WWC would like to apologise to any prospective members that may have wanted to join us in our usually advertised location and did not find us there. Due to some miscommunication we were not able to gain access and had decided to hold our meeting, by gracious hospitality, in Heather’s home.

PRESENT: Hillary, Liz, Tricia, Peter H, Sarah, Heather, Nathan

APOLOGIES: Keith, Peter M, Alan

NEWS

1. Peter H.’s story ‘The Largest Cave’, a piece which he has previously shared with WWC, was shortlisted in the Letter Review competition. Congratulations Peter!
2. Heather entered a competition with two 10-line poems both of which were selected to be published in the Ver anthology. Her second poem was highly commended. You can read more about Heather and Peter’s success in our most recent post on our website. 
3. Liz announced that the reading club’s next book is ‘Mad Women’s Ball’ by Victoria Mas and that all are welcome to read and review. Liz also mused on (Maksym Oleksandrovych Kryvtsov) the Machine Gun Poet’s demise and on the persecution of Russian authors and that we shouldn’t take for granted the ability to freely write. The group agreed that words have power.

READINGS

TRICIA’s story was linked to the topic selected in our last meeting, ‘Springtime’ but with a different interpretation: to a child, every day is Springtime, every experience is new. Sarah liked the vividness of the sand imagery and Heather praised Tricia for her ability to conjure a very convincing young voice. Tricia stated that the stories are all based on her own experiences. Hillary noted that there is no effort to it and that it rolls along with a sense of inquiry. The group then encouraged Tricia to pursue the young voice and write further.

HEATHER read her two successful poems, ‘After the Exhibition’ and ‘Sleeping Cat’. As the discussion and feedback rolled along, Battersea Billy jumped in Heather lap for a very cosy nap. This incited the group to share their love of our feline friends. Hillary noted that both her poems were beautiful and that in her first poem, the use of empty spaces was very evocative. Liz commented that the second poem was more powerful as it was more physical. Peter noted that the imagery was very strong with very few words. If you’d like to virtually meet Stumpy Malone and Battersea Billy check out our latest post on this website.

LIZ’s piece was a very raw and emotional reading of what it is like to live with someone with afflictions of the mind. Hillary said that this was the most powerful thing she has heard Liz read and that she could tell it came from a special place. Heather asked Liz if the piece allowed her to say all that she needed to say. Her feedback focused on Liz’s intent with the poem and the possibility of splitting the piece into 3 poems. Sarah said that she could connect strongly with the poem having been through a similar experience. She noted that it was not overdone, subtle. This encouraged Liz to seek publication of the piece. We wish her good luck!

NATHAN’s poem, ‘Will YOU’, stirred a significant amount of feedback and points for improvement but was enjoyed by the group. Sarah said that the poem sounded like the lyrics of a song and the group encouraged the two to seek a collaboration. Peter noted that the poem flows very well except for a line which rips the reader out of the flow. The group discussed possibilities for improvement which Nathan took on board. Nathan also read a haiku ‘Smilling Moon’ delighting the group.

PETER H. read the beginning of his new story, ‘Anticastilationist’, which was enjoyed by the whole group. Tricia noted that the piece is fabulous and how the descriptions and interactions between characters just draw you in. Sarah noted that the story is very publishable. Peter informed us that this may likely be his last meeting with WWC and although we will miss his wonderful writing, we will insist on staying in touch!

SARAH’s piece was another one in her ‘Yoga Talk’ series, titled ‘Friend or Foe’ which focuses on meditation insights on the internal voice. Heather praised the piece for the powerful implication inciting the fear of loss of companionship. Tricia and Liz agreed on its power of inducing reflection and need for more study/introspection. Sarah’s intent is to turn the piece into a recording for a more audiovisual experience.

HILLARY’s short story was a continuation on ser ‘witchy’ series giving the perspective of Sable, the cat. Unfortunately, and fortunately, the group had not heard the first piece and we are very much eager to hear it at our next meeting. Tricia really enjoyed the piece but suggested that there might not be any need to further emphasise the ‘dimness’ of one of the cats in the litter as the point stays with you from earlier in the story. Both Tricia and Heather enjoyed the perspective of Sable, and in particular the unusual description of the invisible wall and the ‘clean smell’. 

Next meeting: Thursday, 15th of February 2024 at 7.30, St Mary’s Church Hall, Horsell.

Homework: Shadow(s)

Chairperson: Tricia

Minutes: Heather

Milk & Biscuits: Liz

Wine: Heather

MINUTES OF WOKING WRITERS’ CIRCLE MEETING AT ST MARY’S CHURCH HALL, HORSELL ON 21^st 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, 19^th October at 7.30pm 

Chair: Heather 

Minutes: Simona 

Wine: Nathan 

Milk and biscuits: Liz 

Homework: Controversy 

MINUTES OF THE WOKING WRITERS CIRCLE MEETING of 17 August 2023 at 7.30 PM at St. Mary’s Church Hall, Horsell.

An enjoyable meeting with good spirits in a carbon-neutral (no electricity) setting.  Members assisted each other with personal lighting as the light grew dim.  Simona’s wine and Liz’s nibbles helped the flow.

Present: Liz, Peter (Chair & minutes), Heather, Tricia, Alan, Colette, Nathan, Simona

Introduction and apologies

Colette and Nathan introduced to Heather, Heather, introduced to Colette and Nathan

Apologies from Sarah, Tricia looked in briefly to also apologise due to poorly husband – we send our best wishes.

News

Alan’s short story short listed in Writing Magazine humour competition.

Liz reported her reading group is tackling Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson, discussion Monday.

The Readings

Thanks to those able to provide handouts which can help frail minds like mine to absorb the material.

Colette shared two poems, one sensitively tackling mental illness from experience when 21 years old.  Simona, Heather discussed whether humour be mixed with heavy material and the meeting generally agreed that Colette had found a good balance. Liz enjoyed the disinhibited nature of the first poem.

Alan suggested reading a Will Self novel might have useful material while other thought this might be unfair punishment for someone who really hadn’t done any wrong.

Keith brought us two poems, one heavy, one light.

The first was a blunt exposure of incest.  This undressed a difficult topic with a direct, brutal telling of a real situation that had unfortunately occurred.  The discussion circle around whether the message would be more effectively communicated if told more lightly or indirectly.  Heather felt it would be possible to hint at the facts without losing impact.  Alan agreed that an indirect approach doesn’t have to take anything away.  Liz found the piece powerful but wondered if it could be tightened, shortened perhaps.

The mood was lightened by the second poem that we felt skilfully retold a Billy Connolly joke.  Vaseline – always a good topic for innuendo or misdirection.  Heather wondered if rhyming scheme could be made more consistent, but Keith’s spirited rendition certainly made it entertaining.

Heather

Ghost Tree, a lovely, nice and tight poem that conveyed a sense of horror effectively.  Images created by clever, subtle language.  Some thought they detected hints of Betjeman in the palate while others found a pleasant trace of a Robert Frost like acacia floweriness in the background.  The aftertaste was quite pleasing for all.

Alan

The Whistle Blower (Levelling Up) a short story packed with description and character. A rich, convoluted tale in which an overbearing bastard gets his comeuppance.  A little difficult to follow at the pace of reading allowed by the time slot but Alan kindly sent this out to be digested at home, with a glass of something perhaps.

Liz

Betty Vakanie, dance teacher is remembered in Liz’s memoir.  Miss Betty had taught the royal girls and cajoled Liz’s cohort to dance like debutants.  This piece was enjoyed by the ladies present for whom it seemed to conjure similar recollections.  Colette loved it all and found the imagery pleasant . The dancing and feeling that went with it is fondly remembered as a better part of otherwise unenjoyable school days.  Peter found the casual rhyming scheme effective but felt it could benefit from some pruning and would have been improved by more on motorbikes or fishing.

Nathan

Nathan is a thoughtful poet and gave us some clever weaving of art and wordsmithing.

The haiku can get under your skin as this dealing with time seemed to do.  The discussion was how a rigid form can allow the poet free expression.  Time is the perennial theme here and well packed into the seventeen syllables. Alan found it a delicious bundle of imagery.

Peter

Shared a more developed version of Power of Poetry read last month.  The poem has now become a sonnet and it was generally agreed that this was an improvement of the rather over long earlier version.  The shortening of the verse demonstrated how a substantial amount of verbiage can be pruned without losing the idea while, perhaps, making it more digestible.

Sorry for the excess of culinary language in these minutes.  I blame Heather whose Ghost Tree, or rather our reaction to it, started it!

Next month

Chair: Tricia (who volunteered for anything).

Alan: Milk and biscuits.

Heather: Minutes and wine.

Simona: savouries.

The homework: “40 lines is enough”.

Minutes by Peter Morley

MINUTES OF WOKING WRITERS’ CIRCLE MEETING AT ST MARY’S CHURCH HALL, HORSELL ON 40th JULY 2023

Present: Peter, Sarah, Nathan, Tricia, Liz, Colette, Keith, Amanda, Simona

INTRODUCTIONS

The Circle welcomed two guests, Nathan and Colette and Peter invited everyone for a short introduction:

Peter, our member of 10 years and retired engineer, writes informally and is currently working on a novel. He sometimes writes poetry and has in the past written plays. Peter enjoys the group’s range of skills and diverse points of view and finds these beneficial in his own development.

Nathan, one of our guests, is 24 and has been writing poems since 15. He tried writing short stories but finds more connection with poetry as it is more entrenched in the human experience. He finds poetry realistic, connected to human emotion. He also enjoys writing haikus.

Tricia has been a member of the club for a while and has enjoyed writing a variety of genres. Recently she has written poems, short stories, and short plays.

Liz is longest standing member of the club and currently writes poems, short stories. She compares poetry to icebergs in the sense that there is more the lower down you go. She has in the past written plays. Liz thinks that the secret to witing successfully is sitting down and writing. Liz calls herself in jest ‘extremely talented and old’ and is currently writing her autobiography in free verse with the working title ‘To be continued’.

Colette, our other guest, writes poetry when it whizzes through her mind, and she likes to write difference pieces and then put it all together. She currently has roughly 50 poems and has had some published in her Chiropractors’ publications. She has been writing for 5/6 years.

Keith’s background is diverse and has trained as an artist in the past but switched to tech. During this time, he has written some poems painted some paintings but since retirement he became more invested and took up the pen again and put enough poems together to publish a book. He is keen on improving and found use in the feedback received from the Circle.

Amanda has attributed a lot of her writings to the Circle. She has written plays, theatre reviews, started writing a novel, like many of us, and has found her own writing style: satire inspired by her work life, some as therapy and some and entertainment. Watch out for her Tanzania Diary as she embarks on her new adventure. Amanda is thankful for everyone’s feedback and support.

Simona joined the Circle in 2022 in the hopes of getting feedback and some help in writing her own sci-fi novel. She is grateful for the feedback and encouragement received and is hopeful she can give some back.

Sarah has been a member of the Circle for 10 years and likes to write and experiment with short stories, poetry, little plays. The circle inspired her to look into other areas of writing and has helped with discipline in writing.

NEWS

With Amanda’s departure and the changes in management at Woking Theatre, Tricia has volunteered to take over and presented the new System. She then explained to the group that under the new system if a member expresses interest in different plays on at the theatre they should register this with Tricia who will then help fill a form in and submit to Woking Theatre. The theatre can give 2 tickets away and a review has to be written and published within 48 hours of attendance.

Simona presented the group with the business cards and distributed some. It was agreed that she will drop some off at the Lionsheart Bookshop

Liz’s book club next book to be read is Kate Atkinson’s ‘The shrines of gayety’.

Sarah’s Article was published in Woking News and Mail and a new member joined as a result. We are thankful to Sarah for putting it together and Liz for helping publish the article.

READINGS

Peter, in acceptance of our prior meeting homework wrote a poem, ‘Levelling (or power of poetry)’. In his opinion, poems should have no more than 40 lines and asks the group to help him trim his poem down post reading. Keith states that he takes a different meaning of the word ‘leveling’ as it puts the reader and the writer on the same plane bringing it all. Peter thinks his poem is chaotic and lacks direction but Nathan counters with the fact that poetry is art for the poet, poet’s own expression, and the poet’s mind doesn’t always run in a straight line. AT the end of the day, it is up to the reader to interpret. Liz enjoyed how Peter performed his poem and did suggest that some statements can be cut out. Sarah agrees the piece is a lovely performance poem and suggests adding a recording to the website. Amanda points out that the poem’s structure is great as on one hand he tells what poetry is on the other he shows what it is.

Keith’s two poems, ‘Barnsley Brian’ and ‘9 Carols and lesson Christmas Eve’ are in an exciting musical contrast, both part of Keith’s experiences. Keith’s performance of his first poem delighted the group but the group was more hooked on his second poem in which Keith tried to convey the image of his own experience and how he would have sounded like a boy. Tricia liked the repetition of ‘cassock and ruff’ as it brings memories and formality and rigidity to the poem but with so much emotion hidden beneath the surface. She liked the fact it inspires so much emotion to people listening. Peter stated repetition works extremely well. Liz enjoyed the simplicity, the accessibility, the pace, and thought it was magic. Keith was praised for his performance and confidence in performing his poems.

Nathan began by stating that a lot of his poems are melancholic, sad as he finds it easier to tap into these feelings. His first poem ‘Waiting for me’, was written when he felt doubt in regard to a person in his life. Liz thought it was very lyrical and could be turned into a beautiful song, with everyone else in agreement. Peter said that this could be another version of ‘Footprints in the sand’ and that he liked the rhyming pattern. Tricia stated that the contrast between all different situations and the way he chose to describe them worked really well. Keith asked how long it took Nathan to write to which Nathan replied that it took him roughly 30 minutes to an hour and that this is the only version with minor edits. Nathan then presented a haiku, ‘The great wave’ which the group found very inspirational.

Colette brought 2 poems to be read inspired by the skill of her chiropractor in helping with her pain. One of them was very well received by her chiropractor and was published in their magazine. Amanda suggested there is much humour in it and had a feeling of Pam Ayres to it. Liz said the poem was pacey and witty. Peter enjoyed that it was humorous and informative. Her next poem was well received but the group suggested it can be split into two as the part relating to golf was very humorous by itself.

Sarah read a poem Heather had written for Amanda. Amanda teared up. Amanda extending thanks to Heather.

Liz’s piece was inspired by her ‘Little red book’ in which, as a child she had kept a diary. Tricia thought it was very interesting piece and a little bit funny. Amanda found it is a beautiful piece of prose and suggested to keep the story focused on a single day. Tricia on the other hand thought that she enjoyed the individual days as they are nice and punchy and connects the reader to the individual situations. Keith asked if it was a challenge to write as an adult remembering what they thought as a child.

Simona read one of her chapters on which she was working to improve pace via dialogue. Peter suggested that Telin’s way of speaking may not fit into the context, but Nathan countered that since the genre is sci-fi there is more freedom on how the characters can speak. Amanda found the piece intriguing especially due to naming convention of fauna (‘firebellies’).

Sarah’s piece, ‘The woman and the vase’ was an intriguing story. Peter sked if there was something in the vase itself but Sarah kindly suggested that therein lies the mystery. Sarah’s next piece took as inspiration the ‘The Woking statues’. The group was divided in whether they can relate to their existence or not, but everyone enjoyed the piece suggesting this as an addition to the website. Peter thought that Sarah described them quite accurately.

Upon completion of the readings, Amanda was presented with a card signed by everyone. Amanda, we will miss you dearly but fully expect you join us sometimes via zoom.

Sarah gave Simona a card and played a song recorded by her as a present for her upcoming wedding. Simona was very grateful for the warmth and affection she received.  

NEXT MEETING: Thursday, 17^th of August

Homework: Poetry is art for the wordsmith.

Chairperson: Tricia

Milk and biscuits: Liz

Wine: Simona

Minutes: Peter

MINUTES OF WOKING WRITERS’ CIRCLE MEETING AT ST MARY’S CHURCH HALL, HORSELL ON 18^th MAY 2023

Present: Liz, Hilary, Sarah, Alan, Tricia, Heather

Apologies: Peter, Amanda, Simona

NEWS:

Liz and Heather had attended Carla’s funeral.

Liz also reported that the Book Group had all enjoyed The Mountains Sing, by Nguyen Phan Que Mai, and had awarded it a mark of 9 out of 10. The next book is Lessons in Chemistry, by Bonnie Garmus.

There was a brief discussion about membership numbers and it was agreed that Hilary would present a financial statement at the July meeting so that concerns about expenses relative to income could be informed and considered. The option of Zoom meetings was mentioned and this would work for some members but definitely not for others. Some concerns about holding meetings in members’ homes were also voiced; safety considerations could be an issue in some cases and various other factors such as availability of parking could be problematical.

Heather was delighted to have been chosen as one of the two winners in this year’s Frosted Fire First Pamphlet Award competition. Her entry, Out of the Ordinary, contained 10 poems and she will be required to submit a further 20 poems by 30^th June. The Zoom book launch will be held at a date to be arranged in November.

READINGS

Sarah read two poems, both of which were greatly appreciated. All agreed that Supermarket Travelator was a wonderful performance poem, with Sarah achieving a most convincing rendition of the announcer’s nasal tones. There was plenty of humour in the poem with echoes of The Generation Game in the description of objects passing by (yes, cuddly toy was in there!). Sarah’s second poem, Westminster Abbey, was introduced with photos of a visit Sarah had made recently with friends. This poem was also greatly enjoyed, capturing as it did not only the magnificence and timelessness of the Abbey, but also the writer’s sense of wonder and enjoyment, as in ‘walking in the steps of the great and the good’. Sarah wants to do some research on Scottish pronunciation and consider one or two other aspects of the poem and agreed to bring it back to the group in due course.

Liz’s memoir piece described a personal event which had occurred on Sunday 7^th May – the day after the Coronation. A ‘stranger’ had come to her door carrying a bottle. Unsurprisingly, Liz had not immediately recognised her former pupil in Singapore, a man who had been an 18 year-old boy when she last saw him 55 years previously as a VSO teacher. This was a wonderful piece of life writing. There were suggestions about maintaining tension by not describing the bottle he was carrying as a water bottle initially and also consideration about publishing opportunities. Liz was advised to Google various magazines and competitions.

Heather read a poem A Fox of Two Halves, featuring Fenella, the fox that had arrived in the garden suffering from mange. The poem was well-received, and Liz generously overcame her dislike of foxes in this instance! There was an interesting discussion about illustrations for the poem, which could make it of interest to children. Obviously this would need to be discussed with Fenella.

Alan’s short story, Baked Alaska, featured Jessica and Rory who were climbing a mountain in Alaska under extremely threatening and perilous circumstances. They worried about the lack of vegetation at the altitude achieved and were convinced that a massive subterranean geothermal event had taken place. The twist came right in the final couple of lines in true Alan style. All agreed that this was a skilled and absorbing piece of writing as well as being hugely enjoyable.

Tricia read her poem Rooted, which was about a child involved in a game of hide-and-seek. It was written in the first person and described the feelings of the child in a vivid and compelling way as she/he slid right down into the tree and feared that nobody would ever know. This was a wonderful poem and again the subject of illustrations was discussed. The descriptions of the child hiding, falling and emerging were beautifully handled, maintaining the credibility of the child’s voice.

Hilary’s story, Newborn, was a marvellous piece and had her listeners on the edge of their seats. It spoke of a Persian tradition involving writing the newborn’s destiny in invisible ink on his/her forehead and depicted various family members in a vivid and memorable way, maintaining the balance between the characters. The supernatural element was never overstated and the nature of the ‘shimmering figure’ remained wonderfully enigmatic, gradually becoming more angel than portent of death. All agreed that this story cried out to be published.

Next Meeting: Thursday, 15^th June at 7.30pm

Chair: Alan

Minutes: Simona

Wine: Peter

Milk and biscuits: Liz

Homework: Foxy Lady Meets Badger Boy – or variations on the theme!

Apologies for the June meeting: Hilary, Tricia and Sarah