Former National Poet of Wales Gillian Clarke is the star guest as Cardigan’s Cellar Bards kicks off its autumn season.

Originally from Cardiff but based for many years with her architect husband at their 18-acre smallholding near Talgarreg - where they have planted 4,300 trees - Gillian Clarke’s work has been on the GCSE and A-level exam syllabus for over 30 years, translated into more than 10 languages and she has performed her poetry regularly in cities across Europe.

Awarded the Queen’s Gold medal for Poetry in 2010 and the Wilfred Owen Award in 2012, Gillian will be drawing on over half a century of published work for her performance at Cardigan, from her debut 1971 volume ‘Snow On The Mountain’ to her current poetry collection with Carcanet, ‘The Silence.’

Aberaeron poet Karen Gemma Brewer, who will MC the event, said: “I was fortunate to be an early member of Gillian Clarke’s weekly writing group at Trinity St David’s University, Lampeter with the opportunity to learn at first hand from a true artisan of word and language. We are in for a real treat!”

Following Gillian Clarke’s performance there will also be open mic slots available to anyone who wants to share their spoken words with our audience, with new and experienced performers equally welcome, just sign up at the door. There is a charge of £5 for entry, which includes a raffle.

Partly supported by Literature Wales’ Inspiring Communities Fund, Cellar Bards is held on the second Friday of the month, often features a guest poet, and welcomes performers of all forms of spoken word including poetry, rap, flash fiction, story-telling, episodes of longer fiction and non-fiction and even the occasional original song.

See Gillian Clarke at Cardigan Cellar Bards on Friday, 11 September, at the Cellar, Quay Street. Doors open at 7.30pm.