This is my second collection of poetry (the first was King Arthur’s Raid on Hell and other poems). Most of these poems are... More > written in medieval fixed forms, or approximations of medieval forms – one of my on-going quests being a search for ways of reproducing the sound and feel of medieval Welsh poetry in modern English. And yet, because the bardic art I practice is a performance art, these are in a larger sense not my poems at all, but merely pale imitations – poems preserved on paper. Until I can come and sing the real poems to you, I hope you will enjoy the substitutes. < Less

“Blood and fire, gold and steel and poetry, a river’s voice in the silence of the night, and the shining strings of a... More > harp – all these and more I have known in my time... Now they are all gone, the men and women I knew when I was young, gone like words on the wind, and I am left here in the twilight to tell you their tale. Sit, then, and listen if you will to the words of Gwernin Kyuarwyd, called Storyteller…”
So begins the tale of the young Gwernin’s adventures as a wandering storyteller and would-be bard in the chaos and contradictions of 6th century Britain. Along the way he encounters allies and enemies both human and supernatural, finds love and friendship, and learns the lore - and the true meaning - of a Bard’s profession. < Less

This is a collection of prose and poetry taken from the first three books - the Young Gwernin trilogy - of the Storyteller... More > series, which follows the adventures of a group of bards and storytellers in the years after King Arthur's death. If you have not yet read the novels, you might want to go and start there, as some of these poems could be considered to be plot spoilers. On the other hand, you might just want to plunge in now and see how you like Gwernin's world... < Less

This is my first collection of poetry (the second is "Pryderi's Pigs and other poems"). Most of these poems are written in... More > medieval fixed forms, or approximations of medieval forms – one of my on-going quests being a search for ways of reproducing the sound and feel of medieval Welsh poetry in modern English. And yet, because the bardic art I practice is a performance art, these are in a larger sense not my poems at all, but merely pale imitations – poems preserved on paper. Until I can come and sing the real poems to you, I hope you will enjoy the substitutes. < Less

“Elidyr Mwynfawr, King of Aeron, was a weak, greedy fool, and like many another such fool, he died of his folly. But... More > because he was a King, in his dying he cost many better men their lives as well, and this was the way of it: for I, Gwernin Kyuarwyd, was there, and saw much of it myself, and the tale that I tell you is true…”

In 6th century Wales, the ash spear – pren onn – was a symbol of warfare and of manhood, but it also stood for awen, the poetic inspiration of the bards. As war comes to North Wales, bardic apprentice Gwernin must master all three of its meanings in order to keep himself and his friends alive. From otherworldly dangers to rich rewards in the fire-lit halls of kings, from bloody battle and grueling labor to tender romance, The Ash Spear follows him in the thrilling conclusion of this first trilogy in the Storyteller series. < Less

This is my second collection of poetry (the first was King Arthur’s Raid on Hell and other poems). Most of these poems are... More > written in medieval fixed forms, or approximations of medieval forms – one of my on-going quests being a search for ways of reproducing the sound and feel of medieval Welsh poetry in modern English. And yet, because the bardic art I practice is a performance art, these are in a larger sense not my poems at all, but merely pale imitations – poems preserved on paper. Until I can come and sing the real poems to you, I hope you will enjoy the substitutes. < Less

“Blood and fire, gold and steel and poetry, a river’s voice in the silence of the night, and the shining strings of a... More > harp – all these and more I have known in my time... Now they are all gone, the men and women I knew when I was young, gone like words on the wind, and I am left here in the twilight to tell you their tale. Sit, then, and listen if you will to the words of Gwernin Kyuarwyd, called Storyteller…”

So begins the tale of the young Gwernin’s adventures as a wandering storyteller and would-be bard in the chaos and contradictions of 6th century Britain. Along the way he encounters allies and enemies both human and supernatural, finds love and friendship, and learns the lore - and the true meaning - of a Bard’s profession. < Less

Britain in the summer of 551 AD: The North is a tinderbox about to burst into flame, the Saxons are stirring again in the... More > East, and Cynan Garwyn, Prince of Powys, is doing his best to foment war in the South. In the midst of this simmering chaos, two young bards - Gwernin Storyteller and his friend Neirin mab Dwywei, the Poet-Prince that some call "Taliesin's Hawk" - are sent to the North by their master to investigate the rumors and do what they can to prevent a war. At least, that was their mission - but the two young men find plenty of other adventures along the way. Girls and beer, bloodshed and magic - will they survive the summer and make it home alive? This is the second book in the Storyteller series - the third book, titled The Ash Spear, is scheduled for publication in 2009. < Less