Profile
Peter Read is a Poet, Actor, Playwright, Ghostwriter, After Dinner Speaker and a Tutor in various aspects of creative writing
POET

    • Peter Read is a well-known performance poet who has performed throughout Britain, and has had five poetry books published,

    Between The Mountain and the Mine; Sandblasters; Over Milkwood, God's Botherer and Read Only, plus several works in poetry magazines.

    • In July and August 2005 a short series of six programmes on the history and art of poetry was broadcast on Radio Wales.

    • In February 2006, a series of four programmes on the subject of romantic poetry was broadcast on Radio Wales.

    • In August 2006, he performed his Poetry at the American and Canadian Welsh Festival in Cincinnati, Ohio.

    • In November 2007 he won the biennial John Tripp Award  for Spoken Poetry. The prize is awarded to the person considered the best performance poet in Wales, after four heats throughout Wales and a Final at St David's Hall in Cardiff.

    • In the past he has been short-listed for the prestigious Forward Poetry Prize.

    • He was a founding editor of the poetry magazine, Roundyhouse.

    • He has worked closely with disadvantaged groups, helping them to write Poetry. Sandblasters, an anthology published in 1998, included some of his own poetry, plus the work of reforming drug users. He has also worked with Dragon Arts, Swansea, encouraging homeless people to write poetry and a play on the theme of Homelessness.

    • BBC2 made a film entitled Jacks are High featuring Peter performing his poetry.

    • HTV has featured poems from one of his anthologies.

    • In 1999, as part of a Writers' Exchange programme, he was involved in several performances of his poetry in Cork.
ACTOR

  • In February 2006, he played Angelo in Measure for Measure at the Grand Theatre, Swansea.

  • Since 1998 he has acted in Handful of Rain, a play based on an imaginary meeting between Bob Dylan and Dylan Thomas. The play has been performed throughout Britain, including a four-week run at Hampstead Theatre. In 2002, it was staged in New York.

  • His one-man show, Dylan in America, which was premiered at the Dylan Thomas Festival, Swansea in November 2003, has received great critical acclaim, collecting five star reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe in both 2004 and 2005.
Peter Read with John Norton in Handful of Rain
Peter Read in Dylan Thomas in America
PLAYWRIGHT

He has written six plays. For details see Playwriting.

  • The play, Toshack or Me! was staged at The Grand Theatre Swansea in September 2006 to sell-out audiences. It was reprised in 2007 and 2008, again to full houses.
  • For 2008 he has been commissioned by Academi to write  The Long, Bent Furlong of Doubt, a one man play about the poet John Tripp.

  • He is also writing a one-man show for Kevin Johns called Vicar Joe. The play has developed out of the fictitious character in Toshack or Me! and To Hull and Back and will be premiered at Swansea Grand Theatre 19-21 February 2009.
GHOSTWRITER

Peter's ghost-written book, Eric's Story, was published by Gomer in 2007.

Oh Yes It Is . . . Kevin Johns! and Kicking Every Ball , the life story of Swansea City Manager Roberto Martinez, both ghost-written by Peter, are due to be published in Autumn 2008 by Y Lolfa.
For further details about Ghostwriting



AFTER DINNER SPEAKER

He is a popular, humorous and regular speaker at all kinds of functions.
For further details about After Dinner Speaking


TUTOR

  • Peter runs weekend courses on all aspects of creative writing at The Dylan Thomas Centre, Swansea.
  • He also runs seminars for the Libraries Services, Literature Festivals and local Writers' Groups. Courses
  • He works with schools in the Swansea area stimulating children to write poetry, prose and drama on subjects such as Anti-Bullying.
  • Peter Read's groundbreaking schemes, showing children how to write a play from inception to production, have been praised by educationalists and used by major charities as a vehicle to encourage children to consider important contemporary issues.
  • He is a member of the Welsh Academy of Writers (Academi), which will half-fund his fees at literary and educational events. School Work
  • He runs several courses on writing and performing Poetry, plus other aspects of Creative Writing at the Dylan Thomas Centre and in various venues for The Libraries Services. For more information about these courses link to Courses


GENERAL

Peter has written for the Encyclopaedia of Wales published by University of Wales Press 2008.

He has written for Radio.

Since 2006 he has been a member of The Society of Authors and a member of The Welsh Academy of Writers (Academi).