THE REVIEW

RENEWAL


Sonny says if I’m going to post The Review on the blog site, then I have to start using more creative titles, preferably expressing some theme from each meeting. So, please help me with “theme-atics” each week because I really do find it easy to stay in the same old rut. Could really use some of John’s expertise with headlines here.

Thursday’s meeting was fantastic, with eight of us all eager to praise the Muse.

Bob read an article by Susan’s husband Chris, that appeared in the Canadian Geographic about the Trans Canada Highway ending at a dump in Newfoundland. Then he read more of his jewellery business history, telling about Flewwelling who started a factory in 1912 on West Hastings. One of their employees liked to hide a bottle of his favourite libation in the toilet tank so he could take a swig or two at regular intervals.

Margaret Florczak showed up after many, many months and I mistook her for someone else. I felt like such a dunce. My sincere apologies. Anyhow, Margaret is still taking English courses at SFU and had served on the editing board of their student journal. So, as both a writer and editor, she wrote a fascinating article called “Everything I Didn’t Want To Learn About Rejection . . .” She told of different types of rejection letters that writers receive, and also about the many different reasons for editors not accepting pieces of writing. We especially liked her skillful handling of both points of view.

Robin also attended on Thursday and brought a whimsical piece of prose called “Pendulum To Pizza”. He first spoke of Galileo and the pendulum of the clock, and then of a possible descendent in the Wild West, who learned to bake cakes while imprisoned and then later returned to Italy to bake pizza, in a leaning tower, no less.

Carolann read us her 32nd poem, called “Another Year”. It was in honour of her husband’s recent birthday after a year of ill health and by-pass surgery and recuperation.

Margaret Moffat read more of the Peabody saga. He is telling Peacock and Peasly about the button he bought from the gypsies. And he also tells them he wants to search for Laura Bell’s grave. He plans to take the coffin train from Necropolis Stn. To Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey, England, which was the world’s largest cemetery back then in 1935. Margaret also brought drawings she had made of the three Reverends. Amazing talent.

Ellie read some more of the girl who is betrothed, against her will, to Alvin. She bathes, and then dresses in beautiful clothes, aided by a maid who doesn’t speak to her. She is escorted to a dining room where Alvin awaits in the company of a young man. He introduces her to the young man, who is his nephew, to the nephew’s mother, and to a tall man in a hooded cloak. The latter is the Mage Solan, who has mesmerizing blue eyes.

Amanda had three items to read. The first piece was used on a card she gave to a friend who had just given birth to her fourth son. Entitled “Another Son”, it chronicles many things mothers of growing boys contend with and then asks her to treasure them as too soon the boys grow up and leave home. Her second reading included keen observations of mostly young people in a coffee shop, and these were very astute perceptions. And the third reading was a sensual and sensuous piece telling of a woman drinking wine at a party and her encounter with and then lingering desire for a man she meets.

I think it was Margaret Florczack who mentioned a contest for a short, short stories at the Writers’ Union of Canada. I don’t have any more information than that, but you can probably find more by looking up their website.

Next meeting will be here at my place on Thursday, January 24th at 7:00 p.m. Love to see you then. Happy writing to you all in the meantime.

Lisa