Lots of bits and pieces haven’t been feeding through to the website these last few months so this post is a roundup of news since September of last year.
Congratulations to Rita Morrison for the publication of her book, A Threat of Home. Rita wanted to pass on thanks for all the feedback and encouragement she’s had from the Circle, which has helped with the telling of this remarkable story, one based upon the experiences of her own family and cast in the format of a novel. It portrays the lives of two young Germans whose early lives play out against the looming rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party. Further details from the publisher here.
Rita is holding a ‘meet the author’ event onWed, 2nd Feb, 6pm to 7pm at Chapel Allerton Library where she will be reading from her book and discussing it with our own Emma Storr. Everyone welcome. No booking required.
John Biglands has had an ‘honorary mention’ for his novella The Traveller in the Writers of the Future international competition. He has also been longlisted for his short story Boo in the Cranked Anvil UK writing competition.
Roz Kendall has had a short story broadcast on the Chapel FM Love the Word program. You can listen to it on this link, starting at 32.20.
Pat Belford continues to hold the honours both as president of the Circle and our most prolifically published writer. She has had three stories accepted by The People’s Friend (which pays too, it should be added): A Present for Pippa – Fourteen year old Briony spent weeks carving a wooden bowl for her older sister in the craft room at school, a gift which led to romance; Winnie the Wanderer – Set in the 1920s, the local police constable comes to the rescue when a four-year-old goes missing; Surprise, Surprise! – A family story about a surprise party at which the recipient springs a surprise of her own.
Emma Storr has published with London Grip a review of The House with Two Letter-Boxes, a short story collection by Janet Swinney. It’s available to read here.
It’s hard not to lead this brief report with news of Emma Storr and her domination of this year’s Saltaire Festival Poetry Competition. Having previously got a third place in 2019, for Engagement, she didn’t just go one better this time around, but completed a hat-trick, picking up both the first prize, for Dancing Girls, and the second prize, for Eighteen Miles. The theme was ‘Our heritage: the evolving history of Saltaire’.
Stuart Fortey has won first prize and a commendation for two poems in the Roger McGough Poetry Prize 2020 (results delayed by Covid) run by Arts Richmond. Both poems were written for the Writers’ Circle—one for a competition and one for a Manuscript Evening—so Stuart bears witness to the benefits of being a member of the Circle.
Linda Fulton was longlisted in the Frome Literary Festival Short Story Competition for Kip’s Wake. Pat Pickvance was also longlisted in the Bridport Short Story Prize for All It Takes. Although neither went on to be shortlisted, a longlisting in such prestigious competitions is a major achievement. Linda expresses thanks to those members who helped with critique of her story.
Ella Sanderson has written to let us know that she’s been interviewed on BBC Radio Leeds, talking about her poetry. You can drop in on her slot with Gayle Lofthouse here. It begins at 2.18.59.
Anna was the artistic neighbour who lived just around the corner from me in the next street, a lecturer in Art at Leeds Polytechnic, now Leeds Beckett University. One day, around thirty years ago, when I mentioned that I belonged to Leeds Writers’ Circle, she told me that she loved writing and I invited her along to one of our Monday evening meetings. She immediately became an enthusiastic member, eventually joining the committee and in the early 1990s, for two years, she served as Chair.
Anna’s great love was poetry and hers was unique, skilful and profound, though not always easy to comprehend. She also wrote fascinating memoirs about her life and the tales she told of her childhood in Luddenden Foot were pithy and entertaining. She wrote constantly, often late into the night, and she was always keen to share her work. At our meetings, she would invariably produce a handwritten manuscript from the depths of her capacious handbag to read to us all.
An enthusiastic member, she encouraged younger members in their writing and she made many friends. When she entered one of our competitions she was often amongst the winners, and she donated two trophies – the Poetry Plate, and a few years later, a special Innovation Award for exceptional writing of any genre. This latter rapidly became known, in her honour, as the Annavation award!
We all have our own fond memories of Anna. Many of us remember her with love and we delighted in both her art and her writing. She was an exceptionally talented lady, blessed with a rewarding life.
From Chris Read:
When I met Anna at my First Leeds Writers circle meeting, I knew I was going to stay. First impressions count for a lot; At university, I picked up or dropped interests based on how friendly groups were.
Whenever Anna organised anything—when I joined Leeds Writers’ Circle she was the Chairperson—she was excessively keen that everyone was enjoying themselves. She had her opinions on how the Circle should be run but was always so generous and supportive of other’s writing.
On a personal note, she was the first person to read my only completed long fiction, and that led to my first evening of entertainment in what we will all fondly remember as the ‘Annary’, more of which later. She fed me that evening on raspberries, or maybe that was the second visit and the first was avocados. Sometimes it was omelettes. Generous hospitality was abundant, as was supportive critique.
Of Anna’s own writing, she loved her poetry, innovative, dreamlike, somehow concise and wandering, and interlaced with literary references that, somewhat to her consternation, not all of her audience picked up on. If comprehension sometimes eluded some of us, we all enjoyed immensely her Bennettesque memoir pieces about life growing up in Calderdale and her subsequent career as an art teacher. I don’t think I’m alone in regretting we didn’t, in her lifetime, manage to bring these together in one work.
Back to the Annary, where I was entertained, as a one-to-one or with other Circle members, on many occasions after that first visit. Her rooms were warm, learned, somehow cluttered and ordered at the same time. If you knew Anna but not her home, I think that it would be as you imagined. On my last visit, we ate cookies and talked about all our writing. It was New Year’s Eve, 2019 and she’d declared the intention of seeing the new year in with me, a target she had to admit defeat on with tiredness with an hour to go.
Anna would sometimes express almost an apology when it was her turn to read at Circle meetings, a small sign perhaps that she didn’t fully grasp how high a regard we had for her writing … and for her as a friend and a true individual. There are not many people outside of my family for whom I have felt a filial/fraternal love, but one of the few was Anna Sutcliffe.
From Pat Pickavance:The last time I saw Anna …
“What you wrote …” she says eagerly.
I’m taken by surprise, given what I’ve often interpreted as Anna’s indifference to my writing in the past. Though I’m even more surprised at meeting her in Leeds precinct. It’s early spring, afternoon rush hour, the whole world is barrelling towards some chaotic end-of-the day finishing point. I wander out of Leeds Library, my head still in the clouds. Anna is just—there. We literally bump into each other. I in my perennial library scruffs, she, as ever, immaculate in midnight blue.
“Anna!” I say, partly to ground myself and partly to make sure she hasn’t mistaken me for someone else. “How lovely to see you.”
“Well, the same, of course,” she replies, a twist of mirth in her eyes. She goes on, without missing a beat. “But what you wrote … about Euridice…”
“Yes?” Her interest excites me. She’s speaking of a piece of work unfinished, fragmentary, close to my heart. She’s a fully engaged reader. I’m seized with the need at once to please and to challenge. Anna, consummate artist, queen of contradiction, recognises this.
“Well, the thing about Euridice, you see, is that she has no agency,” she goes on breathlessly. “Don’t you think?”
I do. She’s pinpointed the theme I’ve been struggling with. She recalls—almost verbatim—what I read out at the Circle several weeks ago, she’s interested in my difficulties here and now. As teatime crowds mill past us, time stops. We talk animatedly, each needing to go our separate ways, each finding the focus of the moment irresistible.
We speak of having a coffee together in town—soon. When we’ve a little more time.
But it’s early 2020 and we don’t meet again.
From Su Ryder:
Anna was one of the first people I met at Leeds Writers’ Circle. On my first visit, feeling a little nervous, I arrived at the Carriageworks Theatre to find her sitting outside Room 4 with another member, Paul.
My first impression was of evident physical frailty—she told me about the macular degeneration, and the deafness—but her creativity was undiminished despite these physical frustrations. I also soon became familiar with Anna’s sharp sense of humour, emphatic opinions, and wealth of knowledge, together with her great repertoire of memoirs.
Since that time I have been honoured to twice be awarded the Annavation award named in her honour. It’s a unique piece of art and I enjoyed the time it spent displayed in a glass-fronted cabinet in my home. When the time came for the Annavation to go to the next holder, it left a distinct, vacant space behind. And the same is true of the departure of Anna herself. She was a unique part of our Circle and will be very much missed.
From Saverio Armenise:
I met Anna when I joined the Leeds Writers’ Circle, about three years ago. When you are a novice writer and English is not your native language, joining a writing group can be intimidating and no amount of self-confidence can wipe away those initial feelings of nervousness and shyness. But I didn’t need to panic. This is the friendliest, most supportive, and most welcoming bunch of people I have had the pleasure to meet. And then there was Anna, who quickly won me over for her intellectual, but more importantly, personal qualities.
I was dazzled by her knowledge on so many subjects, intrigued by her life experience, and inspired by her natural ability to make you feel a valued member of the writers’ family.
Once, during the mid-session interval at a manuscript evening, while chatting with Anna I mentioned that one of my children lived in London.
“Walthamstow,” I said.
“I know,” she said. “William Morris.”
“Who?” I asked, having never heard of this person before.
She did not bother to explain who Mr Morris was, instead, she started reciting the following phrase: “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” Before I could say anything else, she had moved on to speak to another member of the group.
The first thing I did on my return home that evening was to jump on the internet and find out who this William Morris was. And there on the screen, up popped the words Anna had recited. To my astonishment, I realised that she’d been word perfect. Wow!
Her kindness, her encouragement, and her display of affection towards everybody around her are the things for which I will remember her. She will be sadly missed.
From Lucie Warrington:
I was always intrigued and intimidated by Anna and equally inspired and amazed by her knowledge, enthusiasm and creativity. My last proper memory of her was when she made a very rare jaunt to the Vic after a manuscript meeting in November 2019. I sat with her and Ian and listened to her thoughts and opinions on myriad topics. I spoke to Ian afterwards about making a short film with her, a ‘talking heads’ to document her life and experience of the century in which she had lived. Film is my day job and I realised we could make something wonderful, and that she’d likely enjoy it as she loved an audience. It was not to be as 2020 followed soon after.
From Emma Storr:
It’s difficult not to lapse into clichés when talking about Anna. She was unique, a tour de force of intellect and creativity. Her poetry was always fascinating and challenging. I enjoyed reading it out loud for her at the Writer’s Circle when her eyesight deteriorated. She delighted in having friends round for meals and sharing good food and stimulating discussion. Lockdown was particularly hard for her because she thrived on good company and welcoming people to her house. The last time I saw her was when Bob Hamilton and I popped around last summer to take her some flowers and Grasmere gingerbread. She stood on her doorstep in the sun surrounded by tulips and greenery. She was mortified not to be able to take us inside for a cup of tea and entertain us with more of her wonderful stories.
I wish I had met her earlier in both our lives. She will be greatly missed.
A final word from Bob Hamilton with a photograph taken at the famous Annary, May 2019:
Pick any subject in the arts and Anna had a robust and informed opinion. It was as if she had so much in her head that her hands had to enter into the communication to express everything that needed to be said. As many of us will fondly remember—in retrospect, at least—it was hard for her to turn off the tap once the words began to flow. I will always smile now when I recall the reluctance of the Chair to interrupt her at manuscript evenings. That was out of respect for Anna’s intelligence, even as it became ever more rambling, and perhaps also because she was quite intimidating, in the most endearing kind of way. It felt like I had won her respect when I was first invited, with Emma, to the Annary, gaining entry to the inner circle of her literary salon. She held court there in style. It was all wonderfully bohemian.
Anna craved an audience and it proved an unbearable frustration when that was denied her as a result of Covid. Anna, I will miss your intellectual sparkle and especially that twinkle you always had in your eye.
While the Circle remains closed as far as meeting up in person is concerned, the Short Story Group has been keeping up the momentum gained last year—when a whole flurry of members’ stories were read on Radio Leeds—with another flurry of successes.
John Biglands recently won the Cranked Anvil January Short Story Competition with Night Terrors. You can read his story on the Cranked Anvil Press Website here.
Pat Pickavance was longlisted in the same competition for Thursday as Usual. She’s also currently longlisted in the Flash 500 Short Story Competition for Wings. Another Cranked Anvil longlisting was also achieved by Miriam Moss for Elise and Sara.
A retrospective shout goes out to Abi Bolton who was longlisted last autumn in the Bath Literature prize, with her story The Killing, a fine achievement.
We’re also delighted to announce that Su Ryder has recently placed two of her wonderful short stories. A Canticle will appear in the Dark Lane Anthologies Volume 11 and All Our Pretty Widowers is set to be published in Neon Magazine, issue 54, out early next year.
Congratulations to Gail Mosley, whose entry for the Bournemouth Writing Prize, Keeper of Walks, has been selected for publication in one of the Fresher anthologies due to be published later this year.
Emma Storr developed four 15 minute programmes for Chapel FM’s festival Writing on Air on the topic of The Medical Eye. Although the festival was postponed because of Covid they were eventually transmitted in March and are available to be heard from the Chapel FM website here. They make for a totally fascinating listen.
Emma continues to be successful publishing reviews. As a former GP she was well placed to give an opinion on Quality of Life: A Post-Pandemic Philosophy of Medicine by Robin Downie. That can be read here. She’s also had a number of poetry reviews published by The London Grip: Unfolded from Olivia Dawson, Herd Queen from Di Slaney, and The Ministry of Flowers by Andrea Witzke Slot.
Finally, Stuart Fortey has the second of his Paget Brother Mystery novels published on Amazon. As a sequel to A Scandal in Scarborough, released about five years ago, A Case of Sapphires is available here.
During these difficult times we can start the year with the great news that Graeme Hall’s novel “On Borrowed Time” is coming out on Monday, Jan 11th and will be available to buy through Amazon, Bookshop.org, and even traditional bookshops, once they reopen again.
“On Borrowed Time” is set in Hong Kong and Shanghai over the period 1996/1997 – including the handover of Hong Kong to China. The novel explores the choices that people have to make; in particular between doing what is easy and what is right.
In Hong Kong, Emma Janssen discovers the truth behind the death of her brother four years earlier. Meanwhile, in Shanghai, a PhD student meets a woman with an unusual degree of interest in his research. These storylines converge at the time of the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997, and Emma finds that she has to choose between revenge or the future happiness and safety of both herself and those close to her.
The Circle’s Short Story Group are hosting a ZOOM launch for “On Borrowed Time” on Thursday 21st January 7.30 – 9.30pm, when you can hear Graeme read from his novel and chat about writing it, with live Q and A. To book a place and receive joining instructions, please contact Pat Pickavance via pat.pick at live.co.uk.
It’s with great excitement that we can post news here of a book deal for Sunyi Dean. It looks like winning a Leeds Writers Circle short story competition is a gateway to even greater success! The deal was sealed some time ago but Sunyi has had to keep it under wraps until the official press release just yesterday.
Sunyi has a three book deal with Tor Books for the North American Rights, (details here) and Harper Voyager UK for the British rights (see here). The first book to be announced is The Book Eaters, publishing with Tor Books in Winter 2022.
From Sunyi’s new website (well worth a look here) it’s described as “A princess, a castle, a monster … a marriage. A knight of Camelot, and a dragon of great power. But this is no fairytale. And nothing is what it seems. Set in alternate 90s Britain, The Book Eaters is a speculative thriller following a complex anti-heroine, in search of redemption and revenge.”
We can’t wait to get our hands on a copy. It’s a wonderful achievement and many in the Circle know how hard Sunyi has worked to get to this point and how thoroughly deserved a success it is. Congratulations.
With perfect timing, the news also arrived today of the announcement of the November 25th publication date for Gill Osborne’s debut novel In A Flurry Of Feathers. Congratulations again to Gill. Once again, we look forward to getting our hands on a copy. Watch this space.
We already have our hands on a copy of Bloody Amazing. Both Su Ryder and Emma Storr have had poems selected for this remarkable book, a poetry anthology that aims to break taboos and fight period poverty.
Yet more members have been successful in having stories broadcast on Radio Leeds. In addition to the twelve stories previously mentioned we can now add another couple. Congratulations to everyone.
‘His just breath’ by Matthew Hardwyck
‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ by Ann Clarke
Once again, you can hear them all on the Radio Leeds website here.
It will be no surprise that Pat Belford has a new story out in the latest The People’s Friend Special. It’s about an artist who encourages young children in the local school to write “proper” letters to Santa Claus.
Finally, an announcement that the Aldeburgh Poetry Festival is going virtual on the 12th to the 15th of this month with Emma Storr and Charlotte Eichler performing alongside Carole Bromley and Lydia Kennaway. This celebrated local quartet will be reading on Friday, November 13th from 3pm to 4pm on the theme of Perception. Details here.
Lockdown has tended to throw up either winners or losers of us all. While many in the Circle will have had a positive experience, suddenly granted more space in their lives to be able to write, there are others who will have had a much less fortunate time. As a summer of publishing success is recorded here, let’s not forget those for whom this time has not fostered such creativity. Let’s hope we can soon get together to encourage each other face to face. Although the regular online Zoom meetings have been successful to a degree, we are so very much about that physical circle of people, writers of every level of ability and aspiration, all wanting to learn from each other.
The hot news is that Graeme Hall’s first short story collection, The Goddess of Macau, has just been published by Fly on the Wall Press. An online launch event was held on August 21st, including readings of a couple of stories and a slide show introducing a little history of Macau. Lots of Circle members were in attendance, unable to clink glasses with Graeme but at least able to wave big hands of congratulations. Some of the stories in the collection were first heard at Circle meetings.
The other hot bit of news is that Gill Osborne is to have her first novel, In A Flurry Of Feathers, published by Blossom Spring. No firm publication date yet but it’s coming soon. Huge congratulations to Gill for this well-deserved success. She’s already hard at work on the next one.
Congratulations also to Sandy Hogarth whose novel, Because of You I Am, is now published on Kindle.
Sunyi Dean has been successful in finding a home for two of her short stories with the literary print journal, Prole. It would be well worth taking out a subscription to read This Song Is Dedicated To the End of the World and The Long, Slow Courtship of Mr. Death and Famishista. The titles alone are testament to the quality of her imagination!
She also has a poem published in Ink, Sweat and Tears. Here is Dust.
There’s been no stopping Pat Belford, as usual. Her story, I’m Listening, has recently been published in a People’s Friend Special and she’s had her story, Up in Smoke, appear in the People’s Friend Annual 2021.
Members continue to be successful in having stories broadcast on Radio Leeds. In addition to the seven stories mentioned in the last post, we can now add five more to make a round dozen in total.
‘The Buskers’ by Stephanie Thornton
‘Stepping out of Line’ by Roz Kendall
‘Delivering the Goods’ by Joanna Bucktrout
‘Surprise’ by Pat Pickavance
‘The Harvest’ by Ann Clarke
You can hear them all on the Radio Leeds website here.
Emma Storr continues to receive recognition for her poetry. She has had poems published in two recent anthologies. The first was chosen for These Are The Hands from Fair Acre Press, an NHS Poetry Anthology about the NHS and for the NHS, all profits going to the NHS Covid-19 Emergency Fund. The second was selected for When All This is Over from Calder Valley Poetry. Continuing the lockdown theme, inspired by her eldest son’s acquisition of a Doberman puppy, Emma had A Cautionary Story published by the Poetry and Covid Project. Finally, Emma had a review of Patrick Lodge’s Remarkable Occurrences published in The London Grip.
Matt Hardwyck has surprised himself with having a poem published, again with the Poetry and Covid Project. Here is The Invisible Vampyre.
John Biglands has had two pieces of flash fiction published in Havok and Everyday Fiction.
Stephanie Thornton has had a number of short stories published as part of the Spilt Ink collective in Layers of Life (Looking at Layers Book 1), available on Kindle here.
Finally, Adelle Kirk was selected as a finalist for the DHA Open Day.
In lieu of being able to partake of live performances, a number of members have had stories and poems broadcast on local radio this last few weeks.
Radio Leeds have run a ‘write a story in less than 750 words‘ challenge and no less than seven different members have had their stories broadcast:
‘Showdown at the Bird Hide’ by Gill Osborne‘A Parrot Tale’ by Graeme Hall‘A Little Life’ by Stephanie Soper ‘Love in the Time of Corona’ by Pat Pickavance ‘As I was Saying’ by Diane Johnson ‘Mr August’ by Linda Fulton ‘Love Curse’ by Sunyi Dean
You can hear them all here on the Radio Leeds website.
Emma Storr has had both a short story and a selection of poems broadcast for the Wordybirds segment on Chapel FM. They are both available from the link here (April 20th and April 23rd).
The Island Review features a video of a reading from Marg Greenwood, a visit to the Hebridean island of Gigha in travelogue and verse. That’s here.
Meanwhile, in print, there is other big news …
Pat Belford is Writer of the Week in this week’s edition of the People’s Friend. There’s a lovely interview with her that can be read at their online site.
Finally, following her success in our own poetry competition, Gail Mosley has just won the Currock Press Red Shed poetry competition with her entry ‘Thompson Street’. It was judged by James Nash and there is a wonderful piece from him here about the process.
Congratulations everyone. It’s great to see members making the best of this difficult time.
With the adjudication evening for this year’s poetry competition having to be cancelled, all the successful poets have kindly agreed to the publication of their winning poems on the website. The brief, suggested by judge Mark Connors, was to write a Persona poem. You can read them here.
At the time of the Coronavirus lockdown, the biggest success to report is the continuing functioning of the Circle on-line. Ian Harker’s “Places of Poetry” workshop successfully moved to Zoom and proved a great success. The first remote Manuscript Evening was held on Monday, April 6th. Hosted by Graeme and chaired by Lucie, with no less than 18 members appearing on screen at the same time, it worked very well . The other groups are continuing to function too. Writers are irrepressible people.
The adjudication evening for the poetry competition had to be cancelled. The brief from judge Mark Connors was for a Persona Poem and the full results are now on the Competitions Page. Many congratulations to Gail Mosley, Andrew Lambert and Joanna Bucktrout as the main winners, and also to Sue Ryder, Adelle Kirk and Sunyi Dean. Hopefully we can celebrate and hear your poems at an event later in the year.
Other reported successes:
Pat Belford is set to be People’s Friend writer of the week in May to coincide with the publication of ‘The Maypole Dance’. She has also sold another story, ‘Words in my Ears’, a family story about a deaf woman, who, on wearing her new hearing aids for the first time, overhears something very disturbing. She says this one was written from the heart!
Graeme Hall has had his story ‘The Gift’ published with Litro Online. You can read that here.
Emma Storr has been commended in this year’s Hippocrates Poetry Prize. She also has a review of Deadpan, a new collection by James Norcliffe, published in the London Grip. That can be read here.
Leeds Writers Circle 