THE latest community news from Eglwysfach

R S Thomas Festival

THE R S Thomas Festival and Poetry Competition takes place this week.

Events for the festival will take place on 15, 16, 17 September at St Michael’s Church and tickets will be on sale at the door before each event.

The M E Eldridge Art Exhibition will be in the church showing pictures and prints on loan for the exhibition throughout the festival.

Refreshments will be available in the Iron Room, adjacent to the church, also throughout the festival.

On 15 September at 11am there will be a walk led by Jeremy Moore, naturalist and photographer and Russell Jones, warden of the RSPB Ynyshir Reserve discovering the haunts of R S Thomas.

At 2pm, Peter Lord’s lecture is on the romantics in relation to the poet’s artist wife, M E Eldridge, at 4pm Prof Jason Walford Davies speaks about new discoveries in the R S Thomas poetry archive.

Unfortunately, the Sgarmes concert at 7.30pm has had to be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.

On 16 September at 11am The Bishop of St Davids attends morning service and afterwards she will bless the newly restored St Non’s well in the churchyard.

At 2pm Ifor ap Glyn gives a fascinating lecture on holy wells and at 4pm Prof Tony Brown’s lecture is on the married life of R S and Elsi Thomas and how it was reflected in his poetry and her painting.

On 17 September at 9.30am there will be a Holy Communion with Canon Stuart Bell who will use as his theme ‘Treasures from King David’s poetry’.

At 11.30am there will be a poetry reading by Gillian Clarke who will read poems from her latest publication Zoology, and Ifor ap Glyn, our National Poet will read his own poems and those of R S Thomas.

At 1.20pm there will be the poetry competition where visitors will be able to listen to inspired poets reciting their poems and discover the winner.

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