Under Milk Wood / Finding Albion
The sounds of March:
birdsong, wind through the trees, poetry spoken and sung by Cerys Matthews, the rush of the river, rejoicing in the sunshine, intelligent conversations at the bookstore
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Spring gives us mental brightness, and the encouragement to wander outside and see what is beginning to bloom, and gives way to new ideas. The season feels hopeful and optimistic for brighter things to come, and reminds us what it feels like to have warmth on our cheeks again.
The arrival of the Spring equinox reminds us to take a moment to pause and enjoy the harmonious energy of the season, and after a long, cold winter the world begins to reawaken.
“The seeds grow, the rain falls, the cycle continues. It is spring once more. Our bodies hear the call of the wild and we emerge, anew, into the light”
- Tiffany Francis-Baker (Ebb and Flow: a guide to seasonal living)
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This month, I’ve absorbed myself in the wonder of all that is surrounds me through music, poetry, nature, writing and conversation, and just last week, I experienced a stunning and moving evening that left me feeling so uplifted and inspired.
Under the beautiful and grand ceiling of Komedia, Cerys Matthews hosted a retelling of Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood as part of the Curious Minds festival, through readings, discussion and live music.
The evening felt like a magical celebration of Welsh art and poetry and it was beautiful to witness the passion and love that Cerys has for Dylan Thomas’ body of work, from the iconic Under Milk Wood to his lesser known poems from his teenage years.
Along with Amanda Whiting, who interpreted the poems and stories through the harp, Cerys gave a lyrical imagining of the fictional Welsh seaside village of Llareggub, and we learn of the inhabitants' dreams and desires, and their loves and regrets. The illustrations (by Kate Evans) that accompany the story gave such a gorgeous visualisation to melodious and expressive writing, and Cerys' rich Welsh accent gave another dimension that just completely captured the beauty and humour of Under Milk Wood.
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The following evening, Toppings & Co hosted the introduction to Finding Albion by Zakia Sewell, in conversation with Amy Jeffs (author, artist, and medievalist). As the evening fell on the Spring Equinox, it felt fortuitous that this time of renewal is also where the books narrative begins.
Zakia brings an alternative vision of Britain, looking to our older stories, songs and customs for inspiration and also acts as a personal quest that hopes to resonate with other people who are also yearning for more inclusive, more progressive or unifying visions of what it is to be British.
“There has always been this enchanted Britain, this magical Britain, there that I've felt really connected to as well, so I suppose the book is an attempt for me to sort of resolve or make sense of how these different and difficult and conflicting aspects of our history come together and how we can sort of grapple with them and try to forge a new story.”
I gathered little snippets and fragments of sentences of the conversation between Zakia and Amy that, to me, capture the essence of the book and what Zakia aims to communicate through Finding Albion, which creates an almost poem:
A cycle of seasonal celebrations, Celtic traditions, modern phenomenon
An awareness of the year of seasonal shifts, feeling what their about
The promise of Spring, hope, remembering what it feels to not wear a coat - that’s a wonderful place to start the quest
What the darkness may be able to teach us
Return back to the light again
Light to dark, to light again
Feel the journey as you’re reading
Magnetic force up towards the sunrise
Disparate tribes and nations, more diverse
This is the power of folk tradition: something shared, transcends nation, smaller indentities, rooted in place but extends out and remind us of a universal identity, and what pulls us to make a pilgrimage and enjoy the sunrise
Fusion of tradition, much longer, entangled history
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There’s nothing like the warmth and sunlight of Spring to ignite an idea; keep your mind focused and soak up the longer, lighter days.
