Do a Dylan and become a young wordsmith

July 28, 2011 - PRLog -- DYLAN Thomas became a world-famous wordsmith by refining his writing skills from a young age and now Swansea schoolchildren have the chance to do the same.
image depicting Dylan Thomas

Sean Keir, Swansea Council's Museum Services Manager, is urging as many city children as possible to put pen to paper this summer and enter a competition called Finding Dylan.

The competition is now open and is aimed at all of Swansea's year six children who have just left primary school.

Children are asked to write an essay, poem or diary of no more than 1,000 words on any of the following subjects: My Summer, My Team, My Swansea or My Wales.

Swansea Council is behind the competition in association with the University of Wales Dylan Thomas Prize.

Sean said: "Dylan's first published poem was entitled Life-belt and it appeared in an edition of the Swansea Grammar School magazine in 1928 when he was just 14. But he was also writing poems well before this in his famous school notebooks which are now held in the Texas University archives in Austin.

"Dylan actually wrote two-thirds of his entire output before the age of 20 and before moving to London in late 1934. These writings became known as the notebook poems because they were written in school exercise books and, on careful analysis, it's not unlikely that his output goes back to as early as eleven years of age.

"What this shows is that the seeds of being a great writer can be sewn at a very young age and that the children of today can aspire to follow in Dylan's footsteps and become a published writer by the time they reach their early teens.

"Life-belt was actually about Dylan's own inability, like a lot of schoolchildren, to remember famous dates in history."

Finding Dylan is being supported by Travel House and the winner will pick up a family break to Disneyland in Paris.

Cllr Chris Holley, Swansea Council Leader, said: "This is a chance for Swansea's children to unlock their imaginations and show they've got what it takes to become published authors in future.

"Dylan Thomas put our city on the world map and I hope this competition will help unearth another literary superstar."

Entries can be submitted in hand-written or email form but must be in by September 5 this year.

A short-list will then be announced in mid-October before the winner is unveiled at a special ceremony on November 9.

The judging panel will consist of authors, academics and distinguished former pupils of Swansea's schools and universities. Comedian and television–radio presenter Chris Corcoran has already been confirmed as one of the judges.

Have a look at http://www.dylanthomasprize.com for application details.

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