Rhian Edwards has recently taken up her post as Aberystwyth Arts Centre’s first Writer in Residence, as part of a project supported by Literature Wales, HAUL and Aberystwyth University’s School of English and Creative Writing.
Rhian will be resident for 3 months, based in one of the Arts Centre’s Creative Studios which were designed by award winning Thomas Heatherwick, and living in the town alongside two visual artists in residence. During her stay she will be developing new work inspired by the work, creativity, visitors and people of the Arts Centre. She will also be organising readings with local poets and leading workshops with groups at the Arts Centre and in schools and the community.
Gill Ogden, Performing Arts Officer for the Arts Centre said:
‘We’re very pleased to welcome Rhian to Aberystwyth and look forward to working with her and all the project partners to develop creative projects over the next couple of months. We’re sure she’ll find plenty to inspire her in Aberystwyth!’
Rhian Edwards said:
"It is a great privilege to be appointed the first writer in residence at Aberystwyth arts centre. My role is nothing short of a dizzying chocolate box based on all the different artistic disciplines and groups I will be able to engage with during my time here."
Born in Bridgend, Rhian is a poet and musician and has delivered over 300 stage, radio and festival performances world-wide, including BBC Radio 3, Hay-on-Wye, Ledbury, Latitude, the Green Man, the Cheltenham Literary Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Her first collection of poems Clueless Dogs (Seren) was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection 2012, while her pamphlet of poems Parade the Fib, (Tall -Lighthouse), was awarded the Poetry Book Society Choice for autumn 2008.
She also won the John Tripp Award for Spoken Poetry 2011-2012, winning both the Judges and Audience Award, which is the highest accolade for a performance poet in Wales. Her poems have appeared in the Guardian, Times Literary Supplement, Poetry Review, Arete, the Spectator, Poetry London, Poetry Wales, Prague Revue, the London Magazine, Stand, Planet Magazine and the Lampeter Review.
“Poetry has never sounded so alive…” - Cerys Matthews, BBC Radio 6
“Astounding Welsh poet with performances that get you in the emotional gut…” – Ian McMillan, The Verb, BBC Radio 3
“She captures and subverts cliché for poetry’s purpose, lets sound ring in the lines, weaves common speech with lyrical language…” – Gillian Clarke
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