TheFED Writing Festival 2016 (October)
Saturday 22nd October
Faraday House
(48-51 Old Gloucester Street, Holborn, London, WC1N 3AE)
Were you there?
Please send your photos, recordings, writing, suggestions etc.
to fedonline1@gmail.com
The Writing
The Labrynth by Ashley Jordan
My finger follows the lines, carefully tracing the spaces. I focus on the path ahead, with no idea of where it will take me. Almost there, but continuing past. Going away and coming back. Accepting the all the changes of direction unquestioningly. I will get there in the end.
Time has ceased. The journey, not the destination is what matters. I trace the petals of the flower within, like a child, exploring the curves and spaces. I feel the creation of a memory forming.
The others stand and walk but I sit still and wander. The beach, a wood, a river, a bridge. The long promenade leading me up and over the path on the cliff. I breathe slowly, in and out with the tide. The shells and stones crunching and breaking beneath my feet. The wind ruffling through my hair.
A gull is paused in mid-flight in front of me. I step across from path to edge. One step more from edge to drop. A step I choose not to take.
I retrace my steps, slower, more carefully, looking down. Me feet flexing, exploring the ground more intensely, more intimately, than my eyes are able to. I'm feeling, not seeing, my way back.
When my eyes open, my wander ends as it began. My finger moving slowly, calmly, patiently, across the page, leaving nothing behind to show where I have been.
The Artwork
Artwork from 'The Labrynth' workshop led by Lucia and Roy Birch
Festival Diaries
Who are you? Brian Docherty
Where do you live? Hastings
Are you part of a group? yes
If you answered yes to the previous question, which one(s)? Hastings Stanza Group; Shorelink Writers
What does writing mean to you? It's what I do
What does TheFED mean to you? an opportunity to meet like - minded people, to share writing, take part in workshops, and learn from other writers.
What are your favourite words? the ones i'm writing at any given moment
What has been the thing most enjoyed today? lunch
What would you change? find a way of attracting more writers & wrriters groups to TheFed
Who are you? Lucia Birch
Where do you live? Stevenage
Are you part of a group? yes
If you answered yes to the previous question, which one(s)? Stevenage Survivors
What does writing mean to you? My writing is always a surprise to me...and over the years of attending and giving writing workshops with Stevenage Survivors, The Fed and other groups my confidence and skill has grown...and my delight in listening and sharing
in our groups is constant and magical.
What are your favourite words? Longing is such a wonderful emotion... dreaming peace.
What has been the thing most enjoyed today? The energy of sharing our creativity.
What would you change? Nothing.
Who are you? Ashley
Where do you live? Bexhill
Are you part of a group? yes
If you answered yes to the previous question, which one(s)? GROW
What does writing mean to you? it helps me to process and organise my thoughts and feelings
What does TheFED mean to you? The older I get the more appreciative of its socialist roots I become. TheFED is a vehicle which carries a diverse and eclectic mix of characters and personalities. To find so many like-minded souls is inspiring and very comforting.
What are your favourite words? grace, creative, imagination
What has been the thing most enjoyed today? The meeting of friends and introducing someone new to TheFED
What would you change? Myself.
The Workshops
Predicaments - Michael Christopher Bungay
You or a character (or characters) of your own creation are in a predicament of some description. Is this a minor predicament or a major one? How did this predicament come about? How is this predicament to be approached and dealt with? Is this only the beginning? Are there more and much worse predicaments to come? Or is this the worst of predicaments? It is up to you as writers to decide!
A Random Session - Roger Drury
Bring a book or mag or newspaper or a list of words- we will play games with words and make some sense and some things to perform- A poem, script, adverts, monologue-CBA- Zzzs Play....!!
What Makes A Great Poem? - Dave Chambers
Some thoughts about some of the Great Poems, and some about some of the not so well known Greats. What do they do that the rest of us don't?
Before we begin to think about the Great Poems of literature we spend a few minutes answering the first part of the workshop question:- What is it that makes a piece of writing a poem, as opposed to a novel, play, short story, essay, letter or anything else you can think of? I have been known to quote the dictionary definition (from Chambers 20th Century Dictionary of course, no relation though).
Then we examine well known poems that have been labelled 'great', and not so well known poems that have hardly been heard of, but could be candidates. We then try to get at whether it is what is being said or how it is being said, while taking into consideration the life and times of the author, by considering and analysing the wording, and what can we take from it that will help our writing and understanding of poetry.
I Remember When - Louise Glasscoe
This will be a reflective workshop, drawing on memories and aiming to make them come alive with words. The memories could be of your home, your first recollection of a member of your family; your first visit abroad; your first meeting with someone who had a big impact on your life, for better or for worse; your first friendship. If people wish, audio recordings, or short films, could be made of workshop members' recollections.
Loving Other - Agnes Meadows
A workshop for writers both new and more experienced, to produce new work on the theme of love in all its forms - not just 'boy meets girl'.
Whatever its nature, whatever its targets, and however it strikes...both positive and negative, both hard to swallow or easy to embrace. A perfect opportunity to bring out your inner bard with Agnes Meadows, international poet and founder of Loose Muse Women's Writers Night.
Writing Scary - John Malcomson
Have you ever wanted to write a scary story? How do you go about writing something scary? What makes a story scary?
In this workshop we will explore what it is that frightens people, and how in both stories and films how to make things scary. We also do some writing to build towards a scary short piece.
The Labrynth - Roy & Lucia Birch
There are many ways to reach the stillness within. One of the oldest is the labyrinth, a spiritual tool which has many applications in a variety of settings; reducing stress, quieting the mind and opening the heart.
A labyrinth is usually walked as a meditation. In this workshop we will explore alternative ways of experiencing this reflective journey, including meditation, imagination, writing, drawing and sharing.