He is one of the most prolific Welsh-language poets of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, and has won the bardic Chair at the National Eisteddfod three times[2] and the Crown twice.
Since then he has been manager of a bookshop at Bala, worked as an editor for the Christopher Davies publishing company, and served as an editorial officer for the Welsh Joint Education Committee.
He published his first volume of poetry, Y March Hud (The Magic Horse), in 1971 as Alan Lloyd Roberts.
Llwyd has published collections and studies of the works of other poets, including Goronwy Owen and Hedd Wyn.
He wrote the script for the Oscar-nominated Welsh-language film Hedd Wyn (1992), about the life of the latter, who was killed in World War I.