First Blog Post!

Hello! My name is Mab Jones, and I will be your blog-host for the Made in Roath Festival this year!

Having grown considerably in size and scope since its inception in 2009, MiR this time has some very exciting new additions to its beautifully buoyant and perfectly-poised 2013 programme. One of these will be my good (and sometimes not-so-good) self, in my capacity as journalist, facilitator, blogger and social media manager (or, 'busybody', as it is sometimes also known...!)

So, a bit about me, I guess... Well, currently, I am Poet in Residence at the National Botanic Garden of Wales (where I get to be all Wordsworth-like, wandering about and writing stuff), and I've been published previously by Parthian Books, in anthologies 10 of the Best and Nu2; but, mostly, I am a performance poet of the comic kind. This summer, I supported television's Phill Jupitus at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in his guise as Porky the Poet, and I have actually performed over 600 times in the past 6 years... I also do some journo work (inc. writing a monthly column about literary events for Buzz Magazine), facilitate creative writing workshops, and organise events through my enterprise Jam Bones.

It's as a poet and writer (and busybody! I reeeeally am) that I will be collecting stories and poems from the good people of Roath to feed into this blog, and to inspire creative response/reaction in my own (www.mabjones.blogspot.com). You can contribute to this in various ways: firstly, by hanging a poem of your own from the POETREE. This will be an actual tree in the garden of Milgi on City Road which, for the duration of the festival, will be hung with verse penned by any person who wishes to write and share something.

Never written before, or seeking some creative inspiration? Then come along to the POETREE DROP-IN in Milgi's yurt from 4-6pm on Saturday 19th October!

I will also be facilitating a CONFESSION BOX which will be situated in the Andrew Buchan pub on Albany Road for the week. Share a story never told, tell an untold tale, confess a secret either as yourself or (safer!) anonymously... And, again, if you need a little creative cwtch, a sip of something perhaps (?), or a little assistance in summing up what you want to share, there will be a CONFESSIONS DROP-IN at the Buchan from 2-4pm on Sunday 20th October.

All poems and confessions will be shared on this blog (unless you specify otherwise!). Some may also feed into another exciting new aspect of this year's MiR Festival, RADIO ROATH (details on that TBA shortly!).

I will also be Tweeting, from my own account, and that of Made in Roath, you can follow by searching for the hashtag #MiRblog.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and looking forward to blogging and tweeting and jogging about and meeting many of you, too.

Until soon -

Mab x