A photograph of those who participated in the Cofio Nigel event at the Dylan Thomas Centre last weekend. The event, part of the Centre's bilingual literature weekend curated by Menna Elfyn, was held to celebrate the life and work of Nigel Jenkins, who sadly passed away earlier this year at the age of 64.

You can put my stony demeanour down to nerves, as this photo was taken during the interval, just before I got up to read. I was immensely honoured to be invited to take part in such a wonderful event, which was held in tribute of a great man. He is sorely missed.

Photo taken from the Dylan Thomas Centre Facebook page.

On 28th January 2014, following a short illness, the poet Nigel Jenkins passed away. His funeral took place on 10th February at a full capacity St. Mary's Church, Pennard, with the ceremony also relayed by audio link-up to hundreds of mourners gathered in the nearby community hall. Six months later, the tributes continue to pour in, offering further evidence (if any was needed) of how respected and loved this man was.

Nigel was my Creative Writing tutor at Swansea University between 2006 and 2010. Like so many of his students, by the time my graduation ceremony came around, my relationship with Nigel had transcended student/tutor affiliation and moved into the realms of friendship. I miss his emails, his encouragement and advice, his presence at literary events and the warm welcome at his office on campus or his home in Mumbles.

I am greatly honoured to have been invited to pay tribute to Nigel at two forthcoming events in Swansea. The events offer an opportunity for friends, colleagues, literary peers and former students to speak about Nigel – his life, his work and his influence – and will begin an exploration of his significance within the literary maps of Swansea, Wales and the world beyond.