Planet Magazine

About Planet

The modern media can seem obsessed with the instant and the glib. If you find that you would like to see other angles and in-depth analysis, take out a subscription to Planet.  

Published quarterly in a compact format, and in full colour throughout, each 160-page issue of Planet features the latest stories from Wales on the arts and politics, as well as on environmental and social issues. We believe that Wales can only be fully understood in an international context, so in every issue you will also find informed comment on the global issues of the day. Recent articles have dealt with the war in Afghanistan and the rights of women there, green economic solutions to the current global financial crisis, the resurgence of the nuclear power industry, the Venice Biennale and the fortieth anniversary of Chapter Arts Centre.

The history of planet

 

LITERATURE
Planet features new poetry and fiction by writers from Wales as well as from abroad. A healthy culture has a lively critical scene, and our review section covers the very latest book titles in a wide range of areas.

POLITICS
Ten years of devolution has made its mark. Planet has carried interviews with Welsh AMs Alun Ffred Jones, David Melding and Kirsty Williams. Tim Richards regularly takes a critical look at how the Assembly operates and at the policies of the Coalition Government. We don’t forget the deeper structure of the issues either. Read Ken Booth and Nicholas J. Wheeler on trust building, Gareth Wyn Jones on science and religion, Ned Thomas on language policy, and Ilan Pappe and Jasmine Donahaye on the state of Israel.

ART
Welsh and international art, including painting, performance, photography and installation is an essential ingredient in every Planet issue. Ceridwen Lloyd-Morgan, Peter Lord, Iwan Bala, and Osi Rhys Osmond write critical essays for us. Further artists featured range from Christine Kinsey, Ivor Davies and David Tress, to Laura Ford and Rabab Ghazoul. We have also covered innovative museums abroad such as Centre for Art and Nature in Huesca, Spain, and the Quai Branly Museum in Paris. All this is complemented by reviews of the latest exhibitions.

MUSIC
Planet carries interviews with leading Welsh musicians — recent examples are Gruff Rhys, Rhodri Davies and Gai Toms — as well as a column in each issue reviewing the latest CDs from both the English- and Welsh-language scene.

ENVIRONMENT
Planet has been at the forefront of environmental affairs for decades, reflecting general Welsh and international concerns. The future of nuclear power on Anglesey, the controversial Liquid Natural Gas Pipeline through south Wales and the fight for sustainable town planning in Wrexham have all been featured lately.

THEATRE AND DANCE
Theatre and dance in Wales are both covered in Planet, with regular columns reviewing the latest productions whether home-grown or from abroad.

BOOKS Planet has published a range of books, from Nigel Jenkins’s Blue and O for a gun, both collections of modern haiku-writing at its best, to Them, a volume of very powerful short stories by Xosé Luís Méndez Ferrín, a leading Galician writer nominated for the Nobel Prize. For more information on our books, please go to the Books section of this web site.

Planet is published with the support of the Welsh Books Council.