Hasn’t summer flown by? And with the new 2026/27 club year about to kick off, here is a round-up of our members’ achievements during August.
Damaris West’s evocative prose poem Seasons of Childhood was published in La Rotonde Review. Well done, Damaris. You can read here – Seasons of Childhood – La Rotonde Review
Marion Husband has been on tour again! Marion took part in the National Day of Free Play at Brodie Castle on 5 August. Children of all ages enjoyed the many activities in and around the castle. The stables provided a calm environment where Marion read her book Is This the Way to Brodie Castle? throughout the day. Sounds great fun.
Super creative Maggie Bolton has scored a literary hat-trick, with no less than three short stories – Haunted, Super Sleuth, and Resurrection of John Huntley – published in Life Cycle: Swanwick 2026 Anthology. What a fabulous achievement!
Another member with a hat-trick to their writing pen is Susan McVey. First up, Susan is delighted to have published her latest Young Adult novel Resurrection (under her pen name Marti M McNair). ‘Some secrets don’t sta
y buried. They come looking for you’. Jings, sounds like a nail-biting page-turner.
Resurrection: Amazon.co.uk: McNair, Marti M.: 9781916721081: Books
Next, Susan was interviewed about her novels, writing process, inspiration and motivation on the Page to Politics podcast – it’s a very interesting listen. Grab a cuppa and a biscuit and enjoy – Page to Politics – Series 1 Episode 3 with Marti M. McNair, Richard Arterton & Kathryn Jane
And lastly, Susan’s article in Writers’ Narrative, From Chill to Cheer, offers writers fresh ideas on adding dark twists to holiday celebrations. Well done to Susan!
Check it out on Substack – From Cheer to Chill – by Susan
Another piece in Writers’ Narrative, From Burns Night to St Andrew’s Day, by Linda Brown, explores how checking our calendars for special celebration dates can spark inspiration for short fiction stories.
From Burns Night To St. Andrew’s Day – by Linda Brown
Linda was also published in East Ayrshire Family History Society’s Journal. Her article Finding The Truth is focused on an oft-told family story and information uncovered during her research.
Bringing a busy month to a close, Carolyn O’Hara was a star in a hard hat at the Broadway Cinema in Prestwick. On August 30th, alongside her husband Ken, she entertained audiences at Songs From the Movies… Words From the Heart – a live music and poetry event for Friends of the Broadway members and their invited guests.
Carolyn shared a selection of her poems, concluding with Hibernation — a new piece inspired by the closure and long‑neglected years of the old cinema. She has generously gifted the poem to the Friends of the Broadway, and it has now been printed on postcards, available to buy in the cinema shop to help raise funds for the Broadway’s renovation project. Bravo, Carolyn. This fantastic afternoon was rounded off perfectly with a screening of the vintage Gene Kelly musical An American in Paris.
Congratulations to all our talented members, and as a new AWC season dawns, there’s sure to be lots to report in future Club News.