Further names are announced for the Dinefwr Literature Festival, a celebration of words, music and landscape, set in the stunning surroundings of Dinefwr Park and Castle in the heart of the Carmarthenshire countryside this summer.
Amongst those added to this year’s line-up is Gruff Rhys who returns to Dinefwr with a performance of his bold and ambitious multiplatform tale of adventure – American Interior – a unique project telling the true story of distant relative John Evans, the 18th century explorer.
Gruff Rhys joins a stellar line-up of Welsh talent that includes singer and songwriter Charlotte Church; BBC Radio 1 DJ and writer Huw Stephens who presents Lyricism – a celebration of spoken word in music – and Carmarthenshire’s very own Cate Le Bon. This is currently Cate’s only planned gig in Wales ahead of her UK tour this autumn.
The three-day bilingual festival proudly presents an eclectic programme of national and international writers, award-winning poets and emerging English and Welsh literary talent, along with ground-breaking spoken word, comedy, music, art, cinema and creative activities for children.
Being the year of the Dylan Thomas centenary, visitors to Dinefwr can expect events throughout the weekend celebrating his rich life and work. There’ll be a replica of his writing shed in the grounds; the Dylan Live show – a 60 minute bilingual performance which traces the origin of hip hop back to a young Welshman’s visit to New York in 1952 through a fusion of jazz, beat poetry, hip hop and spoken word; and further events featuring celebrated authorities on both Dylan Thomas and Bob Dylan.
Included in the programme is a strand which sees a new generation of feisty women discussing feminism. Speakers include Charlotte Church; founder of UK Feminista, Kat Banyard; and Laura Bates, founder of the Everyday Sexism Project.
LITERATURE
Dinefwr is delighted to welcome debut novelist Nathan Filer, winner of the 2013 Costa Award. He is joined on the programme by Helen Dunmore, British poet, novelist and children’s writer; author and journalist Horatio Clare; Unbound’s Dan Keiran; David Whitehouse, author of Bed; and Shaun Usher who presents, Letters of Note, a collection of over one hundred of the world’s most entertaining, inspiring and unusual letters, along with a whole host of other inspirational writers.
There will be English and Welsh-language events taking place over the weekend, with confirmed writers from Wales including: Cynan Jones; Aneirin Karadog, the Welsh-language Children’s Poet Laureate; 2014 Baileys Women’s Prize long-listed author and 2009 Wales Book of the Year winner, Deborah Kay Davies; celebrated children’s writer Angharad Tomos; and broadcaster and journalist Beti George.
MUSIC
Curated by SŴN, this year’s music line-up also includes Carmarthenshire’s beguilingly intimate Welsh pop duo, Trwbador, the Alex Dingley Band and alternative folk band, Plu. They are joined by Adrian Edmondson & The Bad Shepherds, Dan Bettridge, Gabrielle Murphy, Sweet Baboo (shortlisted for the Welsh Music Prize in 2011), and Richard Dawson.
POETRY & SPOKEN WORD
Particularly strong this year is the poetry and spoken word strand with featured artists including Owen Sheers; National Poet of Wales, Gillian Clarke; performance poet and author Steven Camden aka Polarbear; Hollie McNish; multi-award winning poet and musician Rhian Edwards; and the punk poet, Attila the Stockbroker.
FAMILY
Dinefwr Literature Festival is a fantastic place for families with plenty of places in the grounds to explore and acres of land in which to safely run wild. Entertainment throughout the weekend for children includes the brilliant Wimpy Kid Show in which host Alastair Watson brings to life Jeff Kinney’s international bestselling children’s books. The festival also welcomes Nicola Davies, former presenter of the Really Wild Show; Sarah KilBride, author of the Princess Evie books; plus Kristina Stephenson and family present Sir Charlie Stinky Socks.
COMEDY
The weekend’s comedy, curated by The Junket Club, comes courtesy of the award-winning Bridget Christie; Daniel Kitson and Gavin Osborn performing ‘Lucinda Ding and the Monstrous Thing’; Mike Wozniak, whose ‘Take The Hit’ show was nominated for the Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Award 2013; and Rob Auton who presents his poetry/comedy/theatre show – ‘The Sky Show’ – about the sky and the things in it. Also on the bill is BBC Radio 4 regular Jeremy Hardy, and Elis James, one of Wales’ hottest young comedians.
For full programme details visit:
www.dinefwrliteraturefestival.co.uk
Festival events will take place in Newton House, the National Trust’s stunning 17th century property, and in marquees in the grounds of the landscaped park, home to the famous White Park Cattle.
This year the ancient Castle, which is reached by a woodland walk, will host performances, specially commissioned for the mythical setting. Dinefwr Park and Castle is located on the edge of Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire.
There is a dedicated camping area, surrounded by woodlands and with breath-taking views, a short stroll from the festival site and within easy reach of the festival’s many food stalls selling local produce.
For a taste of the inaugural festival in 2012, have a look at some of the highlights here: www.dinefwrliteraturefestival.co.uk/looking-back
Both weekend and day tickets are available for the festival. Adult Weekend passes are £65, with a discount for National Trust, Cadw and Literature Wales members and University of Wales Trinity Saint David students and staff. An Older Persons Weekend Ticket (60+) is also available. Adult Day Tickets start at £20; children under 5 go free, and weekend and day tickets for children aged 6-16 are £10 and £5 respectively. Camping tickets are additional: £20 per tent for a maximum of four people sharing and £30 for live-in vehicles; (£10 and £20 for local residents). See website for applicable local postcodes.
