A WONDERFUL SUCCESSFUL TIME FOR OUR JO

It's many congratulations to Joanna Bawa who has won Writer's Block 2024 with her brilliant story DeathDefy. 

The Writers Block Challenge was set by Creative Writer Author, Linda Spurr, who chose the theme: Tidying Up.

The results were announced at our face-to-face meeting at Quakers Hall on 4 November and Joanna was joined on the podium by Andrea Neidle (2nd place) and Mike Lansdown (3rd place).

To read all 14 entries and to find our more about the competition, please CLICK HERE.

Watford Writers' Joanna Bawa entered the Victory Radio Station Pick of the Pops competition 2024 with her story, Total Eclipse of the Heart, and we are delighted to confirm Jo's story achieved a Top 40 placing. Well done our Jo!

For the full Competition Finalist listing, please CLICK HERE  

Watford Writers' very own Chris McDermott returned to the stage at the Short + Sweet Festival 2024 which took place at The Billericay Theatre in Essex, between 6 June and 22 June. 

The biggest little play festival in the world, Short+Sweet is a variety of 10-minute plays delighting tastebuds and presenting talented actors, writers and directors showcasing their skills and bringing a wonderful season of short theatre. 

Chris was involved in three plays this year, one of which he wrote himself and was nominated for a Best Script Award - the play being Escaping from the Echoes. 

At the Gala Night on 22 June, we are pleased to confirm that Chris was runner-up in a highly competitive field of scripts and our sincere congratulations to Chris for his undoubted achievement. His certificate can be viewed left.

We await to see what Chris has in store for next year!

The full results from Short + Sweet were:

SCRIPT 

Winner- Carol Hayes – Autonomous the Tank Engine

Runners up 

Justin Cartledge - The Birds that Flutter the Stars in the Hatters Head

Chris McDermot – Escaping the Echoes

Lisa Mathews – High Flyers

Jacquee Storozinski -Toll - The Visitor

DIRECTOR

Winner - Jeremy Battersby - Autonomous the Tank Engine

Runner up - Amy Clayton – The Great Hunt

PERFORMANCE

Winner - Jonathan Peters - Autonomous the Tank Engine

Runner up - Justin Cartledge - The Birds that Flutter the Stars in the Hatters Head

JUDGES CHOICE

Winner – The Birds that Flutter the Stars in the Hatters Head

Runner up - The Visitor 

PEOPLES CHOICE

Winner – Is Our Time Up Yet? 

Runner Up - The Great Hunt

Festival Directors award – Amy Clayton

Hazel Lucas – festival director. 

A series of creative writing courses have been arranged in association with Buckinghamshire Council (Adult Learning) and taking place in our area:

2025:

• Saturday 29th March at Highcrest – ‘Poetry with a Pen and a Passion’
• Saturday 26th April at Gerrards Cross – ‘Getting to Grips with the Novel’
• Monday 2nd June at Beaconsfield – ‘Life Writing – a Memoir for Your Grandchild, Posterity or Publication’.

Please click here or click on the logo left for full list of creative writing courses offered by Buckinghamshire Council.

Enquiries - Email:  studentenquiries@buckinghamshire.co.uk 

Our thanks to Jan Moran Neil and Chris McDermott for the information.

Congratulations to Melville, who has the interest of an American Theatre company, Dean Productions, to produce a Podcast of his play, The Distressed Table,

The play has been recently staged at London's Barons Court Theatre, London.

The Podcast is to be released early next year, as part of their '2025 Premiere The Play' season.

This year, the Farnham Literary Festival's Flash Fiction competition attracted 200 stories from various parts of the world - a number from professional writers. 

Watford Writers' very own Chris McDermott has received the news that his first entry, When Pink Overcomes Red, was successfully placed in the Top 10 (although was not the winner or runner-up). This story was previously written for the Watford LBGTQ+ event organised by Alex Williams - without that particular event, Chris would not have written the piece.

Chris's second story, The Sun King, was placed within the top 30.

PLEASE CLICK ON THE LOGO (left) for all the details.

Many congratulation Chris.

It's many congratulations to Melville Lovatt who has won  The Harrow Times Poetry Competition with his poem, The Dance of Life:

Still, she hears her husband’s voice,

‘Get out. Meet people.  find someone new.

Perhaps consider getting a dog?

When I’m dead, don’t sit there, feeling blue.’

Now, he is and she’s paying the price 

of loving him for forty years.

‘Remember the good times.’ She tells herself.

‘The love and laughter. No more tears.’

Although she knows she will survive—

Alternative? Suicide? madness? ---

watching other couples dance,

she’s overcome with sadness.

But knowing, now, that pain and joy

dance together - partners in crime -

she’ll do the dance of life again

with both - just one more time.

----

Melville Lovatt

Copyright 2022

Following on from Liz's first place in November's Flash Fiction  competition, Liz's winning piece, Angel of the North, has now featured in a blog by university lecturer, researcher and writer Anne Whitehead.

Anne is Professor of Modern and Contemporary Literature at Newcastle University.

Her research focuses on how we tell the stories of experiences that are difficult to narrate. Anne's early work looked at how contemporary fiction represents traumatic histories. She has also looked at the potential of literature to help us better understand experiences of illness and pain. Anne's

recent work focuses on grief, particularly those experiences of loss that are culturally sensitive or overlooked.

Hearing about Anne's latest project on the BBC Radio 4 Today Programme, Liz was inspired to write Angel of the North, of which Anne describes in her blog as, '...a beautiful piece which constitutes its own eloquent and moving response to the Angel.'

Well done our Liz!

Click Here for Anne's blog 

Earlier this year Watford Area Arts Forum (WAAF) announced a competition based on Elton John’s iconic album, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.  The competition was divided into two categories, art and literature. Entrants were asked to use the song titles, lyrics, illustrations on the album cover or take any inspiration from the record itself. This week marks the 50th Anniversary of the album’s release, that might make you feel old!

Helen Nicell of WAAF said “I am delighted we had twenty entries in each category for the competition, with an exhibition at Watford Museum displaying the entries throughout September, the final results being announced last Saturday. Initially there was a public vote, then the ten shortlisted entries were passed to independent judges. We were very fortunate that the original artist of the album’s cover, Ian Beck, agreed to judge the art competition.  He was unable to attend on Saturday, but local Art Historian, Ian Welland announced the results on his behalf. We were also very pleased that Mick Callanan, Delivery Director for the Orwell Youth Prize and an English Teacher for over 30 years, agreed to judge the literary category.”

The prize money for the competitions was kindly donated by Watford Council and Aga Dychton, Deputy Mayor, presented these, the winners also received the WAAF trophy.  

The results were:

Literary Competition  - 

1st Place - Sumi Watters – Aeroplanes and Electric Boots 

2nd Place - Liz Shaw - The Tale of the Horny-Back Toad  

3rd Place - Veronica Montgomery - The Mystery of Alice Vaughan Williams

Art Competition - 

1st Place - Louise Welland - Our Yellow Brick Road 

2nd Place - Nadi Shanassi – Saturday Night

3rd Place - Brian Cowan - Goodbye Norma Jean

Photo: Brian Cowan, Louise Welland, Sumi Watters, Mick Callanan (literary judge) and Cllr Aga Dychton, Deputy Mayor of Watford. 

Louise Welland’s winning art piece was a collage based on Watford's old and local celebrities. Watford Museum have requested if this piece could be donated to hang in the new Watford Museum and Louise was delighted to agree to this. 

Grateful thanks to the judges, Watford Council, Watford Museum and to everyone that took part. 

Thanks for the music Elton, and thanks for suggesting the competition Ian Welland.

Watford Writers went on the road again, this time appearing at The Random Cafe's Great Big Green Day held on Saturday 17 June 2023.  A number of group members read poems, monologues and even performed a special "super hero" play in honour of Watford's very own Green Grandma, Jo Morgan.

There were contributions from David Elliott, Mike Lansdown, Chris McDermott, Jo Morgan, Andrea Neidle, Helen Nicell, Pat Simpson, Louise and Ian Welland.

The Random Cafe is a splendid green community project located in the heart of the Meridian estate, Watford. RANDOM CAFE: 24a Garsmouth Way, Watford WD25 9DR

CLICK HERE for Random Cafe website

CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF WATFORD WRITERS AT THE RANDOM CAFE

Thanks you to Jo and all the volunteers at the Random Cafe for a splendid day. 

The children of Colnbrook School were recently treated to a morning of storytelling when members of a local writers’ group visited. Taking inspiration from a book cover design illustrated by the pupils, members of the KidsLit group wrote original stories and poems, which were entered into a competition organised by the South Oxhey school. The children chose their favourite from the eleven entries—a charming story in rhyme titled The Elephant Who Went to the Moon by Susan de Silva.  

“I was delighted my story was chosen,’ Susan said. ‘It was wonderful to read to the children of Colnbrook. I look forward to seeing more of their illustrations.”

“We were grateful for the opportunity to work with and share our stories with the students of Colnbrook School,” another KidsLits Lit Author commented following the event. ‘We would love to collaborate with other local schools in the future.”   

Caroline Aplin, the Headteacher said, “Colnbrook have really enjoyed working collaboratively with the writers. The children initially designed a front cover and our Chair of Governors, Hilary McDermott, put us in touch with the writers, who took on board the title of the story and wrote some wonderful stories. The student voice chose a winner, and we were delighted that many of the authors were able to come into school and read to us. Collaboration with our local community is very important to us as a special school and we are grateful for the opportunity to be part of this.”

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ALL THE PHOTOS OF KIDS LIT AT COLNBROOK 

The KidsLit group evolved from Watford Writers in 2020, when it was realised there were many in the group interested in writing for children. They meet fortnightly on Thursdays on Zoom and have previously performed works at local events.  

If your school might be interested in working with the group please contact Chris McDermott, benhannick@aol.com 

Further information on KidsLit, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

On May 22nd The Education Centre at Batchworth Lock played host to local writers’ group, Watford Writers. Since Covid, we now meet mainly on Zoom but continue to convene face-to-face once a month at a meeting hall in Watford. When this became temporarily unavailable the group were delighted to take up the offer of a session down by the lock!

About sixteen members made their way from as far afield as Watford and Ruislip and all managed to find both the centre itself and the free parking available nearby. Taking the theme of ‘water’ as a focus for the evening we read and discussed some previously written pieces and, responding to the Centre’s beautiful setting and watery environment, spent some time writing a few new ones. 

These can be seen by CLICKING HERE.

I hope you enjoy reading our efforts and I think we may well use the Centre again in the foreseeable future.

If developing creative writing could be of interest to you, we are a friendly group who are always happy to welcome new members.

Sincere thanks to Mike Lansdown.

Watford Writers very own Jan Rees celebrates our wonderful town with her specially written prose. To see this excellent presentation and hear Jan's superb recital performance:

Please Click Here