Minutes of the meeting at La Rosa Hotel on Thursday 13 June 2019.

Present: Jonathan, Jenny, Jenny Burns, Mike, Ian (chair).

Apologies: Adele, Lesley, Pip, Louise, Sue Thomason.

Topic: Members’ work-in-progress.

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Matters Arising

Ian asked Jenny, to remind the meeting when her forthcoming performance of As I Walked Forth One Summer’s Day, a new production by the duo Merry Melancholy. It is this coming Sunday.

Members’ Readings

Jonathan — read a poem: Stargazing that sufficiently impressed those present that we asked him to read it out again. It prompted a lively discussion on light pollution, seeing stars from the bottom of a well or the Grand Canyon, dark-sky areas, and where the saying “you’re a star” came from.

Jenny — read a poem entitled Wanting You  – a cunning double-entendre where the object of desire is eventually revealed to be an antique glass inkwell.

Jenny Burns — read a more-or-less standalone chapter from her historical novel about Eliza, a stately-home housekeeper at the time of the Napoleonic Wars. A personable coachman pays Eliza a visit. Ostensibly a social call, it becomes clear the man is courting her.

Any Other Business

Ian used his slot, plus the remaining ample meeting time, to propose that WWG arranges a retrospective exhibition of books produced by (current) members. It would be in an unusual format: basically a tea party with the ambience of one of those coffee shops attached to an upmarket bookstore (think Borders, in the USA, or some of the better Waterstones’s). Books would not be laid out for sale on a table, as one sees at literary events, but salted among the guest table to be handled and passed around. There would be a programme of readings throughout the afternoon. Books would be sold (of course) in a manner to be determined. Like an art exhibition, there would be a control sheet (drawn up by Ian) which would function both as catalogue and stock list. The proposal was positively received, and many useful ideas put forward.

Ian has a small stock of the books published by Undead Tree, but he envisaged featuring a selection of books published by all existing members at any time in their writing career. If their titles are selected, members able to bring along a stock of their own books would be invited to do so. All of the books published under the Undead Tree imprint are badged as “all profits go to such-and-such a charity” – this would of course need to be honoured.

The meeting closed at 12:45 PM.

Extra

From Jonathan, to be included in the Minutes:
I’ve just been notified of the National Writing Day on 26 June, and I am passing the link on to you in case it is of interest to you or to any members of the group.  I don’t think we can arrange an event in association with this organisation at such short notice, and as far as I can see the nearest event is in Harrogate, but some members may be prepared to travel that sort of distance.