Patrick Jones - Biography

Biography

Born in Tredegar in 1965, Patrick Jones was educated at Oakdale Comprehensive, Crosskeys College (a campus of Coleg Gwent), and then at the University of Wales, Swansea from 1983-1987. He was awarded BA (Hons) in Sociology and American Literature. Jones has been employed in youth work, nursing aid, as a Literacy Officer and a Lecturer. He has lived much of his life in Blackwood, but has also lived in Herne Bay, Swansea, in Germany and spent four years in Chicago, Illinois.

Jones set up the Blackwood Young Writers Group based at the Blackwood Miners Institute in 1993. He currently teaches Adult Literacy at Blackwood Community College and the Ebbw Vale Institute. Jones is also active in setting up various reading and writing workshops throughout Wales from schools to youth centres. He has also served as the Creative Literacy Worker for the Cynon Project and in 1988 was writer in residence at Swansea College.

Jones has made various television and radio appearances. He participated in a week-long intensive writing masterclass with Arnold Wesker at Hay on Wye Literature Festival in 1997. Jones participated in the 1998 Dysfluency Tour and the 1998 and 1999 Manic Street Preacher conventions. He also appeared in BBC Two's Manics documentary 'From There To Here', part of the 'Close Up' series. In April 1999, he staged a Kosovo benefit at Blackwood Miner's Institute involving Max Boyce, James Dean Bradfield and other artists. Later that year he read from and discussed sections of his play 'Everything Must Go' at Marxism '99. 1999 also saw him performing his poem 'The Guerrilla Tapestry' at the opening of the Welsh Assembly 'Voices Of A Nation' concert. In 2004, he returned to the Hay On Wye Festival for a discussion with James Dean Bradfield on music, politics and writing.

Jones has worked with St. David's Foundation Hospice Care, The Samaritans, Hope and Aid Direct and Learning through Growth in the Cynon Valley. Recently, he completed the Beneath The Radar poetry reading tour in Wales and Ireland. Has been involved in many protests including Save St David's Woods, and Justice for Fathers. In 2007 he performed a reading at a fundraising concert for Stop The War, during which he also collaborated with Newport band New State Radio.

Jones' latest play, Revelation, explores the issue of male victims of domestic violence. Jones spent some time researching the play and it is based on over 40 interviews with men who have experienced domestic violence.

It is supported by the Dyn Project Cardiff, Mankind UK, Chapter Arts Centre and the Welsh Arts Council. It is to be directed by Chris Durnall with Nathan Sussex and Stacey Daly and it will feature a soundtrack by Jones' friend and collaborator, James Dean Bradfield. It will open at Chapter Arts Centre in July 2008 before transferring to a three week run at the Courtyard Theatre in London as well as other, non-theatre venues.

In November 2008, Waterstone's cancelled an appearance from Jones at one of their stores, where he was expected to sign autographs and promote his new work, because of a planned protest by a religious pressure group over alleged blasphemy. In an effort to ensure that he was not gagged, Liberal Democrat Assembly Member Peter Black then asked Jones to read from his book, Darkness Is Where The Stars Are, at the Welsh Assembly, and the reading went ahead on December 11 despite protests. A CD Tongues for a Stammering Time, with spoken word in collaboration with many musicians including Nicky Wire, James Dean Bradfield, Billy Bragg, Amy Wadge, Martyn Joseph and others, was released on Anhrefn Records in May 2009.