Celebrating a master

Below is my “Big Day Out” column from the Saturday, December 24, 2011, Swansea edition of the South Wales Evening Post.

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Celebrating a master

big day out!

RICHARD THOMAS heads to ...

The Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea.

WHY? The Dylan Thomas Centre is a beautiful building in the in the Maritime Quarter near to Swansea Museum. The Dylan Thomas Centre has a permanent exhibition on Dylan Thomas and his life and is also home to many literary events throughout the year, including the annual Dylan Thomas Festival now underway at the centre.
WHAT’S THE BUZZ? Each year in October and November the centre holds its annual Dylan Thomas Festival, a multi-arts celebration of Swansea's most famous son, as well as his friends, contemporaries, and those he has influenced. This year’s festival featured talent not just from Wales but far beyond too, including verbal fireworks from two fine Swansea writers, Joe Dunthorne, whose novels are Submarine and the newly released Wild Abandon, and local poet Sarah Coles, whose writing has appeared in Planet magazine. There were also writers from as a field as the greatly respected Somali poet Maxamed Xaashi Dhamac 'Gaariye' speaking at the centre.
ANY HISTORY? Formerly the city's Guildhall, which was originally built in 1825, the Dylan Thomas Centre building was restored and refurbished to host the UK Year of Literature and Writing in 1995. The centre was opened by former US President Jimmy Carter, one of the world's most famous Dylan Thomas enthusiasts.
WHAT TO TAKE? Tickets cost £6 each and are available online from Ticketsource at www.ticketsource.co.uk/dylanthomas. Food and drink are available in centre’s restaurant and bar. There’s also a bookshop café.
LOOK OUT FOR? The Dylan Thomas Centre regularly hosts events, films and talks in its conference rooms and theatre. The centre also houses the permanent 'Man and Myth' exhibition, based on the largest collection of memorabilia of its kind in the world. This exhibit is designed to appeal to the Dylan Thomas expert and interested visitor alike.
WHEN TO GO? The Dylan Thomas Centre is open 10am to 4.30pm seven days a week.
TELL ME MORE: For sat nav users their address and postcode is: Somerset Place, Swansea, SA1 1RR. For more information about events at the centre call 01792 463980 or visit www.dylanthomas.com.