The St. David's Society of Minnesota was formed to celebrate the heritage and culture of the Welsh immigrants to Minnesota. To these ends, St. David's Society members celebrate and cultivate all things Welsh - in literature, history, music, dance, art or ideas, traditional and contemporary.
Sunday, August 16, 1 - 3 pm (note time is different than in newsletter)
The Society’s Annual Meeting and Picnic will be at a different Roseville Park: OASIS PARK, 1700 CO. RD. C2 W.
(Directions are below and also in the latest newsletter -- see above.) TAKE FAIRVIEW AVE. NORTH FROM CO. RD. C OR LARPENTEUR AND TURN RIGHT ON MAPLE LANE. IN FEW BLOCKS YOU’LL SEE CO. RD. C2. TURN RIGHT , EVEN THOUGH YOU’RE TURNING AGAINST THE
ARROW. PARK IS JUST AHEAD.
Please bring a dish to share. The building has a parking lot, and is air-conditioned. This is the time for our membership to approve the slate of directors of the board and learn how we have spent Society funds. We’ll also have time to chat with each other and learn more about Wales. Board member Hywel Roberts will give us an update on his documentary on the Welsh connections to King Arthur, and we may have a special guest, Rich Meredith, to answer any questions you have about Welsh genealogy. (If Rich is unable to attend, we will schedule another time.)
Well-Read Dragon's Book Group
Saturday, October 3, 2026, 11:45 am - 1:00 pm on Zoom
Join us to discuss the book and chat with other members. You do not have to have read (or finished) the book to participate. Contact Ilene Alexander at ilene.dawn@gmail.com for more information.
Fresh Apples, by Rachel Trezise. Parthian Books, 2006. $6 - $15 / used and new
Welsh writer Rachel Trezise won the inaugural Dylan Thomas Prize in 2006 with Fresh Apples, a gritty collection of ‘observational and darkly comic’ short stories that showcased her cool and confident style.
The Fantastic Fiction website says: “For decades now we have been searching for the authentic literary voice of post-industrial South Wales, where fly-by-night factories have replaced the mines and their steelworks, television and pop music have swept away chapel religion and the chosen drugs of recreation are heroin and cocaine. Now the publication of a collection of short stories confirms the arrival of a major new literary talent which has grown organically out of the unpromising Valleys.
Members chose the following books for the 2026 - 2027 year. See Book Group webpage (click on Book Group near top of this page) for more information.
Dec. 5: Whale Fall, by Elizabeth O'Connor
Feb. 6: Something Wonderful: Stories, by Jo Lloyd
Apr. 3: The Woman Who Helped Win the War: The Welfare Campaigns of Margaret Llord George, 1914-1918, by Richard Rhys O'Brien
Jun. 5: Cambrian Tales, by Jane Williams
Aug. 7: A mystery book, TBD
Sgwrs Cymraeg, Welsh Conversation
Any learners or would-be learners welcome to any or all of these classes. ALL held via Zoom, on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays from 10:30am - 12:30pm. Contact conversation facilitator: Laurel Bradshaw, llawryf@yahoo.com for Zoom link and more information.
Interviews of Society Members
Our First Member Interview: Ellis Jones! On November 1, 2021, one of our board members, Hywel Roberts, interviewed our long-time member and past president, Ellis Jones. Click hereto read the transcript of the interview. We will eventually create a video of excerpts from this and future interviews.
Laurel Bradshaw: in March of 2025, Mary Morris Mergenthal interviewed Laurel about how she learned Welsh and became a Welsh dance instructor. Read her responses here.
Links to Enjoy (Click on the green text)
Find the program from our recent Holiday Tea, including all the readings, here.
Did you know the on-line game Wordle was invented by a Welshman? Read about his story here.
Today's Harlech: Our member Ryan Evans has produced a recording of Welsh-Minnesotans singing the folk song Tros Y Garreg (Over the Stone) set to his original electronic music accompaniment. He has also created a website with this music and stories and poems written by and read by our members about their Welsh heritage. (Click on the title above to get to the website.)
History of Wales links: Scott Lloyd, one of our Welsh speakers over Zoom,has generously shared many links to learn abour Welsh history and ancient sites.
Contact us at mailto:stdavidsofmn@gmail.com or visit and "like" our Facebook page to learn more about the Welsh and Wales at local, national, and international levels: Go to facebook
