New York Welsh

Rebecca Hurn is an independent singer-songwriter from Porthcawl, in South Wales. Before writing and releasing her own music, Rebecca built up a fan following by recording acoustic cover songs and sharing them online.

Claire Thomas is a photographer and photojournalist from Penygroes in South Wales. Her work on issues relating to global political and military conflicts, human rights, and humanitarian and environmental crises has earned her recognition at the 2017 British Journalism Awards, the 2018 UK Picture Editors’ Guild Awards, and the 2018 Amnesty International UK Media Awards.

On this episode, Gideon and Richard chat with Dr Megan Williams from the Welsh North American Association about the upcoming annual North American Festival of Wales, a weekend long event that includes performances, poetry, literature, singing, dancing, seminars, a marketplace and an Eisteddfod. Sadly, due to the ongoing coronavirus threat, this year's entire event will be virtual, the first time in the festival's 91 year history. The good news is that anyone can now attend for free online when proceedings kick off on Sept 4th, or screen it at their own leisure through Sept 30 via their event page. During their conversation, Gideon and Richard speak with Megan about the importance of the festival to the Welsh North American community, the challenges of adapting to a virtual format and the history of the event and Welsh heritage in North America.

Rod Thomas (stage name Bright Light Bright Light) is an independent singer-songwriter from the outskirts of Neath in South Wales. His music is a combination of nu-disco, 80s synthpop, dance and house music. Over the past decade he has collaborated with Elton John, Jake Shears, Andy Bell of Erasure, and toured with Cher. Two of his albums have reached the Top 20 on the UK Independent Albums Chart and his upcoming, fourth album, ‘Fun City’, will be released this September. He is also the founder of Yskwn, a record label and creative company set up to support LGBTQ+ and immigrant talent in NYC. On this episode, Gideon and Richard discuss Rod’s musical career, his latest single, ‘I Used To Be Cool’, as well as the ongoing fight for equal representation of LGBTQ+ artists in music and popular culture.

Jamie Grundy is a former football coach and writer with a special focus on criminal justice, sport and rehabilitation. He is the author of 90 Minutes of Freedom, which follows HMP Prescoed FC, the only prisoner football team in Wales, through a single season in Gwent Central Division 2. The book was written with the support of 'National Sporting Heritage' as an exploration of how sport can assist in the rehabilitation efforts of prisoners.

Gwenllian Higginson is an actor and writer from North Pembrokeshire. Gareth John Bale is an actor and director from Ynysmeudwy in the Swansea Valleys. On this episode, Gideon and Richard discuss ‘West’, the play written by Owen Thomas that Gwenllian and Gareth came to New York to perform as part of Wales Week. They cover Gwenllian’s previous run of performances in New York, starring as Jackie in ‘The Good Earth’, as well as Gareth’s sensational one man play, ‘Grav’, depicting the life of rugby legend and broadcaster Ray Gravell.

Jaz-Michael King is a Chief Technology Officer and data privacy advocate. He the is founder of Tŵt (Toot) Wales, a new social media network built to encourage bilingualism online while providing a more private social media experience. Born in Cardiff, Jaz grew up in Llanilltud Fawr, South Glamorgan. After stints in England and France, he moved to New York in the mid-90s where his arrival coincided with the explosion of the internet. During this time, he ran a cybercafe in Brooklyn and built and sold his own internet startup, MerlinWeb, before moving into healthcare where he now works as an expert in health informatics, quality improvement, and public reporting. On this episode, Gideon and Richard discuss Jaz's experiences in New York, including setting up Brooklyn’s first youth rugby club, riding the dot-com boom, and how creating one of the largest online government conspiracy forums led to several run-ins with the FBI.

Joined by Rachel John and Gwilyn Roberts-Harry from the New York Welsh, Gideon and Richard look back at the last 12 months. They discuss their favorite moments from the podcast, how the New York Welsh continues to evolve as an organization, and look ahead at what's to come in 2020.

In the second of a two-part special episode Gideon and Richard pick up the story by looking at the catalyst for Welsh language activism in the 60s and 70s, the successes of the movement and the changes brought about by the establishing of the Welsh Assembly. With more contributions from special guest experts they learn about the sociological and neurological benefits of learning a second language and share some of the many tools for learning Welsh available today.

In the first of a two-part special, Gideon and Richard ask, "Do you speak Welsh?”. They discuss the falling numbers of Welsh speakers and the various factors behind this decline. With contributions from special guest experts they delve into the history of Cymraeg, the roots of the language and how key events in history have impacted its usage—from the Roman Occupation, the English Reformation and the Industrial Revolution all the way to the 20th century.