Merthyr Express column

16 July 09
Basket Weaving
Cyfarthfa Castle Museum & Art Gallery will be running a Basket Weaving workshop for adults with community artist Mo Dawes. on Wednesday, 22nd July 2009 at 6pm until 9pm. Booking is essential. So please contact 01685 723112 or email: museum@merthyr.gov.uk. Sessions cost £3 per person.

Parc Art
An art exhibition by local artists titled Parc Art will be showing at Trelewis OAP Hall for two more days only. The show continues today, (Thursday, 16th July) 10am until 4pm and tomorrow (Friday, 17th July) 10am until 2pm. Entrance into the exhibition is free.

Poetry Night
The next Open Mike Night, on Thursday 23rd July 2009, welcomes poet and essayist John Barnie from Abergavenny. John lived in Denmark from 1969-1982, he wa editor of Planet, The Welsh Internationalist from 1990-2006. He has published several collections of poems, mixed poems and fiction, and two collections of essays, one of which, The King of Ashes, won a Welsh Arts Council Prize for Literature in 1990. John Barnie also plays guitar in the bilingual blues and poetry group Llaeth Mwnci Madoc/Madoc’s Moonshine, with Nigel Jenkins (harmonica) and Iwan Llwyd (guitar). They perform an integrated programme of blues and poetry. In 1999-2000 the trio toured extensively in Wales. His recent poetry collection Trouble in Heaven (Gomer, 2007) was on the Wales Book of the Year 2008 Long List: There is trouble in heaven. There is trouble on earth. But poet John Barnie refuses - intellectually and spiritually - to tire of creation’s capacity for glory and joy. In the face of corporate exploitation of man and the planet, and in spite of political cynicism and common-place materialism, he continues to allow himself to muse on and to marvel at the immutability of beauty. ’Believing in loveliness’, he searches for those dimensions beyond humanity’s inhumanity and beyond the confines of dogma and doubt. Never trite, never contrived, always pithy and contemporary, Trouble in Heaven explores the age-old complexities of man’s relationship with the natural world and beyond. Poets, writers, singers, acoustic musicians and those who just want to listen are all welcome to come along to this free entry event, at the Imperial Hotel, 23rd July at 7.30pm. Further information available from: Arts Development 01685 725382 or arts@merthyr.gov.uk.

Forum Updates
Keep up to date with the Merthyr Tydfil Arts, Culture and Media Forum online at http://www.artscelf.blogspot.com/

Piano Player Needed

Accompanist? Can you play the piano? Lleisiau Pontmorlais, a mixed choir for adults, are looking for a new accompanist as a matter of urgency. If you can help please contact the Menter Iaith Merthyr Tudful now on 01685 722176

The Guns In Merthyr
The Guns will be performing at The Myfanwy Theatre to promote their new album this september. Watch this space or visit www.merthyr.ac.uk/myfanwy for confirmation of the date.