It could be said that every country has an art form which occupies a particular prominence in that nation’s psyche. We could all draw up, and enjoy contesting, our own lists: Italian frescos, perhaps or French Gothic cathedrals being more than mere accidental flowerings which might have happened anywhere.
We Welsh have a relationship with poetry which makes it unchallengeable the art form we most associate ourselves with. Our land can be seen as a collection of poems about which, barnacle-like, Welshness has accreted. Take cynghanedd, for example, our unique and exquisite verse form, a form so intricate that it makes the most lapidary sonnet look a bit slapdash. It has been said that the very mutations which make Welsh a challenge for learners are the reason why such a complex form has developed, the changing consonants extending the vocabulary exponentially.
Despite its ancient heritage, Welsh poetry has changed and continues to change. Voices emerge, in either of the dragon’s two tongues, which expand contexts and deepen connections. No longer, most obviously, is the bardic tradition exclusively male and women are choosing to express their thoughts in all the forms.
Currently, Wales is rich in poets exploring, challenging and celebrating from a female perspective and two of the most celebrated will be at Monty Lit Fest this year. Gwyneth Lewis, Wales’s first National Poet, whose words celebrate creativity on the face of Cardiff’s Millennium Centre, will be with us to discuss her searing new memoir, Nightshade Mother.
Hanan Issa, current National Poet of Wales, will be discussing the layers of identity with Mike Parker and Sioned Wiliam. Both women are, of course, weavers of words of unsurpassed skill and ingenuity but they also share a profound gift for listening, making them empathic observers of the human condition.
Expect insight, delicacy and truth with a razor edge: we’ll be hanging on every jewelled word.
Tickets are selling fast. Get them online, or in person at The Montgomery Bookshop or Ivy House Café in Montgomery.