Daytime Programming presented on Thursday, Friday & Saturday, September 3-5, 2026
Entry is Included with a Festival Day Pass
Dan Rowbotham
Welsh Language I & II ~ Instructor Dan Rowbotham
Welsh I ~ Absolute Beginners This level is for anyone who needs a comfortable environment to begin learning Welsh.
Welsh II ~ Next Steps in Welsh puts into practice what you've learned in the Absolute Beginners class, you are encouraged to attend both, but it is not a requirement.
Welsh I ~ Absolute Beginners This level is for anyone who needs a comfortable environment to begin learning Welsh.
Welsh II ~ Next Steps in Welsh puts into practice what you've learned in the Absolute Beginners class, you are encouraged to attend both, but it is not a requirement.
Ysgol Gân
This is an informal singing practice session where you will learn some of the hymns we will sing 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.
This is an informal singing practice session where you will learn some of the hymns we will sing 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.
David Allen
An Informal Discussion & Coffee: Tax Breaks for Investors
~ Investing in your Favorite (USA) 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 to leave 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.
~ Investing in your Favorite (USA) 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 to leave 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.
Robert Humphries
The House of Yale: Welsh Roots and Complex Legacies
~ presented by Robert Humphries and Laurel Bradshaw
While in the United States the name Yale is associated with the famous university, it has deep roots in Wales. In this seminar, Laurel Bradshaw, a descendant of Thomas Yale, a founder of the New Haven Colony, will discuss the Welsh origins and genealogy of the Yale family.
~ presented by Robert Humphries and Laurel Bradshaw
While in the United States the name Yale is associated with the famous university, it has deep roots in Wales. In this seminar, Laurel Bradshaw, a descendant of Thomas Yale, a founder of the New Haven Colony, will discuss the Welsh origins and genealogy of the Yale family.
Robert Humphries will contribute an overview of some of the notable American descendants of Thomas Yale. The presentation will also discuss the complicated legacy of British colonial administrator and slave trader Elihu Yale, benefactor of the university which bears his name, and its present-day implications.
The Welsh in New England: Tales from Y Drych ~ presented by Robert Humphries
Although New England was not the most popular destination for immigrants from Wales, from the slate quarries of Vermont and Maine to the industrial centers of Connecticut and Massachusetts, Welsh immigrants thrived in the region, building successful careers and communities. In this seminar, Robert Humphries, historian of Y Drych, will share how the newspaper recorded the Welsh presence in New England. You’ll meet the Sons of Cambria in Boston, the Ivorites and bards of Poultney, Vermont, and individuals such as Edward Jones, “un o hen Gymry Boston,” and Rev. J. Wynne Jones of Swansea, Massachusetts.
The Welsh in New England: Tales from Y Drych ~ presented by Robert Humphries
Although New England was not the most popular destination for immigrants from Wales, from the slate quarries of Vermont and Maine to the industrial centers of Connecticut and Massachusetts, Welsh immigrants thrived in the region, building successful careers and communities. In this seminar, Robert Humphries, historian of Y Drych, will share how the newspaper recorded the Welsh presence in New England. You’ll meet the Sons of Cambria in Boston, the Ivorites and bards of Poultney, Vermont, and individuals such as Edward Jones, “un o hen Gymry Boston,” and Rev. J. Wynne Jones of Swansea, Massachusetts.
Dafydd Tudur
Jason Evans
The National Library of Wales ~ Presenters ~ Dafydd Tudur and Jason Evans
how to use the collections and resources at the National Library of Wales. Details TBA
how to use the collections and resources at the National Library of Wales. Details TBA
Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales
Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales, a unique family of seven National Museums and a Collections Centre. Located across Wales, each Museum offers a window into our culture and heritage, driven by our mission to inspire learning and enjoyment for the people of Wales through the national collection.
Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales, a unique family of seven National Museums and a Collections Centre. Located across Wales, each Museum offers a window into our culture and heritage, driven by our mission to inspire learning and enjoyment for the people of Wales through the national collection.
Discover how the Museum is preserving and celebrating the globally significant story of the Slate Landscape, including its intangible heritage of skills, memories, and traditions. We will explore how this rich history, with its transatlantic connections to North America - and beyond - through slate exports and migration, is being brought to life for diverse audiences, ensuring community voices are central to our exhibitions and programmes as part of this once in a generation redevelopment.
Phil Cope
Iolo Morganwg [1747-1826]: Forger or Visionary? an illustrated talk by Phil Cope
Iolo Morganwg’s life and works are currently experiencing something of a radical review from unreliable narrator to national prophet, his reputation revisited in the light of global history and the development of Welsh culture.
Iolo Morganwg’s life and works are currently experiencing something of a radical review from unreliable narrator to national prophet, his reputation revisited in the light of global history and the development of Welsh culture.
Poet, antiquarian, drug-addict, chronicler of customs and legends, peace advocate, campaigner for human rights, fair trade pioneer, and the greatest authority of his time on Welsh history and literature, Iolo – the stone mason from Glamorgan – fashioned much of the identity of modern Wales. Phil’s illustrated talk will explore the myth and the man, and his real legacy for Wales, examining in the process the natures of history and of truth.
The Honest Forger: US book launch by Phil Cope
The illustrated US launch of an important new book of ‘photographs and poems for Iolo Morganwg’, in the year of the bicentenary of his death , culture & democracy press’ publisher Iolo’s massive legacy of writings and ideas focuses our attention on who in Wales we once were, and are today – as individuals and as a nation – how we want to be seen by others, and what we might become in the future. This important new collection of words and images is part of that ongoing exercise in re-imagining and re-invention.
The Honest Forger includes poems by some of Wales’ poetry’s greats (Peter Finch, Gwyneth Lewis, Dannie Abse, Tony Curtis, Angela Graham, Mike Jenkins, Robert Minhinnick) as well as newer poets including the contributions of school children, with black and white photographs by Phil Cope, and a challenging introduction by Gareth Thomas. In addition, Phil will introduce culture & democracy, the new poetry, photography and history press for Wales, within the uncertain context of book publication in Wales.
The Honest Forger: US book launch by Phil Cope
The illustrated US launch of an important new book of ‘photographs and poems for Iolo Morganwg’, in the year of the bicentenary of his death , culture & democracy press’ publisher Iolo’s massive legacy of writings and ideas focuses our attention on who in Wales we once were, and are today – as individuals and as a nation – how we want to be seen by others, and what we might become in the future. This important new collection of words and images is part of that ongoing exercise in re-imagining and re-invention.
The Honest Forger includes poems by some of Wales’ poetry’s greats (Peter Finch, Gwyneth Lewis, Dannie Abse, Tony Curtis, Angela Graham, Mike Jenkins, Robert Minhinnick) as well as newer poets including the contributions of school children, with black and white photographs by Phil Cope, and a challenging introduction by Gareth Thomas. In addition, Phil will introduce culture & democracy, the new poetry, photography and history press for Wales, within the uncertain context of book publication in Wales.
Liz Kapp
Meet the Parsons: Witchcraft in Early Springfield ~ presented by Elizabeth Kapp
Witchcraft was real to Welsh-born Mary and husband Hugh Parsons. The pair married in 1645 at Springfield’s first Meetinghouse, but six years later they stood in the same place and faced the town’s accusations of witchcraft. Join Springfield Museum’s Curator of History Liz Kapp as she explores the world of witchcraft in early Springfield.
Witchcraft was real to Welsh-born Mary and husband Hugh Parsons. The pair married in 1645 at Springfield’s first Meetinghouse, but six years later they stood in the same place and faced the town’s accusations of witchcraft. Join Springfield Museum’s Curator of History Liz Kapp as she explores the world of witchcraft in early Springfield.
Meredith Roberts Rehbach
The Slate Quarryman Immigrant in the 19th Century: North Wales, Vermont, and New York
~ Meredith Roberts Rehbach
Step back in time to the 19th century, when waves of slate quarrymen and their families immigrated from North Wales to the Slate Valley of Vermont and New York. What did they leave behind in the Welsh slate quarries and quarrying villages? What was the long journey to America like, and how did they get settled in their new communities? How did the slate industry in the Slate Valley compare to that in Wales? What types of Welsh institutions did the immigrants create in the Slate Valley? In this seminar, hear the vivid immigrant stories that make history come alive.
~ Meredith Roberts Rehbach
Step back in time to the 19th century, when waves of slate quarrymen and their families immigrated from North Wales to the Slate Valley of Vermont and New York. What did they leave behind in the Welsh slate quarries and quarrying villages? What was the long journey to America like, and how did they get settled in their new communities? How did the slate industry in the Slate Valley compare to that in Wales? What types of Welsh institutions did the immigrants create in the Slate Valley? In this seminar, hear the vivid immigrant stories that make history come alive.
Margaret and David Lloyd
Brother and Sister: Between Two Worlds, A Poetry Reading
~ David Lloyd and Margaret Lloyd
Two Welsh American poets — David Lloyd and Margaret Lloyd, brother and sister — will read poems drawing on their relationship to Wales: its landscape, culture,
~ David Lloyd and Margaret Lloyd
Two Welsh American poets — David Lloyd and Margaret Lloyd, brother and sister — will read poems drawing on their relationship to Wales: its landscape, culture,
mythology, and history. David and Margaret are the children of Welsh parents, and grew up in the Welsh-American community in Utica, NY. Margaret will read poems from her recently published collection, Sleeping in the Same World, many of which take place in Wales, and explore her experience as a Welsh immigrant. David was born in Utica, and will read poems from several of his published collections, including his most recent, Shared Origins (in collaboration with poets Mike Jenkins and David Annwn), just published in Wales.
John Bollard
"Dafydd awenydd wiwnwyf" - Dafydd ap Gwilym, Poet of Fine ~ presenter John Bollard
This seminar will provide an introduction to the life, the work, and the world of Wales's greatest poet, Dafydd ap Gwilym. He will be presented primarily through his own poetry. Short passages in Welsh and English translations of complete poems will be read from my own "Cymru Dafydd ap Gwilym / Dafydd ap Gwilym's Wales."
This seminar will provide an introduction to the life, the work, and the world of Wales's greatest poet, Dafydd ap Gwilym. He will be presented primarily through his own poetry. Short passages in Welsh and English translations of complete poems will be read from my own "Cymru Dafydd ap Gwilym / Dafydd ap Gwilym's Wales."
Poems will include his superb and moving love poetry, his humorous adventures in search of love, and his heartfelt praise of his patrons. The reading will be illustrated throughout with photographs of places mentioned in the poetry, taken by the Aberystwyth photographer Anthony Griffiths.
Preserving the Welsh Heritage of North America
~ presenters Robert Humphries, Dave Williams, and Fred Long
Items of Welsh heritage that are hidden in people’s attics or, worse still, thrown in the dump when people move house, are not accessible to the wider community. In this workshop, Robert Humphries, Director of theGreat Plains Welsh Heritage Centre, will showcase the work of the Centre and its Archive. Then Dave Williams and Fred Long from the St. David’s Society of Pittsburgh will discuss how to upload material to the People’s Collection Wales website.
~ presenters Robert Humphries, Dave Williams, and Fred Long
Items of Welsh heritage that are hidden in people’s attics or, worse still, thrown in the dump when people move house, are not accessible to the wider community. In this workshop, Robert Humphries, Director of theGreat Plains Welsh Heritage Centre, will showcase the work of the Centre and its Archive. Then Dave Williams and Fred Long from the St. David’s Society of Pittsburgh will discuss how to upload material to the People’s Collection Wales website.
Jess Robinson
Zoe Smith
Songs With and Without Words ~ presenters Zoe Smith and Jess Robinson
An exploration of Welsh piano music and its connection to Welsh song, with particular focus on Morfydd Owen, Meirion Williams, Mansel Thomas and Dilys Elwyn-Edwards. Piano music by Welsh composers forms only a small part of Welsh classical music, and most of it is written by art song composers, many of whom were expert pianists. This seminar will explore the link between songs and piano works, with performances from Jess Robinson (soprano) and Zoe Smith on piano.
An exploration of Welsh piano music and its connection to Welsh song, with particular focus on Morfydd Owen, Meirion Williams, Mansel Thomas and Dilys Elwyn-Edwards. Piano music by Welsh composers forms only a small part of Welsh classical music, and most of it is written by art song composers, many of whom were expert pianists. This seminar will explore the link between songs and piano works, with performances from Jess Robinson (soprano) and Zoe Smith on piano.
Andrea Wild
Straford Wild Rocheleau
Plygain Tradition, a Performative Workshop
~ presenters Andrea Wild and Straford Wild Rocheleau
Plygain is an ancient and unique Welsh carol singing tradition. Learn the history of plygain, when, where and by whom these carols were performed. We will explore the regional variations of pledygain and how this tradition almost died out. Renewed interest in plygain enables us to enjoy these carols today. In workshop style we will have open discussion, live demonstrations and an opportunity to learn a beautiful plygain carol together.
~ presenters Andrea Wild and Straford Wild Rocheleau
Plygain is an ancient and unique Welsh carol singing tradition. Learn the history of plygain, when, where and by whom these carols were performed. We will explore the regional variations of pledygain and how this tradition almost died out. Renewed interest in plygain enables us to enjoy these carols today. In workshop style we will have open discussion, live demonstrations and an opportunity to learn a beautiful plygain carol together.
Mark Rhodes
The Madoc Myth and the Welsh Founding Fathers ~ presenter Mark Rhodes
Two dominant narratives persist about the Welsh in early America: that the Welsh Prince Madoc discovered America resulting in a legacy of ‘Welsh Indians’, and that sixteen signers of the Declaration of Independence were Welsh.
Two dominant narratives persist about the Welsh in early America: that the Welsh Prince Madoc discovered America resulting in a legacy of ‘Welsh Indians’, and that sixteen signers of the Declaration of Independence were Welsh.
Primary and secondary sources point to only six signers having clear Welsh links, including the Welsh-speaking Francis Lewis who once referred to an Indigenous language as “similar to Welsh.” Just as recent works highlight the settler colonial dystopia of the supposed Patagonian Welsh utopia, this seminar provides archival evidence to complicate the often-glossy narratives of peaceful Welsh Quakers as bystanders to the American experiment.
Dave Robison
Exploring Welsh Colonists in Springfield ~ presenter Dave Robison
Dave Robison, local historian and descendant of the first colonists in Springfield, will discuss the Welsh colonists of the mid 1600’s, their stories, and their descendants today in the Springfield area and beyond.
Dave Robison, local historian and descendant of the first colonists in Springfield, will discuss the Welsh colonists of the mid 1600’s, their stories, and their descendants today in the Springfield area and beyond.
Sesiwn Sgwrsio Undeb Cymru a’r Byd ~ TBA
Pamela Petro
Hiraeth in Springfield - A reading from Pamela Petro’s memoir, The Long Field, (Held off-site Thursday) 5-minute walk form the hotel, at Rumsprina Book Store Cafe at 1341 Main Street.
Forty-Three Years of "Cynefin" and Counting ~ presenter Pamela Petro
“Forty-Three Years of ‘Cynefin’ and Counting” draws from my two books on Wales – Travels in an Old Tongue, from 1997 and The Long Field, from 2021 – to look at the Welsh idea of cynefin. According to former National Poet Gillian Clarke, cynefin means, among other things, “the sudden sense you have that you belong to a place though you may never have set foot in it before.”
Forty-Three Years of "Cynefin" and Counting ~ presenter Pamela Petro
“Forty-Three Years of ‘Cynefin’ and Counting” draws from my two books on Wales – Travels in an Old Tongue, from 1997 and The Long Field, from 2021 – to look at the Welsh idea of cynefin. According to former National Poet Gillian Clarke, cynefin means, among other things, “the sudden sense you have that you belong to a place though you may never have set foot in it before.”
experienced cynefin the first time I set foot in Wales, in the 1980s, and have spent much of my adult life since trying to understand why I feel more at home there than in my birth-home of America. Landscape, politics, marginality and language all factor into that sense of belonging. In Travels in an Old Tongue I explored cynefin through language; in The Long Field, through sharing a sense of hiraeth with the Welsh nation. Ultimately, I’ll ask what makes us feel at home in any place, and why so many of us who aren’t Welsh feel at home in Wales.
Elfed Lewis
Slate Splitting Demonstration ~ presented by Elfed Lewis
Elfed Lewis of Blaenau Ffestiniog, has over 20 years’ experience working in slate quarries across North Wales. His work spans the full process of slate craftsmanship, from traditional hand-pillared splitting of pillared slate walling to high-end architectural products, including bespoke kitchen worktops and custom slate pieces.
Elfed Lewis of Blaenau Ffestiniog, has over 20 years’ experience working in slate quarries across North Wales. His work spans the full process of slate craftsmanship, from traditional hand-pillared splitting of pillared slate walling to high-end architectural products, including bespoke kitchen worktops and custom slate pieces.
Anglesey Roots ~ Networking Session
Something new and exciting is planned for NAFOW 2026.—the Anglesey Roots Networking Session, sponsored by the Welsh Society of Western New England Genealogy Group. Anglesey is our heritage and making connections is the goal. Please join us at this networking session to meet kindred souls and “lost cousins” with connections to Anglesey. We will hand out a Hiker’s Guide with a map for the trek. This guide lists towns in six regions. If possible, come prepared with family surname(s) and where they’re from in Anglesey. We will divide attendees into seven “FAN Club” groups – one added for those who don’t know their Anglesey location. Members of each club will then “speed date” so that they can meet their fellow Monwys. Geographic areas for the FAN Clubs (Friends, Associates and Neighbors) are West (Llifon), Mid-south (Malltraeth), Menai (Strait), Northwest (Talybolion), North (Twrcelyn) and East (Tyndaethwy). Although we won’t discuss DNA, bring your DNA or GEDmatch results and ancestry.com username if you have them. You may make some connections this way. Also, bring your family tree and/or family history. If you wish, be prepared to share your contact information with other researchers - fill out some index cards ahead of time with your name and contact information to share with other researchers.
Something new and exciting is planned for NAFOW 2026.—the Anglesey Roots Networking Session, sponsored by the Welsh Society of Western New England Genealogy Group. Anglesey is our heritage and making connections is the goal. Please join us at this networking session to meet kindred souls and “lost cousins” with connections to Anglesey. We will hand out a Hiker’s Guide with a map for the trek. This guide lists towns in six regions. If possible, come prepared with family surname(s) and where they’re from in Anglesey. We will divide attendees into seven “FAN Club” groups – one added for those who don’t know their Anglesey location. Members of each club will then “speed date” so that they can meet their fellow Monwys. Geographic areas for the FAN Clubs (Friends, Associates and Neighbors) are West (Llifon), Mid-south (Malltraeth), Menai (Strait), Northwest (Talybolion), North (Twrcelyn) and East (Tyndaethwy). Although we won’t discuss DNA, bring your DNA or GEDmatch results and ancestry.com username if you have them. You may make some connections this way. Also, bring your family tree and/or family history. If you wish, be prepared to share your contact information with other researchers - fill out some index cards ahead of time with your name and contact information to share with other researchers.
Tim Rhys-Evans
Cymru-Ein Llais/Wales-Our Voice ~ presented by Tim Rhys Evans
Tim Rhys-Evans MBE, (Director of Music at Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, conductor of the National Youth Choir of Wales and Founder of the Aloud Charity) explores the importance of voice to the Welsh nation. The power of our collective voice in Wales has been raised across the globe for generations and, in this talk, Tim asks whether we can still truly claim to be The Land of Song and what more can we do to ensure to be heard in an increasingly noisy world?
Tim Rhys-Evans MBE, (Director of Music at Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, conductor of the National Youth Choir of Wales and Founder of the Aloud Charity) explores the importance of voice to the Welsh nation. The power of our collective voice in Wales has been raised across the globe for generations and, in this talk, Tim asks whether we can still truly claim to be The Land of Song and what more can we do to ensure to be heard in an increasingly noisy world?
Danny Proud
Laurel Bradshaw
Welsh Folk Dancing ~ led by Laurel Bradshaw and Danny Proud
Welsh folk dancing, led by a caller and supported by musicians, returns to NAFOW. Laurel Bradshaw, a certified Welsh folk dance instructor, will lead dancers through the steps and Danny Proud will lead the band. This session will leave you with a smile on your face and endorphin-charged liveliness to your day. Session I is an introduction to Folk Dancing while Session II will give those with some past experience a chance to show off their moves!
Exhibit: Witch Panic and the Welsh Colonists
~ Courtesy of the Wood Museum of Springfield History
Discover a time when accused witches walked among us. Forty years before the infamous trials in Salem, fear gripped the small settlement of Springfield, Massachusetts.
~ Courtesy of the Wood Museum of Springfield History
Discover a time when accused witches walked among us. Forty years before the infamous trials in Salem, fear gripped the small settlement of Springfield, Massachusetts.
Neighbors whispered about Mary and Hugh Parsons as rumors simmered for years, exploding into hysteria that eventually consumed the town. Witch Panic! dives into the daily lives of the Parsons, examining the circumstances that led to their 1651 accusation and arrest for witchcraft. Review the evidence of the Parsons’ witchcraft as a member of the jury and determine their innocence or guilt. The exhibition also features objects from the Museums’ permanent collection and explores how witchcraft influenced early Springfield and how the conversation continues 375 years later.
John Waverly Owen III is the Director of Cor Cymraeg Rehoboth (Rehoboth Welsh Choir) in Delta, PA, where he enjoys singing tenor alongside his father. He is a descendant of Goronwy Owen, the 18th century Welsh poet and pastor from Anglesey, who emigrated to Virginia. John sings with Cor Cymry Gogledd America (North American Welsh Choir) under the direction of Mari Morgan. John earned a B.A. in music from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina and a Master of Church Music from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He has served as music director at several churches in the Baltimore area and continues to play organ, piano, accordion and synthesizer for churches and community activities. He currently serves as the Director of the Maryland State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland with his wife Sherri. They have two adult children: Rhiannon of Plymouth, Massachusetts, and Sean of Laurel, Maryland.