T. Gerald Hunter, more commonly known as Jerry Hunter, is an American graduate of the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

(BA), Aberystwyth (MPhil) and

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

(PhD). Originally from

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, he now lives in Wales and has held academic posts at

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

and more recently

Bangor University , former_names = University College of North Wales (1884–1996) University of Wales, Bangor (1996–2007) , image = File:Arms_of_Bangor_University.svg , image_size = 250px , caption = Arms ...

, where he is currently (2015) a professor in the School of Welsh and deputy vice chancellor of the university He was a founding member of the pressure group

Cymuned Cymuned (translated in English language, English as "community", ) was a Wales, Welsh communities pressure group. Established in 2001, the group campaigned on behalf of local communities in Wales, particularly (but not exclusively) Welsh language ...

and is former editor of the Academi's literary periodical ''Taliesin''. His first monograph, ''Soffestri’r Saeson'' (University of Wales Press, 2000), a study of the use of

prophecy In religion, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a ''prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain divine will or law, or prete ...

as political propaganda in the Tudor age, was shortlisted for the Wales Book of the Year award in 2001. ''Llwch Cenhedloedd'', ( Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, 2003), which writes the history of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

based on

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

-language evidence (mainly letters and other material written and published in Welsh on both sides of the Atlantic), won the Wales Book of the Year award in 2004. He has also published a book on the prominent Welsh American anti-slavery campaigner, Robert Everett: ''I Ddeffro Ysbryd y Wlad'' (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, 2007), again drawing on a wealth of Welsh-language evidence mainly unused by historians. His interest in the Welsh-language history of his native United States has also led to the publication of an English-language volume ''Welsh Writing from the American Civil War: Sons of Arthur, Children of Lincoln'' (

University of Wales Press The University of Wales Press ( cy, Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru) was founded in 1922 as a central service of the University of Wales. The press publishes academic journals and around seventy books a year in the English and Welsh languages on six general ...

, 2007). He is also a fiction writer, having published a children's book, ''Ceffylau'r Cymylau'' (Gwasg Gomer, 2010), and four adult novels. His first, ''Gwenddydd'' (Gwasg Gwynedd, 2010), is a retelling in modern clothes of the medieval legend of Myrddin (Merlin) and his sister Gwenddydd, as recounted in the thirteenth-century poem "Cyfoesi Myrddin a Gwenddydd ei Chwaer", and won for him the Prose Medal at the

National Eisteddfod of Wales The National Eisteddfod of Wales (Welsh language, Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Eur ...

. Hunter is a member of

Gorsedd Cymru Gorsedd Cymru (), or simply the Gorsedd or the Orsedd ( cy, yr Orsedd), is a society of Welsh-language poets, writers, musicians and others who have contributed to the Welsh language and to public life in Wales. Its aim is to honour such individua ...

, with the bardic name 'Gerallt Glan Ohio'.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Jerry Living people Year of birth missing (living people) American emigrants to Wales Bards of the Gorsedd Welsh-speaking academics Welsh-language writers Welsh-language poets Welsh language activists University of Cincinnati alumni Harvard University alumni Academics of Bangor University American expatriate academics Educators from Cincinnati