Rhondda Drawn and Read

Rhondda Drawn and Read poster for comics workshop

I'm currently devising a schedule of zine and comic making workshops in the local community along the Rhondda Fawr valley. For those of you unfamiliar with the region - the Rhondda is an area of South Wales. It is often called the Rhondda Valley but it is actually 2 valleys - the Rhondda Fawr and the Rhondda Fach. To find out more visit the Wikipedia page HERE

So what is Rhondda Drawn and Read all about?

The Rhondda has undeniably been made but simultaneously unmade by coal. Although it has been many, many years since coal mining has happened here in the Valley - coal has been the over-riding narrative for the region. We want to change the narrative to reflect the real Rhondda of today. There are some wonderful things happening in the valleys. The history of the region is bursting with stories of social justice, significant cultural events and achievements and everyday stories of joy, togetherness and accomplishments. This 8-month long zine making project is a led by The Friends of Wattstown Memorial Park and will take a community-centred, inter-generational approach to collecting stories and re-imagining them as a celebratory collection of comics. I'm really looking forward to delivering the creative workshops for the project. I'll be working with a diverse range of individuals, groups and organisations covering themes around environmentalism, leisure, sports and culture.

This will be a project about celebrating the region and reclaiming the narrative (from coal) and giving a creative platform to the voices of those who live and work here. It promises to be a project that will get voices 'heard' in a unique and engaging way.

If you've a story of the Rhondda Fawr that you'd like to be told - see poster for details. The workshops will be starting in July!

Poster Design by Julie Edwards