Wales Arts Review Weekly Update (29/04/2023)
"My first novel started with a road sign that had a very distinctive name on it. And then from there, I'm asking questions."
Katie Munnik in Conversation
Katie Munnik, author of The Aerialist, reveals her approach to storytelling and some of her greatest inspirations, including the influence of her Canadian heritage on her poetic narrativity.
Gary Raymond: Canada has a real cultural importance to you, how has that affected your attitude to storytelling?
Katie Munnik: It creates storytellers, it's a rich literary culture. That's the soil that I grew up in, but I continue to be inspired by Canada. I think my shelf is mainly CanLit. Those are the voices that I returned to and when I meet local Welsh-Canadian writers, it's really exciting to hear their journey and experiences. So the Canada Day event that I organised at St. Cannas pub was an opportunity to gather some of those voices together. Everybody incorporated somebody that they were inspired by as well. There's something special about being in the presence of the spoken word when it's the written word as well, I like to use the word translated there, because when you change from something that is written into making it oral, it creates community in a new way, it changes the intimacy of the written word.
Top Picks
Victoria Shirley delves into a feminist retelling of Arthurian legend, in Sophie Keetch’s debut novel, Morgan is My Name.
Read the full piece, here.
The Talking Shop: Acknowledging Change One Conversation at a Time
Kelly Keegan reflects on the value of drawing communities and creatives together in a shared cultural space, through The Talking Shop project.
Read the full review, here.
Tell Me World by Tapestri | Review
Gary Raymond reviews the debut album from folk duo Tapestri, Tell Me World.
Read the full review, here.
Video of the Week
Like a Cigarette’ by Tom Emlyn
This is Video of the Week from Wales Arts Review. We’ll be showcasing some of the best art in Wales with a new video shared every week. From music to drama and everything in between, videos will not be limited by medium. This week, we’re featuring ‘Like a Cigarette’, a new music video from Tom Emlyn.
In case you missed it…
Exploring Welsh Institutions
In the latest of collaborations between Wales Arts Review and The Western Mail, award-winning novelist and TV writer Fflur Dafydd reflects on her artistic obsession with Welsh Institutions and their impact on her writing, charting the journey from bricks and mortar to the presence on the page, and how R.S. Thomas has proved an unlikely guide through it all.
“Why are you so obsessed with Welsh institutions?” It’s a question I’ve been asked many times, without ever being able to give a satisfactory answer. Although some institutional imagery has been present in my work ever since I started writing, by 2023 I seemed to have reached ‘peak obsession,’ having published two novels and released one feature film set in the National Library of Wales, and also a TV series, Yr Amgueddfa (The Museum), set in the National Museum of Wales. I also recently published a short story set at the National Botanic Garden of Wales, while my 2022 stage musical Lloergan featured the iconic Strata Florida Abbey as its backdrop. It seems that when it comes to any kind of Welsh institution, anywhere with a bit of history within its walls, and especially walls specifically built to preserve history, that I just can’t help myself. But it’s a perilous thing to do, and I often wonder how long it’ll be before I’m banned from all national institutions for the fictional crimes I might commit in them.