Current issue

Here are a selection of excerpts from the current issue. You can see more in the current issue page here

Planet magazine has been offering a radical approach to the culture and politics of Wales and the world for nearly half a century. You can read a little more about our history here

Mick Antoniw AM draws on his family background as part of the Ukrainian refugee community, and his experience on the EU's Committee of the Regions, to detail how Wales could build on its historic relationship with Ukraine, from coalfield solidarity to language planning, and learn from other non-EU member nations further east how Wales could forge an alternative set of relationships with the EU after Brexit.

Poet Sophie McKeand describes what prompted her to sell her possessions and head to the continent in a van. She discusses with fellow left-wing libertarian Plaid Cymru Police Commissioner Arfon Jones what this philosophy could mean in the context of drug law reform, detailing the practicalities of decriminalisation and regulation of illegal substances, and how this could reduce the suffering caused by the 'war on drugs'.

Our new series of creative responses to Wales' rail network, Reading Between the Lines, plugs into widespread discontent with Wales’s transport infrastructure. Desolation Radio’s Dan Evans offers an evocative description of how the commute from Porthcawl (formerly ‘Valleys Valhalla’) to Cardiff (known for its pioneering travel network a century ago) demonstrates how the dismantling of the rail infrastructure has weakened both national identity and social equality.

Charlotte Williams gives an in-depth study of myriad forms of Black writing in Wales, arguing that recognising Black Welsh writing is an expression of cultural democracy that expands the boundaries of the national imagination, in ways which can benefit everyone.

Support and Sponsorship

Planet is hosted in the Old College at Aberystwyth University. For more information about the New Life for the Old College project see https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/oldcollege/ Planet receives financial support from the Welsh Books Council and is sponsored by The School of English, Communication and Philosophy and The School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies at Cardiff University. For more information about how you or your organisation can support us please contact us here.