PRESENT: Simona, Liz, Alan, Nathan, Cathy, Harry, Heather

APOLOGIES: Tricia, Sarah, Hilary

NEWS:

  1. Simona will email about an opportunity presented by the Bylines Network publication.
  2. Liz reported that WWC Book Group was reading 2 books: Orbital and Night Train to Lisbon.
  3. Liz has entered the Write Out Loud competition. She has also taken part in 3 workshops.

WRITING COMPETITIONS:

It was agreed that for a period of 3 months, the Minutes would include a section on current writing competitions, to see whether WWC members found this useful. No attempt would be made to provide a comprehensive list, or to give full details of each competition as these are available on the relevant websites. WWC members might find it helpful to obtain the monthly magazine, Writers’ News, which runs its own competitions and provides information about many other opportunities.

  1. Frome Festival Short Story Competition: For unpublished short fiction between 1000 and 2,200 words. Closing Date 31st May.
  2. Yeovil Literary Prize: Various categories, including Poetry and Short Stories. C/D 31st May
  3. Personal Memoir Competition: For unpublished, original memoirs up to 1,500 words. C/D 31st August.
  4. Ware Poets Open Poetry Competition: For poems up to 50 lines, any subject. There is a special Sonnet Prize. C/D 30 April
  5. Winchester Poetry Festival: For poems up to 40 lines, any subject. C/D 31st July

READINGS:

Simona read a short story, featuring Alys, who is a woman with a mission. The piece could stand alone, but the intention is that it will be part of Simona’s book. It was rich in technical detail, but this was conveyed in such a way as to make sense to the non-techies in the group. There was great admiration for the writing style, which maintained tension and pace throughout. All agreed that it was a remarkable piece of work.

Heather once again lowered the tone with her poem, Support for the Partners of Poets, written after being driven to several recent poetry events by her long-suffering partner. She also contributed 2 clerihews (inspired by Nathan’s ground-breaking venture at the March meeting), one of which featured Hieronymous Bosch; the second, Picasso.

Nathan’s wonderfully romantic, dreamlike poem, Wanderer, was in stark contrast to the previous offerings and was greatly appreciated. Suggestions were made regarding the ‘clutch at straws’ usage in verse 2 and the puzzle simile at the end of verse 2, but everyone relished the beauty of the language and images created in this remarkable poem. Nathan also presented a trademark Haiku, Echoes, which was admired by all. The last line, ‘The past carries on’ was compelling in its truth and simplicity.

Cathy had followed the Homework suggestion which had been to write in a different genre from the usual one favoured by the writer. This she had done to great effect in a short poem, employing spare language to convey the stark facts known about a person’s life: Baptism, Marriage, Burial. Every 10 years, the Census recorded scant facts such as status, occupation, but nothing else about a person’s life survived beyond family memories. This was a moving and beautifully constructed piece.

Alan contributed 2 pieces, in very different styles. The first very short story, Moonshine, featured 2 prisoners peeping out and seeing the moon. The whole story took up less than half a page of A4 and was told entirely in dialogue. This was a clever piece with the usual punchline delivered with a satisfying thud. The second story, Petrified Witness, was very different from Alan’s usual style, conveyed in an exchange of letters which faithfully reflected the style of Victorian polite society. This was a longer story which allowed for development of character and some telling references to the prevailing customs of the day, as in Miss Bingham’s allusion to reading mathematics at Cambridge not being ‘an avenue…open to our sex’. This story also had the power to shock, possibly more so because of the mannered style of the letters. Both pieces were greatly admired.

Liz began by inviting views about whether she should write a wellbeing piece, possibly focussing on the pleasure to be had while shopping in Woking. She had departed from her usual genre by writing a children’s poem inspired by a walk round Winkworth Arboretum with her family. The young boy was fascinated by dinosaurs and all agreed that Liz’s rhyming poem captured the child’s excitement and wild imagination. Some suggestions were made about the imaginary dinosaurs that were hiding conflicting with the idea of digging, a possible solution being to dig for dinosaur bones in a sandpit. This was a very enjoyable piece.

Harry’s poem, My Friend and the Racist, signalled a complete change of mood. The language was real and the inclusion of swear words gave credibility to the uncomfortable scene described. The emotions felt were powerfully conveyed and the regrets of the writer, as in the racist inviting the writer to punch him, followed by, ‘I didn’t – I wanted to./ I wish I did.’ The inclusion of reference to the racist putting down his ‘black dog’ worked well and the final lines about the writer feeling ‘sorry for his dog’ provided a neat and thoughtful end to a powerful and disturbing (in a good way!) poem.

Next Meeting: Thursday, 15th May at 7.30pm

Chair: Cathy

Minutes: Simona

Wine: Nathan

Milk and biscuits: Simona

Homework: Letters