Canadian O’Connor should rightly be described as an international poet, but as she has recently found her feet as a regular feature on the Cardiff scene, we hope she won’t mind being claimed as Welsh for the purposes of this article. Her work is complex, but strikingly modern, with aromas of Eliot and Pound, and is deeply coloured by her travels. She runs the Cardiff Poetry Experiment, publishes widely across the world (you can read two of her poems here) and as you can see form the video below, where she spars with one of Wales’ literary heavyweights, Peter Finch, she is a remarkable performer as well. Growing up, he received a bursary to study at the University College of North Wales, where he read Latin. Then, in 1936 he was ordained as a priest in the Anglican Church in Wales.

His most famous poem, ‘Do not go gentle into that good night, was published in 1952 just one year before his death. Other famous works include the poem ‘And Death Shall have No Dominion’ (1933) and the popular play for voices, ‘Under Milk Wood’. Iolo Morganwg (1747-1826) – antiquarian, poet, tall-story-teller, and founder of the modern National Eisteddfod. Thomas made a very small income and lived a life of near poverty with his wife and son, although he purposefully chose not to participate in the comforts of modern day life. Sources say he didn’t even allow a vacuum cleaner in his home, because it was too noisy! His career has seen him succeed in a number of roles outside of poetry, too, most notably as a broadcaster and presenter. He has also worked a lot in the theatre and performed at a number of Welsh events.Suppose I take a spurt, and mixAmang the wilds o’ Politics— Electors and elected,Where dogs at Court (sad sons of bitches!)Septennially a madness touches, Till all the land’s infected. Awdl Meters (meaning “ode” or “lay”), are the most challenging and complicated classification of the Welsh meters. In ancient times the Awdls were the territory of the chief or master bard. Awdls often combine englyn and cywydd meters and there are more awdls than the other two classifications combined. Several were extremely rare, even in ancient times. Though a description of any of the awdls may not specify use of alliteration, assonance or consonance, the elaboration of cynghanedd (harmony in sound), encourages their use throughout. The meters are, like the Englyns and Cwydedds, stanzaic and any number of stanzas may be written. #13. Rhupunt(See Rhupunt hir) Welsh poet Hedd Wyn (born Ellis Humphrey Evans on January 13, 1887) grew up in Trawsfynydd, Gwynedd. Alexander Cordell (1914-1997) – Rape of the Fair Countrywas the first of several novels set during the Industrial Revolution in the South Wales Valleys.

Give me to hold all sounds, (I, madly struggling, cry,) Fill me with all the voices of the universe, Endow me with their throbbings—Nature’s also,The tempests, waters, winds—operas and chants—marches and dances, Utter—pour in—for I would take them all. Dahl was also an accomplished screen writer – he wrote the scripts for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the James Bond film You Only Live Twice. The Norwegian Church in Cardiff Bay where the Dahls worshipped is now an arts centre; the nearby public plaza is named Roald Dahl Plas in his honour. 3. Ifor ap Glyn It was particularly unusual at the time for a poet to write about himself and share his own experiences and feelings. Over 100 years after he died in Word War 1, Hedd Wyn is still one of the best-known poets in Wales. 10 Great Welsh Poets - Hedd Wyn

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Davies began to publish poetry and prose including accounts of his experiences on the road as a tramp. He married in 1921 to Helen Payne who was almost three decades younger than him. His later work was sporadic and often repetitive of his earlier work. Nevertheless his work was always in demand and this kept him busy until his death in 1940 at the age of sixty nine. Lo, from the shades of Death’s deep night,Departed Whigs enjoy the fight, And think on former daring:The muffled murtherer of CharlesThe Magna Charter flag unfurls, All deadly gules its bearing. The earliest documented authors of Welsh language poetry are Aneirin and Taliesin, known as the Cynfeirdd (Early Poets). What verse can sing, what prose narrate,The butcher deeds of bloody Fate, Amid this mighty tulyie!Grim Horror girn’d, pale Terror roar’d,As Murder at his thrapple shor’d, And Hell mix’d in the brulyie. In the space of 17 years, she bore him 10 children, the seventh of whom she also named Mary, and who was my great-great-grandmother."

Thomas wasn’t too fond of being referred to as a ‘Welsh poet’ and disregarded notions of ‘Welshness’ being associated with his writing. Nevertheless, his poetry was and will always be rooted in Wales. Pugh's document is now at the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts, a laboratory in Philadelphia, where it is being cleaned, repaired and restored. His life was mythologised in the mid 16th century by Elis Gruffydd and is written as a shaman or magician. Yet another poet to come through the gates at the Terry Hetherington prize is Jemma L King. Her debut collection, The Shape of a Forest, was described in Wales Arts Review as ‘well-pruned realism’ and this, three years later remains a well-pruned description of King’s work. She has a Dylan Thomas Prize short-listing under her belt, and that alone attests to the weight, thematic and form-wise, of her voice. You can see in this video King reading her poem about the plight of the Siberian tiger.

M’Murdo and his lovely spouse,(Th’ enamour’d laurels kiss her brows!) Led on the Loves and Graces:She won each gaping burgess’ heart,While he, sub rosa, played his part Amang their wives and lasses. Waldo Williams PowerPoint– This lovely PowerPoint is all about Waldo Williams, the writer of some of the most famous Welsh language poetry ever written. Teach children all about his life, career, family and beliefs with these interesting and fun facts accompanied by some beautifully illustrated images to engage young learners. Sorry, Chris Torrance, I can’t make your Welsh eyrieJust spelling Gymmercher Isaf Pontneathvaughan quite fazes me. But if this proved imposs-i-blePerhaps it would be just as well,For you could then write what you please,And modern verse is done with ease.