Besides one South Wales writer who surfs, there’s plenty of other nonsense going on out there.

Writing:

Here is a list of some of the best writers and literary magazines I know and their sites:

Alex Wade, Boxer, Lawyer, Surfer, Freelance Author – they do all go
together, I promise!: www.alexwade.com Alex is the editor of the new Times Online surf page, Surf Nation: www.timesonline.co.uk/surfnation

Might I also recommend Channel Islands author Jon Carden's Smokey Kingfish and the Sinking Island for a quirky, amusing and often downright demented fantasy/dystopia based around the best and worst of surf culture - sure to become a cult classic! (I especially like the donkey Garywilliam - so named after the epic Isish point break.)

Another upcoming title I'm looking forward to is Tim Kevan's Why Lawyers Should Surf - a book that just might change law-rooms the world over for ever!

Robert Minhinnick: Poet, icon of Welsh literature and winner of the 2006 Welsh Book of the Year award. Rob is editor of Poetry Wales Magazine:    www.poetrywales.co.uk He is also an active environmental campaigner and one of the founding members of Sustainable Wales:            www.sustainablewales.org.uk

Planet Magazine is a great publication for keeping up to speed with the Welsh arts scene, as well as getting to read samples from some pretty good writers: www.planetmagazine.org.uk

The University of Glamorgan is a hotbed of writing talent, and anyone serious about becoming a writer would do well to consider some of their creative writing courses: www.glam.ac.uk

On this site I will be posting some samples from up-and-coming writers – click here to read some.

There is also some travel writing on this site, available by hitting this link.

And, before you read on to the music section - one more recommendation: Stuart 'Ed' Butler's mate Jon Bowen has just released a hardback book of photos documenting West Country surf culture - Surfing Moods is available now from Amazon and other good book shops.

Music:

Apparently bands tend to like having 'myspaces' instead of websites, so to start with here are both the websites and the 'myspaces' of several bands I can recommend you look at, if you're musically minded, that is. My youngest brother Noel is in a hardcore punk outfit called State Run, who have been well recieved by critics, having released their own single at the beginning of the year. State Run have also appeared on several radio shows and even had a plug in Maximum Rock'n'Roll Magazine. Watch this (my)space!

A couple of other good friend have formed Stanley Band, a pleasing-to-the-ear collection of catchy songwritings. They were the most memorable of all performances at last year's Tsunami Cup gig, and are surely due to hit big soon...

And for those who'd like to listen to the newest genres of music, I suggest you look at Freak Unique. They're so named coz each band member is in some way, quite literally, a freak (check out the guitarist's three-fingered paw-print!), and they're music is incredible. They've just won a South Wales battle-of-the-bands contest, and a recording contract. But by far the best way to check them out is LIVE if you can get to one of their shows.

Visual Arts:

Surf art is its own genre these days, but the best I know of is that by Christian Enns. Chris is a semi-pro surfer from Santa Barbabra, who learned his wave-riding trade at spots like Rincon and Sandspit, but is now at least as acclaimed for his art as he is for his wave-riding (which is saying something - filmmaker Marshall Hattori once told me he believed Chris to be one of the best tube-riders on earth). You can find out more by visiting Christian Enns Art

Chris is currently attending Laguna College of Art and Design - by far the maddest campus I've ever been to!

Keep an eye on this page to see more additions to all categories in the near future...