MINUTES OF WOKING WRITERS’ CIRCLE MEETING AT ST MARY’S CHURCH HALL, HORSELL ON 21st September 2023 

Present: Peter, Liz, Sarah, Alan, Heather, Keith, Simona, Nathan, Peter (Visitor) 

Apologies: Tricia, Hilary 

INTRODUCTIONS 

Members welcomed Peter, a visitor from Wallington to the meeting and introduced themselves. Peter belongs to a writers’ circle in his home area and mainly writes short stories.  

NEWS

Simona said that Sarah’s poem and photographs of Sean Henry’s statues were ready to appear on the WWC website. There was discussion about possible controversy concerning WBC’s financial difficulties. It was important for WWC to be seen as politically neutral. 

Peter had visited Agatha Christie’s house and noted that she had been a notably avid reader. 

Heather had brought along an article about an author who had been a ‘Late Bloomer’ and who had finally succeeded with her writing once she had been true to her own voice. 

Liz reported that WWC Book Group was reading Thomas Keneally’s book, The Playmaker, featuring life in a penal colony. 

Liz advised that the bookshop was interested in hosting another poetry evening. It was agreed that this would be discussed at the next WWC meeting, with positive consideration being given to including prose readings or possibly enacting a short play. 

Liz also raised the matter of subscriptions being due. ACTION POINTS: a) Simona will send BACS details to Peter; b) Peter will send details to members. 

READINGS

Alan’s short story, Deadly Brief, faithfully echoed the homework topic, ‘Forty lines is enough’. The drama concerns a missile jamming program that turns an incoming missile round to send it back in the other direction. There are 2 jammers, both locked in separate cells, who are working on missile jamming. This was a hugely enjoyable piece, consisting purely of dialogue, which delivered the intensely satisfying ending in the last few lines. 

Peter read the first part of a short story, An Eternal Darkness. All agreed that this was a very powerful and atmospheric piece, conveying the emptiness of a huge cave system and cleverly alluding to the influence of past civilisations. There is interesting use of the conditional tense, as in ‘would have been…’, but on at least one occasion these changes to a definite statement that something has happened. There are various disturbing references, and everyone wanted to know how various characters would emerge in the developing story. 

Keith read 2 poems, the first being, Pharoah Poet. This was a most enjoyable poem about Tutankhamun and how his tomb remained untouched for so long. Everybody found the poem clever and amusing, with the use of rhyme enhancing the listener’s pleasure. There are disturbing references, including the ‘…eye that still has sight’, but these somehow add to the fun.  Keith’s second poem, Aspects of Reflection, was a serious piece speaking to a person contemplating suicide.  This was a deep and quite distressing poem, powerfully conveyed.  

Heather lightened the mood with her poem, Dusting the Yucca, a nonsense piece about an over-tidy neighbour and a vengeful yucca tree. Her second poem, The Restless Days, spoke about the feeling of imminent change that affects the natural world and the writer at this time of year. The poem makes use of personification, with the author becoming the bird, dormouse, snake and seemed to be enjoyed by listeners. 

Nathan’s poem, Lemon Tree Ghosts, was an evocative piece, stirring feelings of transience and mixed emotions. The ghosts are not evil, but experience a range of feelings, possessing the power to console. The poem ends on a hopeful note, ‘…I eat a lemon, and it couldn’t be sweeter.’ Nathan also presented a Haiku, Opposition, which followed the traditional pattern of 3 lines with 5 syllables in the first, 7 in the second and 5 in last. Nathan explained that the ‘Sunset Limited’ of the first line is in fact a train, which at least one of the listeners had not realised (sorry!). Both poems were greatly appreciated. 

Liz read, Dancing Days, a piece she has previously presented to the group. She had shortened it slightly and introduced more rhymes. There was a feeling that by shortening it there was now a rather abrupt shift at one point. All agreed that this was an evocative piece and encouraged Liz to write more memoire poems. 

Sarah had ventured into the world of multimedia – and most impressively! On a recent break in Stratford, she had looked at the clouds and put together The Whisper of an Idea, with photos, words and voice combining in one entity to consider whether William Shakespeare was looking down on her. (Seeing pictures in clouds is, apparently, called Pareidolia.) Sarah’s second multimedia contribution featured Sean Henry’s sculptures in Woking and all agreed that this was a highly professional piece of work. 

Next Meeting: Thursday, 19th October at 7.30pm 

Chair: Heather 

Minutes: Simona 

Wine: Nathan 

Milk and biscuits: Liz 

Homework: Controversy