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  “With its large format and over four hundred coloured illustrations, this book is as big as a flagstone, but there’s nothing heavy about it.” That is how Prys Morgan describes The Tradition: a new history of Welsh art. The author, Peter Lord, has dedicated many decades to write books in order to prove that the Welsh have a tradition of appreciating fine arts and to disprove those who deny the concept of Welsh Art. Prior to his latest publication, Peter Lord has published three volumes of a collection called The Visual Culture of Wales. In The Journal of Glamorgan...

Author of critically-acclaimed novel Pigeon, Alys Conran, will be appearing on Heno on Welsh-language channel S4C this evening, 8 May. Alys has recently been shortlisted for the prestigious International Dylan Thomas prize, the winner of which will be announced on 10 May. An event will be held at the British Library in London on 9 May to celebrate the shortlisted authors’ achievements. Alys will be reading excerpts from Pigeon at the event, so be sure to purchase a ticket! Alys will also be attending several more events in the near future including the Hay Literary Festival on 30 May. Visit...

As a Parthian intern, I recently had the opportunity to attend the Llandeilo Book Festival on 29 April. Being the first literary event I've attended during my time with Parthian, it was not only a great chance to learn more about Parthian’s publications but also provided me with the possibility of meeting other publishers, both from other publishing houses as well as self-publishing authors.If you were at the book fair, you may have seen me on the Parthian/Library of Wales stall in the Civic Hall with other Parthian colleagues, promoting our collections and selling a wide range of literary delights from...

With his new novel Hummingbird out in hardback this month, Tristan Hughes is our Author of the Month for May 2017.

Hughes has published various novels, three of which are set on Anglesey, Wales: The Tower (2004), Send My Cold Bones Home (2006) and Revenant (2008), each reflecting his interest in the landscape and history of the island. His fourth, Eye Lake (2012) turns attentions to northern Ontario. In his latest novel, Hummingbird (2017), Hughes braves through the Canadian wilderness: familiarising the landscape of his youth in a poetic coming-of-age story about death, life, and the changes they bring.

I’m feeling something deeper too. A fizz in my stomach, a slight edge of fear. It suddenly doesn’t feel that long since my Dad died. I wonder —in the off way people who do not believe in the afterlife might wonder—if my Dad will hear me reading about him. If he’d be happy to fill the room with me, if our voice will carry.

I hope so. Because at the very least, I want him to be proud. The same way he was proud to see my first poem published in a school anthology. I remember him saying that he didn’t understand it but that it looked nice on the page, neat and important.

And, for those of us still alive, I hope this collection will help to start a conversation too. One about loss or addiction or fathers. I hope the poems will offer a small, collective invitation to peer into the dark things in life and talk about them.

For those interested, please do come along to one of my national launches, readings or events and say ‘hello’. Let’s get this conversation going.