The club may have closed in May for its summer break, but our members are still being wonderfully productive and creative.
We are delighted to report that Damaris West has had her poem Picking Gooseberries published in Skylight 27- Issue 21 Summer 26. Well done!
Rose McGregor added another lovely success to her year when she read her poem The Dancing Chandelier at Dalserf Church’s ‘Songs of Praise’ evening. In a thoughtful gesture, she gifted a framed copy of her poem – created in concrete style – to the conductor of The Christian Fellowship Summer Brass Band. Rose says the band’s music inspired her, and she has given them a special mention in her poem.
Sticking with poetry readings – Carolyn O’Hara entertained at the inaugural Open Mic Night, at Wellington House on the Square. During a 20-minute slot, she performed a set of her poems spanning ten years’ writing. What an achievement!
Carolyn was also guest speaker at Prestwick Rotary, giving a presentation and talk on the subject of her Sir John Steell article and the research undertaken. A lively Q&A rounded off this informative evening.
Regular contributors to Writers’ Narrative magazine on Substack, Susan McVey and Linda Brown, each had an article on the topic of humorous writing published.
Susan’s article Turning Minor Problems Into Major Mayhem explores how to escalate comedy in fiction and turn everyday mishaps into full-blown, hilarious chaos. while Linda’s article Laughing Matters focuses on the use of humour in non-fiction work and shows how it can engage readers. 
Both Chris Palmer and Linda Brown had articles published in the May/June issue of Ayrshire Magazine.
Chris’s gardening feature Purple Rain In Ayrshire – A Love Story tells the tale of his flirtation with a new addition to his garden – allium bulbs, the Purple Rain of the title.
Meanwhile in her nature article Magic, Mayhem and Mint Humbugs on Milton Road, Linda observes the wildlife encountered on a favourite rural walk.
And lastly, rounding off a busy month, several club members participated in Poets’ Corner at Mauchline Holy Fair on Saturday 30th May. Five Litereight (and AWC) members, Fiona McFadzean, Helena Sheridan, Maggie Bolton, Greta Yorke and Linda Brown, were joined by Tracy Harvey and Rose MacGregor, along with a small number of guest poets, to perform their work at this hugely popular family event. The poetry programme was ably co-ordinated by Fiona McFadzean, with technical support provided by Isi Nimmo, and our poets did us proud over the four hour long slot. Tracy astonished us all, and had us laughing, when in the middle of reciting one of her poems, two lassies handed her their phone and asked her to take a photo for them! She took the phone, snapped a couple of shots, while never missing a beat nor a word. What a pro! Well done to the super seven for an afternoon of readings that raised AWC’s profile among the local East Ayrshire community.
