HOLY GLIMMERS OF GOODBYES: A DAY OF REFLECTION ON THE POETRY OF WAR AND PEACE IN WALES As an art form accessible to all, poetry has been instrumental in documenting and exploring the devastating effects of wars over the ages. Poetry also has the power to bring people together, to bridge generations and cultures, to create stronger connections with each other and to make sense of the world around us. This was all true of ‘Holy Glimmers of Goodbyes’, a day of reflection on war and peace in Wales held at the Senedd on 19 February 2019, organised by Literature Wales and sponsored by the Rt Hon Mark Drakeford AM, First Minister of Wales.
Rt Hon Mark Drakeford AM’s vision was to hold a day open to all and to engage a contemporary audience with poetry on the theme of war and peace and with the writers of the First World War. This was combined with Literature Wales’ belief that literature empowers, enhances and enriches lives, to create a day-long programme of reflection. There were performances, readings, commissioned lectures and presentations which reflected the diversity of Welsh society with writers from near and far and of all ages and backgrounds sharing the stage. The project commissioned original creative work commemorating the First World War which would become part of the legacy of Cymru’n Cofio Wales Remembers 1914-1918. One of the highlights of the day was hearing these poems being recited by authors Gillian Clarke, Alan Llwyd, Eric Ngalle Charles, Nerys Williams and the National Poet of Wales, Ifor ap Glyn. Three lectures were commissioned, with interesting and enlightening discussions by Phil Carradice, Nerys Williams and Aled Eirug.
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| CYMRU’N COFIO WALES REMEMBERS 1914−1918
Members of the poetic collective Cywion Cranogwen were commissioned to create an original, multimedia performance, O Ysbaid i Ysbaid. The poets Beth Celyn, Manon Awst and Sara Borda Green combined visual art, music and poetry to explore different perspectives in times of war and peace from the point of view of Welsh women, including the mothers and wives left behind and the women who campaigned for peace and equality.
