MINUTES OF WOKING WRITERS CIRCLE MEETING AT STROLLERS ON 16 NOVEMBER 2017

Present: Peter, Greg, Hilary, Heather, Ramzan, Tricia, Sarah SH,

Apologies: Dermot, Sarah DD, Alan, Amanda, Shaun, Carla

News:

The next Write Out Loud Woking poetry night is on Monday 18 December, at the New Inn, Send, from 7.30pm

Greg is also taking to the boards once again, this time with various roles and many costume changes, in ‘Robin Hood’ at the Lancaster Hall, Send, opening on 1 December.

Readings

Tricia read her poem, ‘The Bamboo Curtain’ which was the homework subject. This was a clever, powerful and very striking poem, portraying the bamboo curtain as a barrier between different worlds; for example, between the Chinese and the western world. The final line suggested that the curtain could also be “dinner for a hungry panda”.

Heather successfully lowered the tone once again with further tales of Kimberley (not her mother’s real name!). This extract reported Kimberley’s encounters with a plumber, with no prizes for guessing who came out on top. Hilary suggested that cartoons would support the humour of the piece and Heather was grateful for this thought. She will pursue this possibility.

Greg read his poem, ‘O’Rafferty’s Motor Car’ which was a hugely enjoyable and very warm poem spanning two very different periods of his life and focusing on his burgeoning relationship with his new granddaughter. Little Alba finds Greg’s singing soothing to the point of sleep and the last stanza has a sweet poignancy which perfectly portrays the grandfather’s feelings.

Sarah read the first part of her story, ‘The Bargain’. This featured Anthony and Hannah, and we felt Hannah experiencing the first pangs of young love. The descriptions of the cool river and the surroundings brought us right up close to Anthony swimming and Hannah’s pain on hearing his accusation that she has lost something belonging to his mother – the only thing he had. All agreed that this was a fine piece of writing and the second part is eagerly awaited.

Peter’s poem, ‘The Great Story’ started with the wonderful line, ‘We are the boys who raced the ferry’, and vividly reflected the heedless joy of youth. The strong rhyming structure conveyed a number of complex concepts, including Socrates’ belief that writing ‘imprisons knowledge…’. Some felt that the last stanza would be strengthened by the inclusion of an image that reflected the reference to ferry at the beginning – possibly something about a ferryman.

Greg read Liz’s Wedding Poem celebrating her daughter’s marriage in America. Liz had shared her thoughts with the group at the last meeting and all felt that congratulations were due to Liz – not just on her daughter’s wedding, but also on the journey she had made to craft such an appropriate, warm and personal poem. A lovely note to finish on.

Next Meeting: 21 December at 7.30pm

Chair: Greg

Minutes: Tricia

Wine: Heather

Milk and Biscuits: Peter

Homework: Either ‘Happiness’ or ‘Abuse’