Results of Poetry Competition - 14 April 2014

On Monday 14 April we heard the results of our second competition of the year, poetry. Our guest judge was prize-winning local poet, Kim Lasky.
     Kim was very complimentary about our efforts, and gave comprehensive feedback to everyone who had entered.  She told us she was looking for the use of a poetry form which complemented and supported the subject matter, as well as the use of language and the rhythm of the poems.
     The eventual winners were: in joint fourth place, 'The Slip', Diana Lock, and 'On the Hill, Marcia Woolf'.  Roz Balp was in third place with 'Overkill', Sara Young was second with 'Jack', and the deserved winner was Jill Fricker with the moving 'Out of Niger'.

Manuscript Evening - 31 March 2014

The group met on Monday 31 March for one of our regular Manuscript evenings, where members present extracts from their work in progress for discussion and constructive feedback. The meeting was chaired by Kate O'Hearn, fresh back from a trip to Hawaii, where she was doing research for her latest 'Pegasus' novel.

     Four brave members presented their work: Paul Johnson with football inspired fantasy, Anne Spiring with a prospective Mills and Boon bodice-ripper, new member Corinne Graehame with chilling crime, and Lee Owen with science fiction. Needless to say, we found grappling with all the different genres quite challenging!

     However, all the presenters appeared to find our feedback useful.

Poetry Entries - 17 March 2014

On 17 March entries had to be submitted for our Poetry Competition. This year, with a number of new members taking part, we had a record number of entries for the competition. This is pleasing, as poetry has traditionally been a minority interest for HWG members.
     Entrants read out their poems and presented a short 'back story' about what had inspired the piece.

Results of Short Story Competition - 3 March 2014

On Monday 3 March a large group of members gathered to hear the results of our first competition for 2014 - producing a short story from a given first paragraph. The competition had also attracted a record number of entries, despite many members saying they found the task difficult.

     Our judge was up-and-coming thriller writer James Carol, who had also set the paragraph we had to work from. He had been impressed with the quality of the entries, and interested to see that some had used the paragraph to write a 'big' story, about cataclysm and disaster, and others to produce a 'small' more domestic drama.

The eventual winners were, in joint fourth place, Stephanie Gaunt with 'The Choice', and Jill Fricker with 'Falling to Earth'. New member Linda Blackhall was third with 'We are the People', second was Mike Walsh with the 'Wasteland', and our winner was Roz Balp with the mesmerising 'The New Order'.

     We were also pleased to welcome two prospective members at the meeting.