Eurig will be hosting workshops in schools and youth organisations during his year in office.
To invite Eurig to visit, e-mail barddplant@ llenyddiaethcymru.org. Workshops are allocated on a first come, first served basis.
Well, what a busy two months!
Christmas is coming, and I look forward to putting my feet up in front of the fire with a couple of delicious mince pies. It will be nice to be able to relax a little, because I've recently been travelling all over Wales and beyond.
Mid-October I had a special day in Merthyr Tydfil in the company of children from nearby schools, and I got to also have the opportunity to chat with the former Children's Poet, Mererid Hopwood and Young People's Writer Laureate, Catherine Fisher. The next morning I raced over to Newport and then to Ysgol y Berllan Deg on the outskirts of Cardiff in the afternoon, and I got a very warm welcome in both places.
Normally I would have made my way home for the weekend, but there was a special event on the next day at the Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay, the Festival of the Spoken Word. I had a lot of fun with a lot of very enthusiastic young poets! Here are some of the output of those workshops - http://www.literaturewales.org/hafan/i/140420/desc/sgwad-sgwennu-merthyr-a-bardd-plant-cymru
Mid-November, I caught a plane (well, two planes to tell the truth) to fly far away to India. I took part in a festival there in a town called Kerala, and had the opportunity to chat with a large number of poets, including another former Children's Poet - Twm Morys! The poet of India, Sampurna Chattarji and I ran workshops in schools in Mangalore and in Mumbai. Here is a picture of me and Sampurna showing children in Mumbai where exactly Wales is!
Then a few weeks ago I carried on with the workshops, but this time back in Wales! I visited Peniel, Brechfa, Cwrt Henri, Y Dderwen a Bro Eirwg Schools and the childrenwere in very good company, and me it was a wonderful experience for me to go back to my old school in Ysgol y Dderwen. Thank you all very much for creating fun poems.
I had one last journey to make - to Wrexham in early December. The aim for children in Ysgol Bodhyfryd, Bryn Tabor, I.D Hooson, Min y Ddol, Plas Coch and Morgan Llwyd was to create brand new words. And you got me all very good fun on it. Here are a few of those wonderful poems:
The journey has ended for now! But I'll be re-starting it in the new year. Until then, Merry Christmas to all children in Wales and India, and a happy new year!
Image by Keith Morris
Oi Oi!
A lot has happened since the last time I write on this blog -summer holiday (climbing mountains in Scotland), the National Eisteddfod in Wrexham - but the new term has started and I'm back on the road visiting young poets in all parts of Wales.
I had a very warm welcome in Cerrigydrudion and at Gwyddelwern few weeks ago, and an equally warm welcome at Aberdare, Bryntawe, Church Village and Bodringallt. As the number of schools have been celebrating the Day of Owain Glyndwr on 16 September, I had a lot of fun composing poems about very old patriotic heroes with all the pupils. I went on to create poems about other national heroes, such as the members of our national rugby team. The boys are doing well in New Zealand - good luck to them on Friday against Australia!
Recently I wrote some poetry with the help of children from the Blaenau Gwent, Torfaen and Monmouth area - Cwmbran, Blaina and Abergavenny. Another friend, and a familiar face to many of you - Anni Llŷn from Stwnsh, was also there to lend a hand. But you kids were the stars of the show. Here are your poems…
Calon Cenedl Bardd Plant Cymru
Hello everyone!
Yesterday morning I visited Ruthin for my first workshop as the Welsh Children's Laureate. The alarm rang at 6.30, I gulped down my breakfast (no time for a poached egg!) and I jumped into my car even before the little birds had woken up. A friendly classroom of children were waiting for me in Pen Barras School, and we had a lot of fun writing poems, asking 'What is the summer to me?'. As one of the children said - 'to me, the summer is NO SCHOOL!', and because there aren't many school days left by now, I wish you all a very happy summer holidays!
Thank you very much to all the pupils in Miss Parry's class in Pen Barras for making my first experience as the Welsh Children's Laureate so much fun (and I hope Rhodri will be better soon!). Here's what the summer means to me:
Dim larwm bach swnllyd am hanner 'di saith,
Dim haid o athrawon yn galw am waith -
Dim ond cysgu'n fy ngwely tan hanner 'di deg,
Dim ond chwarae a chwarae'n y tywydd teg.
Hello everyone! My name's Eurig, and I've been chosen to be the Bardd Plant Cymru (Children's Poet Laureate) from 2011-2013.
Many have asked me, 'what does that mean?'Well simply, if you're a child, then I'm your poet! I can help you rhyme and create similes and turn images you might have in your mind into words. I can't help you put on your football shoes, nor brush you teeth - but I can help you turn the game into a magnificent poem and show you how a toothbrush's bristles are like the hairs that grows out of an old man's nose!
I'm looking forward to meeting you all over the next two years. Maybe I'll be visiting your school, or maybe I'll see you at the Eisteddfod. Remember to come over and say hello.
Meanwhile, I'll be jotting down some of my activities as Bardd Plant on this blog, as well as some poems. This is the first poem I've written as Bardd Plant. Swansea Football Club had just won the final round of the play-offs and therefore knew that they'd be playing in the Premier League next year. I also knew that I'd just been promoted to play with words amongst Wales's young poets!
Dw i ar ben fy nigon,
Dwi wedi cael promotion,
Dwi'n mynd i joio cwmni sêr
Uwch gyngrer yr ysgolion.
Mi fyddai'r tymor nesa
Yn teithio o Went i'r Bala
I gwrdd â ffrindiau newydd sbon
Yn 'sgolion dawnus Gwalia.
Mi fydd yn brofiad newydd
I fi a'r beirdd bach celfydd,
Ond fel un tîm fe allwn ni
Farddoni gyda'n gilydd!
© 2012 S4C
O Gymru / Made in Wales