Present: Keith, Liz, Alan, Nathan, Simona, Olivia, Heather

Apologies: Sarah, Trisha, Peter, Hilary

Welcome: Olivia

News  

Liz has published a book of Haikus and has been attending various venues where she has sold a number of copies.

Liz has returned from a greatly enjoyed trip to Newcastle and also caught up with Greg Freeman, a long-standing stalwart of WWC before moving to Northumberland.

Regular Events for Poets

Write-Out-Loud open mic: The last Thursday of every month (27th June) at the Fiery Bird, Goldsworth Road, Woking, GU21 6JT (next to the Fire Station). Large free car park. Event starts at 7pm, but please try to arrive around 6.45 to put your name down for reading. The cost is £5, payable in cash, and hot drinks are available, price £1.50.

Write-Out-Loud open mic Zoom meeting: Arranged by Greg Freeman, dates advised on monthly basis. Meetings start at 7pm.

Lionsheart Bookshop: Lionsheart have generously welcomed WWC poets to read in the first half of their poetry evenings, held on the last Saturday of each month, (29th June) starting at 7pm. Food is available but should be ordered beforehand.

Introducing Olivia

A warm welcome was extended to Olivia, who was invited to tell the group about herself and her writing. Olivia writes poetry and prose, serious and comic, and is a regular performer at various open mic events at the Fiery Bird.

Readings

Simona read a further instalment of her momentous Kilimanjaro trip. The writer is having a conversation with herself about the nerves and excitement felt during the preparation for the last leg of the climb. The remarkable thing about this piece was the fact that tension was maintained throughout all the practical details of the preparation; the desperation about getting some sleep was particularly vividly conveyed.

Keith contributed 2 poems, focusing on his love of cricket and football. The first poem, War and Peaceful Pastime, illustrated the contrast between village green cricket and the game played at a faster pace. The humour of the away team being fed too many scones was appreciated. These poems were greatly enjoyed, with discussion about the ‘lost England’ quality of village cricket and memories of the fast bowling of Andy Roberts. Keith’s second poem was about his involvement with Southampton football club when, having done well in the selection process, he decided the accompanying violence/bullying wasn’t for him. It was suggested that some of the metaphors could be strengthened by shortening the lines and intensifying the language.

Nathan’s enigmatic  poem, Lilacs and Laments, was very well-received. A complex piece, expressing strong emotions, it stimulated quite a lot of discussion, and there was debate about the importance or otherwise of grammatical correctness in poetry. As usual, Nathan also presented a haiku, Sunshine, which was enjoyed.

Olivia read 3 pieces. The first, Dawn Rises over the Serengeti, was very amusing. The feedback from the group included the advice to read more slowly to enable the listeners to fully appreciate the humour. What if I Never Met You? was inspired by Sliding Doors and reflected the ‘what ifs’ of life. This was a thoughtful piece, humour often emphasising rather than detracting from the strength of feeling. The last piece, Make me Forget my Name, was virtually a prose poem and contained some beautiful lines, including the last line, ‘…in that moment, I became someone that both of us could love.’

Alan’s short story, About Face, was inspired by the homework subject of ‘Smiles’. Pace and tension, the usual Alan hallmarks, were very much present and the story succeeded in securing the listeners’ involvement in a story contained in just one side of A4.  The story features identical twins – one pleasant, one ghastly – but the denouement is so skilfully handled that this explanation still came as a satisfying surprise.

Heather contributed a poem, Hardwired, which sought to capture the indelible nature of memory when a traumatic event occurs. It was generally agreed that the poem succeeded in doing this, but there was much useful discussion about the appropriateness of the title. (The poet’s grasp of technology being flaky, to put it mildly, she has since changed this to Etched in Seconds and drawn a comparison with the ‘pastel  prettiness ‘ of earlier memories. Just saying!)

Liz used her time to talk about her northern trip, which included two poetry performances. She was keen to discuss the content and the format for recording these vivid memories. The group enjoyed hearing about Liz’s journey and her infectious enthusiasm, appreciating the nostalgia flowing from revisiting old haunts and seeing people not seen for many years. There was a feeling that Liz could make more information available to the reader/listener as they were not with her on her journey.

Next Meeting: Thursday, 18th June at 7.30pm

Chair: Nathan

Minutes: Simona

Milk and biscuits: Liz

Wine: Heather

Homework: Scavengers