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Lovers of poetry, writers of poetry, published or unpublished - all welcome.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.