About this Event
Ben Wildsmith joins us to celebrate the publication of his new memoir Whose Song to Sing?, in conversation with Jon Gower.
How does an adopted person construct their identity?In 1970s Birmingham Ben’s adoptive mother told him he was ‘chosen’, but the young Ben’s discomfort remained. As his family life disintegrated in his teens, he sought refuge in culture and in music, always returning to the songs and stories of the Valleys, the gift of his Welsh adoptive grandfather.From Thatcher’s Britain to 2020s Wales, with a soundtrack ranging from Emmylou Harris to the Pogues to the finest Welsh Male Voice Choirs we follow Ben’s path from relative childhood privilege to addiction and despair, before the healing power of community offers a route to happiness.Unflinching and frequently comic, Whose Song to Sing? shows how establishing a viable identity from uncertain materials can be a creative act, and a life’s work.
Ben Wildsmith is a Nation.Cymru columnist, writing about politics and rugby twice a week. His previous book was From the Senedd to the Roofs, an imaginative and irreverent collection of his journalistic work.
Jon Gower grew up in Llanelli, Wales and studied English at Cambridge University. A former BBC Wales' Arts and Media correspondent, Jon has been making documentary programmes for television and radio for over 30 years. He has over thirty books to his name, in both Welsh and English, including former Waterstones Welsh Book of the Month The Turning Tide: A Biography of the Irish Sea.
Refreshments will be provided! Please note that our events space is on the first floor, accessible via stairs or lift. Do contact us if you have any access questions.
Doors open at 18:30. Latecomers will be admitted until 19:10.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Waterstones, 2A The Hayes, Cardiff, United Kingdom
GBP 5.00 to GBP 20.00
