A new academic year sees Literature Wales thrust forth into a host of fantastic first-time endeavours. First up is the Literature Lounge, a “pop-up literary emporium” that will see an empty shop in the St David’s 2 Shopping Centre in Cardiff transformed into a hive of performance, poetry, games and talks. Suitable for all ages, the programme so far includes a book swap, several workshops, and other family-friendly activities that are sure to surprise shoppers and entertain all comers.

This will be swiftly followed by the announcement of a new “Young People’s Laureate” on 18 October, the role of this person being to “encourage writing and communication within young communities in Wales”. This will include engaging with those from hard to reach and disadvantaged backgrounds – a very worthwhile intitiative that is unique not just to Wales but to the UK itself.

Literature Wales is, as the name suggests, the agency for the promotion of literature in Wales. Formerly known as Academi, this organisation has always been at the forefront of innovative new projects.

On 22 October, Lit Wales partner up with the Wales Millennium Centre to bring us the DayLit Festival, a bilingual micro-festival that celebrates and investigates the “shock of the new” theme that runs through the main BayLit programme. This year, the yummy Luke Wright will be the spoken word cherry on a fantastically fulsome literary cake, which includes performance poets, rappers, comics, and DJs, as well as a battle of words and wits between UWIC and Cardiff University.

Finally, the biannual John Tripp award for spoken poetry begins as Literature Wales hunts for the nation’s top performance poet. At literary x-factor-style heats across Wales, each poet will have just five minutes to impress the judges with scintillating stanzas, vivacious verse and powerful performance. See www.literaturewales.org for more information, tickets, or even to take part yourself!