2022 Poetry Competition Results

Winners left-to-right Sally Clarke (2nd), Nazalee Raja (1st), Lee Taylor (3rd)

In a packed field of 13 entrants, the poetry competition, judged by local writer David Rudd Mitchell (who sadly couldn’t make it on the night), gave insightful commentary to all the poems, and the results were as follows:

1st Place - Nazalee Raja with “When You Came Back To Life”

2nd Place - Sally Clarke with “For Nana”

3rd Place - Lee Taylor with “Self-Assessment”

The winners reading out their poems.

2022 AGM

Terry (L) having delivered his annual address, passing over to Edward giving the treasurer’s report.

Having made it his mission to keep the group going through the pandemic, our chairman Terry (chair for 32 years now!) gave his annual state-of-the-group speech in person for the first time in three years, excited at how the group has survived and grown and settled into our new venue.

The traditional four awards were handed out.

Newcomer of the Year (the Dobbin award) went to Ian Carty.

The Endeavour Award went to Nazalee Raja.

With his finalist place in the Kenneth Brannagh drama award in Windsor, the Writer of the Year award was a shoo-in for Mike Pearcy.

And for services to the group, stepping up to the plate whenever required in whatever capacity, Lee Taylor won the coveted “too big to actually carry” award.

Left to right - Mike Pearcy (Writer of the Year), Nazalee Raja (Endeavour Award),
Lee Taylor (Services to the Group), and Ian Carty (Newcome of the year)

Summer Barbeque

After a few years off (I think something may have been happening in the world) the Slough Writers finally managed to arrange a Summer Barbeque again. With huge thanks to Merle and Danny for the use of their garden (and pool!).

Inspirational Out & About Night

Every year Slough Writers has an evening walk to inspire poetry or prose, ideally to be read out the next week at the accompanying manuscript night. This year we went round Burnham starting and finishing at our current venue (Burnham Working Men’s Club) and discovering the history of Burnham, including old meat hooks (see picture top-right), passages for pigs to be driven down, old coaching inns, a pub named after the 1864 visit of General Garibaldi, and even a Prime Minister involved in the abolition of the slave trade. The guided walk was provided thanks to Burnham and District Heritage Society. You can find their facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2228945880542762/

Horror Play Readthrough

This was an opportunity to hear several of the ten minute ‘horror’ plays that were submitted in our recent competition. The plays were to be set on a ‘black’ stage (no or very limited props).

We welcomed local actors from the Burnham Amateur Dramatic Society and two ex-members of a Windsor Theatre group. Our thanks are very much due to them for their participation. We also finally managed to make good use of the stage area at our current venue.

The plays performed were as follows:.

Nazalee’s play “Cliveden Haunting”, was the story of a romantic weekend that had an extra and, for the man, most unwelcome participant.

Lorraine’s play “Congenital Defects”, was the story of a man helping out a young woman following a car crash. He wanders, unsuspecting, into an Arkansas family whose unusual domestic circumstances become more horrifying by the minute.

Neil’s play, “The Chair”, depicted what seemed to be the job interview from hell. Four people enter the interview room, only one emerges.

Rob’s play, “Scary Play (Draft) Version One (a)” was a surreal piece of theatre in which the actors were unsure why they were appearing and the eerie, threatening, offstage presence of the author kept them in the dark.

Pleasingly, two of the writers had never written plays before - a sign both of the talent in Slough Writers, and the willingness to push people out of their comfort zones.

David Bullock visits Slough Writers

David Bullock, who has researched and written on Jack the Ripper (including "The Man Who Would Be Jack") came to visit the group and provided an enlightening evening on publishing, crime, and introducing children to the world of the police with PC Ben

Results of Ted Jones Short Story Competition 2022

The visiting judges from Wokingham Writers (Keith Sheppard and Heather Boncey) gave an insight into how they judged the stories, and then a paragraph of commentary on each one. They praised the overall quality of the stories, and were impressed how differently the theme of “Then the stranger arrived” was interpreted by all the entries.

Keith Sheppard and Heather Boncey with the Ted Jones Cup

The results were:

1st: Philip Kavvadias The Hero Battalion

2nd: Carol Breuer Monkey Shoulder

3rd: Rob Kibble Mondago Twenty-Five

Terry (chairman, left), handing the trophy to Philip (centre, winner), while Rob looks on with envious eyes (right, 3rd place)

500-Word One-Night Competition

From left to right, Lee (joint 3rd), Terry (2nd), Elaine (joint 3rd), Rob (1st) with the extravagant cup.

For the first time since Covid hit, the group hosted a one-night flash fiction competition, judged on the night both by the members present and those who had read the stories in advance. Every one of the eleven entries got at least one 1st, 2nd or 3rd place.

Rob won with the story “One Bar, Four Percent Charge”, a tiny piece about a woman trapped underground.

Terry came second with “Breath of Love”, the story of a dragon struggling with dating.

Elaine and Lee came joint third, with “Bearing Witness” and “What is a Life”, respectively.

John Webb visits Slough Writers

John Webb discussing his thrillers.

When lockdown hit, John Webb found himself at a loss for what to do, so dived in and wrote a series of thriller novels, calling on his experience with the police to craft a series. In a lively evening he explained something about his process and inspirations, and discussed how to turn fact into fiction.

Find more about his work at https://www.jo-calman.com/books

Book Signing - Always Popular in a Writers’ Group!

John Webb (pen name Jo Calman) with both thrillers and the fact/fiction hybrid Viktor, a book set in the closing days of the cold war.

Launch of the Ted Jones Short Story Competition 2022

Due to Omicron, Slough Writers reverted to Zoom for the night.

We were joined by members of Wokingham Writers who will be judging the Ted Jones Short Story Competition.

The theme of the competition was announced - see the competitions page for details - along with what Wokingham Writers will be looking for.

There was then a round-table about the range of writing experience within each group, and we all hoped that we would meet up again soon, although hopefully in person next time.

Article Competition Results

The winners of the competition. Left to right: Mike Pearcy (2nd), Terry Adlam (chairman), Lee Taylor (1st), Paul Stimpson (3rd).

The 2021 Article competition had the theme “Forgotten Heroes”, and was judged by Jean Anderson, editor of the local magazine “Round and About” since 1989, and whose journalistic career goes back to Autumn 1973 on the Slough Express, also becoming sub-editor of the Slough Observer for many years.

The results were:

1st: The Man With The Bag - Lee Taylor

2nd: Stokenchurch Hero.- Mike Pearcy

3rd: Thinking Inside The Box - Paul Stimpson

Summer Competition Results

The results of a challenging brief to write a short (roughly 10 minutes) scary play set in a “black box” environment were announced on Monday 15th by Luke Burton, Studio Theatre Company Manager at South Hill Park Arts Centre.

The results were:

• Winner: 'Scary Play (Draft) Version One (a)' by Robert Kibble

• 2nd Place: 'Over' by Terry Adlam

• 3rd 'Congenital Defect' by Lorraine Forrest-Turner

• Commended - 'The Ghost of Bagram' – Vinay Vyas

Luke Burton - Competition Judge

Left to Right - Robert Kibble (Winner), Luke Burton (Judge), Terry Adlam (Second Place)

Lorraine Forrest-Turner, Third Place

Vinay Vyas, Commended

A well-attended Slough Writers meeting to hear the results.

Slough Writers’ New Location

A good turn-out welcomes Slough Writers to our new location

An introduction to why we chose our new home

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Annual Poetry Award 2021

Poetry judge Patrick Henry

Guest Speaker Patrick Henry, Judge of the poetry competition, read out results of the poetry competition and gave feedback on the winners and all the entries. He was thanked for his detailed and insightful comments.

• First and the SW Poetry Trophy: The Bereaved by John Brown

• Second place: Autumn Breezes by Michael Raines

• Third place: I forgive by Robert Kibble

John Brown (left), Michael Raines (centre) and Robert Kibble (right)

There were two highly commended stories

Forgiving by Terry Adlam and Lady At The gate by Carol Breuer

Terry Adlam (left) with Carol Breuer

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2021 Annual Awards

Writer of the year award - Michael Raines

The Taylor Award for services to the group - Terry Adlam

Newcomer of the year award - Michael Raines

The Endeavour Award - Neil Dickenson

At a Zoom presentation the winners of the four categories were announced.

Neil Dickenson (left), Michael Raines (centre), Terry Adlam (right)

Ted Jones Memorial Short Story competition results

Joan and Ted at Hay Festival

Ted Jones Memorial Short Story competition results (2021-05-13 15:03:02)

• First and the Ted Jones Memorial Trophy: I Got Life by Lorraine Forrest-Turner

• Second place: The Heat and the Beat by John Brown

• Third place: Love Supreme by Philip Kavvadias

Highly commended: Strange Fruit by Michael Ranes; Cuban Heals by Edward Harte; All The Things You Are by Lee Taylor

The topic for the competition was Travelling with Jazz which reflected two of Ted Jones' passions - travel and Jazz. Joan Jones, Ted's wife, was our judge and she provided detailed and insightful feedback on all the stories. There were eighteen entries. Joan was unable to attend the presentation so actress Jane Heptonstall read Joan's comments on the winners and the highly commended stories. Joan provided feedback on all the entries. This was the first year we have presented the Ted Jones Memorial Short Story Trophy which was purchased from a very generous donation left to Slough Writers by Ted, a much loved and respected member for many years.

Ted Jones with two of his books and the new trophy.

Jane Heptonstall who read Joan's comments for us.

The first winner - Lorraine Forrest-Turner

The Ted Jones Memorial Short Story Trophy

Guest Speaker: Mary Nonde

Feb 13th 2021 - Guest Speaker: MARY NONDE (Coach and Feng Shui Consultant)

On Monday 8th February we had Guest speaker, Mary Nonde, author of Awaken Your Intuitive Vision, life coach and innovator of creative vision boards.

Mary explained: 'Life is a series of transitions. The Intuitive Vision Board (IVB) gives you an excellent steer in how to prepare for this. A wonderful example of what happens when you get out of your own way and allow quantum intelligence to work through you.

'I became a pioneer of the Intuitive Vision Board and author of Awaken Your Intuitive Vision. I have inspired many people to seek a breakthrough in their lives with this ground-breaking process.'

This technique, Mary told us, could be used to map out a future as a writer and help to see the way through all the pressures in life that stand between us and the achievement of our goals.

Mary explained, 'Once upon a time a metaphorical hurricane whipped through my life and flattened the lot. I lost everything all at once except thankfully my teenage daughter and our dog. Faced with a crisis of such magnitude, I created a new Intuitive Vision Board. It became both my lifeline and pathfinder to get back on my feet and this proved once and for all the potency of the method.'

Mary also found her calling and now empowers others to become the authority over the direction their lives should take.

Mary Nonde Speaking live at Slough Writers on Zoom

Mary would love to have feedback from members. Her email is: mary@marynonde.com. The first two to reply with feedback could receive a signed copy Awaken Your Intuitive Vision!

To visit her blog - https://www.marynonde.com/blog/makinglifechanges

To buy her book on Amazon - http://bit.ly/AwakenIntuitiveVision To make an intuitive vision board or find out more about heronline event - https://marynonde.com/intuitive-vision-board-life-coaching-programme

Four or five writers got in touch about the book. Some offered to buy/pay - Lorraine, Neil, Vin. Sonia was the first and Ian was the second for the freebees.

2020 Article Competition Results

7th December - Results 2020 Article Competition (2020-12-15 17:03:59)

The challenge was to write 1000 words on the theme of the one piece of advice I would give. The judge was the editor of the Maidenhead Advertiser James Preston. James gave detailed feedback of all the entries.

• First and the Poetry Trophy: Short Cut by John Downing

• Second place: Never Rly On Spellcheck by Neil Dickinson

• Third place: To Write Lists by Robert Kibble

Highly commended: If You Want My Advice by Michael Pearcy

Picture shows the judge and the three winners clockwise from top left: James Preston (editor of Maidenhead Advertiser), John Downing, Neil Dickinson and Robert Kibble.

Old Windsor-based writer John Downing has shown he is the worthy winner of the 2020 Slough Writers Endeavour award by going on to win the group's annual article competition.

The Endeavour award is given to the member who has yet to be published or win a competition but continues to practise their art and improve.

The December article competition on the theme of the one piece of advice I'd pass on was judged by Maidenhead Advertiser editor, James Preston.

John's winning article Short Cuts tells the harrowing story of a ski trip in Verbier, Switzerland. Instead of returning to the village using ski-lifts, John decided to take what he thought was a short cut. The serious mistake left the writer with a terrifying choice - spend the night in an uninhabited area closed off to skiers or risk a perilous walk down the mountain in pitch blackness.

Second place was awarded to Neil Dickinson for his witty article Never Rly On Spellcheck. Robert Kibble took third place with his amusing piece To Write Lists and Michael Pearcy received a highly commended with his thought-provoking If You Want My Advice.

Slough Writers has been holding weekly meetings for over 50 years and has continued to hold them, albeit remotely, throughout the Covid pandemic.

Report by Lorraine Forrest-Turner

2020 Summer Competition Results

Lockdown inspires rich tapestry of heartfelt stories 

Winning writers clockwise from top left: Harvey, Edward, Lorraine,John and Sonya

Lorraine with Summer Competition Trophy

The latest Slough Writers competition has produced a surprising collection of short stories. Based on the theme of the spring lockdown, members wrote about loneliness, anxiety, frustration, death, boredom and the rediscovery of love and beauty.

First place went to Lorraine Forrest-Turner for Chinchilla Rats at Machu Pichu. Like the chinchillas returning to Peru's biggest attraction during lockdown, a tired marriage gradually reignites when life's intrusions are taken away.

Runner up was Sonya Weiss with Ellie, a beautiful telling of a little girl searching for her sick mummy in a place full of people too preoccupied to notice her.

Edward Harte took third place with the vividly descriptive A History of Nordic Dreams. Unaware he is on a ventilator, a Covid patient tries to make sense of a curious time spent with friends in Stockholm.

Two stories were highly recommended Lockdown by John Brown and Mrs Reynolds Moment by Harvey Martin. The competition was adjudicated by Robert Kibble and judged by the participants.

[Report by Lorraine Forrest-Turner]

Guest Speaker: Jenny Barrett

28th September - Guest Speaker Jenny Barrett (2020-09-28 14:46:14)

Jenny is Senior Lecturer in Film, Department of Creative Arts, Edge Hill University, Liverpool. She writes both novels and short stories and her fiction blends the everyday with the slightly odd. She has taught, studied, researched and written about cinema for nearly twenty years. She has an MA in Creative Writing and has read her stories at a number of local events, including the Tate Liverpool. Her short piece, On the One Hand, On the Other Hand, uses the many everyday phrases linked to hands in the context of Covid-19 and was recently published by Writing on the Wall's literary festival in June 2020. Her short story about Crosby Beach entitled Number 42, was published by Short Kid Stories this year. Her passions also include watching her partner cook. She is dreadful at gardening but tries anyway. She lives in Liverpool and loves the beaches of the north west coast.

An excellent evening where Jenny gave a fascinating talk about not only her background in academic writing and teaching but an in-depth and thought provoking and enlighten discussion about what the writer can learn from the cinema in all its forms. It was an evening that educated, entertained and inspired.

There was a video recording made of the evening and if you would like to see it, please email Lorraine who will send you the link.

[Report by Terry Adlam]