Felixstowe Book Festival 30 June.

This year's Felixstowe Book Festival seems a little subdued for the Scribblers and OWL members. Missing from our ranks is our dear friend Mairead. She is truly missed for all the energy and enthusiasm she shared with events such as this. Always in our thoughts. 

The Café Culture session proved to be interesting. Fortunately we had a fairly good turn out from both the Scribblers, OWL and the Café Poets.

It was a very interesting session that Mark Brayley and Emma Kittle-Pey hosted. One thing is for certain, that we writers can always claim to be published via the anthologies and successful by just completing their writing, be it a novel, short story, poem, competition or article. We all measure our own successes differently but I would hazard a guess that every writer in our groups is successful in their own way.

Good news from the Short Story Competition. It was won by one of our former regulars, Morag Clarke. Well done Morag and many congratulations.      

Just a note about the Felixstowe Café Poets

Felixstowe Café Poets meet the 3rd Thursday of each month at 7:30pm in “His Lordship’s Library” at the Orwell Hotel, Hamilton Road, Felixstowe, IP11 7DX.

Lovers of poetry, writers of poetry, published or unpublished - all welcome. Bring poems you would like to read and share with the group or just listen and enjoy the poetry.

Refreshments available to purchase.

Entry fee: £2.50

Further details Tel: 01394 272736.

Ruth's researched story about an unsung hero

UNFIT FOR ACTIVE SERVICE
FELIXSTOWE MUSEUM, Sunday July 1st at 11am.

Come and hear the story of local World War 1 hero ERNEST SEAMAN (16/8/1893-29/9/18), who was initially declared `unfit for service` and went on to win both the Victoria Cross and Military Medal for his actions in Tehrand, Belgium on 29th September 1918.
After single handedly  taking twelve German soldiers prisoner, then seizing two machine guns, he was shot, dying just five weeks before the war ended.
His name is on the War Memorial in Felixstowe, Suffolk.   
Local author Ruth Dugdall researched and wrote the story, which will be published in a World War 1 Anthology later this year.
It will be read by local actress and Suffolk Magazine editor Jayne Lindill.
Cost: £2 on the door, includes entry to the museum.

Our next meeting and the Felixstowe Book Festival.

First things first. I delivered our cheque to the Co-op Funeral Service earlier this week. It was to Arthritis Research UK as requested by Mairead's family. The cheque was made up of a club donation from our funds along with a number of voluntary donations from you kind and thoughtful friends of Mairead. Thank you.

Next, tomorrow, Saturday sees the first event that we are involved in at the Book Festival. That is the Cafe Culture event in His Lordships Library which begins at 5.45 and continues until 7.30pm. If you want to take something along to read in the open mic section, then please do but only if you wish. Liz and Derek please collect your tickets at the entrance to His Lordship's Library from Dave, along with Ed from the Ipswich Writers' Cafe and Cathy. We still have a couple of freebies available for members who may wish to come along. 

On Sunday there is an event at Felixstowe Museum down by Landguard when Ruth's story about a local hero, Ernest Seaman VC will be read on her behalf. It is a story of an unsung local hero. It begins at 11 am and costs a very reasonable £2.  This is part of the Felixstowe Book Festival.

After this we hold our joint venture with the Orwell Writers' League by hosting another of our Flash Fiction events. This will be in the Furneaux Suite starting at 4.30 until 5.30. The cost is £5 (£4 concessions) and tickets can be purchased at the desk on arrival. For those who would still like to attend but have no ticket then please just turn up and pay at the desk - I am certain there will be room to spare. 

I hope you all enjoy the Book Festival and it's many events.

Our next meeting is on Tuesday 3rd July when the homework assignment asks for up to 1,000 words on "Crystal Ball", in honour of Mairead. Thanks also to Bridget for providing a crystal ball that will become an annual Halloween competition prize starting later this year. Please remember the door will be locked at 7.30 pm when our meeting commences.

Until we meet again,

Keep Scribbling!

Dave

Ernest Seaman VC - hear Ruth's story about him.

Ruth may not be attending the Book Festival this year as she is in the USA at present, but she will be with us in spirit I am sure. I hope you will consider going to listen to her short story that is being read at Felixstowe Museum as part of the Book Festival. 

It is the story of Ernest Seaman, a local hero who has never been in the headlines. His story should be told and Ruth was just the person to compile it. The story will be read at Felixstowe Museum on Sunday 1st July at 11.am. The cost is a very reasonable £2 and is payable on the door.

Felixstowe Book Festival @ Felixstowe Museum: Ruth Dugdall’s story of Ernest Seaman VC

WHEN:

July 1, 2018 @ 11:00 am – 12:00 pm

HERE:

Felixstowe Museum
View Point Rd
Felixstowe IP11 3TW
UK

COST:

£2 Adult 50p Child

CONTACT:

 Felixstowe Museum

 01394 674355

 Email

'He’s our local hero, and has not had as much attention as he deserves, given he won a VC. - Ruth.'

Our events at the Felixstowe Book Festival... support wanted.

This year’s Felixstowe Book Festival is almost upon us. Less than a week to go and before our next Scribblers meeting.

We are included in two events at the show and would love to see some Scribblers faces at these, not only for knowledge and entertainment value but also to advertise our good name. The danger is, without your support then our participation in future events may be jeopardised.

The first of our two events is the Café Culture session on Saturday 30 June from 5.45 until 7.30 in His Lordship’s Library at the Orwell Hotel. We will join the Orwell Writers’ League and the Café Poets for a discussion on success in our art form with Mark Brayley and Emma Kittle-Pey.  There is the opportunity to read out work in the 'open mic' element of the event, but there is no compulsion to do so.

We have eight free tickets for this event – so far only two have been allocated. Will you join us? It costs nothing, and it could advance our own writing ambitions too. Just let me know as soon as possible if you would like a free ticket and support our good name!

Our other event is a joint one with the Orwell Writers’ League with another flash fiction event which promises as always to be fun… This is on Sunday 1^st July in the Furneaux Suite at the hotel and is from 4.30 to 5.30 pm. There is a £5 charge for this event. Concessions are £4.

Here’s hoping to see some Scribblers face at both events.

Keep Scribbling!

Dave

Free tickets for the Café Culture event can be ordered from me at scribblers.1@btinternet.com

Meeting Report.

Minutes of Scribblers meeting held on 19 June 2018

Present: Dave, Liliane, Bridget, Cathy, Di C, Tony, Liz, Derek, Gerry

Apologies:Jim, Kay, Anne, Beryl, Steve

Business:

Mairead’s funeral (held 2.15 on day of meeting). Scribblers were very well represented at the funeral, then afterwards at the wake at The Orwell Hotel. Mairead's family were delightful to meet and spend time with – they are clearly devastated by the suddenness of her death, but were pleased to see us all and realise that she had many friends in her adopted home town. 

Dave will pass on a cheque for £150 (group and member donations) to Mairead’s chosen charity, Arthritis Research UK.

Annual Hallowe’en competition to take place in memory of Mairead – Bridget has already kindly bought the crystal ball which is to be the trophy for this competition – we thank her for that. During the wake, some of us mentioned the competition and trophy to Mairead’s family – they were delighted, and thought the trophy absolutely appropriate. In fact more than one of them joked, like us, that the competition winner might well see Mairead’s face in the crystal ball if they looked too closely!

Felixstowe Book Festival

This will take place before we meet again as Scribblers. It would be nice to see some members there, and especially to have support for the Café Culture session on Saturday 30 June, and the Microfiction event on Sunday 1 July. Cathy will try to find out in advance what the ticket sales are like for both these events.

Dave reminded us again that there are eight complementary tickets available for our Café Culture session on Saturday 30 June, 5.45 – 7.30 in His Lordship’s Library at the Orwell Hotel. This should be a good event – well worth checking out details online for anyone who hasn’t yet picked up a programme from the Library. Please contact Dave a.s.a.p if you’d like a ticket – would like to offer them outside the group if there are any untaken. For those attending, there is the opportunity to read out work in the 'open mic' element of the event, but there is no compulsion to do so.

Photographic session: Everyone had brought in a postcard/picture/photograph. These were placed facedown on the table, and we each chose one to inspire us, then settled down for thirty five minutes of writing. As always, this was an interesting evening, and despite some anguished mutterings about our chosen cards, everyone managed to write something, and create a story out of the most unpromising material. Some of us (naming no names, Derek!) were still in full flow long after the thirty five minutes was up.

Next meeting: 3 July, when our homework of up to 1000 words has the theme ‘Crystal Ball’.

 

Our meeting

Sad though it was, we held our photographic/postcard flash fiction evening and what a success it was. Everyone produced work of merit from the believable to the incredulous and all done from a selection of strange but wonderful images.

The creation of our work was set at 35 minutes and apart from one person (sorry Derek!!) all achieved their stories within the time frame. The best part of the evening, as always, is sharing our finalised work with everyone and, as usual, the standard of writing in these circumstances provided both enjoyment and fun. 

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 3 July when we are asked to write up to 1,000 words on "Crystal Ball" and all with Mairead in mind. With your permission copies of the work will be forwarded to Mairead's family. We are certain they would like this.

Rapidly approaching is the Felixstowe Book Festival - as you will know we were invited to participate in the Cafe Culture on Saturday 30 June between 5.45 and 7.30 in His Lordship's Library.  Joining Orwell Writer's League and the Cafe Poets, Mark Brayley and Emma Kittle-Pey will host a discussion on what success looks like in our art form. We are asked to bring along something to read in their open mic.  We have a number of free tickets available for our group. Please let me know if you would like to attend and take up the free ticket offer.

forget that a joint Scribblers and OWL flash fiction workshop is being held on Sunday 1 July from 4

Don't .30-5.30 in the Furneaux Suite at the Orwell Hotel. Tickets for this event cost £5 and concessions £4. The workshops are very enjoyable and hopefully we will have good support for this event.

Dave. 

Today.

Today was all about honouring our departed friend Mairead.

We all know how lovely and such a gentle person she was... how marvellous to find her family so friendly and engaging too.

It was a wonderful service and tribute to her. How nice to be able to chat with so many of her family.

We will all miss Mairead so very much. May she rest in peace.

Dave, the Scribblers and OWL.

Next Tuesday.....

Next Tuesday, 19 June, is going to be a difficult one for us. We all fondly knew Mairead. She became the face of all things good about writing here in Felixstowe both at Scribblers and at the Orwell Writers' League. She is already missed.

Her funeral service is on Tuesday at Seven Hills Crematorium at 2.15 pm and afterwards at the Orwell Hotel. I know some of you will be attending to pay your respects.  Let me know if you need transport.

Our evening meeting begins at the usual time, 7.30 when the door will be locked. The evening has been set aside for our photographic/postcard flash fiction session. I hope you will be able to find an image to bring along before we spend some time creating our own little masterpieces.

As a footnote, those who wish to donate to Mairead's charity, Artiritis Research UK, may do so at our meeting and we will organise a cheque payment to the charity.

Dave. 

Felixstowe Book Fest writing workshops

Meg has asked that the following workshops are circulated, 


POP UP PROGRAMME 
Sat 30th June Town Hall Gardens Shelter 2pm-5pm FREE but ticketed. 
Five Ways to Mental Wellbeing. Writing Workshop involving looking at 
natural forms (shells, rocks etc.), exploring the senses, and becoming 
aware of the present moment through basic meditation as a starting point 
for 'mindful' writing exercises. FREE but ticketed through our website 

Saturday 30 June 11.00am—12.30pm, Furneaux Suite, The Orwell Hotel £7 
Writing for Wellbeing with Francesca Baker, 
There is a lot of evidence that writing is very beneficial for 
wellbeing. Using the Five Ways to Wellbeing framework participants will 
learn about the benefits, experience five different activities and learn 
techniques to take home. Max participants 20. We ask participants to 
bring paper and pencil. 

Saturday 30 June 2.30—4.30pm 
Songlines with Francesca Baker, £7 
This workshop involves a walk around the town. Meet in the Orwell Hotel 
foyer. 
In this workshop participants will be taken on a small walk or tour and 
will pen lines at each location, writing a poem that reflects the 
Aboriginal tradition of Songlines. Max participants 15. We ask 
participants to bring paper and pencil. 
-- 
Meg Reid 
Director Felixstowe Book Festival 
www.felixstowebookfestival.co.uk 
meg@megreid.co.uk 
01394 279783/07720049668/113, Ranelagh Rd, Felixstowe, Suffolk IP117HU 
“A flourishing festival, with a programme to catch the imagination.” 
Esther Freud, Festival Patron 
_"The Felixstowe Book Festival is the sort of inspirational event that 
reminds authors why they write."_ 
Nicola Upson 

Details of our own involvement in the Festival programme will be circulated separately.

Mairead.

The sad announcement printed on June 13, 2018 in the East Anglian Daily Times.

REIDY Margaret (Mairead) Ann. Passed away unexpectedly at home on May 23, 2018 aged 61. Sadly missed by her brothers and sister, nephews and nieces. Funeral service to be held at, Seven Hills Crematorium, Nacton, on Tuesday June 19, at 2.15 p.m., Family flowers only, please. Donations to Arthritis Research UK. c/o East of England Co-operative Funeral Services, 183 Hamilton Road, Felixstowe, IP11 7DT.

 It is usual for a collecting box to be available after the service where donations may be made. 

Felixstowe Scribblers are making a donation from our club funds and will additionally include any donations paid directly to us at our next meeting on the evening of Tuesday next, 19 June. We will deliver the full amount to the Funeral Service. 

Please let me know if you would like to attend Mairead's service from Felixstowe and need transport.

Again, with heavy heart,

Dave 

Meeting Report

Minutes of Scribblers meeting held on 5 June 2018

Present: Dave, Liliane, Bridget, Cathy, Di C, Tony, Steve, Liz, Hazel,

Apologies: Derek, Kay, Jim, Jane, Anne, Beryl.

Business:

Mairead’s untimely death.

All of us had memories to share. We spoke of her kindness and generosity. Her passion for history, both local and global. Her enthusiasm for writing, and her unfailing encouragement to other writers. 

Newer members commented on the way in which she’d made them feel immediately at home when they joined the group. She is going to be so very much missed.

Dave has had contact from some of Mairead’s friends in the USA. One lady in particular, Carol, mentioned how happy Mairead had been to join Scribblers; Mairead had used the phrase that she was ‘among good people’. It’s comforting to know how much the group meant to her.

Bridget suggested that since the Halloween homework was always a firm favourite of Mairead’s, we could have an annual Halloween themed competition in her honour. Bridget’s thought was that we have a crystal ball as a trophy; Mairead would have loved that!. Dave will put this to the committee. Also, as Mairead was a committee member, we now have a vacancy to fill.

Mairead’s funeral will be at Seven Hills Crematorium on 19 June, 2.15pm, and afterwards at the Orwell Hotel, Felixstowe. If anybody would like to go, but is in need of transport, please get in touch with either Cathy or Dave, and we will try to organise lifts. 

Currently we don’t know if a floral tribute would be appropriate, or whether the family would like donations to one of Mairead’s favourite charities – Cathy will contact Lara (who informed us of Mairead’s death) and ask if she knows. Note – to date Lara has heard nothing in this respect.

Felixstowe Book Festival

Dave reminded us that there are eight complementary tickets available for our Café Culture session on Saturday 30 June, 5.45 – 7.30 in His Lordship’s Library at the Orwell Hotel. This should be a good event – well worth checking out details online for anyone who hasn’t yet picked up a programme from the Library.

Tony’s book launch (19 May)

We were glad to hear that this went well – congratulations again Tony!

Readings of homework:

The homework topic was ‘The Crossing’ – and there were five pieces of very different writing for us to enjoy.

Tony – an appropriate extract from his book ‘The sword of the kings’

Bridget – The crossing

Hazel – The crossing

Liliane – It all ended suddenly

Di – The crossing the line

Critiquing of longer work:

Dave read part of his ongoing novel, working title ‘In the shadow of the trees’.

It was very satisfying to have time to truly critique and discuss his work, and interesting to note the different elements that members either praised or queried. Dave’s main concern was that his story flowed properly – and we were able to confirm that it did. There was lots of action, some excellent imagery and dialogue - now we want to hear more!

Next meeting: 19 June. This is the photographic flash fiction session. For this, we all bring in a postcard/photograph/small picture. From these, we will select maybe two or three for people to choose as inspiration for a piece to be written on the night. Remember to bring writing implements or laptops!

A sad meeting

The evening began on a sombre note as we remembered our colleague and dear friend, Mairead Reidy who passed away recently. Memories were shared including messages from her friend Carol in New Hampshire. Scribblers will never be the same without her. She was such a warm, friendly person who loved her writing groups - both the Scribblers and the Orwell Writers' League. Generous to a fault, one could never believe all the skills and knowledge she had. She was a very good writer too!

Her funeral service will be at 2.15 on Tuesday 19 June at the Seven Hills Crematorium.

The meeting moved on to the stories of "The Crossing" which, again, showed the marvellous creativity of our writers.

Afterwards Dave shared approx 2,000 words of his growing story which he hopes to eventually publish - but there's a long way to go as yet! There was a lengthy discussion during which he answered a number of points that were raised and also drip fed some of the directions the characters in the story may take. 

Our next meeting will be on 19 June at 7.30 (when the door will be locked). This is our photographic meeting - simply bring along a photo or postcard then, when one is chosen, we'll have a short flash fiction session.

Keep Scribbling!!!

The Friends of Felixstowe Book Festival...

... is a group for those who would like to support the Festival and benefit from special offers. Membership will entitle you to early-bird booking, discounts and exclusive events.

Annual membership costs are as follows:

£20 a year for single membership and £30 a year for joint membership.

Our dear friend Mairead was the organiser and had a list of the members of this very worthwhile group. Unfortunately with Mairead's sudden death, the list of members has been lost.

Meg Reid the Felixstowe Book Festival Director, has asked for anyone who has joined the Friends to make contact with her or with Scribblers (at scribblers.1@btinternet.com ) who will forward the details on.

Our Next Meeting

This is such a sad time for us. Next Tuesday's meeting will begin with some happy memories of Mairead so your personal thoughts will be very welcome.

The meeting itself was intended for me to read a chapter or two of my story - however, depending on the time, I will step aside and let you all read your homework "The Crossing" first. We asked for 750-1,000 words this time so it will be interesting to listen to your work. If there is time after that then I will read a passage or two for feedback. The meeting is on Tuesday next, 5th June. Start time is 7.30 when the door will be locked.

Here is a comment that Mairead sent to her friend Carol in America. It was sent four years ago just after she joined our group:

Dave took the photo so he was the only one not in it, he is the President of the group. It has been in existence with over forty years now. And I have been there since July or four meetings.  I feel so very comfortable here.   I am with good people.   I told you I would get our of my house.   I have come to the very best place.   Now it is your turn to fly from the nest.

That is a short but very poignant message - both Carol and Mairead were in similar situations at the time. The photo, incidentally, was one that we took at the same time as the picture on the cover of "Words".

Until next time,

Keep Scribbling,