MINUTES OF WOKING WRITERS CIRCLE MEETING AT ST MARY’S CHURCH HALL, HORSELL ON 16 SEPTEMBER 2021

Following our summer social at the church hall in August, this was our first in-person official meeting since the Covid lockdown in March 2020

Present: Amanda, Liz (chair), Carla, Emily, Heather

Apologies: Tricia, Alan, Dan, Hilary, Greg, Simon, Alex, Peter.

News

Amanda has reviewed ‘Looking Good Dead’ by Peter Jones. This appears on the WWC website. Amanda explained that the turnaround time for completing reviews and sending them to the theatre was very short; Greg then posts reviews on the WWC website. Amanda advised that upcoming shows at the New Victoria include ‘Bedknobs and Broomsticks’, ‘School of Rock’ and ‘The Play that Goes Wrong’.

Carla does reviews for Write Out Loud and London Grip. She has recently enjoyed going to London and seeing exhibitions again and also saw Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Cinderella’, which she described as ‘edgy’. Carla has been writing articles and one relating to ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ has been submitted to the American Review of Canadian Studies; it is likely to be published soon, having gone through an extensive review process.

Liz reported that the Book Club had enjoyed both ‘Hamnet’ (awarded around 9 out of 10) and ‘Shuggie Bain’ (9+). 

Introduction:

This was Emily’s first meeting and she was warmly welcomed. Emily has completed a Writers Bureau course and has been writing fiction.

Readings:

Carla read two poems. The first, ‘Ghirigori’ (Doodling) drew a contrast between her father’s jagged, sharp complex doodles and her own, “wistfully releasing/my aimless tensions,/but in a lighter way”. There was discussion about possibly shortening and simplifying the first two lines of the second stanza, but all agreed that the poem worked extremely well, effectively making the contrast between the two ‘doodlers’.

Carla’s second poem was a reworking of ‘Wedding’ (Nozze), which she had read at an earlier meeting. Again, the marked contrast between the nervous bride and the calm composure of the groom was beautifully conveyed. The penultimate line of the poem was the subject of debate, it not being clear to the group that this was the line from an Italian song. It was felt that some explanation was needed and that possibly, ‘Resta qui con noi – stay with us’ would clarify the sentiment and enhance the listener’s appreciation of the poem.

Heather also read two poems. The first one, ‘Forbidden Treat’ was a light piece about choosing to have her oven professionally cleaned as a birthday treat. She had enjoyed cooking a messy roast the evening before ‘Mr Sparkle’ was due to come, revelling in the “spatterings”. However, when he arrives her enjoyment is marred by imagining how appalled her mother would have been.

Heather’s second poem, Forgetting’, was a very short poem (six lines) which sought to capture the value of words as a means of remembering a person as other memories fade. The first line says, “I squirrel away the things you say” and stresses that the writer wants unpolished, ordinary words: “I want your words uncensored,/funny and clumsy, the words of everyday”. Liz enjoyed the resonance of the words ending in ‘ay’ and felt this helped to create and close a circle.

Emily read an extract from halfway through her romance novel. The audience appreciated Emily’s writing style, which managed to convey an underlying note of menace in an extremely subtle way. On the face of things, the relationship between Louise and Jack shows her as the vulnerable one, obsessing over social media and impossibly dazzled by Jack, but she is not as innocent as she seems. The group picked this up, suspecting that Louise could be a stalker and also feeling she is rather enjoying the drama of the situation. Everyone wanted to hear more.

Liz read from her journal, ‘Diary of a Somebody’, alluding to ‘Diary of a Nobody’ featuring Mr Pooter. Liz makes daily entries in her journal, providing a detailed account of all aspects of everyday life. Liz’s life writing has a direct and vivid quality and all enjoyed her natural writing style. There was discussion about possible publication and the need for editing and organisation of the material into different themes. Emily suggested that this journal would be a wonderful legacy for Liz’s grandchildren to enjoy, painting as it does such a convincing and detailed picture of her daily life.

Next meeting: Thursday, 21 October 2021 at 7.30pm

Chair: Amanda

Minutes: A volunteer on the night

Wine: Carla

Milk and biscuits: Liz

Homework: No subject set