Formed over forty years ago, our Writers Circle is based in Felixstowe, Suffolk. Meetings are held in The Room at the Top in Felixstowe Library, normally on the first and third Tuesday of each month commencing at 7.30pm and finishing by 10.00pm. Check this weblog for details of meetings.

There is an annual November to November fee of £30, April to November is £20 and June to November £15. For members preferring to pay at each meeting the charge is £5 per meeting. To contact Felixstowe Scribblers simply email scribblers.1@btinternet.com or the Secretary, catherine.stafford1@ntlworld.com

Saturday 31 July 2010

Our Next Meeting



Rapidly approaching! Our next gathering is on Tuesday 3rd August when the homework theme of up to 1,000 words is "Chicken". Start time 7.30 in the Room at The Top, Felixstowe Library.

Wednesday 28 July 2010

Writing Spirit Award 2010

Writing Spirit Award 2010 – 2nd Round Fiction and Poetry Shortlist Announced

Writing4all is delighted to announce the 2nd round shortlist for fiction and poetry in this year's Writing Spirit Award competition:

Fiction

The Thing with Feathers by Natalie Ryan
Hickory Hill by Rachael Foster
Dangerous Thoughts by Adam Bentzien
And Time Won by Kathleen Curtin
Garland by Ted Shudds

Poetry

Playing Tennis, Snowman and others by Frank Farrelly
Mon-eyed Master Thieves, A Contrast and others by D.J. Browne
White Lies, Incandescent and others by Breda Joyce
Sunrise on a Misty Morning, The Winter of My Soul and others by Sue A. Morgan

Congratulations to all. The third round is now open to submissions and will conclude on 30 September, with announcement of the shortlist in mid-October. Full rules on how to enter can be read here: http://www.writing4all.ie/site/catalogues/entry/writing4all_writing/yes.htm

Friday 23 July 2010

Remember Kate?

One time member of the Scribblers Kate is now making her name in the world of art .
From a feature in the Ipswich Evening Star on Friday 23rd July.

Click on the image to enlarge.

CREATIVE WORKS COMPETITION

CALL FOR ENTRIES: AESTHETICA CREATIVE WORKS COMPETITION


I was in touch recently with some information about the Aesthetica Creative Works Competition and just wanted to remind you of the opportunity for members of Felixstowe Scribblers. We've got some fantastic new prizes lined up including a selection of beautiful art books from Prestel publishing and I do hope that some of your writers will be interested in the opportunity!

Last year we had a great response from writers across the UK and I hope the Scribblers members will particpate. An Aesthetica Creative Works Competition poster can be downloaded by CLICKING HERE .

Aesthetica Creative Works Competition 2010

The Aesthetica Creative Works Competition is now open for entries! Aesthetica Magazine is inviting all artists, writers and poets to submit their work into the Aesthetica Creative Works Competition 2010. Now in its third year, the Creative Works Competition is dedicated to celebrating and championing creative talent across three disciplines, identifying new artists and writers and bringing them to international attention.

Previous finalists have achieved success and recognition with accolades including: writing commissions from Channel 4, selection to represent Australia in the Florence Biennale, exhibitions at DACS (London), John Martin Gallery (London), Flores Fine Art Gallery (New York), inclusion in the International Drawing Competition exhibition (Poland) and the National Geographic International Photographic exhibition

The Competition has three categories, Artwork, Poetry and Fiction.
Winners and finalists are published in the Aesthetica Creative Works Annual.
Winners of each category receive £500 prize money plus other prizes.

Entry to the Creative Works Competition is £10.
The entry fee allows the submission of 2 images, 2 poems or 2 short stories.

The deadline for submissions is the 31st August 2010.
More guidelines on how to submit can be found online at http://www.aestheticamagazine.com/submission_guide.htm

I do hope that the Felixstowe Scribblers will be interested in the opportunity.

Bryony Byrne
Marketing Officer
Aesthetica Magazine
PO Box 371
York
YO23 1WL
01904 479168
bryony@aestheticamagazine.com
www.aestheticamagazine.com

Keep up to date with arts and culture news on the Aesthetica blog at aestheticamagazine.blogspot.com

Wednesday 21 July 2010






"The Rider Who Was Saviour - Sid Clark"
by Dave Feakes.




Published on the Ipswich Speedway website at http://www.ipswichspeedway.com/sid-clark-(1925--2010)

For the poets amongst us

To enlarge simply click on the image.

Last night's meeting

A nice turn-out including two new members for our creative writing evening. A terrific meeting with plenty of excellent work and a great deal of laughter. A real Felixstowe Scribblers experience!

Tuesday 20 July 2010

New Writer prizes up for grabs

Prose and Poetry Prizes 2010
from The New Writer magazine
Closing date 30 November
Established in 1997, one of the major annual international competitions for short stories, novellas, single poems, poetry collections, essays and articles; offers cash prizes as well as publication for the prize-winning writers in The Collection, special edition of The New Writer magazine.

Back copies of recent issues of The Collection are available at the TNW website:
http://www.thenewwriter.com/subscribe.htm
Further information including guidelines and entry fees at: http://www.thenewwriter.com/prizes.htm
Writers can enter online at our secure credit card server at: http://www.thenewwriter.com/entryform.htm
Or, the entry form can also be downloaded from that page on the website and sent in the post with your entry.

Also, we can supply this years printed Entry Forms on request, and in bulk to writers' groups and organizations in the UK – just let us know, no SAE required.

The winners of the 2009 Prose & Poetry Prizes are listed on this webpage:
http://www.thenewwriter.com/prizewinners.htm

*

The New Writer magazine
In order to better handle these difficult economic times, TNW will move to quarterly publication from this autumn. However, the cover price of the magazine and the price of a subscription will not change. Instead, subscribers will receive 6 issues over a one and a half year period and at least 18 news emails. We know that many will find this a more attractive proposition, allowing more time to read each issue. We'll also devote greater space in the bigger, brighter and better new-look TNW to subscribers’ work. As part of the subscription package, and at no extra cost, we will continue to include all the key market information in a more focussed monthly eNews bulletin.

You can subscribe now, whether for one and a half years or for three years at our reduced rates, at:
http://www.thenewwriter.com/subscribe.htm

For a free recent copy of the magazine send A4 SAE stamped at 81p (Large Letter) or 2 x first class stamps (UK) whatever's easier, or 5 International Reply Coupons (IRCs) to the address below.

The New Writer email News is included free of charge in our subscription package. This monthly emailing to our subscribers covers breaking news of urgent interest to writers, important announcements that we receive too late for the next issue of the magazine, and many other useful items including market updates, competitions and calls for submissions. If you would like to read the latest email News bulletin go to http://www.thenewwriter.com/ and click on the pink box.

TNW - over 100 issues * over 1,000 contributors * full listing at:
http://www.thenewwriter.com/RollOfHonour.htm

admin@thenewwriter.com
www.thenewwriter.com

Saturday 17 July 2010

Storypods online competition

Would members like to try their skills at writing a piece of nonsense verse or prose and entering it into Storypods' online competition?

This competition is linked with Oxford's recent Alice's Day celebrations.

The rules are: maximum 200 words; up to 3 submissions per person; deadline 28 July 2010. Submissions to be sent to: liz@storypods.co.uk
If the winners agree to it, their entries will be recorded by a professional actor and offered as a free download from our website. The authors retain all rights but we retain the right to name the winners and post submissions on our webpage.

The prize for the two best entries will be Storypods' Alice in Wonderland & Nonsense Verse and Prose audiobook. This Oxford CD was played on BBC Radio Oxford and reviewed by The Times' reviewer. Further details on http://www.oxfordstorypods.com/nons-comp.html

Creative Writing Evening

Our next meeting takes places on Tuesday 20th July at 7.30pm in the Room at The Top.

Bring along four words each written on a separate piece of paper.... then let the creativity sparkle!

Friday 16 July 2010

Secure Investment in Education for Felixstowe

Anyone with an interest in education on Felixstowe, Suffolk -read this!

The government announced last week that the BSF programme would not take place for many schools across England. In Suffolk, ‘wave 6’ of the programme (including our project in Felixstowe) was stopped for all but two projects. One of those is the new Felixstowe Academy. The government lists this as ‘for discussion’ and I am currently working with our local MP (Therese Coffey), the Local Authority, governing bodies from both High Schools and the Academies Enterprise Trust (the academy sponsors) to let the government know how important it is that Felixstowe retains the investment of £32 million.

I want to take this opportunity to reiterate the argument I originally put forward through the BSF consultation process for one school on one site in Felixstowe:
• A brand new school on one site would allow the current high schools to be combined allowing for greater opportunity for personalisation of learning, opportunities to access courses and resources and operate more efficiently, providing value for money;
• We currently operate in buildings which are not fit for purpose. Education is changing and we need to be able to change the way we work to help students to learn more effectively. A brand new building would allow us to be able to design the building from scratch to suit the needs of the learner, rather than the other way round as it currently is;
• A new school would mean that we can put the educational past behind and build on the successes of the current schools to make something new we can all be proud of for our students.

In short, I want a brand new school with excellent facilities and outcomes to make a bold statement about education in Felixstowe!
Mr R Cawley
Executive Headteacher

Sign the petition here

Thursday 15 July 2010

WritingRaw.com

Join the Literary Evolution – only on WritingRaw.com!

WritingRaw continues to evolve and grow - allowing more of everything to be on the site… more writing in all our categories, more book and publishing news (updated daily), more art (with daily updated cartoons), more interactive features (the Wall), and other informative and entertaining bits and pieces. Over the next few days and weeks we will be adding some other NEW features (including an interactive section that will allow all of us to create the longest running poem in history, a never-ending short story and a section where you - the reader - can post Shout-Outs about upcoming releases or other information you would like to share) to the site to make it more creative. So, sit back and open your mind… WritingRaw is stepping into the future of literature like no other site on the web!

The July 15 issue of WritingRaw.com is NOW online: Writing Raw is a FREE literary ezine dedicated to new and emerging writers. Our goal at Writing Raw is simple - to serve the literary community with the opportunity to have their work online and out in the world. In this world of disappearing literary magazines, Writing Raw is providing the blank pages for writers to fill.

We also support other sites that help writers: www.WritingRaw.com believes in reaching out to other sites, writing groups, forums, and organizations. Contact us on how you can place a FREE banner, announcement or link on our site!

Or, use the Writing Raw Book Store to promote your novel or poetry collection: If you have a novel or collection that you would like to place in our store, we would be more than happy to do so – for FREE. Just send us a copy of the cover of the book, a brief synopsis, and a link as to where the material can be purchased.

Keep on Scribbling

An email has been sent out to ten random members of the Scribblers inviting them to use our new weblog "Keep On Scribbling".

This is intended to be used to post work on the weblog that can be viewed and commented on only by invited members. This idea is currently a trial which should help members to receive feedback on their work.

If you have received an invitation then hopefully you will accept and use the facility. If you have not received an invite but would like to be included then please email scribblers@btinternet.com

Wednesday 14 July 2010

United Press competitions

For details of the United Press poetry competitions visit their website at http://www.unitedpress.co.uk/competitions/

The Suffolk Book League Short Story Competition

About the Suffolk Book League

The Suffolk Book League (SBL) was founded in 1982 and has introduced a varied programme of novelists, historians, poets, biographers and social commentators to speak in Suffolk. Our honorary president is Margaret Drabble.

Past speakers have included Deborah Moggach, Alexander McCall Smith, Julie Myerson, Doris Lessing, Francis Wheen, PD James, Louis de Bernieres, Sarah Waters and David Starkey.

The SBL is a registered charity (number 296783), the aim of which is to promote, encourage, foster or strengthen by all and every suitable means the habit of reading and the wider and more general distribution of books, by and among all people. We are involved in various community projects such as 'The Big Read'.

We also publish a regular newsletter for our members, Book Talk.

Short Story Competition 2010

The Suffolk Book League short story competition is intended to encourage adults living, working or studying in Suffolk who are beginning to write fiction. Young adult writers are particularly encouraged and there is no upper age limit for entrants.

Prizes: £100 in book tokens for the winner and £25 in book tokens for the runner-up. Both will receive a year’s free membership to the SBL. The winning entry will appear in the SBL magazine ‘BookTalk’

The deadline is 30 September 2010.
Click here for the entry form (PDF, 136kb)

Click here for the rules (PDF, 55kb)

Both files will open in a new window, from where you can print or save.

25th Anniversary Celebration 1982 - 2007

We celebrated our 25th Anniversary with a celebrity concert of words and music on September 11th 2007 at the Seckford Theatre, Woodbridge.

Actress and film star Jenny Agutter read exerts from Jane Austen, Fanny Burney, Mary Robinson, Aphra Benn and Mary Wollstoncraft.

International concert pianist Diana Ambache played music from Jane Austen's period with oboe player Jeremy Polmear. They performed works by amongst others Bach, Teleman, Purcell and Robert Schumann. Some of the pieces were found in Jane Austen's library. The programme included works Handel, Hasse and Michael Kelly from her music books. Other music was by Austen’s English female contemporaries, such as Cecilia Barthélemon (1770-c1840), Jane Guest (1765-1814) and Maria Hester Park (1760-1813), all of whom were friends with Haydn on his London visits.

Margaret Drabble, Honorary President of the SBL, attended the concert.

About the performers

Jenny Agutter trained at the Elmhurst Ballet School. She made her debut aged eleven as a dancer in Walt Disney’s film Ballerina. She first played Roberta on television when she was fourteen, and almost three years later after filming Walkabout in Australia, repeated the role in the film of The Railway Children. The following year she played Fritha in the BBC TV film of The Snow Goose, for which she won an Emmy. Jenny joined the Royal National Theatre in 1973 to play Miranda in Sir Peter Hall’s production of The Tempest with Sir John Gielgud.

Her many films include Logan’s Run, The Eagle Has Landed, An American Werewolf in London, Sweet William and Equus, for which she won a British Academy Award. She also played in King Lear and Arden of Faversham at the Royal National Theatre, and Breaking the Code on Broadway with Derek Jacobi.

In 2000 Jenny played her own mother in The Railway Children for Carlton TV. Other TV appearances include Spooks, and as Alan Clark’s wife in a dramatisation of his Diaries with John Hurt. Her recent TV work includes Poirot - After the Flood and Diamond Geezer, and recent films include Irena P, Heroes and Villians and Act of God.

Diana Ambache and Jeremy Polmear are members of the Ambache Chamber Ensemble. This was formed in 1984 to play the music of Mozart and women composers of the last 250 years. They have since performed in Europe, America and Asia, and Polmear and Ambache have given programmes of Words and Music in the Gulf and Australia. London appearances include concerts at the Wigmore Hall and South Bank.

Friday 9 July 2010

Meeting Report

EMAIL ADDRESS
scribblers@btinternet.com

Meeting in The Room at the Top.
6 July 2010.

Those present: Malcolm, Liliane, Dick, Tony, Les, Barry, Peter, and Dave (Chair).
Apologies received from Trish and Ruth.

A small but lively turn out once again which led to a brief discussion on advertising
our group – Barry is in the position to include details of the Scribblers as he promotes his new book ‘Strictly a Family Affair'. It was suggested that we do a ‘poster’ showing all the books published by the Scribblers along with meeting details. Dave already has the covers scanned and included on the weblog so he will produce something in the next few days.

Ruth apologised for being unable to attend as she is checking proofs and agreeing cover designs ready for the publication of ‘The Woman Before Me’ at the end of July so watch out for details of the book.

Our next social event will be a writing workshop once again with Maureen Blundell who will be running individual and group sessions as before. This will take place over the weekend of 16th and 17th October and to book, please contact Maureen direct on liberato@talktalk.net

When competitions details are received from other groups and organisations details will be posted on our own weblog so keep a watchful eye for up to date news.

A reminder that the 2010 Coast to Coast competitions run monthly throughout the year with the closing dates on the last day of each month up to November 2010. See the weblog for details.

Talking of reminders, our treasurer Peter says that the new suggested donation for tea and coffee etc is now £1 per meeting.

The homework assignment was ‘Mountaineering’ and ironically Trish provided the subject but was regrettably unable to attend.

Dave: John on Haystacks
Malcolm: Mountaineering
Liliane: Meeting the Parents
Dick: Ever Upwards
Tony: A Short Cut to Humbugs
Les: Mount Oliver
Barry: Choices
Peter: Wheat Mountain

As usual the standard and diversity of work was very high, with twists in the tail and laughter too. Liliane has so much work on her ‘family’ story that she could easily put it together into a book whilst Tony must surely be coming towards the end of his remarkable work which will surely be published one day.

Our next meeting takes place on Tuesday 20th July and will be a Creative Writing Evening so all you need to do is bring along four separate words on small pieces of paper, a pencil and something to write on!

Hope to see you then!

Keep Scribbling!

Coast to Coast Competitions

Simply click on image to enlarge

Tuesday 6 July 2010

Another set of competitions

The Unbound Press Literary Competitions 2010

Unbound Press creative non-fiction competition – last call for entries!


2 Categories:

Essay
Prizes: 1st Prize: £100
2nd Prize: £50
Length: up to 3000 words
Entry fee: £5


First chapter of an unpublished book
Prizes: 1st Prize: £75
2nd Prize: £25
Length: up to 3000 words
Entry fee: £5

Closing date: 31st July 2010

So, what is Creative Non-Fiction?

It is defined as writing which is factually accurate and written with attention to literary style and technique. It should communicate information, while being shaped in a way that reads like fiction. Although there is no specific theme to the competition, subjects that work particularly well in this genre include personal essay, memoir, cultural criticism, nature writing, literary journalism, history.


All Winners and Runners-up in our competitions will be published in the Unbound Press Journal and will each receive a free copy of the journal.

Go to our Competitions page at www.unboundpress.co.uk for full details.

There will be one further competition during 2010:

Competition 3 – Flash Fiction & Poetry
Opens: 1st August 2010
Closing date: 31st October 2010


Good luck with your entries!

Saturday 3 July 2010

Our Next Meeting

Coming up rapidly....

Our next meeting,

TUESDAY 6th JULY

7.30pm The Room at the Top, Felixstowe Library.

Homework theme: Mountaineering. 1,000 maximum word count.

Until then

Keep Scribbling!

Friday 2 July 2010

WritingRaw July issue now on line.

The Evolution of WritingRaw is complete!

Over these past few weeks, WritingRaw has evolved and grown - allowing more of everything to be on the site… more writing in all our categories, more book and publishing news (updated daily), more art (with daily updated cartoons), more interactive features (the Wall), and other informative and entertaining bits and pieces. Over the next few days and weeks we will be adding some other NEW features (including an interactive section that will allow all of us to create the longest running poem in history, a never-ending short story and a section where you - the reader - can post Shout-Outs about upcoming releases or other information you would like to share) to the site to make it more creative. So, sit back and open your mind… WritingRaw is stepping into the future of literature like no other site on the web!

The July 1 issue of WritingRaw.com is NOW online: Writing Raw is a FREE literary ezine dedicated to new and emerging writers. Our goal at Writing Raw is simple - to serve the literary community with the opportunity to have their work online and out in the world. In this world of disappearing literary magazines, Writing Raw is providing the blank pages for writers to fill.

We also support other sites that help writers: www.WritingRaw.com believes in reaching out to other sites, writing groups, forums, and organizations. Contact us on how you can place a FREE banner, announcement or link on our site!

Or, use the Writing Raw Book Store to promote your novel or poetry collection: If you have a novel or collection that you would like to place in our store, we would be more than happy to do so – for FREE. Just send us a copy of the cover of the book, a brief synopsis, and a link as to where the material can be purchased.