Andrew Hamling – writing as Andrew John Hamling, is our current Chair. He has published three novels, a collection of short stories and a poetry anthology
A poem that features some of our members, written by Mervyn Hadfield. No Stranger ‘Hello’, he said, and walked right in We all looked up and stared ‘Twas writing day, and I must say We all were kinda scared Then Andrew broke the silence And said, ‘Just who are you?’ The stranger sighed and then replied ‘That’s odd, I thought you knew’. We shook our heads in unison Then Andrew said, ‘sit down’. ‘We’re writers here, I’ll make that clear Respected in this town’ ‘I know that’, said the stranger, And I believe it’s true Now I’ll regale you with a tale The subject’s up to you. Anita was the first to speak ‘I hope it’s nature based Or days of old with young blades bold And ladies fair and chaste’. ‘Oh no’, said John, with gusto ‘A tale of whimsy tell Of oddball blokes with lots of jokes That always goes down well.’ ‘Then Debbie added her voice ‘The world has much to give Let’s have some rhymes of foreign climes And how those people live.’ Then Lisa joined the chorus ‘Do anything you choose That will be fine to put online For this lot to peruse’. Andrew pondered for a while And then he said, ‘oh dear!’ ‘Hello’, you stated unaspirated Not good enough, I fear.’ But Mervyn had the last word He said, ‘I’ve just took stock My friends you see, he’s part of me His name is ‘Writer’s Block’. (c) Mervyn Hadfield 2021 |
Welcome to all Writers Writing can be a solitary occupation. Sometimes, it does you good to get out of the house and meet other like-minded people. We all need encouragement, advice and friendship and you simply cannot get that via a computer screen. The only way is to go out and meet real live writers. There’s no better way to improve your writing skills than by joining a group. Burnley & District Writers have decades of experience and provide useful tips and feedback. Our group includes experienced writers who have had novels, poems and articles published. Mervyn Hadfield – has performed at hundreds of venues reading his witty and hilarious poems and heart-warming stories. Deborah Kingston – published her first anthology of poetry and prose, has had work published in The Poet’s Dozen to celebrate the Clitheroe Food Festival and a poem in the Daily Mail. Some of our past members include: Freda Argyle – long-time member and one of the best poets around, has won the poetry prize at the Luther Greenwood Festival on numerous occasions. Joyce Graham won 1st prizes in our annual competition for her children’s poem about Mary Anning and for her monologue. John Howard – an excellent writer on the wonders of nature and on historical topics, has had several articles published and is a frequent winner in our annual competition. Kathryn Halton – a wonderful up-and-coming writer, has had stories published online. Laura Sheridan – writing as G.L. Sheridan, writes speculative fiction, has published ten novels and a poetry anthology and has won several prizes for her short stories and poetry. Carole Taylor has won the poetry prize at the Luther Greenwood Festival many times and won a prize for a short story at the Burnley Music and Drama Festival. Celebrated scriptwriter Paul Abbott was very enthusiastic about her poetry and said she should be writing professionally. Sally Williams – a superb poet, has published several anthologies of her poems. |