A PRESTATYN poet and wood carver will celebrate the release of his new book at a launch event in the town next week.

John Davies’ latest book, “Bird River”, which is about the River Clwyd, was released on Thursday, September 14.

On Thursday, October 5, John will be holding an event at Prestatyn Library at 7pm, where he will read extracts from the book and talk about his two passions; poetry and bird carving.

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Known for carving birds in wood, before they are painted by his wife Marilyn, John said: “I used to go to the River Clwyd to get driftwood to supply for the bases for my carvings.

“It’s been an invaluable, essential resource.

“The book is made up of profiles of craftsmen and artists of North Wales and America, extracts of letters of mine, and poetry.

“There are 20 coloured photos of the birds, and about 10 pages of poetry.”

John, 80, was formerly head of English at Prestatyn High School, before going on to be visiting professor of poetry at Brigham Young University, Utah.

He then spent two years teaching in Michigan and Washington, and now lives in Prestatyn with his wife.

He began wood-carving in 1977 after a year in Michigan, where he first became aware of the tradition.

As “Birds in the Wood”, John and Marilyn’s work is sold in numerous galleries, and can also be viewed at their studio.