaisedUs #Events #SerenBooks #BooksFromWales #NewBooks #Cardiff #Water #Essays #LoveReading #CaruDarllen #NationalYearOfReading2026 #GoAllIn2026 #Ymgolli

We’re delighted that @bethanyhandley_ won an Eric Gregory Award for her poetry pamphlet ‘Cling Film’! Administered by @thesocietyofauthors the Eric Gregory Awards recognise outstanding collections by poets under 30, and are a valuable supporting step in their careers. ‘Cling Film’ is available now in all good bookshops!
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Photo by Adrian Pope.

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We’re delighted that @bethanyhandley_ won an Eric Gregory Award for her poetry pamphlet ‘Cling Film’! Administered by @thesocietyofauthors the Eric Gregory Awards recognise outstanding collections by poets under 30, and are a valuable supporting step in their careers. ‘Cling Film’ is available now in all good bookshops!
.
Photo by Adrian Pope.

Back in March we had a fantastic time celebrating publication of ‘Muslim Wales’ by @azimwales with an event at Cardiff University. Talking to @hananelizabethissa, he shared fascinating insights into the research underpinning his book in front of a packed lecture theatre. Thank you to Hana Zaman for capturing these snapshots of the event and to everyone who joined us! The event was also supported by @muslimwales. The book is available now from bookshops across Wales and beyond!
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#MuslimWales #Books #Events #Launches #SerenBooks #History #WelshHistory #BooksFromWales #Cardiff #CaruDarllen #LoveReading #NationalYearOfReading2026 #GoAllIn2026 #Ymgolli2026

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Back in March we had a fantastic time celebrating publication of ‘Muslim Wales’ by @azimwales with an event at Cardiff University. Talking to @hananelizabethissa, he shared fascinating insights into the research underpinning his book in front of a packed lecture theatre. Thank you to Hana Zaman for capturing these snapshots of the event and to everyone who joined us! The event was also supported by @muslimwales. The book is available now from bookshops across Wales and beyond!
.
#MuslimWales #Books #Events #Launches #SerenBooks #History #WelshHistory #BooksFromWales #Cardiff #CaruDarllen #LoveReading #NationalYearOfReading2026 #GoAllIn2026 #Ymgolli2026

We’re over the moon that @maggiepoet has been named winner of the #JhalakPoetryPrize 2026 for her collection ‘I Sing to the Greenhearts’. In the words of our poetry co-editors, “This vivid, powerful collection deserves this recognition... We’re proud to have published it and of Maggie’s connection to Wales.” Maggie’s book is available in bookshops and on our website!
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@jhalakprize @books.wales @inpressbooks #JhalakPrize #Poetry #PoetryLover #PoetsOfInstagram #PrizeWinner #SerenBooks #BooksFromWales #LoveReading #CaruDarllen #NationalYearOfReading #GoAllIn #Ymgolli

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We’re over the moon that @maggiepoet has been named winner of the #JhalakPoetryPrize 2026 for her collection ‘I Sing to the Greenhearts’. In the words of our poetry co-editors, “This vivid, powerful collection deserves this recognition... We’re proud to have published it and of Maggie’s connection to Wales.” Maggie’s book is available in bookshops and on our website!
.
@jhalakprize @books.wales @inpressbooks #JhalakPrize #Poetry #PoetryLover #PoetsOfInstagram #PrizeWinner #SerenBooks #BooksFromWales #LoveReading #CaruDarllen #NationalYearOfReading #GoAllIn #Ymgolli

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