AGM 2011
7th March 2011
Present: Margaret (chair), Liz, Tricia (Jo Cowell coordinator), Jean, Ishbel, Keith, Tom, Carol, Bryan, Alex (Treasurer), Julie, Judy, Sarah, (Secretary) Saime.
Apologies: Cec, Tim, Susan. 4. Jo Cowell Report from Tricia
Jo Cowell Report from Tricia
The Entries:
The number of entries this year was disappointing at 41. But they did come from far afield, such as mid Glamorgan, Dorset, Solihull and Bristol. The majority of our competition queries were done via emails.
The Judge:
The judge was Ron Ellis who was very helpful throughout. With his background in writing, brodcasting and photography he was a great asset to our competition.
The Winners:
1st PrizeJackie WinterTesting Times
2nd PrizeRhoda WatsonMy Wonderful Radio Times
3rd PrizeClare HayesIt’s Not Easy Being Ben
Highly commended R BlackA Night in Heaven
Julia Anderson The Grocer’s Apprentice
Marion FieldJohn Nelson Darby
Club WinnerKeith VenablesLiving With a Maasai Family
The presentation Evening
Held on the 9th November.
Ron Ellis gave a talk telling us his background and how he had chosen the winners. The 3rd Prize winner had come down from Morecambe and read her piece with such feeling we were all nearly in tears.
Our own Keith was there to read his winning entry and an enjoyable evening was had by all.
The Sums:
The amount received from entries was £155
Judges fees paid £84.50
Prizes £310
Loss of £239.50
New Jo Cowell Format:
Since the competition made such a loss last year it has been decided to do an inhouse competition. This year, it will take the shape of a Jo Cowell evening on the 18th July when members will be asked to bring a Children’s Story. The members on the evening will vote which entry is the winner and a small prize will be awarded.
The Chair thanked Tricia for all her hard work coordinating and running the Jo Cowell Competition.
5. Newletter Report from Julie
Julie has had computer difficulities but hopes to have everything back up and running soon, hoping to retrieve some lost material. Julie is hoping to get back on track with the newsletter, producing a spring, summer, autumn and winter edition. And asks that Owls send material to be included. Please send anything quirky, stories or work not read at the club, literary crosswords, photographs or anything that members think will make the newsletter interesting for others.
The Chair thanked Julie for all her hard work and commitment to the Owls newsletter.
6. President’s Report
In Cec’s absence, Judy reported that Cec wanted to remind all Owl members to access and use the Owl Blog at http:ormskirkowls.blogspot.com . The Chair extended thanks to our President.
7. Election of the Committee.
All members of committee stepped down. The following is the outcome of the new committee election.
Position MemberProposed Seconded
ChairKeith Margaert judy
Vice Chair Margaret SarahBryan
TreasurerAlex (cont.) CaroL lMargaret
SecretarySarah (cont.) Ishbel Carol
Jo CowellTricia (cont.) Carol Margaret
Newletter EditorJulie (cont.) Ishbel Sarah
Committee memberSaime Margaret Carol
Committee memberLiz Carol Margaret
8. Any Other Business
• Thank you was extended to Pat for all her hard work, commitment and help over the years, although not able to make it to the group as frequently, Pat is still a valued hon. Member and we send her our thanks and best wishes.
• Judy suggested an afternoon to discuss publishing, extra to our normal meetings to go into more detail and depth. Others mentioned the Ron Bartholomew events that have historically taken place at Owls. Members discussed whether this would take an informal discussion, learning or social aspect and whether we would meet for food. Places were suggested including The Sandpiper, The Red Lion, (both having suitable meeting rooms) or our usual venue. The Committee will meet to discuss this in depth in an extraordinary meeting on 28th March in the church meeting room.
• Sarah put it to Owl members that she had been approached by two published writers enquiring whether they could come and do readings. Members response was generally positive to this. We will also discuss this at the Committee meeting on the 28th March.
• Suggestions were made for a possible reader for the Dora Doyle poetry event. Carol will contact a potential reader, Sarah to follow up.
• Bryan, Ishbel and other Owl members have various paper, documents and anthologies from Owls history. The question was discussed as to what to do with this growing archive. It was suggested someone could collate and hold them, and the possibilities of scanning and electronic archiving. Saime volunteered to scan and electronically save some sample items.
Alex, on his travels, has found a glass/ resin cast owl, which he proposed could be a trophy to be awarded annually to the member with most progress shown in their writing. This would involve submitting three pieces over the year, to encourage writer development. Owls responded very positively to this suggestion.
Judy said she had been approached by Twinkle House to ask if we wanted to donate to be included in their community advertising pamphlet.
Jean raised concerns at security when using email and address security. An important point for all of us to bear in mind.
Bryan closed the night brilliantly with a reading of his story ‘The Apple Orchard’, which has just been printed in Lancashire Evening Post.
Wednesday, 9 March 2011
Sunday, 6 March 2011
SECRETARY'S REPORT
Secretary’s AGM report March 2010 - March 2011
7th March 2011
1. Meetings
We have had 20 meetings since the last Owl AGM. The following is a
synopsis.
8 manuscript nights, 2 workshops; a dialogue workshop from Alex
and a write on the night led by Tricia. We have had 4 themed manuscript
nights; love story, comedy script, science fiction and children’s fiction. We have had a poetry evening with members reading their own work, and a
literary night where members read an extract of their favourite texts. One firstliner night, starting “what do you mean, he’s not in his room?” We also had the 500 word story competition night for the local M/S society. Alex’s submission won overall. All stories and poems have been printed in the Local M/S Society newsletters.
TheJo Cowell Awards night, and the Dora Doyle poetry evening when Dave Ward
from the Windows Project in Liverpool presented and gave some exercises,
and the Christmas party, which although many were unable to come due to
illness and the poor weather, we still had an entertaining evening, with lovely nibbles.
We have had an average of 11 members at each meeting, with only one
meeting with just 8 members attending. We have hosted 13 visitors, four
of which have signed up as members. Thank you to all members for your
attendance and support of the club, and all the written contributions and
manuscripts. The members are what make the club.
3. Thank you to outgoing secretary
Thank outgoing secretaries, Judy and Ishbel who supported her, for all their fantastic work and organization over the years they have held the role.
4. Thank you to members for support.
Thank you for the support and encouragement shown by the Owls members
as I’ve stepped into the secretary position. A lot to learn, I’m sure I will make mistakes – thank you for all your help and patience.of which have signed up as members. Thank you to all members for your
attendance and support of the club, and all the written contributions and
manuscripts. The members are what make the club.
As I've stepped into the secretary position I have alot to learn, I’m sure.
Sarah Schofield
7th March 2011
1. Meetings
We have had 20 meetings since the last Owl AGM. The following is a
synopsis.
8 manuscript nights, 2 workshops; a dialogue workshop from Alex
and a write on the night led by Tricia. We have had 4 themed manuscript
nights; love story, comedy script, science fiction and children’s fiction. We have had a poetry evening with members reading their own work, and a
literary night where members read an extract of their favourite texts. One firstliner night, starting “what do you mean, he’s not in his room?” We also had the 500 word story competition night for the local M/S society. Alex’s submission won overall. All stories and poems have been printed in the Local M/S Society newsletters.
TheJo Cowell Awards night, and the Dora Doyle poetry evening when Dave Ward
from the Windows Project in Liverpool presented and gave some exercises,
and the Christmas party, which although many were unable to come due to
illness and the poor weather, we still had an entertaining evening, with lovely nibbles.
We have had an average of 11 members at each meeting, with only one
meeting with just 8 members attending. We have hosted 13 visitors, four
of which have signed up as members. Thank you to all members for your
attendance and support of the club, and all the written contributions and
manuscripts. The members are what make the club.
3. Thank you to outgoing secretary
Thank outgoing secretaries, Judy and Ishbel who supported her, for all their fantastic work and organization over the years they have held the role.
4. Thank you to members for support.
Thank you for the support and encouragement shown by the Owls members
as I’ve stepped into the secretary position. A lot to learn, I’m sure I will make mistakes – thank you for all your help and patience.of which have signed up as members. Thank you to all members for your
attendance and support of the club, and all the written contributions and
manuscripts. The members are what make the club.
As I've stepped into the secretary position I have alot to learn, I’m sure.
Sarah Schofield
Wednesday, 23 February 2011
Owls minutes
Owls minutes
20th February 2011 First-Liner Manuscript Night:
‘What do you mean he’s not in his room?’
Present: Margaret, Ishbel, Neil, Tim, Judy, Keith, Tom, Bryan, Alex, Carol, Saime, Sarah
Apologies: Dave (happy birthday!!), Liz, Cec, Pat, Susan
News
Alex is having his play ‘Gherkin and Biscuit’ performed as part of the Write Now Liverpool festival on 20th April. This is part of the Ten Tall Tower Tales Challenge, at the Actors Studio, Seel Street. See www.writenowfestival.co.uk for more details. Well done, Alex!
Readings
Judy shared the next installment of her therapeutic fiction for young people, following on from last time, called ‘Hidden Life’. The series, hopefully of ten stories in total, aims to focus on and reflect challenging issues that young people might face – creating a scenario that can then be discussed as a class. In this one, fifteen-year-old Sam has run away from home. The story is told from the perspective of his brother, nine-year-old Joe, who is aware that his older brother has been treated badly by his stepfather. The story explores this dysfunctional family as the younger brother wonders what he should do next. Owls found the story moving, and hoped to hear some of the questions that might go along side the story. Thoughts went into length of the stories to be appropriate for the young, shared-reading audience. We look forward to seeing how the series develops.
Keith read the beginning of a work in progress, called ‘Rebuilding’. Chris, an eleven-year-old boy, has disappeared with a bag and some clothing. As the story unfolds, we learn that the boy has left due to the endless arguments happening in the family. His mum and dad say: “He’s gone and it’s all your fault. You never leave him alone.” And “It takes two to make an argument.” We see the complexity of this family dynamic, including touching moments; the couple cease their arguments to hold hands as comfort for one another as they decide what to do next. Keith is still working on the crafting the ending. Owls found it an engaging and it sparked an interesting discussion about the nuances of words we, as writers, choose to use, in this example – haversack / rucksack / bags / satchels. Definitely a story to be completed and shared at Owls again!
Tom had worked the first liner into a couple of brilliantly funny poems. The first was a swift review of the difficulties of working the first line into a poem that scanned and rhymed effectively.
The second was ‘Empty Rooms at mine and Mabel’s’ a sparkling witty poem about a errant best man on a groom’s wedding day; “missing in the line of duty in a bachelor’s ultimate hour.” It turns out that not only the best man, but the ring and the bride have also done a bunk to sea… “in a cabin financed by me.” Owls loved the twist at the end and were impressed by the humour gleaned from a challenging first line!
Bryan shared two stories; one sad and one humorous. Firstly, the sad one, ‘In the Well’ was a haunting tale of a close-knit Wiltshire village where a local, Lily, kept seeing a face appearing at her window. The speculation of a stranger staying at the village inn added to the tension. Then the face at the window is identified, and we hear the story of the baby lost in the well. Owls found the story intriguing, especially the historic details about the house. And enjoyed the understated well written style; “I was helping Mother move the table when it happened.”
Bryan’s second story, ‘Uncle Bill’ was a comedy about unwanted house guests and a missing painting affectionately named Uncle Bill, that, although not greatly loved, could be worth a bob or two if it really was as suspected an original Picasso. Owls loved the light tone and the great ending line.
Alex read ‘Not Again’, a clever story with an intriguing twist and an interesting two perspective structure, from two brothers. One has escaped from a hospital and the other is wondering where to find him. Worrying about what he might do. Owls enjoyed the fresh structure and the ambiguity woven through the plot right through until the ending. Very well handled.
Margaret shared ‘Bloody Madonna’, a harrowing tale about a pedophile ring. Liza has been dragged into picking children off the streets for sex trafficking. Liza finds a way to rescue the boy they have locked in the room upstairs but Dawson discovers the plan. And only one person will escape. An intriguing tale that sparked discussion about place and setting.
Neil created a poem from the first line called ‘Seasons of Sorrow,’ an evocative poem, with a gothic edge, that left Owls marveling. Neil expressed that he had aimed not to go too far from the line. “He is the living corpse on that cart drawn horse / whose remorse we did follow, /once our son’s heart became hollow.” An effective poem that left owls intrigued by its time and place. Definitely one that requires more than one read through.
Tim read a new piece of Sci –fi, cleverly using the first line. ‘Professor Verne’s Spaces’ saw a young student, Luke, attempting to get in contact with Professor Verne, who was in the middle of a very important conference, as an iron producing asteroid approaches. Owls thoroughly enjoyed this story, with lots of well written dialogue, and great descriptions; “manicured voice of the receptionist” and “amazing ability to project voice without shouting.” Great observational writing.
Carol read an extract from her new novel in progress. In this one, we see more from Jenna and the complexities of her relationship with her daughter Mandy. The passage drew out some parallels between Jenna and Mandy’s situation and the family of Lily, who have gone through a similar experience of a missing child, albeit on a longer time frame. Carol explained that her next completed novel is being processed, and she is working hard on this new title in the mean time. Carol’s reading led to a discussion on how to get on with big projects without distraction, and about prioritising our writing. And how distracting emails can be!
A wonderfully varied evening of readings. A smorgasbord of quality and different genres and themes, all produced from the same first line. Great stuff.
Next meeting will be on 7th March. The AGM.
20th February 2011 First-Liner Manuscript Night:
‘What do you mean he’s not in his room?’
Present: Margaret, Ishbel, Neil, Tim, Judy, Keith, Tom, Bryan, Alex, Carol, Saime, Sarah
Apologies: Dave (happy birthday!!), Liz, Cec, Pat, Susan
News
Alex is having his play ‘Gherkin and Biscuit’ performed as part of the Write Now Liverpool festival on 20th April. This is part of the Ten Tall Tower Tales Challenge, at the Actors Studio, Seel Street. See www.writenowfestival.co.uk for more details. Well done, Alex!
Readings
Judy shared the next installment of her therapeutic fiction for young people, following on from last time, called ‘Hidden Life’. The series, hopefully of ten stories in total, aims to focus on and reflect challenging issues that young people might face – creating a scenario that can then be discussed as a class. In this one, fifteen-year-old Sam has run away from home. The story is told from the perspective of his brother, nine-year-old Joe, who is aware that his older brother has been treated badly by his stepfather. The story explores this dysfunctional family as the younger brother wonders what he should do next. Owls found the story moving, and hoped to hear some of the questions that might go along side the story. Thoughts went into length of the stories to be appropriate for the young, shared-reading audience. We look forward to seeing how the series develops.
Keith read the beginning of a work in progress, called ‘Rebuilding’. Chris, an eleven-year-old boy, has disappeared with a bag and some clothing. As the story unfolds, we learn that the boy has left due to the endless arguments happening in the family. His mum and dad say: “He’s gone and it’s all your fault. You never leave him alone.” And “It takes two to make an argument.” We see the complexity of this family dynamic, including touching moments; the couple cease their arguments to hold hands as comfort for one another as they decide what to do next. Keith is still working on the crafting the ending. Owls found it an engaging and it sparked an interesting discussion about the nuances of words we, as writers, choose to use, in this example – haversack / rucksack / bags / satchels. Definitely a story to be completed and shared at Owls again!
Tom had worked the first liner into a couple of brilliantly funny poems. The first was a swift review of the difficulties of working the first line into a poem that scanned and rhymed effectively.
The second was ‘Empty Rooms at mine and Mabel’s’ a sparkling witty poem about a errant best man on a groom’s wedding day; “missing in the line of duty in a bachelor’s ultimate hour.” It turns out that not only the best man, but the ring and the bride have also done a bunk to sea… “in a cabin financed by me.” Owls loved the twist at the end and were impressed by the humour gleaned from a challenging first line!
Bryan shared two stories; one sad and one humorous. Firstly, the sad one, ‘In the Well’ was a haunting tale of a close-knit Wiltshire village where a local, Lily, kept seeing a face appearing at her window. The speculation of a stranger staying at the village inn added to the tension. Then the face at the window is identified, and we hear the story of the baby lost in the well. Owls found the story intriguing, especially the historic details about the house. And enjoyed the understated well written style; “I was helping Mother move the table when it happened.”
Bryan’s second story, ‘Uncle Bill’ was a comedy about unwanted house guests and a missing painting affectionately named Uncle Bill, that, although not greatly loved, could be worth a bob or two if it really was as suspected an original Picasso. Owls loved the light tone and the great ending line.
Alex read ‘Not Again’, a clever story with an intriguing twist and an interesting two perspective structure, from two brothers. One has escaped from a hospital and the other is wondering where to find him. Worrying about what he might do. Owls enjoyed the fresh structure and the ambiguity woven through the plot right through until the ending. Very well handled.
Margaret shared ‘Bloody Madonna’, a harrowing tale about a pedophile ring. Liza has been dragged into picking children off the streets for sex trafficking. Liza finds a way to rescue the boy they have locked in the room upstairs but Dawson discovers the plan. And only one person will escape. An intriguing tale that sparked discussion about place and setting.
Neil created a poem from the first line called ‘Seasons of Sorrow,’ an evocative poem, with a gothic edge, that left Owls marveling. Neil expressed that he had aimed not to go too far from the line. “He is the living corpse on that cart drawn horse / whose remorse we did follow, /once our son’s heart became hollow.” An effective poem that left owls intrigued by its time and place. Definitely one that requires more than one read through.
Tim read a new piece of Sci –fi, cleverly using the first line. ‘Professor Verne’s Spaces’ saw a young student, Luke, attempting to get in contact with Professor Verne, who was in the middle of a very important conference, as an iron producing asteroid approaches. Owls thoroughly enjoyed this story, with lots of well written dialogue, and great descriptions; “manicured voice of the receptionist” and “amazing ability to project voice without shouting.” Great observational writing.
Carol read an extract from her new novel in progress. In this one, we see more from Jenna and the complexities of her relationship with her daughter Mandy. The passage drew out some parallels between Jenna and Mandy’s situation and the family of Lily, who have gone through a similar experience of a missing child, albeit on a longer time frame. Carol explained that her next completed novel is being processed, and she is working hard on this new title in the mean time. Carol’s reading led to a discussion on how to get on with big projects without distraction, and about prioritising our writing. And how distracting emails can be!
A wonderfully varied evening of readings. A smorgasbord of quality and different genres and themes, all produced from the same first line. Great stuff.
Next meeting will be on 7th March. The AGM.
Wednesday, 12 January 2011
Monday, 13 December 2010
CHRISTMAS MEETNIG
OWLS minutes
6th December 2010
Christmas Meeting
Present: Helen, Tim, Sarah, Judy, Margaret, Graham, Carol, Julie, Saime, Tom,
Sheila.
Apologies: Jean Finch, Dave, Cecil, Pat, Ishbel, Tricia, Alex, Sue, Keith, Liz, Bryan.
As you all know, we have postponed the Murder Mystery Night as many people
were unable to attend tonight. New date for murder mystery is 21st February.
Those of us who were able to attend feasted on fabulous nibbles, homemade
samosas and delicious meringues and shared and listened to the 300 word
humorous pieces.
Tim wrote a short play, with a royal setting. In ‘Her Majesty’, the parts of The
Queen and Philip were played brilliantly by Judy and Graham. Margaret and Tom
played excellent servants. An entertaining script, which culminated in searching
for a special jade hair clip in the corgis poop bin.
Judy read excellently, ‘A Cheery Phone call’ a piece of performance prose. A
cleverly devised piece that definitely deserves another outing! so I won’t give too
much away here!
Margaret shared ‘Grandma at Christmas’; a clever and funny piece about
families at Christmas, the expectations, difficulties and clashes. Something
perhaps we can all relate to in one way or other.
Bryan’s poem, ‘Uncle Henry’ was read for the group. A very funny poem about
feeding up the Christmas bird that becomes somewhat of a family pet. Perhaps,
on Christmas day, they could have Chinese instead?!
Cec submitted his humorous piece ‘Big Bang’, which was enjoyed by all. A very
funny take on the current events on Strictly Come Dancing with the popular
dance duo, Widdecombe and Anton Du Beke.
Sarah read ‘My Santa List’ a letter to santa, in three categories; ‘things I would
love…’, ‘things that would be useful…’ and ‘things that should never appear in a
stocking…’
Tim was unanimously agreed as our winner for the humorous writing piece on
the night. Well done, Tim! A book voucher will be awarded. Tim gave a lengthy
and carefully written acceptance speech. It went; “Thank you.”
Carol had everyone giggling with some clever howlers taken from an article in
Writing Magazine, of the writing faux pas and other odd expressions where a
good edit would have been advisable. Two of these:
“The man was eating a fish that still had its head on and was drinking red
wine in great gulps.”
And
“Smoke curled round her shoulders like a ferret.”
Tom performed some brilliant recitals from the great Robb Wilton. This
proved both an entertainment for all and an education for those of us unfamiliar with
Wilton’s work.
Sheila gave a performance of an extract from Shirley Valentine, that she had
previously prepared for a U3A meeting. In the extract, Shirley is talking to
the wall, and recalling her son, Brian, in the nativity play. Excellently
delivered and much enjoyed.
A fantastic night with lots of humour and Christmas cheer! Wishing everyone a
lovely peaceful Christmas and New Year.
Next meeting, 17th January 2011, will be a manuscript night.
6th December 2010
Christmas Meeting
Present: Helen, Tim, Sarah, Judy, Margaret, Graham, Carol, Julie, Saime, Tom,
Sheila.
Apologies: Jean Finch, Dave, Cecil, Pat, Ishbel, Tricia, Alex, Sue, Keith, Liz, Bryan.
As you all know, we have postponed the Murder Mystery Night as many people
were unable to attend tonight. New date for murder mystery is 21st February.
Those of us who were able to attend feasted on fabulous nibbles, homemade
samosas and delicious meringues and shared and listened to the 300 word
humorous pieces.
Tim wrote a short play, with a royal setting. In ‘Her Majesty’, the parts of The
Queen and Philip were played brilliantly by Judy and Graham. Margaret and Tom
played excellent servants. An entertaining script, which culminated in searching
for a special jade hair clip in the corgis poop bin.
Judy read excellently, ‘A Cheery Phone call’ a piece of performance prose. A
cleverly devised piece that definitely deserves another outing! so I won’t give too
much away here!
Margaret shared ‘Grandma at Christmas’; a clever and funny piece about
families at Christmas, the expectations, difficulties and clashes. Something
perhaps we can all relate to in one way or other.
Bryan’s poem, ‘Uncle Henry’ was read for the group. A very funny poem about
feeding up the Christmas bird that becomes somewhat of a family pet. Perhaps,
on Christmas day, they could have Chinese instead?!
Cec submitted his humorous piece ‘Big Bang’, which was enjoyed by all. A very
funny take on the current events on Strictly Come Dancing with the popular
dance duo, Widdecombe and Anton Du Beke.
Sarah read ‘My Santa List’ a letter to santa, in three categories; ‘things I would
love…’, ‘things that would be useful…’ and ‘things that should never appear in a
stocking…’
Tim was unanimously agreed as our winner for the humorous writing piece on
the night. Well done, Tim! A book voucher will be awarded. Tim gave a lengthy
and carefully written acceptance speech. It went; “Thank you.”
Carol had everyone giggling with some clever howlers taken from an article in
Writing Magazine, of the writing faux pas and other odd expressions where a
good edit would have been advisable. Two of these:
“The man was eating a fish that still had its head on and was drinking red
wine in great gulps.”
And
“Smoke curled round her shoulders like a ferret.”
Tom performed some brilliant recitals from the great Robb Wilton. This
proved both an entertainment for all and an education for those of us unfamiliar with
Wilton’s work.
Sheila gave a performance of an extract from Shirley Valentine, that she had
previously prepared for a U3A meeting. In the extract, Shirley is talking to
the wall, and recalling her son, Brian, in the nativity play. Excellently
delivered and much enjoyed.
A fantastic night with lots of humour and Christmas cheer! Wishing everyone a
lovely peaceful Christmas and New Year.
Next meeting, 17th January 2011, will be a manuscript night.
Thursday, 11 November 2010
For Cats' Sake
FREE CAT CALENDAR 2011 TO DOWNLOAD! PDF OR WORD DOC:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4692947/2011%20A%20Calendar.pdf
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4692947/2011%20A%20Calendar.doc
Happy New Year everybody!
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4692947/2011%20A%20Calendar.pdf
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4692947/2011%20A%20Calendar.doc
Happy New Year everybody!
Wednesday, 3 November 2010
The minutes of the poetry evening
Owls 1st November 2010 Poetry Night
Present: Judy, Cec, Keith, Liz, Tim, Sarah, Saime, Tricia and Dave Aplogies: Susan, Maragaret, Alex, Pat.
News and updates.
All OWLS encouraged to come to the next OWLS session on 15th November, which is the Jo Cowell Award night. Those who have entered are especially encouraged to come along. We will be welcoming judge Ron Ellis and enjoying light refreshments.
Waterstones have paid up for the copies of the recent OWLS anthology – a welcome boost to the funds.
Cec has some copies of past OWLS anthologies, and his own collections, which are available to purchase – all donations to go towards OWLS funds.
Sarah has agreed to take on the role of secretary for a twelve month period, beginning in January, with a short hand over period from Judy.
Readings.
Judy shared ‘Our Venice Cruise’; a light-hearted poem about her recent holiday. Touching on colourful images – eating pasta, Gaudi and noisy Americans! Members especially enjoyed the smuggled Bacardi and Coke.
Tim read part of his novel in progress, ‘2173’, taken this time from earlier on in the story. The family are searching for a place to make home. Tim was aiming for more dialogue. Members enjoyed the beautiful outdoors descriptions and the lovely poetic opening, the quick movement into action, the emotional content and the taste and senses evoked. Brilliantly read. Tim is considering creating a very brief synopsis of the novel to help listeners place the action for future manusript readings.
Dave read us ‘Autumn’. A gorgeous spare poem creating a picture of the season. “A drop of just a few degrees…/ Sun hangs lower in the sky…” A reflective piece reminding us how the changing seasons makes us stop and reflect.
Keith read us ‘A View From my window on a Winters Morning’. A poem reflecting the frozen still bleakness of winter, and the feelings of hope inspired by a small robin visitor. A beautiful poem with lots of strong imagery that had us convinced it was a true tale.
Cec read ‘What a Wonderful Party’, a poem inspired by an OWLS Christmas party he was unable to attend due to illness, when a play was performed, including songs, involving lots of members – some who are still with us today. A lovely reflection back for those who remembered it, and a pleasant insight into OWLS past for those who were not there.
Tricia shared ‘Dresses For Life’ a poem written for a Writers Magazine competition. The brief was that the last line had to be “and so she wore her little black dress.” No easy task! We loved the poignancy of the poem Tricia created, and also the ambiguity of the final lines.
Cec read another poem, reflecting an encounter with a computer virus. Something others could relate to. ‘Sinclair Open Windows’ explored his relationship with his grandson, teaching him basic computer skills as a child, so he was then able, as an adult, to come and fix the computer when its malfunctioned! A poem that spoke to us all in different ways.
Judy read ‘Autumn Leaves’, which started as a word play on leaves, leaving etc. a gorgeous evocative piece, creating the images of scattered leaves. Initially, the poem was planned with a cyclic structure, autumn leading to winter and eventually spring. But seemed to work better as a single season. This led to interesting discussion about poems as stories. Keith shared that he will often leave out verses he has written that at the time helped form the poem but later are excluded. Or reintroduced in the drafting and redrafting process. Helpful poetry thoughts!
Tricia shared a poem with three possible titles… pick your favourite. ‘Autumn / 1st September / September Morning’ the poem was a series of stoccatto illustrations of an autumn day.
‘Swallows gather, geese glide in/ skin covered, tan forgotten, fleece found / back door’s closed, lamps lit, cosy corners…’
One member described the poem like an artists palette. Very evocative.
Cec read us ‘Harvest’ a visually atmospheric poem about harvest time, focussing on new versus traditional styles of farming and agriculture. A poem that sparked memories for lots of members.
Tricia read her next ‘Ted’ instalment. ‘Ted in Kennels’ a humorous and heart warming tale of Ted the dog, following on from the previous ‘Ted in Love’ and ‘Ted in Trouble’. The plot was tense and entertaining for all. The lovely believable animal characters were especially highlighted by members. Some members felt it would work best as a children’s story, especially one to be read by an adult to a child, proving entertaining and engaging for both.
Dave shared ‘Circles we Turn’, new lyrics he has created to go to the melody of ‘Send in the Clowns’. An emotive and poignant piece.
And ‘Upon a Hillside’ a beautifully formed poem about the cold season sheltering from the weather. It was inspired by a moment on Snowdon. Very atmospheric.
Judy read a touching poem ‘A Bee – autiful Kindness’ a heart warming poem about rescuing a bumble bee. A lovely way to end a great poetry night.
A fantastic night of poetry, and a couple of manuscripts thrown in for good measure, with a common theme of Autumn and winter. We all seem to have been inspired by the recent cold snap.
Keep writing! And hope to see all at the Jo Cowell night on 15th November in the usual place and time.
Minutes written by Sarah Scholfield
Present: Judy, Cec, Keith, Liz, Tim, Sarah, Saime, Tricia and Dave Aplogies: Susan, Maragaret, Alex, Pat.
News and updates.
All OWLS encouraged to come to the next OWLS session on 15th November, which is the Jo Cowell Award night. Those who have entered are especially encouraged to come along. We will be welcoming judge Ron Ellis and enjoying light refreshments.
Waterstones have paid up for the copies of the recent OWLS anthology – a welcome boost to the funds.
Cec has some copies of past OWLS anthologies, and his own collections, which are available to purchase – all donations to go towards OWLS funds.
Sarah has agreed to take on the role of secretary for a twelve month period, beginning in January, with a short hand over period from Judy.
Readings.
Judy shared ‘Our Venice Cruise’; a light-hearted poem about her recent holiday. Touching on colourful images – eating pasta, Gaudi and noisy Americans! Members especially enjoyed the smuggled Bacardi and Coke.
Tim read part of his novel in progress, ‘2173’, taken this time from earlier on in the story. The family are searching for a place to make home. Tim was aiming for more dialogue. Members enjoyed the beautiful outdoors descriptions and the lovely poetic opening, the quick movement into action, the emotional content and the taste and senses evoked. Brilliantly read. Tim is considering creating a very brief synopsis of the novel to help listeners place the action for future manusript readings.
Dave read us ‘Autumn’. A gorgeous spare poem creating a picture of the season. “A drop of just a few degrees…/ Sun hangs lower in the sky…” A reflective piece reminding us how the changing seasons makes us stop and reflect.
Keith read us ‘A View From my window on a Winters Morning’. A poem reflecting the frozen still bleakness of winter, and the feelings of hope inspired by a small robin visitor. A beautiful poem with lots of strong imagery that had us convinced it was a true tale.
Cec read ‘What a Wonderful Party’, a poem inspired by an OWLS Christmas party he was unable to attend due to illness, when a play was performed, including songs, involving lots of members – some who are still with us today. A lovely reflection back for those who remembered it, and a pleasant insight into OWLS past for those who were not there.
Tricia shared ‘Dresses For Life’ a poem written for a Writers Magazine competition. The brief was that the last line had to be “and so she wore her little black dress.” No easy task! We loved the poignancy of the poem Tricia created, and also the ambiguity of the final lines.
Cec read another poem, reflecting an encounter with a computer virus. Something others could relate to. ‘Sinclair Open Windows’ explored his relationship with his grandson, teaching him basic computer skills as a child, so he was then able, as an adult, to come and fix the computer when its malfunctioned! A poem that spoke to us all in different ways.
Judy read ‘Autumn Leaves’, which started as a word play on leaves, leaving etc. a gorgeous evocative piece, creating the images of scattered leaves. Initially, the poem was planned with a cyclic structure, autumn leading to winter and eventually spring. But seemed to work better as a single season. This led to interesting discussion about poems as stories. Keith shared that he will often leave out verses he has written that at the time helped form the poem but later are excluded. Or reintroduced in the drafting and redrafting process. Helpful poetry thoughts!
Tricia shared a poem with three possible titles… pick your favourite. ‘Autumn / 1st September / September Morning’ the poem was a series of stoccatto illustrations of an autumn day.
‘Swallows gather, geese glide in/ skin covered, tan forgotten, fleece found / back door’s closed, lamps lit, cosy corners…’
One member described the poem like an artists palette. Very evocative.
Cec read us ‘Harvest’ a visually atmospheric poem about harvest time, focussing on new versus traditional styles of farming and agriculture. A poem that sparked memories for lots of members.
Tricia read her next ‘Ted’ instalment. ‘Ted in Kennels’ a humorous and heart warming tale of Ted the dog, following on from the previous ‘Ted in Love’ and ‘Ted in Trouble’. The plot was tense and entertaining for all. The lovely believable animal characters were especially highlighted by members. Some members felt it would work best as a children’s story, especially one to be read by an adult to a child, proving entertaining and engaging for both.
Dave shared ‘Circles we Turn’, new lyrics he has created to go to the melody of ‘Send in the Clowns’. An emotive and poignant piece.
And ‘Upon a Hillside’ a beautifully formed poem about the cold season sheltering from the weather. It was inspired by a moment on Snowdon. Very atmospheric.
Judy read a touching poem ‘A Bee – autiful Kindness’ a heart warming poem about rescuing a bumble bee. A lovely way to end a great poetry night.
A fantastic night of poetry, and a couple of manuscripts thrown in for good measure, with a common theme of Autumn and winter. We all seem to have been inspired by the recent cold snap.
Keep writing! And hope to see all at the Jo Cowell night on 15th November in the usual place and time.
Minutes written by Sarah Scholfield
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