my Ceredigion and my Cardigan Bay » writers

Monique Roffey: Reviews

Paul Williams — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:13:46 +0000

I’ve no idea what happened to Monique Roffey’s Not the Booker Prize nomination; after the Guardian-style man-bags at ten paces hoo-haa there in the summer I daren’t go back.*

That aside The White Woman on the Green Bicycle has gathered some excellent reviews and I recently updated her web pages with some choice quotes from them, so if you are inclined you can go and see what people are saying here.

*Well I have had a peek now and she got a very creditable 30 nominations but sadly not enough for the final six.

Photo: Niall Griffiths and the Druid’s Inn Goginan

Paul Williams — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 08:42:22 +0000

Most weeks I vow to organise my photo archive. And most weeks I abjure that vow. But while engaged in the preliminaries I usually come across images I’ve made that excite me still.

This one from 2006 works very well as a photograph. It’s a black and white conversion from a RAW file and it captures something of a moment. The image depicts two writers; in the foreground Niall Griffiths and in the mirror Ian Marchant who was interviewing Niall in his favourite Mid Wales boozer, the Druids Inn , at Goginan, Ceredigion.

I like particularly the soft diffused evening light through the window.

I include a link here to Niall’s excellent non-fiction book Real Aberystwyth; the pub, though not the photograph, is featured therein.

Richard Beard: Pimp his web-site, yes or no?

Paul Williams — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 09:30:10 +0000

I was reminded, reading Dru Maitland latest blog posting, that many moons ago I helped top writer Richard Beard, (author of Becoming Drusilla) put up a web site. It’s there still, regularly updated by his good self and full to the brim with interesting writings. Take a look.

Now, here’s the thing. I’ve been nadgering on at him for ages to let me re-build it. It works for him yes but there is no doubt I could make a more pleasing, more navigable and, for the author, more manageable site. And maybe even earn a shilling.

So I want you to help me help him!

Here’s the poll; vote early and vote often!

~~THE POLL IS NOW CLOSED~~

Railway Photographs from Parallel Lines by Ian Marchant

Paul Williams — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 13:03:56 +0000

I was rummaging about in my photo archives this morning looking 6×6 film images; I had read Mr Ian Willson’s Yammerman post about his oldest camera and I thought I’d dig out some of my medium format efforts using Yashica Mat and Mamiya Twin Lens cameras. More of that another time. I was reminded that I have this rather substantial, and some might say ‘interesting’ collection of images made while travelling with Mr Ian Marchant for his book Parallel Lines. None of the images here are medium format, nor even film, all shot using a Fuji S1 digital SLR. A good collection and my first piece of commissioned worked. To see them go here!

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England in Particular

Paul Williams — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 20:30:00 +0000

Despite the boxes of treasure piled high at Umsinga I’m mostly in a collecting frame of mind. I love to nose about the charity shops, auctions, shops and fairs here in West Wales.

The need to furnish a large house means I’m hunter and gathering most days. Well, more hunting than gathering. So many furnishing items are only ‘just-so’. I bought a desk last week, not the best but with a nice leather top it’ll satisfy until something better comes along.

I’m reminded too that after the gentle softening up of England in Particular and after I’d my greedy hands on Peter Ashley’s Unmitigated England I was Googling and eBaying feverishly looking for that ‘just-so’ print.

Peter Ashley is particularly good on the look of mid and early 20th century England (and I suppose Britain). His blog took me to some wonderful web sites. This being my favourite. I have a wishlist if anyone would like to buy me an early Christmas present.