Present: Simona, Liz, Sarah, Tricia, Keith, Dave, Nathan, Harry, Heather

Apologies: Alan, Cathy, Natasha, Adi (Keith had sent apologies for the August meeting, but these were omitted in error)

NEWS:

Harry had enjoyed another competition success and was warmly congratulated. (Details to follow.)

Liz had heard from the Woking News and Mail editor that he was interested in discussing a regular slot for Woking Writers’ Circle.

Liz also reported that the Book Group had read The White Castle by Orhan Pamuk, which had not been enjoyed, earning a notional mark of 5 out of 10. The next book is The Midnight Library by Matt Haig.

Heather reminded everyone that Write Out Loud would take place at the Fiery Bird on Thursday 25th September. There will be 2 more meetings at this venue before closure: October and November. There will not be a meeting in December, but from January 2026 WOL meetings will take place at the Lionsheart Bookshop and will be held on a Monday. Further information to follow.

READINGS:

Heather read her poem Rain Women, which was generally well-received, with some reservations about the slightly racy implications!

Nathan’s poem, Come Autumn We Fall Again, was a beautiful piece, featuring sustained and original autumn imagery. There was some discussion about the 2nd verse, which did not quite sustain the dreamy mood of the rest of the poem. Sarah thought in terms of song lyrics and suggested adding other senses to enrich the autumnal descriptions. Liz wondered about punctuation, but apparently the technology used had decided against it.

Nathan’s trademark Haiku was beautiful.

Dave’s poem, The Human Condition, was extremely powerful and interesting, raising the question of humans seeking comfort from non-existent sources instead of trusting their own abilities/agency. The description of the ‘pagan’ ritual was vivid, but it was suggested that tension could be further increased in this part of the poem, before the woman spits out the ball. (And if that doesn’t make you want to read it or hear it, I don’t know what will!)

Keith brought along his stunningly beautiful painting of wisteria at Wisley and read his poem featuring this. Everyone enjoyed this descriptive piece, which avoided cliché and walked hand-in-hand with the painting. There was a brief discussion about Ekphrastic poetry.

Keith’s second poem, Being a Poet, was in a totally different vein and full of witty lines, recording all the things that Keith thinks about that he hasn’t done now he has achieved senior status.

Tricia’s piece, Rebel’s Cause, was a moving tale about a young man, Olly, going to a Gaza march. He sustains a head injury that he appears to recover from, but then dies following an accidental shove while on the march. A classic case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. There was praise for the natural dialogue and Dave particularly enjoyed the suddenness of the ending.

Liz read her poem, Arrival of Autumn, which was rich in imagery. Heather enjoyed ‘Short fuse burning, no backward turning’ which contrasted with the body of the poem.

Liz’s second poem, He/She, was interesting and had a cathartic quality but was not in the least self-pitying. The mention of ‘Widow’s fire’ was a new concept for this innocent audience.

Harry’s poem, White Lies of the Game, related to a poker game being played by ‘A quartet of kids’. This was a greatly appreciated piece, with humour – ‘no-one knows the rules’ and warmth – ‘a blithe ballad of adolescence’.

Harry’s second poem, Pleasantries with the Arachnid, was startlingly original and very clever. ‘Competition-worthy’ indeed. It was agreed that it would make an excellent performance poem.

Date of Next Meeting: 16th October 2025 at 7.30pm

Chair: Tricia

Minutes: Simona

Wine: Nathan

Harry: Milk and biscuits