Welsh Poet Laureate to give writing workshops

Acclaimed Welsh writer of novels, plays and poetry for adults, Menna Elfyn, will be in Malta next week to lead a number of creative writing workshops at St James Cavalier in Valletta.

She will also be the main speaker at a public forum on "Woman Writing" on Wednesday in the Music Room of St James Cavalier at 7.30 p.m.

Ms Elfyn was recently made Poet Laureate for children's literature in Wales.

She is being brought to Malta by the Mediterranean cultural organisation Inizjamed in collaboration with the The British Council and the support of the foundation that runs St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity.

Her activities with Inizjamed are being coordinated by Clare Azzopardi and Karen Vella.

Ms Elfyn is the author of seven volumes of Welsh-language poetry, stage plays, television documentaries and opera libretti.

Her television work includes documentaries on Vietnam and on street children.

She will be giving two sets of two creative writing workshops to small groups of people at St James Cavalier. The first two sessions are for women (not necessarily writers) and are being held on Monday and Tuesday, between 6 and 9 p.m.

The other two sessions are open for men and women and are being held on Thursday between 6 and 9 p.m. and on Saturday between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Participants must be over 18.

Wednesday's public forum is being organised by Inizjamed with the support of YMCA. Apart from engaging Dr Mary Darmanin and with the audience on the subject of "Woman Writing", the poet laureate will be reading some of her latest work and talking about her novel Rana Rebel which is coming out in October. This is a novel about a child soldier who eventually becomes a suicide bomber.

The general public is invited to attend. Entrance is free.