It has been an exciting year at Wales Arts Review, and we have been privileged to publish a huge display of talent from Welsh writers on an array of fascinating subjects. Here we pick through a small selection of the best articles of 2016. As usual, to read, just click on the red.
Best Articles of 2016:
A Tribute to David Bowie
A Letter from the Editor
Public Subsidy of the Arts: How Many Times Must We Win This Argument? | From the Editor
Our founding editor, Gary Raymond, pleads a very strong case against cutting public subsidy of the arts in Wales.
YA Literature
Time Travel Meets Scary Fairies: Writing The Chronoptika Quartet
Catherine Fisher has conquered the three peaks of literature; her Young Adult novels and her poetry are critically lauded, award-winning, and best-selling. Here, ahead of the publication of the fourth in her acclaimed Chronoptika Quartet, The Speed of Darkness, Catherine explains the challenges and rewards of attempting such an ambitious project.
Dance
Arts Funding in Wales & Finland | Comment
Tanja Raman investigates the similarities & differences in arts funding in Wales & Finland in her article: A Common Goal.
Theatre
Cosy: The Genesis of a Play | Theatre
Kaite O’Reilly discusses her latest project, Cosy, a play that tackles the taboo of aging.
Poetry
Writing ‘Elephant’ by M. Oliver-Semenov
Published poet M. Oliver-Semenov details the creative process and the struggles behind putting together his poetry collection The Elephant’s Foot.
Shakespeare
Shakespeare and Wales | An Introduction
David Cottis discusses the Shakespeare and Wales event at the Chapter Arts Centre celebrating Shakespeare films with panel discusssions.
Transnational Literature Festival
An Introduction to Transnational Literature
Siân Melangell Dafydd introduces our new series, in partnership with Bath Spa University, exploring the field of transnational literature and writing.
Art
The Tin Can as (New) Found Art
Richard Porch discusses the concept that a tin can that has been discarded can be classified as found art in a public space.
Theatre
How to Build a Season | Theatre
Creative Producer of Cardiff’s The Other Room, Ben Atterbury, shares the story of how he put together his first season programme.
Photography
Jeremy Moore & Pembrokeshire | Photography
Adam Somerset looks at the work of arguably Wales’ finest nature photographer, Jeremy Moore and his work in Pembrokeshire.
The Big Read
Transnational Series | A Movable Fast Part 1 (Ramadan)
In this highly personal serialised essay, writer and academic Adnan Mahmutović reflects on the extraordinary nature of Ramadan.
Comment
Rape Culture and Everyday Life: We Grew Up With This | Comment
Sian Norris reflects on why Donald Trump’s horribly controversial comments alluding to rape culture came as a surprise to men, but not women.
Roald Dahl
Sweets, their Golden Age, and Roald Dahl | #Dahl100
As part of our celebration of Roald Dahl’s centenary year, in partnership with the Roald Dahl Conference at Cardiff University, Professor Keiko Tanaka explores the dominant role played by chocolate and sweets in Dahl’s work.
Literature
Around the World in Less That 80 Short Stories | Blog
Rebecca F. John describes how travelling has affected the planning and writing of the short stories and the novel she has written.
Travelogue
Le Vigan Asylum Seekers | Travelogue
Bill Rees recounts his personal experience of encountering the treatment of asylum seekers in the village of Le Vigan, France.
International Day of the Girl
Inspirational Welsh Women Writers
To celebrate the United Nations International Day of the Girl, Amelia Fae picks some of the most inspirational women writers in Welsh history
Heritage
Wordsworth in Denbigh | Denbigh: A Literary Past, Part 2
In the second of our series looking at the riches of Denbigh’s literary history, John Idris Jones focuses on the love of affair Wordsworth had with the place.
Black History Month
Black History Month | An Introduction to Black Writers in Wales
To celebrate Black History Month Wales, Durre S. Mughal has compiled a non-exhaustive list of black writers with strong connection to Wales, who should be celebrated and known about for their work and achievements.
Mental Health Arts Festival
Walls: Muriau | Welsh Mental Health Arts Festival
Wales Arts Review has been on hand for a guided tour of some of the visual arts at the Mental Health Arts Festival in Cardiff.
Art and Literature
A panoply of work from a new Jan Morris exhibition including essays by the artists and an exclusive introduction by the exhibition’s curator, Iwan Bala.
Music
BBC NOW Composition: Wales | Comment
Steph Power discusses the BBC NOW Composition: Wales event at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff where new composers submit their work.
Comment
The Politics of Authenticity by Sophie McKeand
This list of the best articles of 2016 is by no means every article we have published in 2016, but rather a sample of what we have covered. To explore our archive in full click on the red.
