New York Welsh

Peter Thabit Jones is a poet from Swansea in South Wales. He is the author of sixteen books and his poems have been translated into over twenty-two languages. He is the recipient of a number of awards, including the Arts Council of Wales Award, the Homer European Medal for Poetry and Art, and the Shabdaguchha Journal Poet of the Year Award for his contribution to international poetry. He has performed and given writing workshops at festivals such as the Swansea Festival of Music and the Arts, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and throughout America, including the Massachusetts Poetry Festival and the Conference of World Affairs in Colorado. He is also the founder and editor of The Seventh Quarry, a poetry magazine published in Swansea with an international perspective.

Chloe Wilson is an actor and singer from the Rhondda.

Dylan Thomas is one of the most recognisable Welsh names in the United States. He’s best known for his landmark poems such as ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’ and ‘Death shall have no dominion’, his play for voices ‘Under Milk Wood’, and classic stories such as ‘A Child’s Christmas in Wales’.

Ibby Tarafdar is a graphic designer from Cardiff. Born in Wales, he grew up in Gabalfa after his father emigrated to Wales from Bangladesh in the 1980s. Since completing his degree in Graphic Communication at the University of South Wales in 2014, Ibby has since created brand identities for numerous athletes signed to Mayweather Promotions and Jay Z’s Roc Nation. His designs have featured alongside globally recognized brands like Under Armor and Puma and have been televised worldwide. On this episode, Gideon & Richard discuss Ibby’s rise to notoriety, his new studio in Cardiff, and what it’s like to work with some of the most powerful entertainment names in America.

Dr Denny Taylor is an author, researcher and educator living in New York City. She has published 19 books—fiction and nonfiction—and is a co-founder of Garn Press, a publishing house with a focus on social conscience. Denny is widely credited with giving rise to family literacy, a concept UNESCO uses today as an organizing principle for supporting vulnerable populations all over the world.

James Bird is a rugby player and management consultant. He is a fly-half for New York based Old Blue RFC, who he has played for since moving to the US in 2013. In 2016 he became eligible for and represented the US national team in the Americas Rugby Championship, the American equivalent of the Six Nations. On this episode, Richard and Gideon talk about the growing game in the US, the challenges of balancing a demanding rugby schedule with a corporate career, and where to get married if you’re planning a quintessential New York wedding.

Matthew Hitt is a singer and songwriter from the Rhondda Valley in South Wales. He is the front man of Drowners, an American-Welsh indie rock band based out of New York. Formed in 2011, the band signed for Frenchkiss Records and released their self-titled studio album in May 2013. After seven years performing and touring the world and one more studio album, the band announced a hiatus last year, prompting Matt to produce his first

Sir Karl Jenkins is a musician and composer from Penclawdd on the Gower Peninsula. He was knighted in the 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours List. From his early days in jazz and prog rock he has gone on to become the most performed living composer in the world. His canon of work transcends genre or classification and now includes 17 gold and platinum discs. His work The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace has been in the UK charts for 15 years, and was performed at the Lincoln Center New York on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Lady Carol Barratt is a musician, composer, educator, and a lyricist for Sir Karl's work. She has written 84 titles in musical education, and three children's books set on Gower which have now been translated in to Welsh. Richard and Gideon speak to Sir Karl and Lady Carol ahead of the concert in Carnegie Hall in honour of his 75th birthday.

Sarah Collinson is Head of Account Management at Joan, a startup creative agency based in NYC that works with Google and YouTube. Prior to joining Joan, Sarah spent 4 years at world-renowned advertising agency Anomaly where, among other things, she helped create one of the most highly-acclaimed cannabis brands in the world today. Originating from Swansea, she studied History at Oxford before moving to London, and later New York, to build a successful career in advertising. On this episode, Richard and Gideon discuss Joan’s efforts to bridge the gender and diversity gap, what Sarah looks for when hiring, and where to get a good pint in Swansea on a Monday night in 2002.

Paul Mealor has been described in the New York Times as, the most important person to emerge in Welsh music since William Mathias.