MINUTES OF WOKING WRITERS’ CIRCLE MEETING AT ST MARY’S CHURCH HALL, HORSELL ON 19TH JANUARY 2023

Present: Peter, Liz, Carla, Tricia, Sarah, Simona

Heather Apologies: Alan, Emily, Hilary, Amanda

ATTRACTING NEW MEMBERS

Peter agreed to send a note round about progressing links with the Library.

Liz reported that no progress had been possible with the Woking News and Mail, but the bookshop had reacted very positively and were keen to further links with WWC. It was agreed that Liz would act as Project Manager to arrange for members to read their work at this venue at a date to be agreed.

The subject of attracting new members would be further discussed at the February meeting.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Also for discussion at the February meeting. The new rate – agreed at the 2022 AGM – is £35.

NEWS

Liz reported on the Book Club’s latest book, Brixton Beach, by Roma Tearne, which readers had found impressive, but depressing. The next book would be The Lido, by Libby Page.

Carla confirmed that the Zoom launch of her latest poetry collection, Workwear, will take place on 10th February at 7.30pm. Carla will send out invitations to all members.

Heather ‘s poem, Girl in a Cathedral, had been the overall winner in the 2022 Hysteria poetry competition. No-one was more surprised – and delighted – than Heather! Heather’s poem, Waterfall, had been shortlisted in Writing Magazine’s free verse competition, but her recent submissions to High Window had been rejected, proving you have to make the most of the good news!

READINGS

Carla read a beautifully nuanced poem, ‘Unhappy because I am not free, or I am not free because I am unhappy‘ (after a bout de soufflé by Jean-Luc Godard). The language of Carla’s poem was rich with not a word wasted. Some lines were particularly evocative and would stay with those listening. Examples were: ‘a shiver of sharing’, ‘stitching my footprints to the interior of my body’ and the last 2 lines of the poem which convey the determination of the human spirit in the face of challenges, ‘I hold this handrail with a firm grip, and carry on climbing’.

Tricia’s poem, written earlier that evening, had been inspired by a painting of an open book with letters dancing out from its pages in a darkened room. The poem powerfully conveyed the freedom of the escaping letters to tell their own story, no longer confined by punctuation or by the author’s dictates. This was a remarkable first draft, capturing an intriguing concept.

Heather read the Hysteria competition poem, Girl in a Cathedral, followed by a new poem, Waiting for Jeffrey, which contrasted the ‘lightweight’ waiting done as a teenager fancying herself in love with the rather lack-lustre Jeffrey with the darker, sadder waiting that occurs later in life.

Peter, to universal approval, read more about Tommy’s journey as a dispatch rider on the Cherbourg to Tournai stretch. We had heard about Tommy’s experiences in previous readings and again everyone enjoyed the detail and the use of real place names; information was conveyed in a manner which never became dull or hard to grasp. There was humour too, particularly the ‘horizontal refreshment’ available to the men in certain outstandingly hospitable establishments.  The sudden announcement at the end of the piece that Germany had invaded Belgium and Holland was in sharp contrast to the feeling that this was almost a game in the earlier part of the piece. Some felt that there was scope for including more humour to heighten the contrast. Peter said that he liked to add in the softer, more emotional elements after putting the early draft together.

Liz had been working hard to extract information about her husband Robin’s family history from him and had written about one of his grandfathers who worked in the shipyard where the Queen Mary was built. He was late coming home one night and his wife was worried. When he arrived, all he said was, ‘We’ve launched her.’ This turned out to be the Queen Mary and the launch apparently had to be done at night due to the growing Nazi threat. Liz wondered whether to add more detail, but the feeling was that this would change the balance.

Sarah read two magical poems, The Long Winter and Spring. It was agreed that the repetition of ‘the long winter’ worked very effectively in the first poem and the last line, ‘I wear the long winter’ was stunning. In the Spring poem, the magic is sustained with some brilliant imagery, such as the shadow of the writer’s pen on the paper.

Sarah then seamlessly moved on to another wonderful piece, Telepathic Cat, which was a prose account about a rather spooky cat which controls humans by telepathy. (Cat people don’t have any problem believing this kind of thing, mainly because it’s true.) All agreed that this was a beautifully written contribution and everyone could visualise the cat in question, demanding to have the tap turned on without making a sound.

After the readings there was a great deal of eating and drinking, which was the perfect way to welcome in the New Year and celebrate another hugely enjoyable evening.   

Next meeting 16th February 2023

Jobs for February:

Chair: Carla                   

Minutes: Simona

Milk and Biscuits: Sarah      

Wine: Tricia                 

Homework: Love