Carwyn Graves is already a firm Monty Lit Fest favourite for his much-loved books Welsh Food Stories and Tir. Now he wants us to reimagine our relationship with the natural world through the Welsh poetic tradition.

Carwyn will be with us to explore how this tradition offers a different view of nature and our place in the world. He wants us to hear the voices of people down the centuries who have, through poetry, expressed a different way of connecting with the living world around us.

From the cuckoo’s song to the ecological sensibilities of medieval poems and the generosity of the water that drives the water wheel, this is a new way to see the natural world, one that promises a fascinating new perspective on biodiversity loss and climate grief.

Carwyn Graves is a Welsh author, public speaker and gardener. He is the author of the bestselling Apples of Wales (2018), Welsh Food Stories (2022), Tir: The Story of the Welsh Landscape (2024), which was shortlisted for Wales Non-Fiction Book of the Year, and 2026’s Cynefin: Wisdom from a Thousand Years of Welsh Nature Poetry . He is a founding trustee of the Welsh charity Cegin y Bobl (The People’s Kitchen).

Sioned Wiliam comes from Barry. She is the author of the novels, Dal i Fynd, Chwynnu, Cicio’r Bar, Y Gwyliau and 60-Rhywbeth.  Sioned began her television and radio career at the BBC, before becoming an independent producer. Her credits include Tonight with Jonathan Ross, Game On, Big Train and Yonderland. She also produced iDot and exec produced Rhestr Nadolig Wil for Boom/S4C. She has been nominated for a Bafta award three times and has won a British Comedy Award and a Bronze Rose at Montreux. She was also a Commissioning Editor for ITV and BBC Radio 4 and interim CEO of S4C.