Mererid Hopwood
Mererid Hopwood | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Born | February 1964 (age 62) Cardiff, Wales |
| Occupations | Writer, bard, television presenter and academic |
| Title | Archdderwydd of the National Eisteddfod of Wales |
| Children | 3[1] |
Mererid Hopwood (born February 1964) is a Welsh poet and lyricist, currently serving as Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales.
Teaching
Originally from Cardiff, Hopwood graduated in Spanish and German from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth.[2] She was a lecturer in German at the University of Wales, Swansea, and since 2001 has also been a creative writing tutor in the Welsh Department. She was a Spanish teacher at Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bro Myrddin in Carmarthenshire until January 2010, and is currently a lecturer at University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
Hopwood was appointed in January 2021 as chair of Welsh and Celtic Studies at Aberystwyth University.[3]
Eisteddfodau
She became the first woman in Eisteddfod history to be awarded the Chair at the National Eisteddfod in 2001 which was held in Denbigh.[4] In 2003, she won the Crown at the National Eisteddfod in Meifod,[4] and in 2008, the Eisteddfod's Prose Medal for her book O Ran. She is also an S4C presenter. In 2012, she was awarded the Glyndwr Award by MOMA, Machynlleth.[2]
In August 2009, Hopwood was put forward for the position of Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod, following the death of Dic Jones.[5] It was the first time a woman had been nominated. In November, she decided to withdraw from the contest, leaving T. James Jones to fill the vacancy.
In 2023, Hopwood was elected Archdruid for the period from 2024 to 2027; she is the second woman to hold the post, after Christine James.[6]
In June 2024 she spoke at a rally in favour of Welsh Independence in Carmarthen.[7] A long-standing peace campaigner[8], she has openly opposed government plans to build a radar installation near St Davids.[9]
During the 2026 Pembrokeshire National Eisteddfod, an election was held to decide who would succeed Archdruid Mererid when her term ends in 2027, and Tudur Dylan Jones emerged as the winner.[10]
Honours
In 2018, Hopwood was elected as a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales.[11]
In 2026, Hopwood won Wales Book of the Year for her volume of poetry, Mae.[12][13]
Works
- Sarah Kirsch (1997), study of the poet Sarah Kirsch
- Singing in Chains: Listening to Welsh Verse (2004)
- Seren Lowri (2005)
- Plentyn (2005)
- Ar Bwys (2007)
- O Ran (2008)
- Nes Draw (2015)
- Cantata Memoria (libretto) to music by Karl Jenkins (2016)
- Wythnos yng Nghymru Fydd (libretto) to the opera by Gareth Glyn (2017)
- Mae (2025)
References
- ↑ "Mererid yn cipio'r Goron" [Mererid takes the Crown]. BBC Cymru (in Welsh). 4 August 2003. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
Mae'n byw yng Nghaerfyrddin gyda'i gwr Martin, ei merched Hanna a Miriam a'i mab Llewelyn.
- 1 2 "Mererid HOPWOOD". HayFestival.com. Hay Festival. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- ↑ "Athro y Gymraeg ac Astudiaethau Celtaidd". Aber.ac.uk. University of Aberystwyth. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- 1 2 Bardic and Crown winners. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
- ↑ North Wales Daily Post
- ↑ "Mererid Hopwood elected Archdruid". National Eisteddfod of Wales. 24 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
- ↑ "Best pictures as thousands march through Welsh town in support of independence - Wales Online". www.walesonline.co.uk. 23 June 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ↑ "'Imagining Peace: Professor Mererid Hopwood' – MAW 2024 Remembrance Lecture". Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "Eisteddfod y Garreg Las - Archdruid warns St Davids radar plan poses threat to Pembrokeshire". Pembrokeshire Herald. 3 August 2026. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "Ethol Tudur Dylan Jones yn ddarpar Archdderwydd newydd Cymru". Newyddion S4C (in Welsh). 6 August 2026. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ Wales, The Learned Society of. "Mererid Hopwood". The Learned Society of Wales. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ↑ Clarke, Scarlett (13 July 2026). "Anthony Shapland and Mererid Hopwood win Wales Book of the Year 2026". The Bookseller. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- ↑ "Cyfrol Mererid Hopwood yn cipio Prif Wobr Gymraeg Llyfr y Flwyddyn 2026". BBC Cymru Fyw (in Welsh). 9 July 2026. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
External links
 | | ||
- 1964 births
- 21st-century British women poets
- 20th-century British women poets
- 20th-century Welsh educators
- 21st-century Welsh educators
- 20th-century Welsh poets
- 21st-century Welsh poets
- 20th-century Welsh women educators
- 21st-century Welsh women educators
- 20th-century Welsh women writers
- 21st-century Welsh women writers
- Writers from Cardiff
- Academics of Aberystwyth University
- Academics of Swansea University
- Alumni of Aberystwyth University
- Chaired bards
- Crowned bards
- Living people
- Welsh-language poets
- Welsh women poets
- Welsh television presenters
- Welsh women television presenters
- Welsh Eisteddfod archdruids
- Fellows of the Learned Society of Wales
- Prose Medal (National Eisteddfod of Wales) winners