MINUTES OF WOKING WRITERS’ CIRCLE MEETING AT ST MARY’S CHURCH HALL, HORSELL ON 20 OCTOBER 2022

Present: Peter, Alan, Hilary, Carla, Simona, Liz, Heather 

Apologies: Tricia, Sarah, Amanda

News:

Carla very kindly presented everyone with signed copies of her anthology ‘Workwear’. This wonderful book has a stunning cover which is the work of Carla’s daughter, Irene. Thank you so much, Carla.

The Write Out Loud Woking anthology is now on sale (available on Amazon) and includes poems by Carla, Liz and Greg.

Carla will be co-compering the Woking Write Out Loud group with Rodney now that Greg has fulfilled his long-term ambition of moving to the north.

Peter raised the question of a Christmas social and it was thought that a January social evening would probably work well. This would not, of course, rule out enjoyment of mince pies and other Christmas goodies at the December meeting.

Liz spoke about two books, ‘By the Sea’ by Abdulrazak Gurnah and ‘The Promise’ by Damon Galgut. The latter was currently being read by the Book Group and Liz said she was enjoying it. 

Readings

Liz read a poem on the homework subject of ‘Leaving’, addressed to Greg. This referred to Greg’s talents as writer, poet, actor, journalist and covered many things associated with the north, including Newcastle Brown. All agreed that this was a very warm poem covering a lot of ground. There was discussion about the phrase ‘pink ladies’ which might not be recognised as a reference to ghosts, as in ‘the white lady’. Liz’s poem both celebrated Greg as a person and also recognised all that he had done for WWC.

Carla presented two poems written for the Stanza group. The first was ‘Sunflower Power’ and this told listeners of the need to be kind to sunflowers as well as reminding us of their power to inspire artists and supply life-saving food for wildlife. There was a great deal to think about in this beautiful poem. Carla’s second poem, ‘Untitled’, was a powerful and quite disturbing poem. The first line described the writer as feeling her “soul is a hollow husk today” In the last verse there was a suggestion that things could be different on another day. This was another very thought-provoking poem.

Hilary had previously read a piece about a girl from Afghanistan learning from her father about the significance of mulberry trees in their culture. This was another beautifully written piece, bringing to life the image of dark soft fruit hidden under dark leaves, underpinned by a compelling and sustained emotional power. Towards the end of the piece, there was a change of voices which was clear to the group and was effective. The possibility was raised of the wary girl from Afghanistan and a young, quite outgoing young man from a different culture getting together in the future.

Heather read a poem, ‘Visiting a Friend’, written after seeing a friend after a gap of some six years. The poem sought to emphasise the frailty of her friend and the corresponding feelings of “mammalian vastness” this inspired in the writer. There were feelings of awkwardness about the relief she felt when it was time to leave and reference to “the messiness of love”. Heather then punished the group with an extremely silly rhyme, ‘Holidays – or Comments on a Marriage’. Fortunately, it was time for the break by then!

Simona’s piece reflected the homework topic and was a beautifully written letter to a friend who had taken his life a year ago. Everyone agreed that this was an amazing piece of writing, which showed great sensitivity and also conveyed both the compulsion to write the letter and the extreme difficulty in doing so. Phrases such as “a sense of things that need to be said”, “It feels I’ve written many letters”, and “I can whisper – you can pretend you haven’t heard” conveyed the writer’s deeply felt emotions. There was discussion about the last part of the piece, which possibly needed a bit more explanation. All agreed that the work was beautifully crafted.

Peter read his poem, ‘Leaving’, which was set in wartime with the soldiers waiting for the boats to come to take them to safety. All agreed the recurring reference to “Capt. Andrews in the roof” worked well, with the men pinning their hopes on him shooting Germans and buying them time. The poem contained just enough military detail to give it credibility, while maintaining the desperate humour and danger of the situation. Everyone loved the poem as it stood without any changes to structure, metre or rhyme.

Alan’s short story, ‘Assisted Passage’, was set in a police station and consisted entirely of dialogue. This was very much a performance piece, with Alan investing each part with Oscar-winning characterisation. The plot concerned confessions to murder and it was left to the listener to fill in the blanks. Everyone enjoyed the story – particularly Alan’s spirited delivery. 

Next meeting: Thursday, 17 November at 7.30pm

7.30pm: AGM. 8pm: Readings

Chair: Tricia/Hilary

Minutes: Simona

Wine: Carla

Milk and biscuits: Heather

Homework: Chocolate