Meic Birtwistle witnesses the final day of deep coal mining in Britain. He reflects on how the industry has shaped his own life, and the lives of so many in Wales, and talks to the Welsh miners in Yorkshire working their final shift.

As the year begins with Port Talbot steel works facing huge job losses, Lynne Rees portrays through local history, memoir and haiku how the steel industry underpins her hometown. ‘Local folklore declares that should the wall of New Grange ever collapse, the steelworks will cease to operate.’

Bleddyn E. Bowen details why the global space sector is much more than robots and astronauts, and argues that the Welsh economy and workforce could benefit greatly from developing its own space industry, if Wales can clarify and assert its devolved responsibilities.

Anne Lauppe-Dunbar is moved by an exhibition exploring the lives of Europeans who travelled or fled to Wales between 1750 and 2015, which brings to mind her mother’s flight from Germany, her own journey to Wales, and the current refugee crisis.

In the lead-up to the referendum, Jill Evans MEP details why EU membership is so crucial for Wales and offers a proposal for EU reform, arguing why a more democratic, progressive EU is vital in the face of economic inequality and the refugee crisis.

Huw Lawrence tells the story of his generation of 1960s working-class grammar school boys who migrated to English cities, creating meaning for themselves through philosophy and protest; and how for him this inspired a journey back to Wales.

‘Retracing Wales’ is our series of creative responses to the Wales Coast Path, which go astray from the usual tourism industry script. In this issue, Gee Williams’ short story ‘Planted’ takes us to Rhyl in the company of Yori, the Welsh-Japanese narrator who first appeared in Planet in 2011.