Local writers will be given the unique opportunity to meet and listen to the former Poet Laureate of Wales - Gillian Clarke - next month.

She will be descending on the Cellar Bards in Cardigan, to help them celebrate their 11th birthday.

Born in 1937, Clarke has published a series of outstanding collections since her debut work was unveiled in 1971, entitled Snow on the Mountain. This made her one of Britain's best-loved poets, with the result that her work has become a regular fixture on exam syllabuses.

Her enormous talent has been praised by some of the country’s leading poets, including Carol Ann Duffy, who once compared her to the god of verse himself, namely Seamus Heaney.

"Gillian Clarke has been such an important figure in our country's literary landscape as her work is so fresh, so relevant, that it's lovely to see her writing at the height of her powers," Duffy commented.

"As most children who study GCSEs will know, Gillian's work is very accessible.

"But what's striking about her poetry is that it has great depth, so it rewards at first reading, and then as you return."

Gillian once said in an interview with the BBC how she often feels the ghosts of other Welsh poets behind her and how, in Wales, she can describe her profession as a ‘poet’ without embarrassment.

Gillian Clarke will be appearing at The Cellar Bards in Cardigan on Friday, June 9 at 7.30pm. The evening will also include an open mic session.