The village is home to the war poet Alun Lewis, and a plaque in Llanwonno Road marks the house where he lived. Born in 1915, Lewis was strongly influenced by his formative years in the depression-era valley. He was also influenced by local issues of his community in the then-called Aberdare Leader and this is demonstrated in his poem "The Mountain over Aberdare", which touches on the desperate poverty that beset the Cynon Valley and the country in this period. However, it was for his war poems, published in two volumes, "Raiders Dawn" and "Ha! Ha! Among the Trumpets", that Lewis's reputation was made. The village's Cwrt Alun Lewis flats are named in his honour.