Author Menna Baines will deliver the annual Penygroes Library Welsh language lecture under the title Fi, Kate a’r Gwyddoniadur – Merched A i Z (Me, Kate and the Encyclopedia – the A to Z of women).
The lecture will be held at the hall at Ysgol Bro Lleu, Penygroes on Thursday, 26 November at 7.30pm. Admission free and there is a warm welcome to all.
The 2009 lecture
Menna Baines will be describing her experiences, as a woman, of editing the The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales – a book which reflects women’s contribution to Wales and beyond, as well as the contribution of men. She will talk about some of the women in the book, some of them from Arfon, and one in particular whose roots are in Dyffryn Nantlle – Kate Roberts.
Menna Baines will note that no-one can work on an encyclopaedia about Wales without becoming aware of the battle to recognise that it wasn’t men alone who made Wales the country and nation it is today. Working on the book for a period of 10 years Menna Baines became aware of women’s incredible contribution towards Welsh life. She learnt a great amount about this contribution – something she had not realised before.
It brings her great pride to be able to reflect this side of Welsh history in the volume. By turning to any page it is very likely you will come across the name of a Welsh woman, or a photo of a Welsh woman, without having to search too far. Despite this, women certainly attract the same coverage as the men. Women are present in the book but she says it would be good to see more women’s names and she would wish to have included more.
Menna Baines draws attention to the dilema that women are all too often on the margins of our history books. The challenge was to draw them back in, but without altering historical facts. As the only woman on the small team responsible for editing The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales in both Welsh and English, Menna Baines was very aware of this dilema. In her lecture she will discuss this conundrum and challenge.
The 2009 lecturer
Menna Baines was raised in two very different valleys – Banw Valley in Mongomeryshire and the Nantlle Valley in Gwynedd. She was educated at Ysgol Llanerfyl and Ysgol Uwchradd Llanfair Caereinion, before moving to Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle when the family settled in Penygroes in the early 1980s. After graduating and carrying out research work at the WelshUniversity of Wales, Bangor department at the , she became a journalist and writer, spending time working on both Barn and Golwg. She is currently working as a freelance and is joint editor of Barn. She has published a study of the work of Caradog Prichard and was one of the joint editors of The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales (2008). She lives in Bangor with her family.
Background
The first lecture was delivered by Gwilym R Jones in 1967, and Kate Roberts, John Gwilym Jones, Thomas Parry, Elan Closs Stephens and Karen Owen are amongst those who have presented a lecture over the years.
The Penygroes Library’s annual lecture is arranged by Gwynedd Council’s Library and Information Service, and the lecture will be published to be sold locally and throughout Wales. Copies of the lecture will be on sale at the end of the event. The lecture was established by the Library Service with the support of the Elisabeth Hughes Bequest, which was established to promote the Library Service’s work in Penygroes and the surrounding area.
For further information, contact Hywel James, Gwynedd Council Principal Librarian on 01286 679504, or e-mail [email protected]
