I have made a couple of references recently to The Promised Land, my favourite bar and hostelry, which can be found in Windsor Place, near the city centre, and which serves, amongst other things, the best coffee in Cardiff.

The Promised Land’s owner, Nick Davidson (pictured) set the place up in the style of a certain kind of city bar to be found in Manhattan or Madrid, places that serve quality drinks, fine wines and good food – often of a Spanish flavour – in a friendly, informal atmosphere, and which isn’t burdened by a particular social identity: lawyers, plumbers, painters and decorators, dropouts and even journalists, politicians, poets and the odd celebrity drop by and mingle, and there is a space upstairs for hire to private parties.

Which is the point I am coming to. In my other role, as Richard Gwyn, I teach on the MA in Creative Writing at Cardiff University, and our Visiting Writers’ programme, supported by Literature Wales, is hosted by The Promised Land. Every few weeks between October and April we invite writers to give a reading, answer questions and share the evening with our students and other guests. The reading is followed by an Open Mic session for Cardiff University creative writing students, often work of a very high standard. The Promised Land provides evening meals, which you are welcome to enjoy before or after the guest reading. On October 3^rd we hosted the first of the series, novelist Lindsay Clarke. The rest of the programme is as follows:

24^th October, poet Clare Potter

14^th November, Student event coordinated by scriptwriter-dramatists Othniel Smith and Tim Rhys

5^th December, poet Peter Finch

6^th February, ex-national poet of Wales Gwyneth Lewis

27^th February, poet and novelist Owen Sheers

12^th March, novelist Belinda Bauer

26^th March, poet Douglas Houston

All events take place on a Monday evening at 7 pm and are free to the public.