The pacifist and former Plaid Cymru member of the European Parliament, Jill Evans, from the Rhondda, will deliver this year’s Waldo Lecture. It will be held on Friday September 26 on the campus of Aberystwyth University. The title will be ‘Creating a Peace Nation’. (See advert for details)
It has always been debatable whether Waldo first and foremost is a poet or a pacifist. Probably the arguments’ are well matched on both sides. But perhaps further light will be shone on the issue by the guest lecturer.
Then on September 30 on Waldo’s birthday a plaque will be unveiled in his memory at the County Archives in Haverfordwest. It was on the site stood Prendergast School and School House where Waldo’s father was the headmaster and where Waldo spent the first seven years of his childhood before the family moved to Mynachlog-ddu. He only spoke English in Haverfordwest but soon became a fluent Welsh speaker through playing with his new Preselau friends such as Edgar Tycwta and Dai Glynsaithmaen. The plaque will be unveiled by his nephews. The unveiling will be at 5.30pm.
Furthermore, Cymdeithas Waldo has launched a series of podcasts of conversations with individuals who either knew Waldo themselves or came to know him through his poetry or a combination of both. The first conversation is between author and eminent poet Alan Llwyd and Hefin Wyn and can be seen either on the Cymdeithas Waldo website or youtube.
Alan has published a thorough biography of Waldo Williams along with a bilingual volume concentrating on his pacifism. He also co-edited a volume containing all of Waldo’s poems along with meticulous notes on all poems
Other similar conversations are in the pipeline.