Ripon Writers' Group

Great article today by Tim Flanagan, whose support is very much appreciated. https://thestrayferret.co.uk/ripon-writers-group-extends-invitation-to-new-members/

Sylvie Bräunig began by thanking us for choosing her to judge our poems. She had felt some initial trepidation in accepting the task but did so as she felt that it was important to extend one’s comfort zone.

She explained that her interest in poetry had begun in her youth but she had not written any at that time. She then taught in primary schools and began to develop a strong interest in words and language. This led to a post with responsibility for language and reading development. She also became involved in several poetry ventures with an educational aspect that included well-regarded poets such as Vernon Scannell.

When her marriage broke up, poetry became a personal medium for self-expression. In attempting to learn more about the craft she eventually met Andy Croft and attended his writing courses. Along with members of her family, he encouraged her to share her work with a wider audience. This resulted in the publication of two volumes of poetry, any profits from which are donated to local libraries.

Sylvie had been impressed with the wide range of work submitted to her and remarked on the differences in subject, style and scope. She commented on each poem in detail, focusing on what she felt had commended it to her. She also gave us her personal reactions to each poem as well as the questions it had provoked in her.
She had enjoyed the research that had arisen from some of the pieces, which had made the experience even more rewarding for her.

From the twelve entries, Sylvie awarded Sheila Whitfield first place with Kate Swann and Solvig Choi joint second.

Sylvie, invited to read some of her own poems, chose ‘Slipstream’, ‘Memory Bites’ and ‘Breaking out’.

To conclude the evening, Ian thanked Sylvie once again for her adjudication, into which she had very obviously put a great deal of thought.

Ian opened the last meeting of the year by handing out copies of the 2022-2023 programme, inviting questions about its new features and promising a review in the spring.

We were very pleased to welcome back Kathleen, part of the Group almost since the very beginning and now an honorary member. She’s fourth along on the right hand side in the photo above, which also gives an indication of the concentration required to do this year’s quiz. Based on book titles, it was won by Carol and Sheila with 36 correct answers out of a possible 48. Well done, ladies!

The President’s Cup was presented by Joe to Susan for amassing the most points in our competitions. Well done, Susan!

Joe was also pleased to cut the delicious celebration cake provided by Ros. Thank you, Ros!

As ever, there were more contributions to the buffet than we could possibly eat in one sitting.

Ros and Chrissie catered for those who preferred tea to wine – not that we couldn’t have both, of course.

Cheers, everyone! Is Maggie’s smile due to relief at having handed over the Chair to Ian? Could well be!

It can be lonely at the top, but the 2023 programme Ian has devised with considerable input from the Committee is a good blend of the innovative and the traditional.

An enticing array of Secret Santa gifts made a fitting end to what had been a very successful evening.

The 2023 programme will be published very soon, so please watch this space. In the meantime, Ripon Writers’ Group would like to offer to anyone clicking onto our website all the best for the festive season and a Very Happy New Year.

The anniversary celebrations began in the Royal Oak last night with a meal for members and guests, at which we raised a glass to our much loved and missed founder member Daphne Peters.

As we were seated at one long table, the only solution was to take a photo from each end.

It was unfortunate that not everyone was able to attend, but we hope to make up for that at the pre-Christmas event on 6th December, when anniversary celebrations will continue. This will be at the SWCC. Watch this space!

There was a good turnout for the AGM, minutes of which have been circulated together with the Chairman’s Report. Copies of the Treasurer’s Report were made available for scrutiny at the meeting. The balance was healthy enough for the annual subscription to remain at £40 for the foreseeable future.

Maggie Cobbett handed over the Chair to Ian Gouge but will remain on the Committee as Secretary, aided by fellow Committee member and super-efficient note taker Sheila Whitfield. Caroline Slator will continue as Treasurer and Susan Perkins as Competition Secretary. Carol Mayer will also remain on the Committee and help out wherever needed, health permitting. (See below!)

The main change proposed and accepted was to switch to Wednesday evening meetings from the start of 2023, but the Treasurer will be looking into the setting up of Internet banking.

There was discussion about how the Group might improve its sharing of work, maybe by Zoom, and the possible acquisition of a sound system to help members with hearing problems. General approval met Ian’s intention to provide more opportunities in the programme for writing at meetings and for workshops, as well as compiling material for an anthology to be brought out next year.

Other suggestions were made for the new programme and these will be discussed further along with other matters at the first meeting of the new Committee. Fixed points on the programme will include three of RWG’s traditional competitions and a new one in honour of the late Daphne Peters, founder of the Group.

Hearty applause greeted a vote of thanks to Peter Page for his years of sterling service as Secretary.

In the short time remaining, Carol Mayer read out ‘Cartwheels in the Kitchen’, a rueful poem outlining the accident she suffered a few months ago and her gradual recovery from it. Onwards and upwards, Carol!

We were delighted to welcome Alison Carr and our old friend Andy Croft from Smokestack Books to our annual Poetry Evening. Andy has previously worked with Alison, a playwright and poet from the North-East, and assisted her in publishing her first volume of poetry, ‘Corner Shop Cowgirl’. In it she combined to great effect the language of the industrial North-East with the vocabulary of cowboy stories. Andy is supporting Alison on an Arts Council funded project which includes another series of workshops.

Alison is now working on ‘Black Bullets in the Sweet Jar’. a collection harking back to her childhood but with regret and loss being more prominent than nostalgia. Alison was involved in a serious accident around the age of ten and expressing herself through writing has been a vital component of her recovery. She refers to the process as ‘getting herself through the black mists’. Throughout the evening, Alison read out material already collected for her new book. Touches of this darkness in her work are balanced out with happier elements of childhood.

The Group was invited to attempt two writing exercises. The first involved choosing a sense, and then suggesting its effects without actually naming it. The second had to be based on an object from the natural world, the task set being to bring out another possible meaning in three or four lines.

Plenty of time for discussion and useful help with our own work also contributed to making the evening a success. Thank you very much, Alison and Andy.

Tim Flanagan of the Stray Ferret, seen above presenting the Jack Moss rose bowl to Susan Perkins, did a very thorough job for us this year. Maggie Cobbett was in second place and Solvig Choi in third.

The theme of writing was widely interpreted by the different entrants with Tim’s comments précised as follows:

If It’s Not Written Down, It Never Happened: A well-constructed entry exploring the use of writing from both a professional and personal perspective. It draws on the writer’s experience of the perils attached to professional recordings when working in Children’s Social Services. It also gives their reflections on the recording of mundane events in family life and their belief that writing can be a powerful tool.

Some Writers and a Reader: This piece addresses why books get written and the way the reader reacts to them. A wide range of literature is considered in this well-researched and structured piece. Some of the books mentioned were read as a result of reviews in The Times or The Sunday Times, and Tim felt this writer would make a good book reviewer themselves.

Writing: What’s It For?: A beautifully-written piece supported by examples ranging from a Biblical text to a recipe for a Christmas pudding, all giving a different perspective on the purpose of writing. Tim decided that the skilful use of the supporting materials along with the blending in of personal anecdotes made this the winning entry.

Ideas Are Where You Find Them: Tim enjoyed this piece from a writer who admitted to being an unashamed eavesdropper, as from a journalist’s perspective a story often develops from something overheard. He enjoyed the concise and entertaining way in which the author described how they found and used their sources of inspiration.
He awarded it second place in the competition.

A Sprinkling of Latin: This piece explored the premise that the root of evil is greed, and takes the reader on an international journey that looks at bribery, freedom of the press and journalistic practices. It contains a mixture of references from the jailing of journalists to the tales of Chaucer and is well-constructed and thought-provoking. He awarded it third place in the competition.

Blood on the Typewriter: the reference to the typewriter took Tim back to his early days in journalism, and relates to an Ernest Hemingway quote about writing being easy. You just sit down at the typewriter and bleed. The piece is based on the author’s selection of eight books to take to a desert island and the function of writing in each of this broad-based collection.

Don’t Write Yourself Off!: a well-researched, informative and thought-provoking piece about writing being a living, breathing thing that is constantly expanding. It considers word selection and how a writer can retain the interest of their reader. Tim felt it was important to consider exactly who their reader was and agreed with the author how important it was that we all learnt from the writing of others.

Entries not read out during the evening will be given precedence at the meeting on 11th October, which will be for members’ manuscripts and a book sale.