MINUTES OF WOKING WRITERS’ CIRCLE MEETING AT ST MARY’S CHURCH HALL, HORSELL ON 17 FEBRUARY 2022

Present: Greg, Peter, Liz, Hilary, Heather 

Apologies: Dan, Carla, Amanda, Sarah DD

News:

Greg has published a new poetry collection, ‘The Fall of Singapore’, to mark the 80th anniversary of this event. This volume, again published by Dempsey and Windle, includes relevant prose linking the poetry to Greg’s father. Greg has included some previously published poems with the new material. The collection is available to buy from Greg or from the publisher’s website. 

Greg also distributed flyers for an evening of one act plays – The Rats, by Agatha Christie, Pity Pretty Purity, by Graham Gates and Don Ede and Last Tango in Little Grimley, by David Tristram – to be staged at the Lancaster Hall, Send, on 25 and 26 February. Tickets cost £10 and are available from the box office: 07542 107815 or sendamateurdramatics@hotmail.co.uk. This might be the last chance to see Greg on stage!

Liz reported on the Book Group which would be meeting on 28 February. The group had been considering ‘magical realism’, a genre in which realistic narrative is combined with surreal elements of dream or fantasy. The group was currently reading ‘A Hundred Years of Solitude’ by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, which Liz was enjoying.

Readings

Peter: ‘Reflections’ was a thoughtful piece which featured time travel as its theme. The elderly narrator is in philosophical mood, at ease with the peace of the garden and with his relationship with Betsy. They have been together for a long time and he observes that they ‘are scarcely two people anymore’. The group enjoyed the reading very much and discussion took place on the time traveller narrating a number of sequences, not necessarily in chronological order. Hilary wondered if the sequences could be linked to the seasons and also cited a Kate Atkinson novel, ‘Life After Life’, which allows characters to die and then reappear convincingly.

Greg: The poem ‘Black Gold’ provided a warm picture of the closeness between Greg and his father, containing a number of vivid images, including grandchildren marching ‘importantly in and out of sheds’ and Greg’s father: ‘Once, when Match of the Day came on, while peeling a banana he danced a jig.’ The message of the importance of stories being passed on was implicit throughout, a parallel with the ‘black gold’ of the poem, reflecting the richness of treasures coming forth from ‘rubbish’ or ‘clutter’. (Peter shared his past triumphs as a frequent winner of compost competitions at this point!)

Heather: Heather read two humorous poems. The first, ‘The Can’t Sleep Sisters’ provided snapshots of several women engaged in a variety of nocturnal activities in separate homes. It was suggested that separating the stanzas would aid understanding and this suggestion was welcomed. The second poem, ‘I Blame David Attenborough’ described the author’s disappointment at finding that plants had needs and feelings, when she had thought that watching ‘The Green Planet’ would be a less emotionally draining experience than coping with David’s usual animal dramas. The audience enjoyed the topicality of the poem, although it must be recorded that one member dared to express negative views about our national treasure!

Hilary read an extract from her novel featuring Linnet, who in this reading is working in a hairdressing salon on Saturdays to pay back the debt she incurred for a haircut. Linnet works with some fairly toxic colleagues and is called ‘Hairball’ by a particularly obnoxious man. On her last day in the salon, she realises that she should be feeling happy, but does not. Peter admired the way that the author seems to ‘sneak up on moments’. It was agreed that there was the right level of detail to convey realism and the painful emotions experienced by Linnet. Hilary has written approximately 45,000 words of the novel so far and this section appears around a quarter of the way through the book. 

Liz’s subject was Valentine’s Day and she read from her journal with a selection of recollections. The reading included a poem about finding the blue wool to darn her husband’s much-loved sweater and completing the repair on Valentine’s Day after a delay of a year. There was a very amusing list of things not to do on Valentine’s Day and an account of Liz and Robin’s recent Valentine’s celebrations in Worplesdon village where there were two surprises. A night-time visit to her family grave ended with Robin improvising a deeply moving prayer which made Liz feel like being a better orphan and sibling! Then at dinner at the Worplesdon Place hotel, Liz recognised the grand mantelpiece from an old photo of her father and his best mates at his 21st birthday party there in 1931. Discussion followed about the possibilities of Liz including her life writing in a blog, or seeking publication for some selected unusual aspects of life recorded in the journal. Liz is one of a dwindling number of Surrey residents born and bred within the county, most of us being incomers. As such, she has recorded a wealth of valuable memories and observations. 

Next meeting: Thursday, 17 March at 7.30pm

Chair: Peter

Minutes: Greg/Heather

Milk and biscuits: Liz

Homework: Shamrock green