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There are many picture postcard spots in and around the seaside town of Aberystwyth, so it's hardly surprising that some of the local folk are setting up a new photography festival to celebrate the town and its photographers.

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FfotoAber will be the first festival of its kind for the town, and will celebrate the art of photography through a series of exhibitions and events in Aberystwyth.

It is being organised by local residents not only for the residents and the local area, but also for visitors from all parts of Wales and beyond.

FfotoAber will start in the October half term and will culminate in the already established Lens Festival at the on 18 and 19 November.

The festival will be an opportunity to see photography in both familiar and unfamiliar locations in the town; in galleries, cafés and as large scale outdoor projections on the street.

Visitors will be able to take part in workshops with expert photographers and there are also plans for a photomarathon, which is likely to take place on Saturday 22 October.

If you're interested in taking part in the festival you can find out more on the website , plus keep up to date with the latest plans on and .

If I sound harassed and more than a bit paranoid, I'm sorry, but there's a good reason.

I've got another novel out.

Every single time, you forget exactly what this means.

In the old days, when a writer just did the writing, it was easy. You simply bought extra newspapers so you wouldn't miss a review. And the publishers (apparently) would send you a case of wine.

Now they only send you a list of instructions. For a couple of weeks, your life is not your own. To publicise your book, you're expected to learn the skills of a sales rep, stand-up comic, children's entertainer and... well, it gets worse. At the Radio Wales book programme, Phil The Shelf, we're often approached by publicists who confide, in pimp-like tones, that a particular author gives good interview...

At least, the writers always go away from our studio with the knowledge that I've actually read the books. This is seldom the case with radio presenters, especially the famous ones who will steer the conversation away from the actual book at the earliest possible opportunity. Don't forget to mention the title of your book as many times as possible, the publishers warn.

Then there are the bookshop signings where nobody turns up. And even worse, in the early days, the libraries. I was once invited to do a gig at Blackwood Library and turned up to find the audience consisted of three librarians and a bloke they'd dragged in from the street even though he'd never heard of me. It was a good night in the end. Librarians are very friendly and informative. 'You don't have much sex in your books, do you?' one observed ruefully.

Literary festivals can be even more discouraging. I once did one in Devon with Peter James, now a number-one bestselling crime writer, and Charlie Higson, now the author of the mega-selling Young Bond series and famous on TV.

Unfortunately, this was the year before The Fast Show became the new Monty Python. We pulled a crowd of about 15 and afterwards sat dolefully around a table of books that nobody wanted signing, watching the queue for Sue Townsend's gig winding twice round the building. In the end, I think we signed each other's books just to make it look as if something was happening.

Even when your sales start to improve, you need to be continually inventive to stay on top. It's time, then, to study the techniques of a master: Mid Wales comic-fantasy writer Jasper Fforde, creator of Thursday Next and the Nursery Crime series.

- feel free to check this out for yourself but beware of flashing images - is a wonderland of whimsy, where you can follow the adventures of his red suitcase, Samantha Samsonite, as she tours America. And if you live, as I do, not far from Jasper, you'll doubtless recall his Porsche, its paintwork covered with hundreds of little green frogs.

But these are only the trimmings. Serious fans can now book advance tickets for the 2012 , a whole weekend in which grown people can do Jasper-related silly things. The downside is you have to do them in Swindon.

Frankly, the rest of us think Jasper should be banged up somewhere dark and quiet before too many publishers' publicity departments are contaminated by whatever he's got. Although I fear it could already be too late. When I was daft enough to write a children's book, the publisher took me to lunch to introduce me to someone more experienced - the author of a series about a vampire pirate. He would tour schools with piles of his books, dressed in pirate kit and waving an imitation cutlass. Never failed, he said, watching me turn pale.

Anyway, I resisted, and the book bombed.

But if my publishers are reading this, I'd urge them to consider the late great JD Sallinger, author of The Catcher in the Rye and a famous recluse, who shunned the public and survived for decades on the huge profits of that one book.

Way to go, JD...

PS I just ran into Jasper Fforde - at the bank, as it happens - and he denies all responsibility for the Ffforde Festa, insisting it's been devised and organised by fans. 'I just turn up,' he says. Huh, he'll be saying vandals painted frogs on his car, next...

Torchwood may have recently got the Hollywood treatment, with the series partly filmed and set in both America and Wales. Yet the series retains an element of its Welshness, due partly to the character of Gwen Cooper, played by the brilliant Eve Myles.

Jane Espenson is a writer on Torchwood, who has also written for shows such as Buffy The Vampire Slayer, The O.C., Gilmore Girls, Firefly, Dollhouse, Battlestar Galactica and Game of Thrones.

Torchwood's Rex Matheson (Mekhi Phifer), Esther Drummond (Alexa Havins), Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) and Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman)

She's written a guest post over on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ TV blog, in which she describes how getting the script right for Gwen was a challenge:

"Writing Gwen was particularly challenging, of course, because of the Welsh phrasing and syntax.

"I didn't do it very well, I think, in the first script where I wrote dialogue for her, but Russell [T Davies] fixed it, and after that I caught on.

"I loved writing for her so much. Through my eyes, she is very exotic."

Read the rest of the article on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ TV blog and watch episode seven of Torchwood: Miracle Day tonight at 9pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ One. If you've missed any of the series so far, catch up on ´óÏó´«Ã½ iPlayer.

A new exhibition that opens this winter will take a close look at some of Graham Sutherland's lesser-known work, including his Welsh landscapes painted in Pembrokeshire.

The exhibition is taking place at Modern Art Oxford. Unfortunately there are no plans for it to tour, but I thought it was worth a mention in case you're planning a visit to, or somewhere near, Oxford in the near future.

Graham Sutherland

Graham Sutherland, An Unfinished World will focus on his early Welsh landscapes from the 1930s, works created during his time as an official war artist during World War Two, and after his return to Pembrokeshire in the 1970s.

It will be curated by the 2011 Turner Prize nominee George Shaw, who said: "The exhibition shows us Sutherland as an artist as much rooted in the past as in the world before him – a world forever unfinished."

Dark Hill, 1940, watercolour, gouache on paper (48.9 cm x 69.8 cm) © Swindon Museum and Art Gallery

An Unfinished World opens at Modern Art Oxford on Saturday 10 December 2011 and is on show until Sunday 18 March 2012.

Meanwhile, Graham Sutherland is the artist in focus at the moment at the . The exhibition shows a selection of works and archival objects relating to the artist, and runs until Sunday 30 October 2011.

Related links

• Graham Sutherland biography on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Wales Arts

Welsh DJ and ´óÏó´«Ã½ Wales Music blogger Bethan Elfyn will host a Desert Island Discs event with authors Gwyneth Lewis and Joe Dunthorne next month.

Organised by Literature Wales, Bethan will chat to both writers about which tracks they'd like to take to a desert island and why. In between the discussion of song choices and snippets of the songs, both authors will read pieces from their latest works.

Bethan Elfyn

Bethan said, "It'll be a chance to get to know the writers in a new context, and a little of their personalities and their lives. I'm totally honoured to be involved, and hope my Paxman style of interviewing won't put them off!"

Joe Dunthorne is the author of the novel Submarine (2008), which was recently adapted for the screen by Richard Ayoade, who also directed the Swansea-based film. Dunthorne's latest novel Wild Abandon was published earlier this month.

Author Joe Dunthorne. Photo © Angus Muir

Gwyneth Lewis was responsible for composing the poetry on the Wales Millennium Centre building where this event is being held.

Some of her latest works include A Hospital Odyssey (2010), The Meat Tree (2010), which was part of 's New Stories from the Mabinogion series, and Sparrow Tree (2011).

Gwyneth Lewis. Photo © Tim Brett

For info and to book tickets, which are limited and priced at £4 (£3 concessions), contact Literature Wales on 029 2047 2266 or visit their website: .

Bethan Elfyn will also host a second Desert Island Discs event in the Welsh language, Dy CD Di, in which she will discuss musical choices with Dewi Prysor and Catrin Dafydd on Thursday 15 September.

Award winning ´óÏó´«Ã½ drama The Indian Doctor, set in the south Wales valleys during the 1960s, returns for a new series early next year.

Sanjeev Bhaskar in The Indian Doctor. Photo: ´óÏó´«Ã½/Rondo Media

The cast details have recently been announced, with Sanjeev Bhaskar returning as Dr Prem Sharma and Ayesha Dharker continuing to play his wife Kamini.

New cast members include Mark Heap (Lark Rise To Candleford, Green Wing) who will play Herbert Todd, a self-appointed evangelist who has recently returned to the Welsh village of Trefelin, and Indira Joshi (The Kumars At No. 42, Coronation Street) who will star as Pushpa, Kamini's mother.

Characters from the popular drama that return in the new series include Owen, played by Ifan Huw Dafydd; Megan played by Mali Harries, Sian (Erica Eirian); Gina (Naomi Everson) and Dan (Jacob Oakley).

In the new five part series, which started filming in south Wales yesterday, smallpox hits the mining community and Prem and Kamini have to work together to deal with the deadly disease.

The Indian Doctor is likely to be on TV screens in early 2012 on ´óÏó´«Ã½ One Daytime. For further info take a look at the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Press Office website.

A group of west Walian writers, artists and publishers have joined forces to establish a new book festival that will take place next month.

The PENfro book festival will be held in Rhosygilwen, Rhoshill in Pembrokeshire and organisers hope that it will bring together a mix of writers, readers, book sellers and publishers.

Writers lined-up for the event include National Poet of Wales Gillian Clarke and Booker Prize longlisted author Patrick McGuinness plus Brian John, Catrin Collier, Caryl Lewis, Dai Smith, Ceri Wyn Jones, Fflur Dafydd ,Trevor Fishlock, Jo Verity and Tony Curtis among others.

Aside from talks by the various authors there will also be workshops, book stalls and results of a number of competitions that have been organised for the festival, such as short story and poetry competitions.

Find out more about the festival, which takes place from the evening of Saturday 17 September with a full day of events on Sunday 18 September, on the .

Comedy panel show Ask Rhod Gilbert has been recommissioned by the ´óÏó´«Ã½ for a second series. What's more, you have the chance of putting forward a question for Rhod and the panel to answer in the new series.

As it states in a post on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Comedy blog:

We're looking for people to pose their questions to Rhod live from our studio audience. All questions are welcome, from the bizarre to the banal. We want questions that are unique to your life... the more original the better (nothing you might find on the internet already!).

Read more on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Comedy blog about how you can pose your teaser to Rhod and the panel. Plus, listen to the Rhod Gilbert show on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Wales each Saturday morning from 11am and download the latest podcast.

A weekend long festival will be held at in Hawarden, Flintshire to celebrate the Victorian prime minister and the ongoing work of the library.

Gladstone's Library

Gladstone was a life-long scholar and an eager reader and collector of books. His personal collection of over 32,000 items is the heart of the library's collection ofÌý over 250,000 books, journals and pamphlets. It is the only Prime Ministerial library in Britain. ().

The festival will be held from 16-18 September, and will include events such as a reception with the warden of Gladstone's Library, guided tours of the library and a choral evensong in St. Deiniol's Church.

Part of the festival, the guided tour of the library on the Sunday, is being organised as part of the programme of events.

September sees the start of the month-long programme of Open Doors days across Wales, where the public are offered free access to a whole host of places and buildings of historic and architectural interest across the country.

Organised by The Civic Trust for Wales, this year there are over 500 events at more than 300 sites across Wales.

The interior of Gladstone Library

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Statue of William Gladstone outside the library. All images courtesy of the Gladstone Library.

For more information on the Gladstone's Library festival, visit their website.

Related links

Huw Ceredig, the Welsh actor known and loved for his roles in Pobol Y Cwm and Twin Town, has died at the age of 69.

Ceredig, the brother of Plaid Cymru politician and singer Dafydd Iwan and Welsh assembly member Alun Ffred Jones, played the role of Reg Harries in the long-running Welsh soap for 29 years.

He also starred as Fatty Lewis in Welsh cult film Twin Town (1997), and Karl Francis' films Giro City (1982) and Rebecca's Daughters (1992).

Fellow actor Ioan Gruffudd, who starred as Ceredig's son in Pobol Y Cwm, has paid tribute to him saying, "Without a doubt, he was one of the greats on our small screen and one of the Welsh giants.

"There will be a huge loss after him. He'd been in the series for so long, nearly 30 years, and I spent almost 10 fabulous and special years with him."

Read more on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Wales News website and visit bbc.co.uk/cymru for more on Huw Ceredig in the Welsh language.

In the second episode of Connie's Musical Map of Wales, star of musical theatre Connie Fisher heads north.

She starts off in Bangor University and finds out why The Beatles visited the area back in 1967. She then travels through Snowdonia and across the LlÅ·n Peninsula to meet the man who is bringing Bollywood to Wales.

Connie also performs a unique duet with Welsh stargazer Russell Grant in the picturesque Portmeirion. Take a look at some photos ahead of tonight's episode, which can be seen on ´óÏó´«Ã½ One Wales at 7.30pm.

Photos of Connie Fisher in Portmeirion, and performing with Russell Grant

If you missed the first episode, in which Connie journeyed from Cardiff to Treorchy and sang at the Millennium Stadium, met Max Boyce and rehearsed with the Cory Brass Band, catch up now on ´óÏó´«Ã½ iPlayer.

A painting of Welsh pianist LlÅ·r Williams by one of Wales' foremost portrait artists is to be housed at the .

David Griffiths painted the Welsh musician as he rehearsed on a grand piano four years ago. Learn more about LlÅ·r Williams on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Cardiff Singer of the World website.

Photo of David Griffiths' painting of LlÅ·r Williams. Image courtesy of the artist

Meanwhile, two of Griffiths' portraits depicting the royal wedding between the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Kate, are currently on show at the 's summer exhibition, which runs until Saturday 3 September.

Griffiths' two paintings depict the Horse Guards Parade and William and Kate's famous kiss.

Royal Wedding Procession by David Griffiths. Image courtesy of the artist

The artist explains why he was inspired to capture the moment on canvas: "While we were all being bombarded with images of the Royal Wedding, here are my own snapshots in oil paint of a memorable event.

"Television, magazines, newspapers and the internet provided us with so many wonderful pictures, it was difficult to decide which images, pieced together, to paint.

"Unlike commissioned portraits which seem to take forever, these are speedily produced impressionist studies attempting to capture that fleeting moment."

A Cardiff-based community arts project is celebrating its first birthday with an exhibition showing highlights from its inaugural year.

If you've not had the good fortune to stumble across the before, let me point you in its direction.

This great little creative project is run by , a collective that works on community art projects in Cardiff, and is a success primarily due to user generated content.

In non-techy terms, members of the public submit their own writing, musings or poetry on the subject of why they live in and love Wales' capital city. Add a photo to each article of the contributor in their favourite part of their home city. Bob's your uncle.

A simple idea it may be, but as a Cardiff girl born and bred I love reading these short excerpts about why other people from a diverse range of backgrounds enjoy living here. As a former Riverside resident I laughed heartily at , and the piece by is also one of my favourites.

The project has been running for a year now and to mark this the organisers have created an exhibition of the photographs and stories at the Futures Gallery in the Pierhead building in Cardiff Bay.

Adam Chard, one of the team behind We Are Cardiff who often snaps the contributors in their chosen spaces of the city, has sent me some photos to give you a sneak peak of the exhibition.

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Photos taken at the We Are Cardiff Exhibition. All images © Adam Chard

The We Are Cardiff exhibition is open at the from 10.30am-4.30pm, Monday to Saturday. It runs until 9 September 2011.

The in London will mark the 50th anniversary of the death of Tenby-born Augustus John with a new display of portraits of the artist.

The display of portraits are drawn from gallery’s collection and includes photographs by Alvin Coburn, Howard Coster, Bill Brandt, Yousuf Karsh, Norman Parkinson, Ida Kar and Cecil Beaton.

The display spans his life from youth to old age and charts his early career, relationships, his fascination with Romany culture and his success and reputation as an artist. It also includes images of pivotal figures from his life including Dorelia McNeill, Lady Ottoline Morrell and Talitha Pol.

Augustus John, 1937 by Howard Coster. Image courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, London

Augustus John, 1902 George Charles Beresford. Image courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, London

complements portraits by and of the artist currently on display in the gallery. It runs until 18 March 2012.

With a week of competing at the National Eisteddfod done and dusted for another year, let's take a look back at the highlights from the week.

Monday

Monday saw the first of the major ceremonies of the week with the Crowning. The title was taken by Geraint Lloyd Owen of Bontnewydd near Caernarfon, who had come close many times and his brother has won the chair twice.

The expectation of a Crown/Chair double was put on his shoulders as soon as the Crown was placed on his head. Could Wrexham see another double?

Winner of the Crown - Geraint Lloyd Owen

Tuesday

The Daniel Owen Memorial Prize, for the best unpublished novel, was given out on Tuesday to Daniel Davies from Penbontrhydybeddau, Ceredigion for his novel Tair Rheol Anhrefn.

Daniel Davies, winner of the Daniel Owen Memorial Prize

Wednesday

History was made on Wednesday at the Prose Medal ceremony, when the Archdruid Jim Parc Nest awarded the prize to his wife, Manon Rhys of Cardiff. The medal was awarded for a volume of creative prose, of no more than 40,000 words, on the subject of 'conflict'. After the procession left the stage towards the Maes, they were seen holding hands.

The Archdruid and his wife Manon Rhys, winner of the Prose Medal hold hands after the ceremony.

Thursday

The Drama Medal was awarded on Thursday. The ceremony was not as big as on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and there have been calls for the award to have the same importance as the Chair, Crown and Prose medal.

Rhian Staples from Swansea took away the award for her play, based about two people who met on a suicide website.

Rhian Staples shows off her Drama Medal.

The Welsh Learner's prize was also awarded to Kay Holder. To hear a interview with her on Radio Wales, go to our Audio and Video section.

Friday

Tension mounted before the Chairing ceremony. With Wrexham's habit for producing double winners, who would take the title?

As a young man stood in the crown it became clear that a double was not on the cards, but that a crowd favourite had stood up. The Archdruid announced that Rhys Iorwerth, originally from Caernarfon and now living in Cardiff, was the winner.

The Archdruid congratulates Rhys on his accomplishment.

With the Eisteddfod over for another year, we look forward now to next year's at the Vale of Glamorgan. See you there!

Well, it was my last day at the Eisteddfod yesterday and the busiest to date.

I made it back in one piece from Maes B, the youngsters’ field, although they did seem inclined to sing the words of a certain advert at me when ever I asked a question…

The day started with a walk around the Maes and who did I spot but the Wales coach, Gary Speed! I asked him how I might make the leap from Welsh Anthem Singer to Welsh Player…He seemed to stare at me for a bit before saying with a cheeky smile…’I think it would take a bit of time’. On reflection, I must come to terms with the fact that my hopes of an international cap are well and truly over.

Gary Speed & Wynne Evans

Some more filming around the Maes followed and the crew were in good spirits at the thought of not having to follow me around after the day was over! We had the usual team curry at lunch time- something I really recommend if you find yourself on the Eisteddfod field.

After a tearful farewell to the guys in the curry van, the crew and I went off to the Stiwt in Rhos to hear a sing-song with a couple of local male voice choirs. You know what, you really can’t beat a good AMEN!

My final job of the day was to put all the voiceovers onto the programme ready for transmission. The programme, ‘Eisteddfod 2011 with Wynne Evans’ will be broadcast on ´óÏó´«Ã½2 at 5:25pm this Sunday. At thirty minutes long, it’ll show only a fraction of the fun I’ve had this week.

This is my last blog for the ´óÏó´«Ã½ from the Eisteddfod and I really would like to thank my Crew and all of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ guys both up here on the Maes and in Cardiff for making this one of the most enjoyable week’s work I’ve had in a long time. So until next year lovely people, Hwyl Fawr!

Wrexham Eisteddfodau have a strange habit of producing double winners. TH Parry Williams in 1912, and Donald Evans in 1977, both won the Crown and the Chair at Wrexham. Amazingly, they both completed the double twice in their careers. Could Geraint Lloyd Owen join their illustrious company?

This year the Chair is offered for a poem, or a series of poems in full cynghanedd (strict metre) not exceeding 250 lines on the topic 'Boundary'.

The National Eisteddfod for Wales Wrexham and District Chair

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16:36 - For the final time this week the state trumpet is sounded to call the gorsedd procession into the pavilion led by the herald bard, followed by the bards/druids in their white robes. Each colour denotes a particular rank. The procession is made up of poets, writers, musicians, artists and people that have made a distinct contribution to the Welsh nation, language and culture.

Robin o Fôn, best known as Robin McBride the rugby player and the keeper of the sword walks with the sword of peace.

16:40 - The Archdruid brings our attention to 3 chairs that appear on the stage. T.H.Parry Williams' chair from 1912, the first to win the double (the Crown and the Chair), Donald Evans' chair from 1977. Both of them winning at the Wrexham Eisteddfod. And the 2011 chair soon to be awarded (hopefully!).

16:44 - The trumpeters, Dewi Corn a Paul Corn Cynan sound the state trumpet four times for all four corners of the pavilion to stand, followed by Mei Plas offering the gorsedd prayer.

This year’s chair was created by Dilwyn Jones following a creative input from students at Glyndwr University, Wrexham.

16:48 - The Archdruid invites the three adjudicators, Emyr Lewis, Donald Evans and Gruffydd Aled Williams on to the stage, with the adjudication being delivered by Emyr Lewis on behalf of his fellow adjudicators.

Donald Evans won the double when the Eisteddfod was last held in Wrexham in 1977.

16:59 - The Archdruid thanks the adjudicators and when the state trumpet sounds asks that ‘Penrhynwr’ and only ‘Penrhynwr’ to stand. The lights dim in the Pavilion and a spotlight searches the audience for the winner.

A man stands in the crowd.

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A man stand in the crowd.

17:01 - ‘Penrhynwr’ makes his way to the stage.

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‘Penrhynwr’ makes his way to the stage.

17:03 - The Archdruid announces the bard to be Rhys Iorwerth of Cardiff.

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The Archdruid announces the bard to be Rhys Iorwerth of Cardiff.

17:07 - The sword of Peace is raised above his head before the Archdruid asks the audience three times 'Is there peace?' before asking the newly appointed bard to sit in

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17:11 - The chairing song is sung by Huw Euron followed by the flower dance and the Welsh National Anthem.

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Rhys Iorwerth looks on.

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17:13 - The bard is greeted by Tudur Hallam, last year’s Chair winner and Tegwyn Jones.

17:17 - The masters of the court present the horn of plenty where they are offered to drink welcoming wine from the district.

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The masters of the court present the horn of plenty where they are offered to drink welcoming wine from the district.

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A floral tribute of wild Welsh flowers is now presented by the maids of the court.

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The Archdruid congratulates Rhys on his accomplishment.

17:21 - The Archdruid brings the procession to a close with the Welsh National Anthem.

As the procession leaves the stage and the pavilion Sian Aman, who has be Meistress y Gwisgoedd (Mistress of the robes) for 27 years, takes a bow as it's her final time in the role. She is clearly emotional.

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To watch the Chairing ceremony again, as well as highlights from the restÌý of the competitions, you can go to the Results section on our Eisteddfod site.

The Wales-Chongqing Cultural Week is underway and there are free events in Cardiff to get involved with to mark the celebration.

The Chongqing Municipality in China has a sort of twinning arrangement with Wales, called a Memorandum of Understanding. There's more info on the if you want to find out more.

To celebrate this relationship a number of events have been organised to take place during the Wales-Chongqing Cultural Week, which runs until Monday 8 August.

The are staging a number of performances by the Chongqing Acrobatic Troupe, taking place today, Friday 5 August, at 7pm; Saturday 6 August at 3pm and 7pm, and on Monday 8 August at 7pm.

What's more, they're free of charge! The events are ticketed though, so for more information and to book yourself a place contact the Royal College's box office directly on 02920 391391.

There will also be demonstrations of traditional arts by artists from the region of Chongqing, including wood carvers and leaf, syrup and sand painters, at the in Cathays Park between 10am and 5pm on the weekend.

Take a look at some pictures on the .

Welsh star of musical theatre Connie Fisher sets off on a musical mystery tour across Wales in new ´óÏó´«Ã½ Cymru Wales programme Connie's Musical Map of Wales.

In the first episode, which you can see on Monday, Connie journeys from Cardiff to Treorchy. She sings in the Millennium Stadium before a Welsh rugby international, meets Tom Jones' self-proclaimed biggest fan, joins Max Boyce at the Parc and Dare Theatre and contributes to a rehearsal by the Cory Brass Band.

Connie Fisher during filming of Connie's Musical Map of Wales

Connie said of the programme, "I met such a variety of colourful characters on my journey across Wales.

"Talent is pouring out of Wales and I caught up with a great mix of current Welsh musicians - I even conducted the Cory Brass Band and attempted to play the trombone!"

Connie puts her feet up in a theatre

Watch Connie's Musical Map of Wales on Monday 8 August at 7.30pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ One Wales. If you miss it, catch up on ´óÏó´«Ã½ iPlayer for the seven days after transmission.

Well it's official - I have my first Eisteddfod cold, which has been proven is much more devastating for a man than a woman so I require much sympathy and coffee.

I saw into Jeremy Clarkson's nightmare last night when I went to a field with 750 caravans in it. There was a great atmosphere up there and everyone seemed to be in and out of each others' caravans, kids playing football, the smell of sausages filling the air. And, of course, in the land of song there's plenty of singing to be done.

Today my children are on the Maes with me and, as the saying goes, if the kids are happy then I'm happy. So first off we went to the ´óÏó´«Ã½ tent and we were met by Cariad the clown. Again I seemed to end up with ridiculous headwear - this time a balloon hat!

Wynne Evans wearing his balloon hat

Then it was off to have our picture taken against the green screen and instantly my children and I became Doctor Who's assistants! I have to be honest I had aspirations of becoming the next Doctor, but I'll settle for the assistant. I'm not sure the dress will fit me but I'll give it a go.

I am slightly envious of Sian Lloyd from ´óÏó´«Ã½ News as she seems to have spent the whole day being pampered by the students of Yale university, having her nails done and suchlike, but I bite mine so I'm not sure I'll be welcome.

Derek the weather man assures me that tomorrow will be a brighter day here. Still, my wellies will get an airing this afternoon as I am about to take my life in my hands, turn back the clock and go to Maes B the youth field. No matter how hard I try I'm sure I will still look like someone's dad dancing.

Just a quick mention to my lovely crew up here: Gareth our cameraman who is a member of the Gorsedd, Llewela who looks after us stupendously, Aled who seems to carry everything, Ellen our ever-energetic director, and Gizz our soundman whose phone went off during a take yesterday and we will NEVER EVER let him forget it!

Every month, members of the Crime Writers' Association receive a slim magazine called Red Herrings in which members discuss the state of their business. It's supposed to be confidential, so I can't say too much about the contents, except that the latest issue has a feature on the phenomenon known as Tartan Noir.

This is the term invented for dark Scottish crime novels about doomed hardmen with noses broken by Glasgow kisses and arteries clogged by fried Mars bars. The street-level, socially-aware antidote to traditional upper class English crime by Agatha Christie and co.

It's all a marketing scam, of course, promoted by people who conveniently forget that, as well as breeding Ian Rankin, Chris Brookmyre and Stuart MacBride, Scotland is also the home of the awfully genteel, endearingly inoffensive Alexander McCall Smith whose characters make Miss Marple look hard-boiled.

But Tartan Noir really works. It's a killer brand that's sold millions of books in places a long way south of Scotland.

It seems to have begun back in the 1970s when William McInvanney, an established literary novelist, turned out a couple of intelligent thrillers featuring a Glasgow cop called Laidlaw. It never became much of a series, but it did inspire the young Ian Rankin to create a similar cop operating in Edinburgh - John Rebus.

The first Rebus novel, Knots And Crosses, wasn't meant to start a series either. It was intended to be a one-off literary novel, which just happened to be about a policeman. Then Rankin discovered that being a crime novelist allowed you to tackle big social issues and make a reasonable living.

So, although it took him another 15 years to break through bigtime, he had that essential lit-cred from the outset. He was also wise enough not to overdo it on the dialect. Nobody had to read a sentence twice to work out that any guy who messed with Rankin's serial villain, Big Ger Cafferty, wid have his heid used as a fitbaw (Yeah, I know that's Glasgow, but I can't do Edinburgh).

Anyway, when he did break through, Ian Rankin was suddenly the most successful crimewriter in the UK - the biggest name in the biggest-selling genre. And Tartan Noir was in business.

Well, obviously, the article in Red Herrings got me thinking, why no Welsh noir? I mean, this isn't Burns country, this is the land of RS Thomas, for heaven's sake. Wales can out-noir Scotland any day of the week.

And it has the crimewriters. Think about John Williams's acclaimed Cardiff Trilogy, the stylistically-unique Harpur and Iles series from Bill James, the lesser-known but bleakly-brilliant novels of Roger Granelli. And the word noir just isn't dark enough for Robert Lewis's books about terminally-ill private eye Robin Llewellyn.

In terms of landscape and climate and being different, Wales can also take on massively-successful Scandinavia, killing-ground of Henning Mankell, Jo Nesbo and the late Steig Larssen.

So what's going wrong? You can't say nobody's trying. Howard Marks's first thriller, Sympathy For The Devil, features a female cop who has everything except a Welsh Dragon tattoo, and the climax unfolds in a Pembrokeshire where all the blokes, implausibly, are called either Ianto, Iolo or Gethin.

Is that part of the problem? The fact that Anglo-Welsh crime writers just can't resist an element of self-mockery?

Personally, I like it. I think Robert Lewis's Merthyr jokes balance the blackness perfectly. But I know that it all ends in the surreal whimsy of Malcolm Pryce's Aberystwyth, where (in the new one, The Day Aberystwyth Stood Still) private investigator Louis Knight is hired by a man called Raspiwtin to look into the possibility that executed criminal Iestyn Probert was brought back to life by aliens in 1965.

And it's a fair bet that Malcolm Pryce outsells all the serious crime writers whose books are set in Wales.

I don't really have an answer to this. Maybe it'll come with a cult Welsh-language crime novel translated into English. Or perhaps a critically-acclaimed Welsh literary writer will start a crime series, like Kate Atkinson, Susan Hill and booker-winning John Banville. Someone cool and edgy, with a feel for the Welsh landscape and the cultural tensions. Someone who can throw an obliquely sinister light on the Wales that outsiders think they know.

But if you're listening, Niall Griffiths, maybe you need to rein in the dialect just a bit...

Yo can watch the ceremony again on our results page, as well as get the latest news and results from our Eisteddfod site.

The Medal is offered for a volume of creative prose, no more than 40,000 words. The subject set this year was 'Conflict'.

16:30 - The trumpet is sounded to call the gorsedd procession into the pavilion lead by the herald bard.

Followed by the druids in their white robes. Each colour denotes a particular rank. The procession is made up of poets, writers, musicians, artists and people that have made a distinct contribution to the Welsh nation, language and culture.

Robin o Fôn, best know as Robin McBride, the keeper of the sword walks with the sword of peace.

The Archdruid Jim Parc Nest leads the procession into the Pavilion to begin the ceremony.

16:34 - Gareth Williams is invited to the stage by the Archdruid who is representing friends from abroad.

16:40 - The trumpeters , Dewi Corn and Paul Corn Cynan sound the ‘Corn Gwlad’ four times followed by Sara Lian Owen offering the gorsedd prayer.

16:44 - The Archdruid invites the three adjudicators on to the stage, with the adjudication being read out by Grahame Davies.

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Adjudicator Grahame Davies

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The three adjudicators are Grahame Davies, Hazel Walford Davies and Branwen Jarvis.

16:51 - The Archdruid thanks the adjudicators and when the state trumpet sounds will 'Sitting Bull' and only ‘Sitting Bull’ to stand.

16:53 - A lady stands in the audience.

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A lady stands in the crowd.

The mistress of the robes dresses the winner and escorts Sitting Bull to the stage.

The Archdruid asks for the orsedd and the audience to sit.

Sitting Bull is announced to be Manon Rhys.

The Archdruid gives some background on Manon’s life before revealing her to be his wife!

17:00 - The sword of Peace is raised above Manon’s head before the Archdruid asks the audience three times ‘A oes heddwch?’ (‘is there peace?’) before asking the winner to sit in the peace of the Eisteddfod.

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The sword of Peace is raised above Manon's head.

Manon is presented with her winning medal and the first copy her work.

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Manon presented with her winning medal.

17:05 - A Song is sang by Dafydd Gwnws followed by a poem read by Mererid Hopwood.

17:07 - The Bro Taf dancers pay tribute to Manon.

17:11 - The Archdruid brings the procession to a close with the Welsh National Anthem.

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Prose Medal Winner - Manon Rhys

17:13 - The procession leaves the stage and the pavilion.

Well it's the morning after the night before. The concert went well and I didn't fluff my Welsh words - phew!

To give a quick run down of the concert, I danced with the soprano, then I danced with the conductor. I seemed to make a zillion costume changes (including a change into my moustachioed alter ego) and my new red boots made their debut. You'll have to watch the TV show to see those!

On my way to the sound check I bumped into the Eisteddfod chair and couldn't resist getting a quick picture, but apparently I'm not allowed to tell anyone...

After a quick sleep I was back on the Maes to continue filming the programme for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two. We started with a cookery demonstration with fellow Carmarthener Nerys Howells, and the director insisted that I wear the full chef's outfit for maximum embarrassment.

We cooked local Chirk hot smoked salmon with an avocado salsa - totally delicious. This was followed by Wrexham mess which bore an uncanny resemblance to Eton mess, but I kept schtum.

Then onto the learners' tent and to a new idea of learning Welsh whilst hula hooping. Well after that all I can really say is my Welsh has a way to go but the hoola hooping fitness video will be out for Christmas.

Tonight I take my first steps into the caravan field. From what I've been told it's a bit wild. This may be the last you hear of me...

For live footage and all the latest news, results and features from the National Eisteddfod visit the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s website.

Read the rest of this entry

This week's Radio Wales Arts Show talks to John Knapp-Fisher, an artist loved and admired for his paintings of the dramatic Welsh coastline.

Knapp-Fisher celebrates his 80th birthday this week and to mark this milestone a new exhibition of his work opens tomorrow at the Martin Tinney Gallery in Cardiff.

Radio Wales Arts Show presenter Nicola Heywood Thomas visited Knapp-Fisher at his studio in Croesgoch, Pembrokeshire for this week's programme.

John Knapp-Fisher with Nicola Heywood Thomas at his at his studio

Born in London in 1931, Knapp-Fisher studied graphic design and typography at Maidstone College of Art. Following his spell of National Service he worked as an exhibition designer in London and it was during this period, around 1958, that he began to concentrate on drawing and painting.

He later worked as a theatre set designer at the Theatre Royal Margate and the Castle Theatre Farnham before taking up painting full time. He moved to Pembrokeshire in 1965 and opened his studio gallery in Croesgoch two years later.

His name has since been synonymous with paintings of the Pembrokeshire coast and landscape.

John Knapp-Fisher in his Croesgoch studio

In the programme his modesty comes across strongly. He talks to Nicola about his childhood, suggesting that he was far from a child genius at school:Ìý "I think my parents were despairing of my lack of ability in most of the other subjects.

"I was quite good at English and I suppose the only two things that I've pursued all my life are writing and painting. In childhood I wasn't particularly aware of art or painting or drawing, I don't think I was better at it when I went to school."

He also notes that his father " was a brilliant draughtsman, much better than me", talks about Pembrokeshire and his love of boats, something that often strongly comes across in his paintings.

His practicality also comes across in the show, as Nicola questions him about his atypical studio that is an old converted cowshed.

He says, "People always say that you've got to have a good north light... I've never had a good north light in my life. You've got to be practical as an artist. There's no point in being airy fairy and artistic, putting a beret on and standing at a rickety easel; you've got to be very hands on."

Listen to the interview on the Radio Wales Arts Show this evening at 7pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Wales. The programme will also be available on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ iPlayer for the following seven days.

Plus, take a look at some preview images of Knapp-Fisher's work on show at the exhibition on the .

Related links

• ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Wales
• ´óÏó´«Ã½ Wales News: Artist John Knapp-Fisher marks 80th birthday

Well my biggest day at the Eisteddfod has come. Apart from presenting my programme for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two, I also have my own evening concert and today is the day.

It's a real challenge for me as a non Welsh speaker since everything, including all the arias I sing in Italian, German and English, has to be translated into Welsh. The real problem is that all the chat in between the songs obviously has to be in Welsh as well. I may need a little luck in this department!

Yesterday afternoon was the crowning ceremony. I picked up my translator headphones and in I went! I have to be honest, not really understanding the intricacy of free verse, I was expecting to be a bit - how shall I put it? - bored. But it was brilliant. The guy giving the adjudicating was more brutal than Simon Cowell and I was half expecting the Hoff and Amanda Holden to turn up and illuminate their big red Xs for every unsuccessful entrant.

The tension in the pavilion was palpable as it was time to announce the winner, but in a cruel twist for me and the audience everyone who enters does so under a pseudonym, so when the winner was announced nobody had a clue who he was.

The Archdruid said: "At the sound of the trumpets would O'r Tir Du please stand up?" The trumpets played, the search lights scanned the auditorium and Geraint Lloyd Owen stood up. The audience erupted and it was fantastic!

On a side note when the Archdruid and the winner of the crown left the pavilion they passed me and without thinking I curtsied. I think I'm getting the Eisteddfod bug.

For all the latest news, results and features from the National Eisteddfod visit the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s website.

Pontypridd-based photographer Emma Shepherd has scooped the first prize in the competition.

Shepherd beat 399 other competitors to the accolade, for which competition entrants took 12 photographs on 12 different themes over the course of, yep, you guessed it, 12 hours in Cardiff.

On hearing of her win, Shepherd said: "I feel completely overwhelmed that I've won. It's hard to believe because the standard of entries was so incredibly high this year.

"Photomarathon was such a fun day, although it's certainly a challenge. Coming up with a photograph that captures 'Inside Out' or 'I Have a Dream' is really hard, especially at 8pm when you've been rushing around Cardiff all day and your brain and feet are exhausted. But the atmosphere carries you along."

Photomarathon UK 2011 winner Emma Shepherd

Double by Emma Shepherd

Though Shepherd was the overall winner, each topic category also had a best in show. This year's category winners were:

• Entry Number (work of art): Olwen Moseley
• Inside Out: Mark Turner
• Community: Victoria Ahmed
• Superpowers: Paul Evans
• Drama: Emma Thomas
• The Great Outdoors: Martin Wilmore
• Double: Sam Cornwell
• My Secret: Jo Hilier
• Element: Mark Thomas
• Movement: Sam Cornwell
• Obstacle: Richard Lewis
• I Have a Dream: Jo Hilier

Here's a few of the category winning photos but you can see them all, and in fact all 4,800 photos that were taken by the 400 entrants, in the Photomarathon UK 2011 exhibition. You can also browse a couple more of the photos in a gallery on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Wales News website.

Entry Number by Olwen Moseley

Community by Victoria Ahmed

Drama by Emma Thomas

Super Powers by Paul Evans

The Photomarathon UK 2011 exhibition runs until Saturday 20 August 2011at in the Old Library building on the Hayes in Cardiff.

Related links

• Last year's winners on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Wales Arts blog

The Crown is offered for a poem of up to 200 lines not in strict metre. The subject set this year was 'Veins'.

The National Eisteddfod for Wales 2011 Crown

16:35 - The trumpet is sounded to call the Gorsedd procession into the Pavilion lead by the herald bard.

They are followed by the Gorsedd members in their white, blue and green robes. Each colour denotes a particular rank. The procession is made up of poets, writers, musicians, artists and people that have made a distinct contribution to the Welsh nation, language and culture.

Robin o Fôn the sword keeper, better know as Robin McBride, the former Wales rugby international, walks into the Pavilion with the sword of peace.

The Archdruid Jim Parc Nest (T. James Jones) follows. He is a former winner of the Crown, both in 1986 and 1988 respectively, as well as the Chair in 2007.

16:37 - Before the ceremony starts the Archdruid invites guests from the Celtic nations to join him on the stage for the ceremony. The guests come from Scotland, Cornwall, Ireland, Patagonia, Brittany and the Isle of Man.

16:45 - The trumpeters sound the state trumpet four times for all four corners of the Pavilion to stand, followed by the offering of the Gorsedd prayer.

The Archdruid gives his best to Selwyn Iolen who is absent because of illness.

Wrexham Eisteddfodau in the past are know for the double - T H Parry Williams won both the Chair and Crown in 1912, when the Eisteddfod was held in Wrexham, and in 1977 when the Eisteddfod was held here, Donald Evans won both the Crown and Chair.

16:53 - The Archdruid invites the adjudicators to the stage, where the adjudication is delivered by Gwyn Thomas on behalf of his fellow adjudicators, Alan Llwyd and Nesta Wyn Jones. He announces that the winner is the poet with the pseudonym 'O'r Tir Du'

17:00 - The Archdruid thanks the adjudicators and when the state trumpet sounds asks that 'O'r Tir Du' and only 'O'r Tir Du' stands. The lights dim in the Pavilion and a spotlight searches the audience for the winner.

A man stands in the audience.

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A man stands in the crowd.

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The mistress of the robes dresses the winner in his robes and escorts him to the stage.

17:06 - The Archdruid announces the winner as Geraint Lloyd Owen from Bontnewydd, Caernarfon.

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Geraint Lloyd Owen of Bontnewydd, Caernarfon.

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17:08 - The sword of Peace is raised above his head before the Archdruid asks the audience three times 'Is there peace?' before asking the newly appointed bard to sit in the peace of the Eisteddfod.

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The sword of Peace is raised above Geraint's head.

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The Crown bearers' carry the Crown over to the Archdruid where he places the Wrexham and District National Eisteddfod 2011 Crown on Geraint's head.

17:11 - Crowning song sung by Edryd Williams followed by poems read out by last year's crown winner, Glenys Roberts, and last year's prose medal winner Jerry Hunter.

17:16 - Girls from local schools perform the flower dance as part of the ceremony before Geraint is presented with the horn of plenty by the masters of the court, and a floral tribute of wild Welsh flowers presented by the maids of the court.

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Geraint Lloyd Owen - Crown winner 2011

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17:21 - The Archdruid brings the procession to a close with the Welsh National Anthem.

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To watch the ceremony highlights as well as all the results from the rest of the days competing, go to our Eisteddfod site.

Well, it's my first day at the National Eisteddfod of Wales, and I must first point out that I am an Eisteddfod virgin. My family are installed at the cottage and before I know I've arrived I'm off to the 'Maes'.

It's totally buzzing here for the procession of the Druids... or the Gorsedd as they are called. I love the whole pomp of the ceremony, but also the way they stop and have a bit of a chat with friends mid procession... oh we Welsh love a chat!

I can honestly tell you I haven't seen so much gold on show since I went to a Danny La Rue concert in 1978.

Wynne at the National Eisteddfod in Wrexham

The ceremony was very moving with former Welsh rugby international Robin McBride as the sword bearer; he has big shoes to fill with the sword bearer before him having been the late great Ray Gravell.

After the ceremony I got to interview the Archdruid Jim Parc Nest (T James Jones) and Robin 'sword bearer' McBride. They told me about the significance of the ceremony and how the sword is always in its sheath, as the Eisteddfod is a place of peace and all welcoming.

I just wonder if the Welsh forwards' coach will be taking the sword with him on Saturday to inspire the Welsh rugby team to beat England at Twickenham... well, needs must.