Ten of our members enjoyed a grand day out as they took part in the Ilkley Literature Festival Fringe on Sunday Oct 6th, sharing a platform with the Night School Poets. We were on stage for about 35 minutes, reading and performing pieces on the theme of “why and how I write”.

Thanks are due to Lucie for getting this venture off the ground and acting as host, and also to Pat Pickavance for her excellent tutelage (take a breath, slow down) and organisational skills, making sure we all knew what we were doing – quite a feat as organising writers is apparently like trying to herd cats.

It’s fair to say that the experience was enjoyed by everyone, both up on stage and in the audience. Certain fears about reading in public were dispelled and a general appetite has been acquired for more. It was lovely to see a few members coming along in support and join us in the pub afterwards.

All the pieces have now, with grateful permission, been posted on the website (Click here). They stand as a great tribute to the diversity of talent within the Circle and make for a thoroughly entertaining read – although just reading Pat P’s piece will never do justice to the performance she gave on the day. It was a quite brilliant finale. You really had to be there!