I’m really looking forward to the Stomp Fach, where poets compete against each other with funny, clever poems and the kids who are in the audience get to vote for their favourite! I’ll be running this, so get to enjoy all the silly poems without the pressure of competing myself.
And on the Sunday I’ll be putting on a show that involves a lot of rhyming games and fun words challenges. I can’t wait!
I won a Crown for writing a long story in the Urdd Eisteddfod in 2012 and since then I’ve had more and more writing work. I’ve work as a Kids TV presenter on S4C since 2012 as well and there is a lot of script writing involved in that.
I’ve always loved reading, but I’ve also enjoyed listening to stories ever since I was a little girl. I used to force my mum to make a story up before I went to sleep. I’ve competed a lot in recital competitions over the years and that involves remembering a lot of literature but also means analysing and discussing the piece of literature until you understand every bit of it. I love doing that!
I love Roald Dahl’s books and I’m quite intrigued by David Walliams’ books…although I’m yet to read one. But I think that JK Rowling is a genius inventing the whole Harry Potter world and stories. I wish I wrote all the Harry Potter books.
President Snow in the Hunger Games’ books is possibly my favourite villain and is quite awful. I just can’t get the idea that his breath smells of blood and roses out of my head…ych a fi…he gives me shivers.
When you go to a Stomp there are a lot of funny poems that you hear just once and probably never hear them again but there was one that my friend Casia William wrote about her Nain (Granny) racing against Usain Bolt. That was a great poem…and I’ve only heard it once!
I really value being the Laureate and spending time with kids who love to come up with bizarre poetic lines like… “As cute as a Camel in a crop top.” Hearing things like that is the best!
Anyone wanting to do what I’m doing now shouldn’t put too much pressure on themselves when you want or need to write. Inspiration comes when you are happy and relaxed…so have fun!
Anni Llŷn is Welsh Children’s Poet Laureate and will welcome all of Cardiff’s noisy children for an hour of crazy creations at National Museum Cardiff on Sunday, April 17th. She is also hosting Stomp, the interactive ‘poetry-off’! on Thursday, April 21st.
The festival aims to create lifelong readers with tickets currently on sale via Ticketline UK (02920 230 130 or www.ticketlineuk.com ) and www.cardiff-events.com
Cardiff Children’s Literature Festival will take place from 16-24 April 2016
See www.facebook.com/CDFKidsLitFest (English) or www.facebook.com/GwylLLenPlant
or follow @CDFKidsLitFest or @GwylLlenPlant on Twitter for more information.