Poetry in Motion
Ayr Writers’ members were delighted to welcome award winning poet and short fiction writer Gail Anderson, to the Club last Wednesday. The topic for the evening was “Lost and Found”, which is also the theme for this season’s poetry competition, which Gail will be adjudicating.
The evening started with Gail reading some of her poetry and showing members the vast diversity of themes used in poetry and short fiction writing, taken from simple observations of people and place. It is, perhaps, Gail’s former employment as a stop-motion animator in the film industry, that prompted her to use shape and form in her poems to illustrate and emphasise the subject matter. Reading a poem about her mother, who was an Olympic swimmer, Gail pointed out that she deliberately shaped the poem into a long, block, in keeping with the shape of a swimming pool.
It was then the turn of the members to show what they could produce, by writing a poem about a selected item. This exercise produced some remarkable pieces. Carrie Watts moving piece about her mother centred on memories from a jewelled watch, while Maggie Bolton’s choice of a tiny cup, leaned more towards a promising short story of infidelity and revenge!
From keys, to tyres from a toy, the variety of items prompted a rich mix of great ideas.
Well done to all those who shared their work with us and a big thank you to Gail for a thoroughly entertaining evening.
Helena Sheridan