Swansea University PhD student is one of four poets tasked with composing 100 poems in 24 hours

Please note, this page has been archived and is no longer being updated.

Gwennan Evans, who is studying for a PhD in Creative Writing at Academi Hywel Teifi, Swansea University, is one of four poets facing the challenge of composing 100 original Welsh-language poems in 24 hours. The monumental challenge has been presented to the poets by Literature Wales on National Poetry Day, Thursday 2 October.

At the stroke of midnight, as National Poetry Day begins, the poets will embark on their ambitious endeavour to compose 100 original poems, and post them on the www.her100cerdd.co.uk blog where they can be read by the public. This will be the third Her 100 Cerdd challenge to be held, with the last two teams completing the challenge with only seconds to spare.

Gwennan EvansThe four poets who have accepted the challenge this year are members of the Talwrn y Beirdd team, Y Ffoaduriaid (The Runaways), they include: Gwennan Evans (left), Llŷr Gwyn Lewis, Casia Wiliam and Gruffudd Owen. The four currently live in Cardiff, but have moved to the capital from various areas across Wales.

As well as studying for a PhD in Creative Writing at Academi Hywel Teifi, Gwennan, who is originally from Dyffryn Cothi, can occasionally be heard announcing the travel and weather on BBC Radio Cymru. In 2012, she published her first novel, Bore Da (Good Morning).

Speaking of the Her 100 Cerdd challenge, Gwennan, said: "The four of us have individual strengths in various meters and genres when it comes to the Talwrn. It will be interesting to see if the balance of the team changes for Her 100 Cerdd."

The public are encouraged to send suggestions of themes and subjects for the poems. You can do so on Twitter via the hashtag #Her100Cerdd, or by sending a message to @LlenCymru. You can also leave a comment on the Literature Wales Facebook page, or on the Her 100 Cerdd blog under the section ‘Awgrymiadau’.