Frequently Asked Questions:

You write in Welsh and English - which comes first?
I have always been bilingual. My parents were Welsh-speakers, and although English was the main language of my home and community, Welsh was also used, and Welsh was the language of my schooling from age eight to 16. I first learned to write poetry in Welsh and that was the sole language of my creative work until 1999, when, in the wake of the publication of my first book, Adennill Tir, in 1997, I began to get requests to provide English translations. That led to an increasing ability to write in English and, eventually, to the ability to compose original work in that language. Now I write in both. Which language comes first sometimes depends simply on who I'm writing for, and for what occasion, commission or audience. Sometimes it depends in which language the first lines occur to me. Sometimes I write a poem in two languages in the same sitting; they're intertwined.

Do you do school/college/library visits?
Certainly, I'm happy to visit schools, colleges, libraries or other venues to give readings or to teach creative writing, either for a short session or for a whole day. I also do after-dinner talks and the like. I'm a member of the Society of Authors, so I charge their rates, which are here. I'm also a member of Literature Wales' Writers on Tour scheme which will pay up to 50% of the costs of visits in Wales, which can make a visit much more affordable. Details of that scheme are here. And I will consider special fees for special cases, of course.

Where can I buy your books?
Not all my books are in print, but those which are available can be obtained directly from the publishers, Seren, Gomer and Barddas, or from the Welsh Books Council's website, Gwales, or, of course, from Amazon.

I want to be a writer -will you help?
This is the advice I give all aspiring writers. As for looking at your work specifically, I do have to be careful how much I take on, of course, as, like anyone, my time is scarce. If you're a member of a creative writing group, then ask me along and we can do some detailed work. See above under Do you do school/college/library visits?

We need a judge for a literary competition -are you available?
I've judged many literary competitions, from major ones that take a year to read all the books, to small ones with half a dozen poems. Let me know what you have in mind and we can discuss possibilities.

You have written a lot about Jewish subjects - are you Jewish?
I'm afraid not. I have no Jewish family background. I became interested in Jewish subjects in the early 1990s when studying for my doctorate. One of the writers I was studying, the French philosopher Simone Weil, was Jewish, and in seeking to better understand her views, I started researching Judaism. That led, in 2002, to me publishing a book, The Chosen People, about the Welsh relationship with the Jewish people, and to three visits to Israel and Palestine, and to a host of contacts and friendships and interests in the Jewish world.

How did you get interested in Islam?
This grew out of the Jewish studies. The trips to Israel and Palestine brought me into contact with Muslim people, and this made me aware of references to Islam in Welsh literature. These researches led to another book about the Welsh relationship with Islam, The Dragon and the Crescent, published in 2011, and, again, to a host of contacts and relationships.