What happened at our March meeting: news and readings

Minutes of meeting on Thursday 15th March 2018

Present:

Heather (chairman), Alan (minutes), Shane, Peter, Liz, Tricia, Cathy, Amanda, Simon, Sarah DD, Sara SH,

Apologies: Hilary, Greg

News: Liz reported the death of the famous poet Jenny Joseph, mentioning Jenny’s fascination with the concept of different art forms “melding together.” A production of Leviathan, James Wilton Dance’s contemporary dance version of Moby Dick, took place at the Rhoda McGaw Theatre, Woking, on Thursday 15 March. Liz also mentioned that a variety of poetry, violin and piano recitals are currently on offer, at several locations.

Greg was appearing in a one-act play about dementia, at Lancaster Hall, Send, from Thursday 15 to Saturday 17 March.

Liz reported that the Reading Group had read Lincoln In The Bardo, by George Saunders, generating very mixed reactions from members. Tricia found the narrative confusing and the premise contrived, particularly with regard to the fake citations and 166 downloaded voices.

On the table: Details of competitions, events or other literary items:

Heather brought several copies of Writing Magazine, which were received with great interest and enthusiasm.

Readings: The homework theme was “Rooted”.

Tricia read ‘Rooted’. This was a poem narrated by a child playing hide and seek, who falls into a tree bole, becoming trapped in the aperture. Liberated by the ingenious applied pneumatics of arboreal gnomes, or analogous spirits, she is then stung by a bee. Tricia settled on this subject, having rejected her initial attempt to use a technical approach, which had been inspired by Shane’s previous piece. She now looks forward to reading this to her two grandchildren

Shane read another technically based, albeit fictional piece, using Holmes and Watson as characters whose dialogue drove the narrative, along with Alexa, who, we discovered, was a disembodied smart agent, in common with the famous detective and his amanuensis. Gary, Jethro and the kids, however, were human. The material covered smart machines, algorithmic modelling, the consequent disruption of hitherto normal social interaction and possible developments of these trends facilitated by future games and apps. The piece was felt to  have considerable development potential; regarding which, Shane indicated that the introduction of dialogue had been an acknowledgement of feedback on his previous piece. Shane indicated that tonight’s reactions had encouraged him to pursue development of this piece and further exploration of the genre.

Heather read ‘Butterflies In The Glasshouse’, a beautiful and universally admired sonnet. Simon relished the “proper pentameters in a real sonnet”. Everyone was captivated by the powerfully evocative descriptions of the delicate, exquisite butterflies and the contrasting irony of the visitors’ fixations with their mobiles and cameras. The image of the insects’ natural beauty, trapped in the steamy atmosphere of a glasshouse, provided a memorable vehicle for the contrast between nature and human obsession with trivia.

Simon  read Coming Back, an unfinished short story that he’d begun three years ago. A couple are returning from a week’s holiday in Siena. Her ironic reflections about his condemnatory attitude to her packing formed a splendidly edgy introduction, setting the barbed tone perfectly. Various people identified with the couple’s enforced acknowledgement of their relationship’s descent into drudgery, which was poignantly contrasted with the vivid scenic descriptions. Simon was urged, with universal praise for his command of language, to complete the story.

Sarah DD read ‘A Muse’, the latest version of an already greatly admired sonnet. Phrased in beautiful, archaic English, it incurred one or two helpful corrections, on the use of the archaic pronoun forms, with regard to their declensions, from those qualified to offer them, but was received with great enthusiasm. Simon then reread it, as it was written for a male character to declaim. This, a powerfully moving performance in itself, highlighted the plangent sense of appeal, vulnerability and contrasting, simultaneous challenge that Sarah had so subtly evoked. All enjoyed hearing Sarah elaborate on her original perception of being the muse, trapped on the page and forgoing any credit for her message. This, fascinatingly, is still a work in progress.

Sarah SH read three 100-word stories, having decided, along with Sarah DD and another friend to enter a competition, for which they were, sadly, just too late. Persevering despite this, Sarah had written “Maurice”, a powerfully dark story of a hated, evil father and a mother’s subsequent suicide, as experienced through the distraught outpourings of their child. All marvelled at the skilfully deployed brevity and pace of this stunning shriek of woe. “Rotten Apple”, her second story, formed a devastating synonym for its central character’s ghastly nature. Narrated in a harrowingly convincing Deep South accent, details of scars formed on arms by the excision of allegedly rotten flesh were brutally unsettling. “Food For Thought”, Sarah’s third story, was a cleverly wrought whodunnit, with the prime suspect’s alibi leaving everyone distinctly uneasy. Everyone admired the genuine power and darkness of Sarah’s writing.

Liz read two poems, ‘Zelia, Reflections’ and ’email, unsent’. Zelia contained much effective and admired imagery, such as the “battered tin from which the Queen smiled”. Shane recalled a poem that he’d encountered, that dealt with reflections of the sky appearing on the surface of the sea. The fond, warm nature of Liz’s verse struck a chord with many listeners.

‘Email, unsent’ was the poem with which Liz admitted to feeling less comfortable. This reaction intrigued Heather, while Sarah DD liked the idea of capturing words on the screen. Tricia identified with the sense of the recipient questing for a more detailed interpretation. Liz mentioned that  she finds humour cathartic. This particular poem was the required dose in response to an email from one of her sisters. Cathy reminded us that these feelings are actually much more widespread than might initially have been apparent to Liz, for whom they were, naturally, extremely personal. Subsequent discussion resulted in agreement that this poem was suitable for a poetry recital, despite Liz’s initial doubts. A show of hands indicated that ’email, unsent’ was preferred to ‘Zelia, Reflections’, by 5 to 1, with one vote cast in favour of equal rating.

Alan read Firmed Up, about a cowboy builder brought to book by being literally “firmed up” in quick-drying cement, to prevent his escaping interrogation by the building inspector. Several people confessed themselves gripped by the narrative, while the humour was enjoyed. The ending remained gratifyingly uncertain until the denouement.

Amanda read Maria, a compelling story about a mother facing the consequences of having stolen from her employer, to pay the bills. Full of shock-provoking narrative and powerful imagery, the daughter’s distraught warnings created a lacerating, electric tension. The authentic, dominant impression of sheer, panic-inducing terror was riveting. Discussion included alternative names for Maria and the lack of names for the dogs. Amanda revealed that although this is an unfinished work, further narrative already exists, which prompted enthusiastic requests for further instalments.

Peter introduced his piece, Motorcycle Meanderings, by explaining that he is considering blogging on the subject of old motorbikes. Most of the content concerned a 1928 machine of his, for which the blog should facilitate the acquisition of spares and information regarding their availability. The content then covered the history of the Triumph motorcycle marque, followed by a summary of his father’s career, with many cross-references to Triumph motorcycle history. Various bikes took their due place in the story, together with his father’s despatch riding experiences. Subsequent sections covered a selection of Peter’s previous machines, and their part in his courtship and marriage. Shane admired Peter’s dry wit, while Heather found the piece warm and engrossing. Simon predicted great interest from bike enthusiasts in Peter’s proposed blog, drawing an interesting comparison with his own interest in guitar refurbishment and construction. This led to both Sarahs sharing details of a blogging course that they had attended. Motorcycle history was also agreed to have great potential interest to followers of the blog. Sarah SH explained some of the principles of SEO, (Search Engine Optimisation), in the context of blogging. Peter was encouraged to pursue this project.

Cathy read Being Cathy which comprised 500 words about her long-standing interest in Emily Bronte and Wuthering Heights. Cathy’s mother had loved this book and Cathy first encountered it at a tender age, in a simplified version. She watched the 1939 version on VCR, when off school. Shane liked her admission that she’d found it heavy going, aged eight. Cathy’s profound shock at the outcome of the full version, in which the “good guys don’t win”, started an animated discussion. Cathy clearly identified with the heroine, and her piece was admired for its brevity and comprehensive range. Her early speculation about whether to identify with Cathy intrigued everyone, together with her admitting to  a sneaking regard for Heathcliff. The final phrase “he was driven by love” was questioned, with suggestions that obsession or passion might be more accurate. The entire piece was very tightly written, containing a well-balanced mix of social commentary and literary criticism.

Next meeting: Reading meeting at the Baden Powell Centre, (formerly Strollers), Goldsworth Park, 7 pm  on Thursday April 19