WOKING WRITERS CIRCLE MEETING AT ST MARY’S CHURCH HALL, HORSELL ON 21 APRIL 2022

Present: Peter, Emily, Alan, Hilary, Carla, Tricia, Liz, Heather  

Apologies: Greg, Sarah, Amanda

News:

Alan has had a letter praising The Witchfinder, a BBC2 sit-com, published in TV Choice magazine. 

Hilary’s short story, ‘Chocolate Frog’, had been selected by judge Alysoun Owen as one of nine shortlisted entries out of more than 750 stories submitted to the Writers and Artists short story competition. Congratulations, Hilary!

Heather has had a poem ‘When Words Fail’ (read at a previous WWC meeting) published in the latest Hysteria anthology.

Carla has had two poems published in Dreich magazine – ‘Consider the Ear’ and ‘The Hare’. 

Emily had reviewed The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, seen at the New Victoria theatre. The review appears on the WWC website. 

Readings

Carla read the two poems published in Dreich magazine. Both poems were greatly enjoyed. The last two lines of ‘Consider the Ear’ appeared to contain a contradiction involving an App which taught the skill of intuition, but Carla explained that there is such an App! All appreciated the way the poem moved from scientific explanation of the functions and structure of the ear through to the lyrical consideration of listening “slowly and deeply to what has not been said”. Carla’s second poem, ‘The Hare’ was an evocation of speed with the poet imagining riding on the back of the hare while it sped “at fifty miles an hour/on its Olympian legs”. The sensation of speed was felt as Carla read the poem.

Liz read from life writing produced over the last few weeks when she was largely confined to bed with severe back pain. She skilfully conveyed the restricted world she inhabits, bringing in references to the appalling conflict in Ukraine which invaded her relative peace. Liz felt that it had helped her to write about this experience, and the group also said that they appreciated this piece for its balanced consideration of the war in Ukraine and her own pain; Liz appeared to be very much in control of her material which can be difficult with life writing.

Hilary read her story, ‘Chocolate Frog’, which focused on the breakdown of a childhood friendship and the ensuing loss of a greatly valued friend. This was a beautifully written story, with the group feeling the intensity of the narrator’s pain. Unusually in a short story, Hilary had succeeded in painting a rounded picture of the parents of the two girls through information provided about the children. The chocolate frog was a birthday present for the narrator’s friend Rosa, who had moved away before they were reconciled and before she had been able to give it to her. All agreed that the story fully deserved its place on the W&A shortlist and would in fact have been a worthy winner.

Alan’s story, ‘Uneasy Rider’ was a short piece (approx 500 words) about a man who is recognised as the person who killed an officer many years ago because he had forgotten to tighten or replace a part on a car he had been working on. The story was conveyed entirely in dialogue, with the characters convincingly portrayed using references such as “… Anno Domini, I’m afraid …” The sudden end to the story generally found favour, but there was a suggestion that it was possibly a bit too abrupt. It was agreed that this story should find success as a competition entry.

Heather read two poems that Pam Ayres was extremely relieved to find she hadn’t written. The first poem, ‘The Post Office Queue’, told the sad story of the sluggish queue and likened it to a caterpillar which was in danger of turning into a chrysalis if it didn’t speed up. The second poem, ‘Miss Apple Tree’, was a rather racy rhyme with more than a hint of Original Sin.

Peter’s considered and thoughtful piece restored some sense of propriety to the evening. This was a sensitive account of the building and demolition of Calshot power station, recognising the beauty and other-worldliness of the control building shaped like a flying saucer. The article was critical of the “bad science” being used to introduce so-called green initiatives, but the last sentence indicated that the planet was well-placed to look after itself with its “… armoury of earthquake, flood and plague …” It was agreed that this was a most satisfying and interesting account, with just the right amount of technical information. The photos too were greatly enjoyed.

Next meeting: Thursday, 19 May at 7.30pm

Chair: Tricia

Minutes: Alan

Wine: Peter

Milk and biscuits: Amanda

Homework: May Day