Top Mexican writers are travelling to Cardiff for ‘From Mexico to Cardiff Bay’ a literary event with leading Welsh writers at the Wales Millennium Centre on Friday 17 April.
The ‘Fiction Fiesta’ event will see Mexican writer and journalist Juan Villoro and Welsh author Francesca Rhydderch in conversation with Welsh writer Owen Sheers.
Mexican poet Pedro Serrano will talk with Scottish poet WN Herbert and Welsh writer Richard Gwyn.
The event is organised by Welsh writers’ association Wales Pen Cymru and the British Council with Cardiff University and is part of the British Council UK Mexico Year of Culture.
Richard Gwyn, Cardiff University’s director of creative writing and creator of Fiction Fiesta, says he is excited about the mix of writers taking part:
“It is fantastic for us in Cardiff to be able to hear two of Mexico’s foremost writers, one an influential poet and translator, the other a novelist and short story writer (as well as being one of Latin America’s most widely-read writers on football, rock music and cinema). This is the first event in the new partnership of Fiction Fiesta and Wales PEN Cymru to bring exciting writers from around the world to share their work with local audiences.”
Now in its fourth year, Fiction Fiesta is a festival dedicated to the celebration of international fiction and poetry in translation alongside Welsh writing.
From Mexico to Cardiff Bay will take place in the Preseli Room, Wales Millennium Centre from 5pm to 8pm. It is a free event with donations on the door to Wales Pen Cymru. Reservations can be made at walespencymru@gmail.com
Juan Villoro won the Herralde Prize in 2004 for his novel El Testigo (The Witness).The prize is awarded annually to the best novel written in the Castilian language.
Francesca Rhydderch’s debut novel, The Rice Paper Diaries, was longlisted for the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award and won the Wales Book of the Year Fiction Prize 2014. She was also shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award 2014.
Owen Sheers is a Welsh poet, author, playwright, actor and TV presenter. He is the first writer in residence to be appointed by any national rugby union team.
Pedro Serrano has published five collections of poetry and many of his poems have been translated into English.
WN Herbert is from Dundee, Scotland and has published several poetry collections and writes in English and the Scots dialect.
Richard Gwyn is a Welsh writer of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. His works have been translated into many languages.
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