Peter Finch is a poet, writer, performer, walker and literary entrepreneur living in Cardiff. He has been a publisher, organisation manager, periodical editor, event organiser, literary agent and literary promoter. He was at the forefront of the UK’s small press revolution in the 60s and the 70s with his magazine Second Aeon and pioneered performance poetry in Wales during the 1980s. From 1974 to 1995 he ran the Oriel Bookshop in Cardiff. From 1996 to 2011 he was Chief Executive of Yr Academi Gymreig / The Welsh Academy, an organisation later rebranded as Literature Wales.

He specialises in books about the Capital including the successful Real Cardiff series (4 vols – published by Seren Books), Edging The Estuary and the more recent Edging The City (Seren Books), together with The Roots Of Rock From Cardiff To Mississippi And Back (Seren). His latest books written alongside the work of photographer John Briggs are Walking The Valleys and Walking Cardiff. If he’s anything from all the above he is a poet. His Collected Poems in two 500-page volumes appeared in 2022.

He will be talking at the meeting about his new book The Literary Business: which has something for everyone: writers, academics, critics and other enthusiasts in search of a no-holds-barred personal history; administrators wishing to navigate the obstacle course that is funding writers and writing; fans hunting data on the Poetry wars of the 70s, and fellow litterateurs who will want to check whether they have received a mention in these pages. If you’re new to the game and seeking publication, or just someone who enjoys the cut and thrust of the literary world, then this book is for you. Few others in Wales know the business and how we got here like Finch does. And few others will have been capable of reporting back in such an entertaining fashion.

“Peter Finch is probably the greatest living performer in poetry that we’ve got”- Chris McCabe, National Poetry Librarian at The Southbank.

This event is supported by Literature Wales.