Seminars are presented on Friday & Saturday,  September 4-5, 2020
Included with a Festival Day Pass

 S1: Hefina Phillips was born in the Swansea Valley and Welsh was the only language spoken in her home in Cwmgiedd. She was educated at Cardiff University’s Welsh Department and says she was fortunate to have studied under Saunders Lewis. She has taught at the annual Cymdeithas Madog Course since moving to North America as well as being responsible for starting Welsh language classes in the Toronto area. Hefina feels that to have been born Welsh is the utmost privilege and she does all she can to share her love of Wales and its beautiful language. She admits that her other passion is for her grandchildren.
Welsh Language I & II ~ presented by Hefina Phillips
Hefina Phillips  brings her passion and spirit to teaching you the “language of Heaven”. She will teach two levels of the Welsh language-Absolute Beginners with an emphasis on speaking on Friday. Next Steps in Welsh, which is suitable for those with some knowledge of the language and want to practice and improve, is on Saturday.

Welsh I ~ Instructor Hefina Phillips has named this seminar Absolute Beginners, and she will emphasize the structure of the spoken language of Welsh. This level is for anyone who needs a comfortable learning environment to begin learning Welsh.

Welsh II  ~ Next Steps in Welsh is suitable for those with some knowledge of the language and who want to practice and improve. Welsh II is on Saturday morning. This class will follow on from “Beginners” and you are encouraged to attend both, but it is not a requirement.
S2:  Owain Arwel Davies graduated with honours from the School of Music at Bangor University in 1999, and was Head of Music at Ysgol Tryfan, Bangor from 2005. In 2017 he was appointed Head of Inclusive Education for Gwynedd and Anglesey Education Authority.
As a music teacher, Owain Arwel is well known in Wales for his qualities in nurturing and guiding talented young students who have gone on to be professional musicians. He is also a highly regarded adjudicator, most recently at the National Urdd Eisteddfod that was held in The Millennium Centre in Cardiff 2019.
He has just celebrated 15 years as musical director of Côr y Penrhyn and, under his direction, the choir has established itself as one of Wales’ foremost vocal ensembles and is famous for its lively and exciting presentations.
Ysgol Gan ~ Led by Owain Arwel Davies
This is an informal singing practice session where you will learn some of the hymns we will be singing on Sunday afternoon and evening. This is your opportunity to hear some Welsh verses pronounced and to practice your part, whatever it may be, with joyful abandon. Fun and enlightening.

S3: David Allen, Treasurer of WNAA, lives in Owego, New York, He received his PhD from Columbia University and was a Fulbright Scholar to Belgium and a Danforth Graduate Fellow. David is a Professor Emeritus at City University of New York, where he taught a variety of courses in economics and American government.
Sponsored by the Welsh North American Association.
An Informal Discussion & Coffee:  Tax Breaks for Investors ~ Investing in your Favorite Charities
~ with David Allen, WNAA Treasurer
Significant permanent changes in the tax law have major implications for US taxpayers over the age of 70 who have any kind of retirement account. Only a very few financial advisors and accountants are alerting their clients to these changes. Taking advantage of them could benefit both you and your heirs very significantly. These changes affect everyone who gives any kind of contributions to charity or who plans on leaving some of their estate to a charity. It will be worth your while to take the time to attend this session presented by our Treasurer, David Allen.


S4 Phil Cope is a photographer, writer, and exhibition and book designer, currently living in the ex-coal-mining, ‘dead-end’ Garw Valley in South Wales. He was a guest speaker at two previous NAFoW events (Minneapolis 2014 and Rochester 2017), and is a regular contributor to Ninnau.
After Coal
Illustrated with images I have found and made over the past three decades, 'AFTER COAL’ will follow the river Garw from its source above Blaengarw where I live, revealing in its journey both the pre- and the post-coalmining histories of the valley. Although only six miles in length, the ‘dead-end’ Garw provides a picture in microcosm of the whole of the South Wales coalfield, today urgently demanding alternative strategies for survival.
 
The Living Wells of Wales
An illustrated exploration through new photographs and old tales of our sacred springs, holy wells and spas, based upon my new book, THE LIVING WELLS OF WALES, published in Wales by Seren.


S5 Tony Curtis is Emeritus Professor of Poetry at the University of South Wales. He is an award-winning writer with over forty published books. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Literature and is an alumnus of Goddard College, Vermont. www.tonycurtispoet.com.
Wales and Second World War: poets, painters, pacifists and my parents.
Professor Tony Curtis' talk follows the chronology of his parents’ war service – the Royal Artillery and the Women’s Land Army – and the experiences of their contemporaries in Wales and beyond, at war and on the home front – including the work of Dylan Thomas, Vernon Watkins, Raymond Williams, Ceri Richards, Glyn Jones, John Tripp, Alun Lewis, Ray Howard Jones, Dannie Abse, Wynford Vaughan Thomas, Raymond Garlick and David Lloyd George.


S6 Menna Elfyn is an award winning poet, playwright. She has published fourteen collections of poetry, children’s novels, libretti for UK and US composers as well as plays for television and radio.   She is Professor of Poetry at University of Wales, Trinity Saint David and President of Wales PEN Cymru. She has been a columnist with the national newspaper of Wales since 1994.
 Cwsg / Sleep 
The subject of sleep has always fascinated Menna, as an experience that is both universal and private, unremarkable and mysterious. It is a subject that is common to us all, close to our pillows! It has since time immemorial been the subject of medical research, psychology and creativity. It is also a subject of huge concern in today’s world of 24/7.  Menna's new book ‘Cwsg’ delves into this field with whimsical and disturbing "found stories" which have been reimagined as short fiction.  There are notably over 80 different sleep disorders discovered and so many more still to be unearthed.
Why is it that babies before the age of four dream more than adults, and why do older people dream less?
Why do we read to children before sleeping and sing lullabies to them?
Why are there sleep pods available to rent for an hour or two in cities and workplaces?
Why do we all get recurring dreams, whether it be fire or floods or other disasters which jolts us to wake up?
Can we really control our sleep with ‘lucid dreams’ as adopted in some other cultures?
Come to this interactive session to share or just to listen. The one thing you should not do is ‘sleep’!


S7 Jerry Hunter is a Professor of Welsh at Bangor University and has previously taught at Harvard and Cardiff universities as well. Has published ten books, and won the Welsh Book of the Year Award and the Prose Medal at the National Eisteddfod. Jerry has presented at many NAFOWs in the past.
Welsh Writing in Philadelphia
A look at ways in which the city of Philadelphia has figured in Welsh literature through the ages. The focus will be on texts written in Welsh (English translations of all selections will be provided), starting with Quaker literature from the early 18th century and ending with poetry from the late twentieth century.
S8 Rhun ap Iorweth was a journalist and broadcaster before entering politics in 2013. He worked for the BBC for nearly 20 years as a news reporter and presenter, including as Chief Political Correspondent for BBC Wales. He also presented a wide range of programmes from history to the arts.  He was brought up on the island of Anglesey, which he now represents in the Welsh Parliament, and lives there with his wife Llinos and their three children.
He is Plaid Cymru’s Shadow Minister for the Economy, Transport and Finance, is a member of the Senedd Finance Committee, and is Plaid Cymru’s Senedd Business Manager. He Chairs the Wales Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and is Chair and co-founder of the ‘Wales International’ Cross Party Group.
Coming of Age? Welsh Devolution at 21. In 1999, the establishment of the National Assembly for Wales through the narrowest of referendum margins marked the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Wales. Now, as the Assembly passes the traditional ‘coming of age’ milestone of 21 years-old, journey from the birth and infancy of devolution through its childhood and adolescence and up to today, through the eyes of Rhun ap Iorwerth, who has been there from day one, firstly as a BBC Correspondent, and then as an elected member. Has devolution matured as expected, or is it still vulnerable?
 
Wales – Serious About Being a Nation? Tumultuous political times in the UK have fuelled a fresh debate on Wales’ nationhood and its future. With Brexit as a background, and amid a narrative of moves towards a second Scottish independence referendum and possible Irish reunification, interest in, and support for, Welsh independence has grown. But is Wales ready to spread its wings?, Pro-independence Plaid Cymru member of the National Assembly for Wales Rhun ap Iorwerth asks how serious is Wales ready to be about being a real nation?

S9 Professor Christine James was Head of the Department of Welsh at Swansea University before her retirement. Her research interests focus primarily on the literature of late medieval and early modern Wales, but she has also published on the modern period. She won the Crown at the 2005 National Eisteddfod, and was Archdruid of Wales 2013–16. She is currently the Gorsedd Recorder.
"Taffy was a Welshman ...": Welsh National Identity in English Broadside Ballads. English broadside ballads paint a comic and derogatory portrait of the Welsh as a hot-headed people whose love of eating toasted cheese, brandishing leeks and riding goats is matched only by their delight in swearing oaths and reciting pedigrees, and expertise in deceiving and thieving. This seminar will reassess this caricature, and consider the ballad-Welshman’s most grotesque characteristic: his speech.


S10 Dr. E. Wyn James was, before retiring, a Professor in Cardiff University’s School of Welsh and co-Director of the Cardiff Centre for Welsh American Studies. He has published widely on various aspects of Welsh literature and culture. He is a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales, and was in 2012 a Fulbright Scholar and Visiting Fellow at Harvard University.
Morgan John Rhys and His American Travel Diary, 1794–95 . The radical Welsh Baptist minister, Morgan John Rhys (1760–1804), was a complex and fascinating figure. Emigrating to America in 1794, he settled initially in Philadelphia before conducting a year-long horseback journey through the States, keeping a journal which is a remarkable primary source. This talk will give an overview of Rhys’s life and work, focusing especially on that journal.
S11 Dan Langford OBE
Group Marketing Director at Acorn for more than 15 years, has been awarded an OBE for services to business. Dan is recognised in South Wales business circles, and across Wales and London, not only for his work at Acorn, one of the UK’s leading recruitment companies, but also for the voluntary contribution he has made to support Welsh business and economic development.
Dan founded Wales Week in London, an annual initiative promoting events and profile-raising opportunities in London for Wales and Welsh organisations.
2019 also witnessed the first Wales Week Worldwide, which included Wales Weeks taking place in New England, Essex, Melbourne, Paris, New York, Ohio, Newcastle, among other locations.
Use Social Media to Grow Your Membership. Dan Langford and Mike Jordan will share ideas on  how to develop communications and engagement using social media in order to help with retaining and attracting members.

S12 Sian Lewis is the energetic and determined leader of the largest youth organisation in Wales. Sian has brought drive, discipline and flair to the century-old organisation, raising its standards and profile, broadening its horizons and forging ambitious partnerships around the globe from Sydney, Kenya and Alabama which gives a flavour of the scale of her international intentions.
Urdd Gobaith Cymru ~ Serving
Urdd Gobaith Cymru is the largest youth organisation in Wales. Over 4 million have been members of the Urdd since its beginning back in 1922. As we approach our centenary the Urdd has ambitious plans to ensure through our members more people get to know about Wales as we offer international experiences to celebrate the cultural richness of Wales to the world.


S13 Hywel Roberts is the Director of Wild Wales Tours & Walkabouts. He is a storyteller, adventurer, sailor, film director, naturalist and an avid hiker. One of his most recent documentary films is “Attempting the North West Passage”. Hywel is a native of Wales, speaks fluent Welsh and is passionate about his homeland and the Welsh culture. He lives in rural Minnesota on the Mississippi River.
Hiking the “Welsh Coastal Path” and the “Snowdonia National Park”
Wales is the only country in the world that has a coastal path along its entire 875 mile (1408km) coastline! The Snowdonia National Park is the largest park in Wales, and boasts the highest mountain in Wales and England, Mt Snowdon. Hiking along the ancient pathways connecting with the landscape you will be passing through rural communities and supporting the local economy and the countryside that surrounds them.
S14 Dulais Rhys, born in Wales,  has been a professional musician for over 30 years and is currently based in Billings, Montana. His music and teaching qualifications include Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate degrees from the University of Wales. He also studied composition and conducting at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, Maryland.
Joseph Parry, his Opera Blodwen … and the Philadelphia Connection!
Wales-born and Pennsylvania-raised musician Joseph Parry composed Blodwen, the first Welsh opera, probably as a result of seeing Beethoven’s Fidelio in Philadelphia in 1861. The 1878 premiere of Blodwen in Aberystwyth was a huge success, as was the first fully staged American performance of the opera in Billings, Montana in May 2019. This is how it all came about …

Say Something in Welsh Meet-up
Do you speak Welsh or want to learn "yr hen iaith"? Speakers and learners of all levels of Welsh are welcome to stop by our table and say “sut mae!” We will also be hosting two informal Welsh chat sessions for learners and speakers of any level on Friday and Sunday.
 Say Something in Welsh is a free online course based entirely on speaking. Created from the belief that language acquisition is a natural process at which anyone can succeed, it has no reading or writing components. Rather, through built-in revision, each lesson builds and expands on the spoken language skills taught in the previous lessons. Northern and southern dialect versions available! Use it online or download it to your favorite device, and make sure to spend time on the friendly forum where learners can get help and encouragement from each other: www.saysomethinginwelsh.com.
Additional Highlights
Karen Jones Wojahn  is the Director of Music and Organist at Vinje Lutheran Church in Willmar, Minnesota.  Karen is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Welsh North American Association, a member of the St. David's Society of Minnesota and a board member of the Minnesota Welsh Association. She has accompanied the annual Minnesota Welsh Hymn Festival for many years and plays the harp in her spare time. During the North American Festival of Wales, Karen will be the accompanist for the ysgol gan and leader of the late night singing. Her family includes husband Michael, three grown children and five grandchildren, which include two sets of twins.
Thursday-Saturday Late Night Singing ~ with accompanist Karen Jones Wojahn
Late night INFORMAL SINGING to finish every memorable evening singing Welsh hymns and old favorites following scheduled evening events.

Sunday Noson Lawen ~ with accompanist Karen Jones Wojahn
Join in for a relaxed evening to end the weekend's festivities. We will sing folk songs and enjoy short, open-mic performances by festival attendees.
Open daily are the TEA ROOM, offering Welsh tea and Welsh cakes and a chance to socialize with friends new and old, and the MARKETPLACE, vendors from Wales and across North America selling Welsh and other Celtic items: clothing, jewelry, trinkets, music, books, tours, educational packages and the like. Reserve a table in the marketplace.

Affiliated Welsh Organization Round Table. This annual meeting is your chance to meet with other local Welsh representatives to share ideas.