It’s September and the school holidays are finished, August bank holiday is over and it’s time to go back to work but there are still things to look forward to if you are a Dylan Thomas fan. Below is a list up upcoming events you can enjoy in the next few months. A Child’s Christmas [...]
For a long period of my adult life, I paid little attention to poetry. Yes, it was a part of my growing up. My father loved to read and recite poetry. Yes, I studied it in college and grad school, as my degrees were in English literature. Yes, I taught English composition; therefore, I read [...]
Dylan Thomas’ Lancashire Loves: Tripe and Onions and T. Thompson I recently received an email from a pianist in Illinois, who was researching her family tree, having being told she might be related to Dylan Thomas. Her great-grandparents had come from Carmarthenshire but her grandmother had been born in Liverpool, so she wanted to know [...]
First Dwelling: From Lady Cholmondeley to Jack the Donkeyman It was several months before I heard from Dai Cwc again. He chided me for ending my last blog in such a tantalising way. Who was this ‘distinguished son’ of Wales? Where exactly was his country home? And what did he or it have to do [...]
I have put together some of my favourite events from 2017 and have looked back at how Dylan's places have honoured him. I also remember people we have lost and those who continue to do great work promoting Dylan Thomas. You can find out more information at Dylan Thomas News and on the Events and [...]
Dylan Thomas’s father, David John (D.J) Thomas died sixty-five years ago from throat cancer on December 16th 1952, at the age of seventy-six. This event turned out to be very significant in the life of Dylan Thomas as it was the start of a year that included a rapid decline in his mental wellbeing. [...]
My grandmother (or Nonna) Caitlin Thomas was born one hundred and four years ago on the 8th December 1913. To mark the date I would like to share this fascinating interview that she did with Vincent Kane in 1977. Throughout she is incredibly candid and amazingly honest as she details her weaknesses such as: her [...]
From Friday 3rd to Saturday 4th November, Dylan Thomas's home town will be welcoming festivalgoers for the annual Do Not Go Gentle Festival, which is now in its sixth year. The location is changing from the Uplands part of Swansea to the city centre but the warm and lively atmosphere remains the same, as does the high [...]
This is my final blog showcasing letters from Dylan Thomas’s Collected Letters, which are now available in two paperback volumes. This letter from October 1951 was written to Princess Marguerite Caetani explaining the enclosed manuscript ‘Llareggub. A Piece for Radio Perhaps’ that eventually became his play-for-voices, Under Milk Wood. Princess Caetani was a cultured and modern woman [...]
Not so long ago, I had an email from Dai Cwc, who’d been at school with me in Port Talbot. He’d been reading my last blog on the Majoliers, Caitlin’s literary rellies. “How come you got to kiss Liz Taylor in the Aberavon club house?” “You remember my uncle Arth?” I asked. “He was [...]
