Mererid Hopwood
Encyclopedia
Mererid Hopwood is a Welsh
poet who made history in 2001 by becoming the first woman ever to win the bardic Chair at the National Eisteddfod of Wales
.
Originally from Cardiff, Hopwood graduated with first-class honours in Spanish
and German
from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth
. She was a Lecturer in German at the University of Wales, Swansea,as well as being a Creative Writing tutor in the Welsh Department since 2002. She has been a Spanish teacher in Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bro Myrddin Carmarthen until January 2010, and now Dr Hopwood is currently a Lecturer in Trinity University of Carmarthen. Also in 2003 she won the crown at the[National Eisteddfod in Meifod, and in 2008 she was awarded the Eisteddfod's Prose
Medal for her book O Ran. She is also an S4C
presenter. She now lives in Carmarthen, with her husband and 3 children Hanna, Miriam and Llewelyn.
In August 2009, Hopwood was nominated as a candidate for the position of Archdruid
of the National Eisteddfod, following the death of Dic Jones
. It was the first time a woman had been nominated. In November she decided to withdraw from the contest, leaving T. James Jones
to fill the vacancy.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
poet who made history in 2001 by becoming the first woman ever to win the bardic Chair at the National Eisteddfod of Wales
National Eisteddfod of Wales
The National Eisteddfod of Wales is the most important of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales.- Organisation :...
.
Originally from Cardiff, Hopwood graduated with first-class honours in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth
University of Wales, Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth University is a university located in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding Member Institution of the former federal University of Wales. As of late 2006, the university had over 12,000 students spread across seventeen academic departments.The university was founded in 1872 as...
. She was a Lecturer in German at the University of Wales, Swansea,as well as being a Creative Writing tutor in the Welsh Department since 2002. She has been a Spanish teacher in Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bro Myrddin Carmarthen until January 2010, and now Dr Hopwood is currently a Lecturer in Trinity University of Carmarthen. Also in 2003 she won the crown at the[National Eisteddfod in Meifod, and in 2008 she was awarded the Eisteddfod's Prose
Prose
Prose is the most typical form of written language, applying ordinary grammatical structure and natural flow of speech rather than rhythmic structure...
Medal for her book O Ran. She is also an S4C
S4C
S4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on...
presenter. She now lives in Carmarthen, with her husband and 3 children Hanna, Miriam and Llewelyn.
In August 2009, Hopwood was nominated as a candidate for the position of Archdruid
Archdruid
The Archdruid is the title used by the presiding official of the Gorsedd.The Archdruid presides over the most important ceremonies at the National Eisteddfod of Wales including the Crowning of the Bard, The Award of the Prose Medal and Chairing of the Bard. From 1932 only former winners of the...
of the National Eisteddfod, following the death of Dic Jones
Dic Jones
Dic Jones , was a Welsh language poet and the Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales.He was born Richard Lewis Jones at Tre'r-ddôl in Ceredigion. The son of a farmer, Jones himself farmed on at Fferm yr Hendre at Blaenannerch in Aberporth...
. It was the first time a woman had been nominated. In November she decided to withdraw from the contest, leaving T. James Jones
T. James Jones
T. James Jones is a Welsh poet and dramatist, and is Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales. He is also known by the bardic name Jim Parc Nest....
to fill the vacancy.
Works
- Sarah KirschSarah KirschSarah Kirsch is a German poet.She was born Ingrid Bernstein in Limlingerode, Prussian Saxony. She changed her first name to Sarah in order to protest against her father's anti-semitism. She studied biology in Halle and literature at the Johannes R. Becher Institute for Literature in Leipzig. In...
(1997) - Singing in Chains: Listening to Welsh Verse (2004)
- Seren Lowri (2005)
- Plentyn (2005)
- Ar Bwys (2007)
- O Ran