BRIGHT LIVES
Please email if you would like a Signed Dedication
BRIGHT LIVES FILMS
ROSANNE by Alex Wharton
Listen to Alex Wharton's song 'Rosanne' dedicated to the Black soldiers of the 320th Battalion.
Alex was commissioned by CADW Wales to write a poem/ set to music about the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, a Black battalion, part of the segregated US army, and the first Black servicemen to see action on D-Day. Alex directed and filmed "Rosanne" on the plains of Pontypool Park, at The Folly Tower, near where they were stationed.
The Gardener by Alex Wharton
Inspired by the life of John Ystumllyn, also known as Jac Du or Jack Black, little is known for sure of John Ystumllyn's early life.
He is likely to have been a victim of the Atlantic Slave Trade and was taken as a child to the Wynn family's Ystumllyn Estate in Criccieth. Here he was taught English and Welsh, and learned horticulture, showing great talent in the estate gardens.
Imagine by Alex Wharton
Enjoy Alex Wharton’s poem 'Imagine' inspired by the life and achievements of Clive Sullivan.
BRIGHT LIVES LAUNCH
Thankyou to everyone who celebrated the Bright Lives Launch on 22nd March at Tretower Court & Castle. More Events coming soon..... Place your order here...
BRIGHT LIVES "THE LAUNCH"
BRIGHT LIVES
Alex Wharton's forthcoming poetry book Bright Lives celebrates nine Historical Black figures in Wales. Illustrated by Rhi Smith with an Foreword by Cadw.
CADW
In 2022 Alex Wharton was commissioned by the Welsh Government’s environmental sector (CADW) to commemorate the lives of Black heritage people who have contributed to Welsh society historically. Wales has a wonderfully rich and diverse history.
This book celebrates a careful selection of
Bright Lives that helped shape modern Wales.
Featuring...
The Gardener the poem brought to the world stage by Sir Lewis Hamilton at the Met Gala 2024 about John Ystumllyn, an 18th-century gardener — to the enduring legacy of Francis Batty Shand, visionary philanthropist and founder of Cardiff’s Institute for the Blind.
Through poetry, song and creative responses Bright Lives is an invitation into the worlds of remarkable people. May it inspire and enlighten those who travel in.
