August 2011

Great event at The Swallow Theatre with our lunchtime cabaret -Fromage, Potage et Pain - a full house audience enjoyed a delicious lunch made by Sarah and James (of the much lamented Ravenstone Deli in Whithorn) and the brief and witty poems and pieces by our readers. After the event we had three enquiries about membership. Next stop, Wigtown Book Festival, with the 2011 anthology, A Banquet of Writing,on Saturday 24th September at 10.30 am !

June 2011

In Jean Atkin’s recent workshop entitled Exploring Imagary in Poetry we tried a number of writing exercises. One involved using semi random word combinations to create similes and we got among others, “cat is like a flowing ribbon”, “wishing is like a sunburst”, “consternation is like a bubbling cauldron”.

We were also invited to write a poem using the images of a significant house from our past in a particular season. Here is Leonie Ewing's poem.

Returning

In my store of memories,

ripe and red as plums,

coloured glass throws sunbeams

down a dark wood-panelled hall,

childish laughter fills an upstairs room.

From my store of memories,

sweet and sour as cherries,

in the garden sheltered and secure

cries of delight rise skywards

above the to-and-froing swing.

The favourite apple tree

the children liked to climb

is dressed in autumn fruit.

Should I pick this pretty harvest,

take a bite, and risk the bitter pit?

Leonie Ewing July 2011

2011 Writing Project celebrates

Food & Drink in Dumfries & Galloway

in the planning is a Lunchtime Cabaret at The Swallow Theatre, near Whithorn, on August 20th.

and an expanded programme at The Wigtown Book Festival in September.

The Pen & Ink Group

in Kiltimagh,County Mayo

In 2008, there was a cultural exchange between the writing communities of Kiltimagh

and Dumfries & Galloway. A friendship kindled then with members of Crichton Writers has prompted the Kiltimagh Group to be in touch to see what further exchange the two groups might organise.

Something exciting to discuss in the coming months - in the meantime-

here's their website address.

http://www.kiltimaghwriters.com/

                                                            The Old Bank Bookshop

         Pam with a wartime tale                Christine remembers a gift       Sally tells her story from memory

(photos by Fiona Russell)

Crichton Writers at The Wigtown Book Festival

On Saturday 25th September in The Old Bank Bookshop at midday, Crichton Writers read from their 2010 album - 'I Remember, I Remember' - which is a collection of life writing with associated photographs. As you can see, we read to a full house. The album is on sale at an amazing £5.00.

Later that day, at 1.30 pm, in the Wigtown Ink Festival Yurt, JoAnne McKay and Vivien Jones (both CWs) read from their new poetry publications, 'Venti' and 'About Time,Too.'

At 11.30 am on Saturday 2nd October, in The Wigtown Ink Festival Yurt, CW Jean Atkin, will read from her poetry book, 'The Treeless Region'.

Swords and Cyclamens

Leonie and Vivien both have poems in the music themed edition of this American online journal - take a look. Click on the 'poetry' tab.

from a recent workshop....

Leonie Ewing, Chair of Crichton Writers, reflects on a recent workshop

Self-organising Systems

On Thursdays, once a month,

driven by some alchemical force,

we aggregate.

In we troop, carrying our grey burdens,

settle down like broody hens, expectant.

We listen, make notes, observe.

Minds tumble agate-smooth thoughts

too slippery to grasp.

Somewhere from the edge of chaos

order is snatched up, pinned down.

Energy flows from the bottom up.

Words synchronise, pick up a beat.

Patterns appear; clockwork spirals

and feedback loops, branches,

connections and meaning.

We have self-organised.

A writing group amazed, delighted

and amused at our emergent properties.

We see the whole is so much more

than the sum of its parts.

L.S.Ewing

June 2010

The Peace Offering by Barbara Mearns

The brooch twinkled at him from its soft velvet nest in the shop window. He fingered the heavy gold chain at the neck of his black shirt as he re-read the price tag. This piece was seriously more expensive than his other gifts to his wife: the diamanté butterfly after his night of passion at the Ethical Pension Funds conference; the golden chameleon after the affair with his Spanish secretary; the ruby-eyed snake after one never-to-be-forgotten afternoon with Randy Mandy – he still found his mind wandering sometimes when he sat at his desk, remembering her performance on top of it...

There was something irresistible about the white platinum brooch, he almost imagined some sort of affinity with it. At first glance it resembled a bunch of grapes – from a twisting stem, little side branches curled away, each bearing clusters of exquisite pearls, some tinged with a flush of pink, others the softest blue or a gleaming, steely gray. As he entered the shop, he was approached by a grey-haired assistant. ‘I want the pearl brooch in the window and you can gift-wrap it for me’. He punched in his pin number and pocketed the peace-offering. ‘By the way,’ he asked, as he turned to leave, ‘what is it?’

‘It’s from our avant-garde range of single-celled animals, designed by Amanta Dunn. This one is a species of slime mould.’

Written at Leonie’s June workshop

Patterns of Life

Change and growth.

The patterns of life

The patterns of stone

Hard agate fixed.

Soft smelly mould,

Growing; changing,

Yet always following a pattern.

Spirals flowing.

Such are the things we are made of,

Trees and the world.

Galaxies are formed so.

When humans first built,

Their huts were circular.

Explore the streets of old Stirling

As they circle round the castle.

Little is straight,

Built for defence.

Logic is straight

Intuition circles in spirals.

As the world does,

As the universe does.

As we do.

Isobel Mary Gibson

Written during the workshop

on Self-organising Systems

  Crichton Writers in the public eye ......

          Over the seven years of its existence Crichton Writers has nurtured several award winning writers, four of whom have worked in collaborative projects, to create performance events such as 'Soundscapes'' - new writing in response to the artwork of painter, William Spurway and sculptor, Elizabeth Waugh and  'Goosechase' - a commission from the RSPB and WWT to celebrate The Wild Goose Chase in Dumfries and Galloway. Both projects produced chapbooks of the texts, available at £3.50 per copy (including p&p)

          Jean Atkin                            Fiona Russell                         Jackie Galley                    Vivien Jones

reading at the Thomas Tosh Art Gallery and Cafe, Thornhill in the Dumfries & Galloway Wildlife Festival 2010