Minutes |2 May 2019

Minutes of the meeting at La Rosa Hotel on Thursday 2 May 2019.

Present: Jonathan, Mike, Jenny, Adele, Pip, Ian (chair) plus 2 guests: Leslie and Jenny.

Apologies:  Graham, Louise.

Topic: Members’ work-in-progress.

Matters Arising

Ian asked attendees in turn to give a brief introduction to themselves for the benefit of our guests, who were present in response to recent adverts for the Group in Whitby Gazette.

Ian raised the matter of on-line book reviews: an important way to sell books by making the general public aware of their existence, and he opined that we all ought to have accounts with one or more of the major book review sites (Goodreads comes to mind). This would put the Group as a whole in a good position to help promote recently-published books by members. Whilst on the topic of promoting a self-published book, Ian commended to newcomers a valuable article on the topic written by Adele.

Adele gave a brief account of Seasonal Space To Write, a writing retreat given by Natalie Scott she attended recently.

Members’ Readings

Mike — read two poems about noteworthy features of the countryside where he lived: Beggar’s Bridge and Glaisdale.

Jenny — read a poem entitled The Drums Are Coming! – a delightfully evocative whimsy directed at the children’s market for poetry.

Leslie — read a short story entitled Sam, about a bell-ringer of that name whose body is left behind in the church tower of a village due to be submerged beneath a new reservoir.

Ian [Anitra’s Petition] — The Groubian Echelon speed Anitra and Dolpou to a safe house on the rim of a vast canyon on Mars. There, alone with a substantial buffet, they await the arrival of General Nanoud, who has delivered Peter Zwillinge and Commissioner Nilsson to the Selenean legation in Nix City. Nanoud arrives, to reveal that Anitra’s favourite brother Andrew is not dead, but is a prisoner of HR at an unknown location.

Adele — read an article entitled How [not] to impress the Boss, about her experience working for a firm of estate agents. At a social gathering of staff from its many branches in the region she had been somewhat unrestrained in voicing her opinions about the firm’s prospects and opportunities. The morning after, she was dreading the consequences. Unexpectedly her criticisms had been taken as positive and useful.

The meeting closed at 12:55 PM.