Our former member Judy and partner Ron will be addressing a meeting of U3A on next years programme on a subject they are well versed in - Burma. Judy, if you recall was author of 'Like Ships that Pass in the Night'.
Angela should return to England next month and hopes to make a meeting soon after that. She says:
'I shall try and do some homework for that. Am just over half way through with my re-writing/pruning/murdering/hair-tearing-out/re-hash of my novel, which was comprehensively edited by Maureen. I heartily recommend her. It was good to have an impartial assessment. Keep on pouring out the words at whatever pace...'
Message from Debbie who has been unable to attend for some time, that she hopes to be back with us soon.
Ruth tells us:
'If any of you are in Felixstowe on Saturday I shall be book signing in WHSmith from 11 - 1pm. And there will be a photographer coming along from the local paper, so please pop in or else it'll just be me looking forlorn next to a pile of books!
'When I signed at Magpie it was lovely to see Ray & Dick - thanks both for popping in.
'Just to keep you updated, I am still doing lots of events around the country - mainly book groups. I'm editing my next novel, ready for submission, and in the meantime The Sacrificial Man will be touted at Frankfurt book fair. It's already had interest from Germany.
'I know this all sounds like I'm `living the dream`, and it is wonderful to finally be in print and to know the book is selling (albeit in modest amounts). But what this shows is that it IS possible - it's just about tenacity & good luck & waiting... I wish you all luck and, as always, if I can be of any help I'd be happy to be contacted.'
Wednesday, 21 September 2011
Bill Budner Trophy meeting
This is a report on the meeting last night, Tuesday the 20th of September when we had the Bill Budner Trophy as an incentive for our continued excellent anonymous stories.
Members present were: Dave, Tony, Robyn, Dick, Liliane, Ray, Beryl, Pamela, Martin, Sandy, Sally and myself.
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Pamela, our latest recruit.
Our thanks must go out to Jackie and Giles for giving up a night in front of the box and taking time to attend our meeting and to read with great confidence and aplomb,the works of our attending members. This was a new course of action for us as a group and was greatly appreciated, giving all stories an independent reading.
In order of excellence and position after the voting the stories were as follows.
In first place and winning the evening was a story from Dave, called,
A JOURNEY INTO DOTAGE.
Many of us older members will recognise the premise that after over fifty years of marriage the face we present to the world sometimes (quite often, in fact) differs from the ones we wear behind closed doors. Cedric and Matilda had tested each other's patience for fifty six years with Cedric seeming to be the main protaganist when it came to being senile, stupid or whatever adjective Matilda could coat him with. Socks on wrong feet? washing his face with glasses on etc, etc. Until the day he disappeared and left Matilda bemused until she watched the lunchtime news, her Cedric taking a bath off the Felixstowe seafront, prompting alerts to all the emergency services, including an Air Sea Rescue helicopter.
I have to report that Dave's story was tied for first place with the second place entry from Ray, called
OUT OF THE SHADOWS.
This was beaten by an extra vote after a fourth choice round was held.
Rays piece was a heartwarming story of a crippled child and her mother, being helped by a stranger while waiting for and riding on a bus journey. Their kindness to the old man prompted him to urge the child to wish for a reconciliation between her father
and mother and for the mother to forgive her grief stricken husband. The story ended well with the reunion and healing of the small child.
In third place, and also sharing the position with another story was one from Liliane, called
THE STAR TREK CAFE
an amusing depiction of the life of a restaurant owner who took on the pseudonym of Scottie when his themed cafe took on the mantle of a haven from Star Trek aficionados.
Later it his life and that of the cafe, as Trekkies aged then the cafe was renamed the Harry Potter with devotees of all ages being able to change their affiliations.
The equal third place was taken by a story from Beryl, called
THE FIELD
in which the out of body experience of a car crash victim took us from near death in a wrecked car and the badly injured driver's fantasy walk through a muddy field, only to be told by his deceased father that this was not his time. This was taken from a true life experience of one of the storytellers friends.
Now we come to the other stories in no particular order.
Sally gave us a story called I'TS A SAD THING.
A story of a beautiful young woman's journey through he short life. A story of Norma Jean aka Marilyn Monroe.
Robyn's tale was called THE FABULOUS CAT WOMEN OF FETHIYE
told of the the cat loving women friends on holiday in Turkey.
Tony told of blackmail and plotting in his POOR HARD LUCK
A bank employee being blackmailed and the blackmailer being outfoxed by his victim.
My story was entitled BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR
probably too dark for mixed company and showing my predilection for Detective Stories.
Martin gave us PURRING IN HEAVEN,
a sad tale of a bereaved newlywed and the tragic poisoning of a cat.
Our latest new member Pamela gave us THE IMPORTANCE OF LANGUAGE
an assertion that language , by no means a great separator, can have many direct links no matter where you may be in the world.
Sandy had us LOOKING BACK
a successful woman attending a school reunion and discovering her lost love has not developed as she would have wished.
Dick was on form with JUST ANOTHER DAY
the tweaked story of a German Major, billeted in France and reporting his sighting of the Allied armada as it approached the shores on June 6th 1944. This report was greeted with astonishment and disbelief. (That's the German Major, not mine)
Once more my friends, a superb meeting and condolences to all members who were unable to attend whether by ill health other commitments or (lucky things) on holiday.
The next gathering will be on the 4th of October when it will be a normal meeting requiring one thousand words on THE CUP. Any interpretation will be fine.
Thanks to all who attended and to Jackie and Giles and again, congratulation to Dave. Well done.
Till the next time,
Barry.
Members present were: Dave, Tony, Robyn, Dick, Liliane, Ray, Beryl, Pamela, Martin, Sandy, Sally and myself.
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Pamela, our latest recruit.
Our thanks must go out to Jackie and Giles for giving up a night in front of the box and taking time to attend our meeting and to read with great confidence and aplomb,the works of our attending members. This was a new course of action for us as a group and was greatly appreciated, giving all stories an independent reading.
In order of excellence and position after the voting the stories were as follows.
In first place and winning the evening was a story from Dave, called,
A JOURNEY INTO DOTAGE.
Many of us older members will recognise the premise that after over fifty years of marriage the face we present to the world sometimes (quite often, in fact) differs from the ones we wear behind closed doors. Cedric and Matilda had tested each other's patience for fifty six years with Cedric seeming to be the main protaganist when it came to being senile, stupid or whatever adjective Matilda could coat him with. Socks on wrong feet? washing his face with glasses on etc, etc. Until the day he disappeared and left Matilda bemused until she watched the lunchtime news, her Cedric taking a bath off the Felixstowe seafront, prompting alerts to all the emergency services, including an Air Sea Rescue helicopter.
I have to report that Dave's story was tied for first place with the second place entry from Ray, called
OUT OF THE SHADOWS.
This was beaten by an extra vote after a fourth choice round was held.
Rays piece was a heartwarming story of a crippled child and her mother, being helped by a stranger while waiting for and riding on a bus journey. Their kindness to the old man prompted him to urge the child to wish for a reconciliation between her father
and mother and for the mother to forgive her grief stricken husband. The story ended well with the reunion and healing of the small child.
In third place, and also sharing the position with another story was one from Liliane, called
THE STAR TREK CAFE
an amusing depiction of the life of a restaurant owner who took on the pseudonym of Scottie when his themed cafe took on the mantle of a haven from Star Trek aficionados.
Later it his life and that of the cafe, as Trekkies aged then the cafe was renamed the Harry Potter with devotees of all ages being able to change their affiliations.
The equal third place was taken by a story from Beryl, called
THE FIELD
in which the out of body experience of a car crash victim took us from near death in a wrecked car and the badly injured driver's fantasy walk through a muddy field, only to be told by his deceased father that this was not his time. This was taken from a true life experience of one of the storytellers friends.
Now we come to the other stories in no particular order.
Sally gave us a story called I'TS A SAD THING.
A story of a beautiful young woman's journey through he short life. A story of Norma Jean aka Marilyn Monroe.
Robyn's tale was called THE FABULOUS CAT WOMEN OF FETHIYE
told of the the cat loving women friends on holiday in Turkey.
Tony told of blackmail and plotting in his POOR HARD LUCK
A bank employee being blackmailed and the blackmailer being outfoxed by his victim.
My story was entitled BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR
probably too dark for mixed company and showing my predilection for Detective Stories.
Martin gave us PURRING IN HEAVEN,
a sad tale of a bereaved newlywed and the tragic poisoning of a cat.
Our latest new member Pamela gave us THE IMPORTANCE OF LANGUAGE
an assertion that language , by no means a great separator, can have many direct links no matter where you may be in the world.
Sandy had us LOOKING BACK
a successful woman attending a school reunion and discovering her lost love has not developed as she would have wished.
Dick was on form with JUST ANOTHER DAY
the tweaked story of a German Major, billeted in France and reporting his sighting of the Allied armada as it approached the shores on June 6th 1944. This report was greeted with astonishment and disbelief. (That's the German Major, not mine)
Once more my friends, a superb meeting and condolences to all members who were unable to attend whether by ill health other commitments or (lucky things) on holiday.
The next gathering will be on the 4th of October when it will be a normal meeting requiring one thousand words on THE CUP. Any interpretation will be fine.
Thanks to all who attended and to Jackie and Giles and again, congratulation to Dave. Well done.
Till the next time,
Barry.
Plea from Ruth
Update on Ruth Dugdall's book signing, this Saturday from 11-1pm at WHSmith, Hamilton Rd, Felixstowe: Ruth says:
'I've just heard there will also be a photographer from the local paper there, so please come along or it'll just be me next to a pile of books!'
'I've just heard there will also be a photographer from the local paper there, so please come along or it'll just be me next to a pile of books!'
The Bill Budner Trophy
Another eclectic evening of stories, all anonymously submitted and read by our guest narrators Jacky and Giles Meehan. This made such a difference to the competition for each story was presented and read professionally.
The winner of the 14th staging of the competition was former secretary Dave Feakes who previously won back in May 2009. Here Giles and Jacky are seen after all their hard work, whilst Dave is presented with the trophy by secretary Barry Darnell.
Saturday, 17 September 2011
Dr Ross Cooper....
understands that the Scribblers have an interest in writing and poetry.
He has written 16 books on Zimbabwe of themes relating to its people, animals and nature which can be viewed at the following links:
Book websites:
http://www.publishamerica.net/sc/productsearch.cgi?search_field=ross+gordon+cooper&storeid=*1c5d46f481c8ee630166476a1b9c633b
http://www.pneumasprings.co.uk/The%20Flame%20Lily%20Weeps.htm
http://stores.lulu.com/Lifeinthebush
http://www.springer.com/life+sciences/animal+sciences/book/978-3-642-19296-8
http://www.fishpond.com.au/Books
E blogg: rgcooperuk.zimmiethemes@blogger.com (Zimbabwean themes)
Books:
1. Childrens books - Zimbabwean animals, fish, birds & plants; an Air Zimbabwe plane; and a lady soldier.
2. An autobiography - "The Flame Lily Weeps": ISBN 978-1-9058-09530
3. A historical book - "The Mouldings of Chipinge: ISBN 978-0-557-11563-1
Sales:
1. Ostrich feather dusters (10 ft) £14 incl. post.
2. Ostrich eggs (inards removed) £15 incl. post.
3. African t-shirts (orders taken) £13 incl. post.
He has written 16 books on Zimbabwe of themes relating to its people, animals and nature which can be viewed at the following links:
Book websites:
http://www.publishamerica.net/sc/productsearch.cgi?search_field=ross+gordon+cooper&storeid=*1c5d46f481c8ee630166476a1b9c633b
http://www.pneumasprings.co.uk/The%20Flame%20Lily%20Weeps.htm
http://stores.lulu.com/Lifeinthebush
http://www.springer.com/life+sciences/animal+sciences/book/978-3-642-19296-8
http://www.fishpond.com.au/Books
E blogg: rgcooperuk.zimmiethemes@blogger.com (Zimbabwean themes)
Books:
1. Childrens books - Zimbabwean animals, fish, birds & plants; an Air Zimbabwe plane; and a lady soldier.
2. An autobiography - "The Flame Lily Weeps": ISBN 978-1-9058-09530
3. A historical book - "The Mouldings of Chipinge: ISBN 978-0-557-11563-1
Sales:
1. Ostrich feather dusters (10 ft) £14 incl. post.
2. Ostrich eggs (inards removed) £15 incl. post.
3. African t-shirts (orders taken) £13 incl. post.
Thursday, 15 September 2011
Volunteer readers
Next week on the 20th, will be the now familiar anonymous entries for the Bill Budner competition. Details of the competition rules and the roll of honour can be found at the top of our homepage.
As previously discussed, Dave has kindly arranged for Jacky and Giles Meehan (both of The Lost Sock fame) to be at the meeting, where they have been 'volunteered' to read all the stories.
Everybody please bring your work along ensuring your name is not included then your entry will be handed to our kind readers.
Hope we have all written material of the usual quality.
Barry
As previously discussed, Dave has kindly arranged for Jacky and Giles Meehan (both of The Lost Sock fame) to be at the meeting, where they have been 'volunteered' to read all the stories.
Everybody please bring your work along ensuring your name is not included then your entry will be handed to our kind readers.
Hope we have all written material of the usual quality.
Barry
Wednesday, 14 September 2011
Spilling Ink competition
Last Competitionof 2011!
Closing Date October 1st
£875 in PrizesPublication
Free Anthology
Spilling Ink Fiction Prize
www.spillinginkreview.com/competitions
We've saved the best for last!
There's still time to enter Spilling Ink Review's last competition of 2011 and take home a share of our largest prize ever!
1st Place - £500, Publication, Free Anthology
2nd Place - £250, Publication, Free Anthology
3rd Place - £125, Publication, Free AnthologyShortlisted Entries - Publication, Free Anthology
Honorable Mentions - Offer to publish online at Spilling Ink
Sunday, 11 September 2011
Reminder - Ruth's book signing...
Book Signing. Ruth Dugdall, award winning local author
Location: W.H.Smith, Hamilton Road, Felixstowe.
Time: Saturday, 24 September 2011 19:00
Location: W.H.Smith, Hamilton Road, Felixstowe.
Time: Saturday, 24 September 2011 19:00
Saturday, 10 September 2011
Tales from the Wood by Felix Dennis
Now available on your iPad, featuring both video and audio.
Click here to downloadfrom the App Store
Tales From The Woods is a thrilling, impassioned hymn of praise to trees and the English countryside from one of our best-loved poets – Felix Dennis.Beautifully illustrated throughout byBill Sanderson, Tales From The Woods willbe greeted with delight by all lovers of trees and the countryside — and especially bythose who have already fallen under the spellof a poet described by one eminent criticand author as ‘a 21st-century Kipling’.Listen to and watch your favourite Tales From The Woods poems read by Felix himself.
What the critics say
‘I enjoy his poetry immensely’– Mick Jagger
‘He invokes sorrow as fast as regret, pain as readily as passion, and love as tenderly as murderous rage’– Shirley Conran, OBE
‘Simple but effective, a tribute to the English countryside, delivering thoughtful and poignant insight’– Big Issue
‘His poetry sings like a summer breeze through the fairground’– Sir Paul McCartney
http://denniscouk.createsend3.com/t/r/l/ttuydyl/hjhjuiihh/o/ contains many poems, published and unpublished, as well as a library of sound recordings and video footage of Felix Dennis’s verse and poetry tours.
Also available as a hardback print edition from Waterstone’s and all good booksellers.
Click here to download from the App Store today – only 69p for a limited time
Click here to downloadfrom the App Store
Tales From The Woods is a thrilling, impassioned hymn of praise to trees and the English countryside from one of our best-loved poets – Felix Dennis.Beautifully illustrated throughout byBill Sanderson, Tales From The Woods willbe greeted with delight by all lovers of trees and the countryside — and especially bythose who have already fallen under the spellof a poet described by one eminent criticand author as ‘a 21st-century Kipling’.Listen to and watch your favourite Tales From The Woods poems read by Felix himself.
What the critics say
‘I enjoy his poetry immensely’– Mick Jagger
‘He invokes sorrow as fast as regret, pain as readily as passion, and love as tenderly as murderous rage’– Shirley Conran, OBE
‘Simple but effective, a tribute to the English countryside, delivering thoughtful and poignant insight’– Big Issue
‘His poetry sings like a summer breeze through the fairground’– Sir Paul McCartney
http://denniscouk.createsend3.com/t/r/l/ttuydyl/hjhjuiihh/o/ contains many poems, published and unpublished, as well as a library of sound recordings and video footage of Felix Dennis’s verse and poetry tours.
Also available as a hardback print edition from Waterstone’s and all good booksellers.
Click here to download from the App Store today – only 69p for a limited time
THE SEARCH FOR 119 PERSPECTIVES
From my desk I didn’t have a view of the Trade Center so I had to walk down the hall to see what was going on. I saw flames billowing out of the building, engulfing several floors and appearing to be at least 70 floors above street level. I wondered about how they were going to put out a fire like that. But this was New York and one tended to be blasé about things, another day another disaster. READ ON
9/11 - IS THERE ANYTHING MORE TO SAY?
THE SEARCH FOR 119 PERSPECTIVES
We've received 72 different perspectives on 9/11 from all over the world. We're waiting for yours.
10 years after 9/11 we want to know: How do you remember it? Do you remember? Where were you when it happened? Does the day matter, then or now? Does remembering do any good? What does the day say about America and Americans? How has it shaped the first decade of the new millennium? How has it shaped you?
We're accepting: -video (max. 1 minute) -photography (max. 2 images with short caption) -text (max. 500 words)
Send in your submission to writepentales@gmail.com with the following in the subject line: "9/11, your name and location". We're accepting works until September 15, 2011 midnight.
The most original submissions will be compiled into a curated online catalog.
PenTales was created in New York City by two childhood friends who've always loved to swap tales. We're now a community of thousands around the world who share our perspectives in person and online in photography, writing, and video on topics that unite us all.
©2011 PenTales New York NY
©2011 PenTales New York NY
Meeting Report...
Hi there everybody
Once more an excellent meeting.Those present included; Dave, Les, Caz, Carolyn, Liliane, Jane, Beryl, Dick, Tony, Martin, Ray and yours truly.
The subject for tonight was 'Motorcycling', a subject groaned about when it was suggested but which evinced some pieces of the usual good quality, funny, sad and downright different. Thanks to everybody for their efforts.These efforts catalogue as follows:-
DICK with A HILL TOO MANY. A story that kept us guessing until the end about a chap who had an accident in Dorset on his Brough motorcycle and was fatally injured while avoiding two young boys on their bicycles. The man was Lawrence of Arabia.
TONY gave us a rendition in song of his contribution PLENT OF GAS the wording of which gave rise to much hilarity.
MARTIN took us for a journey across many states of America on Route 66 with BIKER GIRL.
RAY showed us that we are NEVER TOO OLD TO ROCK AND ROLL with his story of a supercharged, hand painted motobility scooter.
BARRY tried to wring a few tears from the audience with an account of a family losing a beloved daughter through a motorcycle accident and the healing time needed for the mother and father. ALSO KNOWN AS.
DAVE treated us to a part of a novel which is work in progress with MEMORIES, where we met Pauline once more , looking through some old photographs and remembering the motorbikes she had owned and ridden.
LES had us chuckling again, as he always does, with his tale of CHARLIE MATES, an old, old friend he used to work with and who was a motorcycle fanatic.Charlie can be found under his name as a Google entry.
CAZ recounted her recent pillion ride (her first ever) with a rider she met also for the first time on the day of a memorial bike event in memory of Jack, her son. This was called HELL - ANGEL.
CAROLYN gave us an insight into the convoluted way families expand and split throughout a child's life. Uncle Pete turns out to be dad.This was entitled TWO FATHERS NO DAD.
LILIANE's story was another family based one called MOTORBIKING WAS TABOO. A story telling how Francis became the first to purchase a motorcycle going against mother and father's wishes.
JANE took us to the depths of Hades with THE HELL FACTOR. This story took us on a rather warm journey through the hell of life with a funny thread running through it, telling us of all the really nasty people of history in a competition with Simon Cowell as it's promoter.
BERYL, last but not least in an extraordinary coincidence, separated by ten others reading from Dick, her seating companion she gave us a ghostly story of George Bernard Shaw, who still rode Motorbikes at the age of 94, and his connection to Lawrence of Arabia with the Brough bike he sold him. G.B.S.
An addition to the readings was a long distance contribution from Chris Shaw, an interested party (ex Felixstowe resident and now of Cairns, Australia.) As we had a few minutes to spare Dave kindly read Chris's thoughts of his love of motorcycling round the lanes of Suffolk. I know he reads the blog for Scribblers so apart from my personal e mail we all say thanks to Chris for his piece..
And finally, as they say, I asked Les to read out his poem entitled Rule Britannia, words of wisdom that caused the meeting to end with a discussion that must be repeated throughout the country. More power to your elbow Les.
Once again it is difficult for me to compress the writing of all involved to give a report that justifies the quality, in just a few words.Suffice it to say that an awkward for some subject was dealt with in the Scribblers inimitable style.
The next meeting will be on the 20th of this month (September) and will be The Bill Budner Trophy night. For those not aware it is a night where all members present bring a story of one thousand words or less, written on any subject and handed in anonymously for another member to read on the night. It is yet to be confirmed but two completely independant actors are expected to act as narrators and read all the stories out. Here's hoping!
Everyone listens to each story and awards it marks which are collated at the end and a new winner is found for the trophy. Details of the competition, together with a gallery of winners can be found at the top of this weblog.
See you at the next meeting.
Barry.
Once more an excellent meeting.Those present included; Dave, Les, Caz, Carolyn, Liliane, Jane, Beryl, Dick, Tony, Martin, Ray and yours truly.
The subject for tonight was 'Motorcycling', a subject groaned about when it was suggested but which evinced some pieces of the usual good quality, funny, sad and downright different. Thanks to everybody for their efforts.These efforts catalogue as follows:-
DICK with A HILL TOO MANY. A story that kept us guessing until the end about a chap who had an accident in Dorset on his Brough motorcycle and was fatally injured while avoiding two young boys on their bicycles. The man was Lawrence of Arabia.
TONY gave us a rendition in song of his contribution PLENT OF GAS the wording of which gave rise to much hilarity.
MARTIN took us for a journey across many states of America on Route 66 with BIKER GIRL.
RAY showed us that we are NEVER TOO OLD TO ROCK AND ROLL with his story of a supercharged, hand painted motobility scooter.
BARRY tried to wring a few tears from the audience with an account of a family losing a beloved daughter through a motorcycle accident and the healing time needed for the mother and father. ALSO KNOWN AS.
DAVE treated us to a part of a novel which is work in progress with MEMORIES, where we met Pauline once more , looking through some old photographs and remembering the motorbikes she had owned and ridden.
LES had us chuckling again, as he always does, with his tale of CHARLIE MATES, an old, old friend he used to work with and who was a motorcycle fanatic.Charlie can be found under his name as a Google entry.
CAZ recounted her recent pillion ride (her first ever) with a rider she met also for the first time on the day of a memorial bike event in memory of Jack, her son. This was called HELL - ANGEL.
CAROLYN gave us an insight into the convoluted way families expand and split throughout a child's life. Uncle Pete turns out to be dad.This was entitled TWO FATHERS NO DAD.
LILIANE's story was another family based one called MOTORBIKING WAS TABOO. A story telling how Francis became the first to purchase a motorcycle going against mother and father's wishes.
JANE took us to the depths of Hades with THE HELL FACTOR. This story took us on a rather warm journey through the hell of life with a funny thread running through it, telling us of all the really nasty people of history in a competition with Simon Cowell as it's promoter.
BERYL, last but not least in an extraordinary coincidence, separated by ten others reading from Dick, her seating companion she gave us a ghostly story of George Bernard Shaw, who still rode Motorbikes at the age of 94, and his connection to Lawrence of Arabia with the Brough bike he sold him. G.B.S.
An addition to the readings was a long distance contribution from Chris Shaw, an interested party (ex Felixstowe resident and now of Cairns, Australia.) As we had a few minutes to spare Dave kindly read Chris's thoughts of his love of motorcycling round the lanes of Suffolk. I know he reads the blog for Scribblers so apart from my personal e mail we all say thanks to Chris for his piece..
And finally, as they say, I asked Les to read out his poem entitled Rule Britannia, words of wisdom that caused the meeting to end with a discussion that must be repeated throughout the country. More power to your elbow Les.
Once again it is difficult for me to compress the writing of all involved to give a report that justifies the quality, in just a few words.Suffice it to say that an awkward for some subject was dealt with in the Scribblers inimitable style.
The next meeting will be on the 20th of this month (September) and will be The Bill Budner Trophy night. For those not aware it is a night where all members present bring a story of one thousand words or less, written on any subject and handed in anonymously for another member to read on the night. It is yet to be confirmed but two completely independant actors are expected to act as narrators and read all the stories out. Here's hoping!
Everyone listens to each story and awards it marks which are collated at the end and a new winner is found for the trophy. Details of the competition, together with a gallery of winners can be found at the top of this weblog.
See you at the next meeting.
Barry.
Tuesday, 6 September 2011
Another great meeting
It seems quite a good idea for any writer's groups who do not have a game plan for their meetings to adopt a homework assignment between meetings...over the years it has been a pleasure seeing Felixstowe Scribblers move from strength to strength. Every meeting seems full of exceptional work...always a pleasure to write, and so pleasing to hear the end results of the labour read out.
Keep Scribbling!!!!
Keep Scribbling!!!!
Monday, 5 September 2011
Ride 'em Cazgirl...
Spotted on one of the social networking sites...a couple of photogaphs of our own biker lady, Caz...Hope they don't mind the photographs being published here...
Caz says, "What a wonderful Rideout yesterday with Tom on behalf of EACH and SERV, two very important charities in The East Anglia Motorcycle Run. All those lovely people and so many great motorcycles.... roll on next year.
Thanks everyone for a fantastic time yesterday."
Just who suggested tomorrow nights' homework as "motorcycling"?
IN SEARCH OF 119 PERSPECTIVES on 9/11
We've received 50 different perspectives on 9/11 from all over the world. We're waiting for yours.
10 years after 9/11 we want to know: How do you remember it? Do you remember? Where were you when it happened? Does the day matter, then or now? Does remembering do any good? What does the day say about America and Americans? How has it shaped the first decade of the new millennium? How has it shaped you?
We're accepting: -video (max. 1 minute) -photography (max. 2 images with short caption) -text (max. 500 words)
Send in your submission to writepentales@gmail.com with the following in the subject line: "9/11, your name and location". We're accepting works until September 11, 2011 midnight.
We'll present works in numerical order as they come in. Each featured piece will be introduced by our editors and the most original submissions compiled into a larger collection.
PenTales was created in New York City by two childhood friends who've always loved to swap tales. We're now a community of thousands around the world who share our perspectives in person and online in photography, writing, and video on topics that unite us all.
Sunday, 4 September 2011
Did someone say it's free?
This is your personal invitation from a long distance Scribbler to the Book Creators Circle, Book Expo on Saturday 24th September - yes, this year - and next, for free!
So, a small sales pitch to get you thinking about coming along (for free) to support local, national and international authors, two speakers who have something relevant to say about the state of the book industry, and a book launch by Diana Santamaria. Who? Come and find out!
Details are on the invitation shown. Any questions? E-mail me or phone me on 07-4039-1927.
Did I mention it was free? It is! Bring the family along to meet and talk to authors, buy books, get books signed by their authors, meet editors, designers, publishers and printers. It's free! And guys, there's a bar - for soft drinks and coffee as well!
Come and enjoy some one-on-one conversations, some education and entertainment, and rub shoulders with the rich and famous - if not now, then soon! And it's free!
There's a prize draw, of course, there always is, with prizes for book purchasers, who have an excellent chance of winning more books, tapes...Oh look, it goes on and on.
Just come along and have a great time, and it's free!
See you there, Chris and Rebecca Shaw
If you're out of the country, it's just my way of saying Hi! and introducing you to: www.bookcreatorscircle.com.au
If you just happen to be in Cairns on 24th September then call in...it's free.
WritingRaw.com
September 1, 2011 issue of WritingRaw.com is now online
Better late than Never!
Well, thanks to Hurricane Irene, the resurrection of WritingRaw was delayed. Yep, lucky Weeb, lives in one of the towns hit hardest by the storm - Pittsfield, Vt. Well, yesterday, as soon as the power came back on (and he took his first hot shower in almost a week) he threw himself into getting the site back up and running.
First we want to thank everyone for their support and suggestions concerning the site. The response was overwhelming, and we mean that in a good way. With many of these suggestions in hand, we tightened and refocused the site back into its original concept: to focus on all things written. You will notice right off that several pages are missing. Thank god! We took the growing monster and pruned it back down to manageable size.
Another aspect is that from this point forward we will be focusing on quality and not quantity. There is now a detailed submissions guidelines on the site, so be sure to stop in there and check that out.
We could sit here and say this and that, but we would like to condense this by putting some bullets up to catch your attention. These are:
· We are now back to being a monthly!
· Call for Submissions for October: Send us all things Halloween! Short stories, poems, essays and, yes, even your artwork.
· Columns: We would still like to offer space for columns - but these MUST be related in some way to writing or books. If you have an idea, please contact Weeb and check with him.
· Magazine for the Kindle or other e-readers: We are checking on creating a monthly e-magazine to sell on Amazon and other e-reader sites. Please let Weeb know your thoughts concerning this. This will be the first time WritingRaw may venture into a money making company. In the beginning, we still won't be able to pay people, but our goal is that once we reach the cost of running the site (which is well below $500) we will than figure out some was of compensating our authors. This is all in the planning stage so any suggestions or good or bad comments, would be greatly appreciated.
· Star ratings: You may notice that there are now star ratings next to every piece that is not a column. If everything works right (and we have our fingers crossed on this), people can now rate a piece. This is totally experimental so bear with us as we work out the kinks and figure out the best way to present this.
· Contests: We will start offering contests. Our first being, write a 500 word or less (can be a short story, a poem, and essay, etc.) piece based on the following word: WIDDENDREAM. The deadline for this will be September 23, so we can post the winners in our October issue. The first prize winner will receive a $20 gift certificate from Amazon.com; second and third place will get honorable mention, and also placed in the October issue of WritingRaw.
· really BAD Shakespeare: Because we wanted to get the site up and running ASAP, the repeats of rBS will continue throughout the month (with the first 2 being on Sunday, and 2 other episodes every following Sunday). We want the repeated season 2 over by October so that… wait for it… the SEASON 3 PREMIERE of really BAD Shakespeare can occur. If you thought season 2 was mind blowing - well, Weeb only just started to blow!
We are sure there is tons that we haven't hit on in this rambling piece, and we will update things throughout the month if need be. Until then, dive in and discover a new and emerging writer. We are sure you will enjoy this issue.
The Staff of WritingRaw.com
Ditch, Weeb, Rib
New in this issue:
FICTION:
· A Degree In Fire Starting by Cathy Eaton
· A.T.M. by Jason P. Henry
· Block by Letty Wilson
· Garbage Child by Weeb
· Jimmy Dante's Cradle of Filth by Lorraine Voss
· Kirby by Jeff Rizvi
· Nannie's Cat by Vivian Rinaldo
· Real People by Fred Miller
· The Elite by Jeff Hill
· The Message by Chris Hadley
· Three Sheets, to the Wind by Kevin Daiss
POETRY:
· Assignations with a Golf Course by Christopher Nagle
· Deus Ex Machina by Peter Fraser MacDonald
· ED by Robert D. Lyons
· Her Breath by J.L. Wright
· My Poem Falters And Falls by Vivekanand Jha
· She is a Stainless Steel Bar by Tonn Pastore
· The Bonding by Peter Yates
· The Bystander's Introspection by Cassandra Kemper
NEW Poems by Rib!
ASSORTED:
· Artist of the Month: by Janet Snell
· Defiance to Logic by Adam Schirling
· One Day (video) performed by The Global Citizen Project
· The Hand by Dean Meredith
· The Twin Towers by Elaine Rosenberg Miller
INTERVIEWS:
· Margaret George
· Ian Irvine
· Ed Lynskey
· Jacqueline West
REVIEWS:
· Allbooks Review
· Between the Sheets: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith and Jane Austen
· FLASH REVIEW by Weeb: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
· Rib Reads
Weeb
WritingRaw.com
CLICK HERE to Order
Shame: A Novelette by R. E. Heinrich
For the Kindle
Join us on Twitter
Join us on Facebook
Join us on MySpace
Better late than Never!
Well, thanks to Hurricane Irene, the resurrection of WritingRaw was delayed. Yep, lucky Weeb, lives in one of the towns hit hardest by the storm - Pittsfield, Vt. Well, yesterday, as soon as the power came back on (and he took his first hot shower in almost a week) he threw himself into getting the site back up and running.
First we want to thank everyone for their support and suggestions concerning the site. The response was overwhelming, and we mean that in a good way. With many of these suggestions in hand, we tightened and refocused the site back into its original concept: to focus on all things written. You will notice right off that several pages are missing. Thank god! We took the growing monster and pruned it back down to manageable size.
Another aspect is that from this point forward we will be focusing on quality and not quantity. There is now a detailed submissions guidelines on the site, so be sure to stop in there and check that out.
We could sit here and say this and that, but we would like to condense this by putting some bullets up to catch your attention. These are:
· We are now back to being a monthly!
· Call for Submissions for October: Send us all things Halloween! Short stories, poems, essays and, yes, even your artwork.
· Columns: We would still like to offer space for columns - but these MUST be related in some way to writing or books. If you have an idea, please contact Weeb and check with him.
· Magazine for the Kindle or other e-readers: We are checking on creating a monthly e-magazine to sell on Amazon and other e-reader sites. Please let Weeb know your thoughts concerning this. This will be the first time WritingRaw may venture into a money making company. In the beginning, we still won't be able to pay people, but our goal is that once we reach the cost of running the site (which is well below $500) we will than figure out some was of compensating our authors. This is all in the planning stage so any suggestions or good or bad comments, would be greatly appreciated.
· Star ratings: You may notice that there are now star ratings next to every piece that is not a column. If everything works right (and we have our fingers crossed on this), people can now rate a piece. This is totally experimental so bear with us as we work out the kinks and figure out the best way to present this.
· Contests: We will start offering contests. Our first being, write a 500 word or less (can be a short story, a poem, and essay, etc.) piece based on the following word: WIDDENDREAM. The deadline for this will be September 23, so we can post the winners in our October issue. The first prize winner will receive a $20 gift certificate from Amazon.com; second and third place will get honorable mention, and also placed in the October issue of WritingRaw.
· really BAD Shakespeare: Because we wanted to get the site up and running ASAP, the repeats of rBS will continue throughout the month (with the first 2 being on Sunday, and 2 other episodes every following Sunday). We want the repeated season 2 over by October so that… wait for it… the SEASON 3 PREMIERE of really BAD Shakespeare can occur. If you thought season 2 was mind blowing - well, Weeb only just started to blow!
We are sure there is tons that we haven't hit on in this rambling piece, and we will update things throughout the month if need be. Until then, dive in and discover a new and emerging writer. We are sure you will enjoy this issue.
The Staff of WritingRaw.com
Ditch, Weeb, Rib
New in this issue:
FICTION:
· A Degree In Fire Starting by Cathy Eaton
· A.T.M. by Jason P. Henry
· Block by Letty Wilson
· Garbage Child by Weeb
· Jimmy Dante's Cradle of Filth by Lorraine Voss
· Kirby by Jeff Rizvi
· Nannie's Cat by Vivian Rinaldo
· Real People by Fred Miller
· The Elite by Jeff Hill
· The Message by Chris Hadley
· Three Sheets, to the Wind by Kevin Daiss
POETRY:
· Assignations with a Golf Course by Christopher Nagle
· Deus Ex Machina by Peter Fraser MacDonald
· ED by Robert D. Lyons
· Her Breath by J.L. Wright
· My Poem Falters And Falls by Vivekanand Jha
· She is a Stainless Steel Bar by Tonn Pastore
· The Bonding by Peter Yates
· The Bystander's Introspection by Cassandra Kemper
NEW Poems by Rib!
ASSORTED:
· Artist of the Month: by Janet Snell
· Defiance to Logic by Adam Schirling
· One Day (video) performed by The Global Citizen Project
· The Hand by Dean Meredith
· The Twin Towers by Elaine Rosenberg Miller
INTERVIEWS:
· Margaret George
· Ian Irvine
· Ed Lynskey
· Jacqueline West
REVIEWS:
· Allbooks Review
· Between the Sheets: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith and Jane Austen
· FLASH REVIEW by Weeb: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
· Rib Reads
Weeb
WritingRaw.com
CLICK HERE to Order
Shame: A Novelette by R. E. Heinrich
For the Kindle
Join us on Twitter
Join us on Facebook
Join us on MySpace
Writers call
Dancing Giraffe is an organisation aimed at bettering the lives of disabled people with specific information on what’s new, where to go and covering day to day issues and subjects of interest.
They are looking for writers to contribute online articles on a voluntary basis (in the first instance) for a website that will be launched in autumn 2011. There is an opportunity for paid work in the long-term.
Contact Kate at The Write Impression for more information kate@thewriteimpression.co.uk or the CEO Shaun Moffat shaun_moffat@yahoo.co.uk
Kate Everett
Partner
Telephone 0845 5272801
Mobile: 0781 8060893
The Write Impression,
Unit 12 Court Farm,
Stutton Road,
Brantham,
Suffolk,
CO11 1PW
www.thewriteimpression.co.uk
They are looking for writers to contribute online articles on a voluntary basis (in the first instance) for a website that will be launched in autumn 2011. There is an opportunity for paid work in the long-term.
Contact Kate at The Write Impression for more information kate@thewriteimpression.co.uk or the CEO Shaun Moffat shaun_moffat@yahoo.co.uk
Kate Everett
Partner
Telephone 0845 5272801
Mobile: 0781 8060893
The Write Impression,
Unit 12 Court Farm,
Stutton Road,
Brantham,
Suffolk,
CO11 1PW
www.thewriteimpression.co.uk
Spilling Ink Review Issue 6
FICTION
Emily Bamford – Up in Smoke
Bryan Dye – Sugar
Diana Filar – Things that are Hard to Forget
Sherard Harrington – How to Date Your Boyfriend
Gill Hoffs – Firework Sand
Karen Jones – Colouring In
Andrew McCallum Crawford – The Next Stop is Croy
Benjamin Middleton – Actors
Lucy Pizey – And Other Textbook Symptoms
Mark Sheerin – The Bowie Act
Daan Spijer – Cul-de-sac
Mandy Taggart – Skiboo
Graham Tugwell – The Slender Help
Mike Wendling – Ethics Exam
FLASH FICTION
Viccy Adams – Endangered Species
Seif El Rashidi – Absence
Dorothy Fryd – Fine Art
Alan Gillespie – Rab’s Pub
Caroline Greene – Trompe l’oeil
Tom Mahony – Presence
Mike Morris – I Forgot
Matt Salyer – Idylls of the King
Ross Stewart – Let Good Digestion Wait on Appetite
Sarah Wright – Squab
STILL TIME TO ENTER
SPILLING INK FICTION PRIZE
spillingink.com/competitions
£875 in Prizes
Publication
Free Anthology
Emily Bamford – Up in Smoke
Bryan Dye – Sugar
Diana Filar – Things that are Hard to Forget
Sherard Harrington – How to Date Your Boyfriend
Gill Hoffs – Firework Sand
Karen Jones – Colouring In
Andrew McCallum Crawford – The Next Stop is Croy
Benjamin Middleton – Actors
Lucy Pizey – And Other Textbook Symptoms
Mark Sheerin – The Bowie Act
Daan Spijer – Cul-de-sac
Mandy Taggart – Skiboo
Graham Tugwell – The Slender Help
Mike Wendling – Ethics Exam
FLASH FICTION
Viccy Adams – Endangered Species
Seif El Rashidi – Absence
Dorothy Fryd – Fine Art
Alan Gillespie – Rab’s Pub
Caroline Greene – Trompe l’oeil
Tom Mahony – Presence
Mike Morris – I Forgot
Matt Salyer – Idylls of the King
Ross Stewart – Let Good Digestion Wait on Appetite
Sarah Wright – Squab
STILL TIME TO ENTER
SPILLING INK FICTION PRIZE
spillingink.com/competitions
£875 in Prizes
Publication
Free Anthology
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