Present: Tricia, Nathan, Simona, Alan, Harry, Liz, Sarah

Apologies: Heather, Peter

NEWS

Liz presented a leaflet advertising the Poetry Hub, due to be launched at the Woking Library on Fridays

READINGS

SARAH read a piece titled ‘A Postcard from…’ inspired by her recent trip to Agatha Christie’s place which encouraged visitors to be in the moment and write. Sarah also encouraged the audience to guess where the ‘postcard’ location might be. Simona found it impressive how Sarah describes mundane events with such exciting vigour and Tricia noted that the language and turn of phrases are quite powerful and that Sarah is very good at observing people and making them come alive in her writing. Liz said she found the piece very delightfully physical and noted that Sarah is becoming bolder with her imagery. Harry loved the mix between comedy and imagery and said specific descriptions bring him back to his childhood. Alana pointed at some vividly specific descriptions.

HARRY read some of his older poems and described them as having a darker vibe. His first poem, ‘Spotlight’ was discussed by the group to gain an understanding of some of the imagery. Simona noted that the use of some of the first-person pronouns disrupts the immersion. Sarah liked the concept of the poem but encouraged Harry to build on the poem and create a little bit more suspense. Hi Second poem ‘All consuming darkness’ was noted by Nathan as being in contradiction with his first poem. Nathan also suggested that due it’s length it could easily be used as a book extract. The group agreed that the sinister presence was felt in both poems.

NATHAN’s poem, ‘Approaching judgment’ was well received by the group with similar feedback from Simona relating to the use of personal pronouns when generating the context of the poem. Tricia praised the poem as really powerful and liked the imagery of the last verse and noted it is almost not noticeable. Harry noted the poem being very anti-establishment with French revolution nuances and liked the transposition between wealthy nobles enjoying life before being ‘cut in half’. Liz said that Nathan’s strength comes from conciseness and that some words should be considered for removal. Nathan’s haiku, ‘Embers of love’ was discussed at length and the group offered some suggestions for making it even more powerful.

TRICIA delighted the group with a draft of the next instalment of her Tanzania adventures. All of her pieces will be posted on our website, so please do give them a read!

ALAN’s piece was aligned with the homework set at the last meeting and was titled ‘No unauthorised entry’. Harry loved the snappiness of the dialogue and noted that it almost sounds rhythmic, poetic, and that he would love to see it as s skit. Liz noted the piece as really effective and enjoyed that she could follow. Sarah suggested that the piece has some performative attributes.

LIZ, inspired by a recent museum trip wrote a series of seasonal ‘Haiku from the Hogsback’ grounded in her experiences and memories on the family farm (Blackwell Farm). Simona said that while Liz is skilled at condensing experiences into haikus, she prefers Liz’ memories in a longer format as they add significantly more detail and connect with the reader much more. The group noted that perhaps Simona’s feedback comes from having already been exposed to Liz’s memoir work hence the strong preference. Nathan suggested that Liz can intersperse her memoir with haikus.

Next meeting: Thursday, 17 October at 7.30

Chair: Sarah

Wine: Nathan

Milk & Biscuits: Alan

Minutes: Simona

Homework: Absent friends