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Friday Poem – ‘The Butterfly House’ by Kathryn Bevis

Blue Morphos butterfly resting against a sunlit windowpane

This week’s Friday Poem is ‘The Butterfly House’ by Kathryn Bevis from her highly anticipated debut collection. We’re hosting an online launch for The Butterfly House on Zoom on the 10th April. Details of how to register for the event are below.

The Butterfly House i.m. Ray Holloway Yours is the only death I’ve ever known. We sat with you for hours and stroked your hands. And though it was January — the pond a frozen oval — though each blade of grass had etched itself against the ground and each frail thing had hidden from the stalking frost, a butterfly flew to your window, sudden and strange, with wings that throbbed like a heart. The day we buried you, we saw another: crimson sails unfurled, its body putting out to sea. Today’s a pilgrimage. I rest in mist and heat. Red lacewings gather their silk skirts as I trace a swallowtail’s trembling pulse. Together, apart, together: a pair of blue morphos shiver like black-fringed scraps of sky. Clear as leaded panes, glasswings feast on nectar. They close themselves like hands that meet in prayer, then open up to cup the tropic air. Since my diagnosis, I see them every time I close my eyes. Their flaming wings. Their too short lives.
Join us for the virtual launch of The Butterfly House. Kathryn Bevis. Wednesday 10th April 7-8pm. Celebration publication of Kathryn's debut collection with guest readsers Dillion Jaxx and Jonathan Edwards. Online via Zoom with captions by Otter.ai.
Register to attend
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Friday Poem – ‘Meryl Streep is my therapist’ by Kathryn Gray

An Oscar award hidden behind clouds of coloured smoke

Ahead of the Oscars Award Ceremony this weekend, this week’s Friday Poem is ‘Meryl Streep is my therapist’ by Kathryn Gray from her collection Hollywood or Home.

Meryl Streep is my therapist I met a married man once, on a train. He was handsome. He had the kind of face that made me think of clean, smooth hands. I should add that in the end nothing really happened. I have done terrible things I will not own. The dingo took my baby! Bear with me. Men have left me. No Vietnam. They simply went. You must hear this sort of thing all the time. But. I have stood, hooded, on the jetty; the sea—the sea turned over my mind, roughly. I have been very ‘tired and emotional’. I cannot afford a rehab facility. There are not enough Key lime pies in this world for all the people who deserve them. In the face. Yes, this is heartburn. You might be onto something. O Michael! O Michael! O Michael! I worry that I’m all cliché. I like to fake accents with strangers. I suppose that tells you a lot. I suffer from Imposter Syndrome. Or maybe not. I had a farm—

Join us on Saturday 9th March from 1pm for our John Ormond Centenary event, taking place at the Glynn Vivian Gallery in Swansea. Kathryn Gray will be appearing alongside Rian Evans, Patrick McGuinness, Jess Mookherjee, Professor M. Wynn Thomas and Kieron Smith to discuss the life and work of Welsh poet and documentary maker John Ormond. Buy tickets in advance via Eventbrite.

John Ormond Centenary Celebration. Saturday 9th March 1-4pm. Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Alexandra Road, Swansea, SA1 5DZ. General admission £5.50, Concession £3.50.
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Friday Poem – ‘Animal Wall’ by Taz Rahman

Photo of the stone lioness from Cardiff's iconic Animal Wall

In honour of St David’s Day, this week’s Friday Poem is part 1 of the long poem ‘Animal Wall’ by Taz Rahman from his debut collection East of the Sun, West of the Moon.

Animal Wall. A whimsical heron, sometimes a songbird, sometimes, in human form dips in and out of tales old and new, around Cardiff Castle; one spring, for the first time, the wandering soul feels a sense of belonging. I After the pews are cold after morning service after the loiterers are gone St. John sniffs the city stalls. Sprat and turbot at market’s gate figs and fennel in autumn mist waft of Cornwall Ten Feet Tall. Evening falls on red-cheeked Adam, Jamie, Annmarie who drink dry the skull of Glyndwr clutching their little red books. Old Owain under the cover in a mass brawl gawks at an oval eighty thousand growl. Here, I saw Gareth Edwards hands in pocket sniffing cinnamon walk pass the Christmas stall. ...

Join us on Thursday 14th March at g39 Gallery in Cardiff for the launch of East of the Sun, West of the Moon where Taz Rahman will be reading alongside Abigail Parry and Nasia Sarwar-Skuse. Doors will open 7pm for 7:30pm start. All welcome. Free to attend.

Book Launch. East of the Sun, West of the Moon. Taz Rahman. Thursday 14th March. Doors open 7pm for 7:30pm start. g39 Cardiff, CF24 3DT
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Katrina Naomi awarded Arthur Welton Award

Photo of Katrina Naomi wearing a blue floral top. Her hair is styled in a 1950s updo with pink flowers pinned above her left ear.

Seren poet Katrina Naomi has been awarded an Arthur Welton Award to support her forthcoming collection Battery Rocks. Awarded through the Society of Authors, the award is one of several grants available to writers through the Society of Authors Author’s Foundation for works in progress, and is awarded in memory of 20th Century poet and philanthropist Arthur Welton.

Battery Rock’s is Katrina Naomi’s fourth full collection of poetry and is due for publication on 8th July 2024. In the meantime, why not read Katrina’s previous collection Wild Persistence?

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Books to read this Valentine’s Day

Photograph of Things Found on the Mountain laid out on a blanket with a lit candle and a small bottle of wine

Love can come in many forms, so in honour of Valentine’s Day, we’re highlighting a range of books which consider love in different ways. Shop here on our website or visit your local bookshop.

Things Found on the Mountain by Diana Powell

This cover shows an image of a young woman, facing away, looking out over the rolling hills of the black mountains. The text reads: Things Found on the Mountain. Diana Powell.

Farmer’s daughter Beth is a child of nature, utterly at one with the rugged landscape of the Black Mountains on which she tends her family’s sheep. But change is coming. The modern world arrives with the construction of a reservoir in a neighbouring valley. Part of the mountain is taken away to build the dam; there are people, machinery, noise. Then the farms are emptied of their young men by the First World War, including Beth’s beloved brother Daniel, who goes missing in action. Her mother turns to religion, her father falls silent. Beth takes to the mountain, and a solitude interrupted by the arrival of a colony of artists led by the charismatic Eric Gill. She finds solace in Gill’s apprentice, Gabriel. But when the colony decides to move on, Beth is faced with a terrible choice: can she leave the Mountain to be with the one she loves?

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Miriam, Daniel and Me by Euron Griffith

This cover shows a black and white image of a woman in profile. She has cropped hair and is wearing a 1960s style hat. The text reads: Miriam, Daniel and Me. Euron Griffith.

“When he smiled it really did feel as if the chilly Caernarfonshire wind had stopped for a few seconds and as if the place had suddenly got warmer.”

When Miriam fell in love with Padraig life seemed simple. But soon she discovered that love is a treacherous business. Everything changed when she met Daniel. She was taken down an unexpected path which would dictate and dominate the rest of her life.

Spanning three generations of a North Wales family in a Welsh-speaking community, Miriam, Daniel and Me is an absorbing and compelling story of family discord, political turmoil, poetry, jealousy… and football.

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You’ll Never Be Anyone Else by Rachael Clyne

This cover shows a colourful painting of a person lying on a chair, perhaps in a therapist’s office, talking to another figure who sits on a chair beside them. The text reads: You’ll Never Be Anyone Else. Rachael Clyne.

Rachael Clyne’s You’ll Never Be Anyone Else presents a direct and assured voice, demanding that we think carefully about what it takes to reconcile being different. She advises the reader to ‘Stop drinking the poison / labelled “Hate me.” / It’s that simple. I didn’t say easy.’ Clyne also has an alter-ego “Girl Golem” reminiscent of a superhero but based on the mythical man made from clay and spells to protect Jewish people from persecution. Through this empowering persona, Clyne opens up an exploration of Jewish and lesbian identity. Surveying attitudes in the present day and in the past, these poems explore migrant heritage, sexual identity, domestic violence and ageing. Treating even dark subjects with playful wit and colourful imagery, Clyne is a distinctive voice with a powerful message about self-acceptance.

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Return to Hendre Ddu by Siân James

This cover shows a photograph of a young woman dressed in 1920s style clothing looking over her shoulder towards the camera. The text reads: Return to Hendre Ddu, Sian James

When injured war hero Tom Evans returns from the slaughter of France in 1917, the west Wales family farm of Hendre Ddu seems the perfect place to find peace.

But life has moved on. Tom’s sister, Catrin, is married and pregnant; his father, Josi, remarried. Tom, too, looks for love, but domestic life runs anything but smoothly. Still struggling to face up to the horrors of war, the son who has been so critical of his father’s affair must now come to terms with his own passion.

Return to Hendre Ddu is a tumultuous sequel to Siân James’ classic novel A Small Country. Once again Siân James’ talent for character and dialogue weaves an intriguing tale of early twentieth century family life in rural Wales.

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Kidnap Fury of the Smoking Lovers by Peter Benson

This cover shows an abstract painting of a fiery sun shining red, yellow and orange rays. The text reads: Kidnap Fury of the Smoking Lovers, Peter Benson

Twenty years old Fargo Hawkins dropped out of school and now works as a gardener for Harry Swaine, an abusive butcher with a chain of shops on the south coast of England. After witnessing a fight between Harry and Anne (his wife) Fargo steals a car and together he, Anne and a dog called Radar go on the run. They have £9,653, a bag of apples, a penknife and three bottles of wine. An incandescent Harry, a firm of private detectives and their emotions chase them across the country.

After a series of close calls, near misses and other adventures, Anne and Fargo pitch up at a caravan site in North Wales, where they find work and lie low. But a man as possessive as Harry is not to be denied. As their journey draws to a close, Fargo and Anne find themselves at the cottage of late poet R.S. Thomas. But what will become of Harry?

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In Orbit by Glyn Edwards

This cover shows a sepia-toned watercolour illustration by Galileo depicting the 6 phases of the moon. The text reads: In Orbit. Glyn Edwards.

In Orbit is a deeply moving account of love, longing, and loss. On receiving news of a beloved teacher’s death, a man struggles with the loss of a relationship sustained by deep admiration and unrequited love. Memories of their shared journey are separated in three orbits where the man’s past, present, and future are punctuated by intense grief.

In Orbit not only grieves the loss of the teacher, but also toxic standards for boys and men. Beyond human connection, sustenance is found in the moon, the stars, the sky, and nature. The discovery of a badger’s track or the treasure of a bird egg reminds us how small our trajectories are in the context of the more-than-human: an answer perhaps to the grieving process.

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Masque by Bethany W Pope

Masque by Bethany W Pope

Masque is not the story you think you know. Promising and beautiful young singer Christine is ambitious to reach new heights of excellence amid the gilt trappings of the Palais Garnier. But despite being devoted to her art, she finds herself caught between the twin evils of her dangerous and enigmatic singing master and her impetuous patron Raoul’s ‘romantic’ vision of her as a bourgeois wife. Her own desire to follow her operatic career becomes her guiding light, but none of them can control the directions in which their passions lead them. Sumptuously gothic and full of psychological insight, Masque evokes a gilded era of decadence and sensuality where love, rage and murder meet, with explosive results.

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The Turpentine Tree by Lynne Hjelmgaard

This cover shows a vibrant painting of a tree in the background. In the foreground are rocks with bright orange sand and brightly coloured grass in between them. The text reads: The Turpentine Tree, Lynne Hjelmgaard.

In her new collection The Turpentine Tree Lynne Hjelmgaardemploys strong, sensuous imagery to explore displacement, solitude and the search for connection. The tree of the title poem is an enduring symbol of memory, fragile but persistent against the passage of time. Drawing on her own memories from a life uprooted by time spent at sea, widowhood, and loss, Hjelmgaard conjures vivid portraits of family, friends and loved ones, including her late partner Dannie Abse.

Celebrating universal themes of love, loss and letting go, this tender collection is a reminder of how it feels to be alive. An essential addition to Lynne Hjelmgaard’s compelling body of work.

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