Frank looks like he’s enjoying himself.
That way, I said, and they all ignored me.
Celia takes stock.
Annie writes.
Claire looks thoughtful.
Chelsea also is thoughtful.
Ranin looks worried.
Pigeons on the roof, alas.
Cathedral.
HOMECOMING
I take the Romany’s sprigged heather,
tuck its pink tight buds curled like
baby fists tight as a talisman,
blue with longing, into my bag.
I am pierced mid-flight
by a hint of traveller she sees
within – an Irish woman
on the grandmother side,
Ellen Glancy unschooled, catholic
in tastes and religion,
pawned her soul for potatoes
that lay rotting, bleeding
into darkened sod.
Her pilgrimage to England
and Alfred, then retracing steps
to Enniskillen for the wedding,
returning to peg washing
not in a whipped north-easterly
which cut the souls.
Back across grey waters
fretful and choppy, till her own
broke a tidal wave, her firstborn.
Homesick for emerald patches,
a mercurial sky tilting meniscus,
struggling for freedom.
Iron rain lashes my face,
her slashed smile a rent petticoat.
Merging the troubles one with another,
I take her hand in mine,
it lies still but warm, without
need for words.
*****
BOLSOVER CASTLE
I stride the battlements; crenelated Portland stone,
Sheer five hundred feet below grassy fields.
A twenty-mile fish-eye panorama of peaks;
Arkwright’s Sutton Hall, Bess’s glass Hardwick.
Beyond receding greens to softened hues, greys
Through anthracite, slate, to a sooty-blue meniscus
The wind moans the miles, traps whispers in
An ancient avenue of limes to the riding stables, keep.
I descend eroded limestone steps, scoured clean
By tides of serfs; stranded in landlocked Derbyshire.
by Susan Flower (alumna 2010-2011)
Don’t forget that there will be a free reading of work from The Black Path by last year’s students on the MA Creative Writing course.
The reading will take place in MC0025, 12.00 – 1.00, Wednesday 23 October (2013). Work will include poems, flash fiction and extracts from longer pieces.
Everyone welcome.
Monkey Creates
The universe is an omelette.
An omelette, or maybe a quiche…
well anyway, the important thing is
it all started with an egg.
An egg with a bloody great crack
down the middle that fizzles
with dark energy. One day, it splinters
open from one too many bangs
on the celestial frying pan,
spattering globules of sticky blackness
across time and space.
The shell pirouettes away, leaving
a yolk that would have fallen if it wasn’t
for the lack of gravity, but instead
hangs in the gaping silence,
a black, undulating mass of chaos.
The mass is snoring.
But it doesn’t snore for long. Monkey wakes
and scratches his furry arse.
It’s pretty close in here he thinks,
so he lifts up his Monkey paws,
and pushes away the squishy black space yolk.
Above him he creates the great
celestial jungle, and below the waters
of the celestial rapids. He swipes
whole paw-fulls of oozing jelly
and skilfully fashions the
banana tree galaxy, the climbing frame
solar system, even the delicate
patterns of the tree vine constellations.
Exhausted, Monkey rests
on the great primordial rubber tyre,
ideally flicking fleas into the cosmos,
where they explode in soft plumes
of orange and purple, becoming
spiralling galaxies and unexplored nebulas.
By Nick Beaumont (alumnus 2010-2011).
Students on the 2012-2013 year of the MA in Creative Writing have published an impressive paperback anthology of their own work.
The Black Path 1 (a second collection is nearing completion) comprises poems, flash fiction, short stories and novel extracts written by the students during the course of their studies.
What’s special about the book is that the students took the publishing initiative themselves, building on what they had learned during the MA. All the writing, collation, editing, design, typesetting and marketing is student-driven. Overall Editor is Shirley Bell, already a well-published poet.
The Black Path 1 is 132 pages long and can be bought from Amazon at £6.58.
A reading by contributors to the anthology will take place in the University on Wednesday, 23 October, 12.00 – 1.00 in room MC0025. More details to follow.
Contributors: Shirley Bell, Cassandra Cash, Stephen Blessett, Laura Clipson, Tina Daley, Stewart Norvill, Muayyad Elwaheidi, Jennifer Fytelson, Joel Leverton, Ian Turner, Matt Ellis and Rosemary Temple.
SYMPOSIUM AND FINAL GROUP MEETING, Wed 20 March 2013:
Many thanks for Sam Hawksmoor for coming to talk to the group.
They buy books. Laura, Sam, Ian and Matt.
(Matt Ellis, Laura Clipson, Phil Redpath [tutor], Tina Daley, Mido Elwaheidi, Stewart Norvill, Shirley Bell, Cassie Cash, Ian Turner, Rosie Temple). Mr Steve Blissett absented himself but we shall find another picture of him.
Some of the following may be of interest. They’re all from the current email newsletter from Writing East Midlands. I’m afraid the links have been stripped out, so I suggest you sign up for their newsletter to get it delivered direct to your inbox.
NOTTINGHAM FESTIVAL OF WORDS FLASH FICTION COMPETITION
To celebrate National Storytelling Week (Saturday 26 Jan – Saturday 02 Feb) Nottingham Festival of Words is launching a flash fiction competition!
The best stories will be published on the festival website, with one lucky winner receiving a pair of weekend passes to the festival.
Deadline for submissions is 11pm on Tuesday 29 January 2013
More
BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW FOR THE NOTTINGHAM FESTIVAL OF WORDS
The first Nottingham Festival of Words welcomes all lovers of words to Nottingham.
Events will be taking place at Newstead Abbey, Nottingham Trent University’s Newton Building, Nottingham Playhouse, Lakeside Arts Centre, Wollaton Hall, Debbie Bryan’s shop, Jam Cafe, Broadway and other venues around the city.
More
Sign up to the Nottingham Festival of Words newsletter here.
COURSES AND WORKSHOPS
Writing School Leicester starts its new term of courses in January.
ADVANCED SHORT STORY WRITING WITH DEBORAH TYLER BENNETT
This course is aimed at practising short fiction writers who want to experiment with different narrative forms and gain new skills. You will look at how short stories are told, who tells them and why, and how to explore different types of narrative perspective. You will also consider switches in narrative voice and uses of imagery in short stories.
4 Sessions from Monday 14th January
10am-noon
Price: £50
More
POETRY TOOLKIT WITH ALISON DUNNE
A robust and energetic approach to developing your work with lots of ideas and exercises to cultivate your essential poetry toolkit. A look at defeating the blank page, editing your work, form and content and other tricks of the trade.
5 Sessions from Monday 18th February
10am – noon
Price: £60
More
NOVEL WRITING WORKSHOP ROD DUNCAN / MAXINE LINNELL
Working on a Novel? Rod and Maxine will lead you through exercises that will make the process of writing and editing more enjoyable.
9 sessions from Tuesday 15th January 2013
7-9pm
Price: £110
More
STARTING TO WRITE A CHILDREN’S BOOK WITH DEBBIE WHITE
“I think I’d like to write for children.” Sounds easy enough! But what age group? A picture book perhaps or a chapter book for 5-8 year olds. Maybe an 80,000 word teenage novel? Phew! And if you go for the teen novel, what genre? Science Fiction, Romance, Historical, Fantasy, Crime?
4 sessions from 16 January 2013
10am-12pm
Price:£50
More
WRITING ROMANTIC FICTION WITH SUE MOORCROFT
A Valentine’s Day Special
14th February 2013
10am-4pm
Price: £35
Want to write your love story? Join this Valentine’s Day Special with Sue Moorcroft.
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ADVANCED EBOOK PUBLISHING WORKSHOP WITH PIPPA HENNESSY
This half day workshop gives you the chance to extend your ebook production skills to include an understanding of how ebooks really work ‘under the hood’.
Saturday 2nd March
10.30am – 3.00pm with a 30 minute lunch break
(Lunch not included)
Price: £50 (4% PayPal booking fee if booking online)
To find out more and book your place, click here.
View the full list of Writing School Leicester courses here
Writing School Leicester is now a subsidiary of Writing East Midlands.
WRITING HORROR STORIES WITH ALEX DAVIS
26th January
One day creative writing workshop.
Mackworth Library, Derby
£25, booking essential
More
FIFTY SHADES OF PLAY
27th January
A day spent finding inspiration and playing with words, ideas and genres. This workshop will be perfect for you if you’d like to start writing but don’t know how to begin, or you’re stuck for ideas. Come and explore! What else do you have to do on a cold winter’s day?
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BOX OF PROPS POETRY WORKSHOPS
expresseum poetics will be delivering two series of page-performance poetry workshops at two of Leicestershire’s independent museums: Lutterworth Museum in the South of the county, and Kegworth Museum in the North.
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LET’S WRITE A BOOK
The perfect course for those people with an idea for a book but don’t know where to start, or just looking for that extra bit of motivation and guidance to complete their projects!
More
WRITING TV DRAMA
This practical workshop led by Jim Hill offers an insight into writing for television drama
More
INSCRIBE MASTERCLASS
SUBMITTING TO PUBLICATIONS with Kadija George
Sat. 23 February 2013, 11am – 5pm
More
CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP
A fun and informal workshop at Loughborough University
More
CREATIVE WRITING FOR THE OVER 55S AT THE THEATRE ROYAL NOTTINGHAM
A nine week creative writing course, led by Cathy Grindrod, commencing Friday 18 January at the Theatre Royal Nottingham.
More
MA SCRIPTWRITING & DEVELOPMENT – UNIVERSITY OF LINCOLN
The MA in Playwriting and Script Development at the University of Lincoln is delivered by a professional team of script readers, editors, playwrights and academics. This practice-based Master’s programme, created especially for graduate students with a good honours degree who want to write for theatre, will train students in playwriting, alongside the important and transferable skills of script editing, dramaturgy and script development.
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COMPETITIONS AND AWARDS
“NOTTINGHAM LACE” CHILDREN’S WRITING COMPETITION
The Nottingham Lace Competition is open to anyone aged 18 or under living in Nottingham. There are three age groups (under 10, 11–14, and 15–18), and you can enter either a poem or a short story.
We’re looking for entries on the theme of LACE. Make lace. Wear Lace. Love lace. Lace words together. What does lace mean to you?
More
NOTTINGHAM FESTIVAL OF WORDS FLASH FICTION COMPETITION
To celebrate National Storytelling Week (Saturday 26 Jan – Saturday 02 Feb) Nottingham Festival of Words is launching a flash fiction competition!
The best stories will be published on the festival website, with one lucky winner receiving a pair of weekend passes to the festival.
Deadline for submissions is 11pm on Tuesday 29 January 2013
More
THE ALAN SILLITOE OPEN POETRY COMPETITION
Closing date: 22nd January 2013
1st Prize: £200, 2nd Prize: £100, 3rd Prize: £50
All profits go to the Alan Sillitoe Memorial Fund
More
CALLING FOR SUBMISSIONS FROM PLAYWRIGHTS
A Play for the Nation’s Youth.
National competition launched to find a new play for young people.
More
LOVE ON THE ROAD 2013
International writing competition seeks tales about making connections. Non-fiction or fiction.
More
DARKER TIMES FICTION WRITING COMPETITIONS
Darker Times Fiction hosts three monthly writing competitions – short story, flash fiction and poetry, all on the theme of ‘darker times’ (this doesn’t necessarily have to be horror). Cash prize for winners and publication in an ebook and paperback Anthology as well as on the website.
More
HOOKLINE NOVEL COMPETITION 2013
The competition is open only to students and graduates of MA writing programmes. But rather than select a winner ourselves, the judges are book group readers from around the UK
More
HIPPOCRATES PRIZE FOR POETRY AND MEDICINE
The Hippocrates Prize for Poetry and Medicine is an annual international award for an unpublished poem on a medical subject
More
GREY HEN POETRY COMPETITION 2013
Grey Hen is a small independent press. Our aim is to publish poetry by older women. For women over 60 only. Those who will reach 60 before the end of June 2013 are eligible.
More
OPPORTUNITIES
VOLUNTEER AT THE NOTTINGHAM FESTIVAL OF WORDS
The Nottingham Festival of Words is looking for volunteers who’d like to help, either during the Festival or in the run-up to it. Volunteering is a great way of getting involved in the literary scene in Nottingham, meeting other people, and developing skills in areas like event organisation, media, and marketing. You’ll also be playing an important role in bringing a new and much needed Festival to the city, one which we hope to establish as a key event in the region’s arts calendar.
If you’re interested, get in touch with Robin Vaughan-Williams, the Nottingham Writers’ Studio Develoment Director, who will send you further information about volunteering: admin@nottinghamwritersstudio.co.uk, 0115 959 7947.
For more information on the festival, visit the website at nottwords.org.uk
LEFTLION SEEKS VOLUNTEER REVIEWERS FOR NOTTINGHAM FESTIVAL OF WORDS
Interested in reviewing Nottingham Festival of Words Events for LeftLion Magazine and Website?
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BURSARY FOR ARTS STUDENTS AND RECENT GRADUATES
Saddled by student debt? Whether you’re a first-year student or a graduate, if you embarked on a BA or BMus in 2006* or later, you could benefit from having £9,000 wiped off your Student Loans Company balance by arts charity IdeasTap.
More
THE LONDON UNPUBLISHED FICTION WRITERS OPEN READING 2013
Seeking writers of fiction
More
PAID ARTS COLUMNIST OPPORTUNITY
Get paid to write a weekly arts column for online arts magazine, IdeasMag
More
GET INTO READING PROJECT WORKER, THE READER ORGANISATION
This is a dynamic and varied job requiring you to promote, set-up, establish and facilitate a weekly Get Into Reading group in order to promote well-being and good mental for offenders/ex-offenders in the PD PIPE.
More
FILM PRODUCER SEEKING A WRITER TO DEVELOP A FEATURE SCREENPLAY
An exciting opportunity to be attached to a feature film project which is currently in development.
More
CALL FOR WORKSHOP LEADERS: MARKET BOSWORTH FESTIVAL
Market Bosworth Festival would be pleased to hear from artists who could offer workshops in schools.
More
PENDROP CREATIVE WRITING GROUP
PENDROP … Blackdrop’s creative writing group, returning with our regular monthly workshops!
More
FUNDING CENTRAL
Funding Central covers funding and finance opportunities for voluntary and community organisations operating in England from European, national, regional and local government and charitable sources.
More
PHD FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: ANTHONY BURGESS FOUNDATION
Applications are invited for a PhD bursary, to support research into the literature or music of Anthony Burgess and his contemporaries
The bursary will support a scholar beginning his or her studies in the academic year 2013-14. The bursary is tenable anywhere in the world and offers up to £15,000 per annum for a maximum of three years.
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EVENTS
LISTEN WHILE YOU LUNCH-WITH TRAVEL WRITER LESLEY GOULD
21st January
12.10pm to 1pm
Fancy a break from the workplace or a sit down after doing the shopping? Join us for a talk by travel writer Lesley Gould.
Derby Central Library, free event.
More
AN EVENING WITH DAVID ZELDER
23rd January
An illustrated talk by East Midlands writer David Zelder
More
ALAN SILLITOE THEN AND NOW
26th January
A Five Leaves event at the Djanogly Art Gallery, Lakeside Arts Centre, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, as part of the Saturday Night and Sunday Morning exhibition
More
AN EVENING WITH PETER JAMES
28th January
Join us for an evening with Peter James one of the UK’s most treasured crime and thriller novelists.
Central Library, Derby
£10, including light refreshments, booking essential.
More
NOTTINGHAM STORY TELLERS
30th January
Bad and Bawdy Tales – Pete Davis and David Brailsford.
A selection of naughty stories told by two storytellers who should know better, but don’t. lots of laughs.
More
BALCKDROP
14th February
Your next ‘drop of goodness’ from BLACKDROP spoken-word is on Thurs 14th Feb 8-10pm £3 age 16+ at Canalhouse bar, Canal Street, Nottm.
More
SAY SUM THIN 4
15th February – 16th February
Poetry will collide with performance, music, dance and whatever else The Mouthy Poets can get their hands on. Come explore the theme of Love, Lace and Revolution as part of Nottingham Festival of Words.
More
BUY MY COMIC
16th February
Jay Eales and Selina Lock, publishers of Violent! and The Girly Comic, are veterans of the UK comic publishing scene.
More
EMBA AUTHOR PANEL
17th February
To celebrate the East Midlands Book Award, now in its third year, previous winners Mark Goodwin and Anne Zouroudi will be joined by two shortlisted Nottinghamshire writers, Paula Rawsthorne and Gregory Woods, for readings, Q&A and book signings.
More
AND FINALLY…
NOTTINGHAM BASED SELF PUBLISHED AUTHOR SUCCESS
Trevor Forest’s self published children’s books are doing extremely well and are being used in schools across Britain. Stanley Stickle Does Not Have A Girlfirend is being used as a set literary project by Hamilton College, Scotland. The school also uses Trevor’s book for older children, Peggy Larkin’s War, as a reference when they study the evacuation of children in WW2.
Find out more about Trevor’s children’s books here.
WATERSTONES SUCCESS FOR LOCAL AUTHOR
Ann Featherstone found her novel Newgate Jig on display in Nottingham Waterstones under ‘Fresh Blood’ and ‘Murders most Mysterious’.
Read an interview with Ann and read a sample of Newgate Jig here
Do you have anything you want to shout about? Any good news or successes? Writing East Midlands wants to hear from you! Help us celebrate the literature talent of the East Midlands.
Simply email hayley@writingeastmidlands.co.uk and tell us what’s been happening around you.
The following sequence was devised and created by current students on their own initiative via their Facebook group.
COLLABORATIVE TAROT SEQUENCE
The structure must be either a four line poem containing fourteen words, or a three line poem containing twenty-one words plus a one word title. The last word of the first line in each poem must rhyme with the last word of the poem above. The numbers come from the typical tarot deck which contains four suits of fourteen cards each and twenty-one trump cards plus one trump, which is The Fool. Only the poems of three lines comprised of twenty-one words are supposed to have titles. These titles, as inspired by The Fool card, are meant to be foolish.
Shirley Bell
‘I am fortune’s fool!’
cried Romeo as Juliet
reeled past, lashed
to fate’s wheel.
Steve Lint
FIREWORK
The hanged man thrust his fetid heel
towards the sun, moon and star,
who had blasted the tower of these lovers.
Cassandra Cash
Intoxicated by knowledge, he discovers
pleasures of seclusion
awaiting an honest spark
to ignite
Laura Clipson
CASTLE
Death rides and brings fright,
skeletal, brandishing a rose; none understand,
the old must die to make way for the new.
Tina Panface Daley
DINNER
Kneeling on stars of dew
she holds captive the essence of existence,
which oozes from chalices bringing life to the earth.
Matt Ellis
BLOSSOM
Rising from blood and mirth,
blade of silver arcs resplendent through ashes,
freeing the soul of his mephistophelean veil, unlatch, unleash.
Mido Elwaheidi
PALMIST
O death! Is contemplating in you like hashish?
No answer did I find, death is my fate
As it is yours
Joel Leverton
The heights of Everest, floors
Of canyon and cave,
Hanged men
See it all
Stewart Norvill
TIRAMISU
wait by the tree and leaves will fall
and grow and cards are just a game
until she wants her payment
Rosie Temple
ZEBRA
The Fool dines with Uncertainty, patient,
treading the watery pathways wept by a scheming orb.
On the banks, the wolf howls.
Ian Turner
Traitor on the prowl,
Judas with a gun,
In school,
Their time has come.
Shirley Bell
SEAGULLS
Yet after horror there is always sun,
gilding the upturned faces of the flowers
and drying the tears of our children.
Steve Lint
HAMMOCK
The Blasted Tower, silly house and garden,
the danged bivouac, the flippin’ penthouse suite,
the blinking caravan, and the risible gite.
Cassandra Cash
Her trickery tastes sweet
the manipulation of velvet gloves
enchanting, deceptive,
the Magician’s assistant
Laura Clipson
The Hermit is distant,
hiding from dragons
of the real world;
isolation impedes growth.
Tina Panface Daley
IGLOO
Bread comes by the loaf,
Fruit comes by the pound, Gold comes by the ounce
And death comes by the hand.
Matt Ellis
DIMPLES
White feathers silver and grand,
herald of the doomed man’s fame,
loose the arrows in storm, ironic white flashes of scorn.
Mido Elwaheidi
Those opposing me will be torn
My decisions are irrevocable
no questions
no suggestions
Joel Leverton
I seek corrections
To alter my world.
These cards read directions;
Let future unfurl.
Stewart Norvill
WALRUS
passed up the Med from girl to girl
Harut and Marut’s paper trick
to lose you coins and empty cups alas
Rosie Temple
MEAT
Desolate eyes, harass!
Pester the heavens strewn with possibilities.
Find your sky shepherd and surrender your soul to be driven on.
Ian Turner
Devil be gone,
temptation and greed,
sing a new song,
find a new creed.