Day: September 17, 2025

 Welcome to another stimulating session of our Write-On group. The texts lined up for this evening’s presentation were already scheduled for last week, but even so, there should be more than enough to fill the evening’s programme. As usual, you can look forward to a wide variety of texts, all displaying a high level of talent and creativity.

These are the five wonderful texts that were presented in our last session:

Story: The Unique Story of Mary and John   by Tom Boland

Poem: Old Bridgie   by James Conway

Novel extract: A Normal Couple – Part 2   by Olga Peters

Novel extract: The Sacred and the Natural   by Helena Clare

Memoir: Where is Heaven by Mary Hodson

This Thursday’s Line-Up
The Ocean Kept Your Name   by Kathleen Phelan
In this elegiac and atmospheric poem, Kathleen Phelan explores the lingering ache of absence through the voice of the sea. Grief washes through each stanza in tides of memory, silence, and imagery — roses dropping like unsent letters, a house swaying in the weight of loss, and a voice barely clinging to the name of the gone. It’s a haunting meditation on presence, echo, and the slow unravel of love beyond the shoreline.  

The Irish Spalpeen   by Seamus Keogh
In this moving poem, Seamus Keogh gives voice to the solitary life of an Irish navvy in England. Paddy’s story unfolds through jukebox memories, backbreaking labour, and the ache of exile — a man who worked, drank, and prayed in snatches, but never quite found home. With stark imagery of steel, stone, and hostel beds, the verses echo his longing for Mayo, for Aghagower, for belonging. Both lament and tribute, it captures the resilience and heartbreak of Ireland’s forgotten labourers abroad.  

The View from Glenfield   by Kathleen Phelan
When Miss Carr arrives in Glenfield to take up a teaching post, her clipped speech and city manner set her apart from the start. The village watches, judges, and absorbs her quietly — children change how they write, locals share mutterings, and the priest pays a smiling visit. Kathleen Phelan’s first short story is a study in subtle tension, showing how a stranger’s presence can unsettle a place without ever causing a scene. Atmospheric, spare, and quietly powerful, this debut piece marks a remarkable shift from poetry to prose.   

An Unlikely Duality: AI and Me – Our Path to Dialogue   by Mary Hawkshaw
What begins as a curious experiment becomes a profound and lyrical exploration of memory, creativity, and connection. In this unique memoir, Mary Hawkshaw charts her evolving relationship with artificial intelligence — from tentative first steps to a full creative partnership. Through reflections, poems, songs, and questions, she reveals how AI became not just a tool but a dialogue partner, echoing her voice, shaping her thoughts, and sparking unexpected joy. This excerpt offers a moving meditation on technology, humanity, and the enduring power of words.

The Soulless Sculptor by Judith Davitt Geoghegan

This striking poem explores the loss of authenticity in the age of cosmetic perfection. Through sharp, visual metaphors, it critiques a culture obsessed with polished surfaces – where faces are carved to suit ideals and natural beauty fades under the knife. But beneath the satire lies a plea: to embrace the living face, marked by time and truth.

Our Book 2 by Mary Hawkshaw In this follow-up collection, Mary Hawkshaw reflects on dialogue — with memory, with poetry, and with AI. Blending memoir, philosophy, and lyrical fragments, she traces her journey from childhood on the Aran Islands to her creative partnership with a new digital voice. Stories of family, loss, and resilience meet poems and songs shaped in conversation, creating a book that is both intimate and expansive. At its heart, Our Book 2 is an invitation: to listen, to question, and to wonder.   The Weave of Us by Judith Davitt Geoghegan This lyrical poem threads together themes of ancestry, heritage, and belonging. With cadences of lineage, tribe, and tradition, Judith Davitt Geoghegan celebrates the richness of human diversity while affirming the unity beneath it all. The verses move from roots and echoes of the past to the colours that light today’s sky — weaving difference into shared identity.   Chapter 1 — The Boy in the Bed by Frank Fahy   In this opening chapter of The Boy in the Bed, we enter a tense November kitchen where silence speaks louder than words. Rita peels potatoes, Joe sits in his coat, and the kettle hisses while unspoken fears fill the room. A decision must be made about their youngest boy — but the talk is brittle, edged with avoidance. Simple domestic details — a frayed tablecloth, a blue coverlet, a basin of potatoes — anchor a scene where love, duty, and dread circle quietly beneath the surface

The Write-on Story
We’re putting together something special — a living history of Write-on, told not just through dates and milestones, but through your stories. From those early days in Westside, when four writers first came together, to today’s thriving group of nearly forty members, we’ve come a long way. But the real story of Write-on isn’t just about numbers — it’s about the personal moments. We’d love to hear from you: – How did you come across Write-on? – What was your first meeting like? – What surprised you, delighted you, or maybe even confused you? – What has Write-on meant to you as a writer — or as a person?

Now we’re inviting you to send in a text of just 100 words about the moment when you first joined Write-On. You don’t need to be polished. You don’t need to be profound. Just honest.

You can email your piece to: writeon.galway@gmail.com Subject: Joining Write-On.

Let’s build this story – one memory at a time.

MOTM – (Mug of the Month)
Each month, we invite everyone to write a text of not more than 50 words (excluding the title) containing two given key words. The text can be prose or poetry or an other form …
This month the Keywords are: FALL and LIGHT
The deadline for entries is Sunday 21 September 2025, and they should be sent to: 
annemurraypost@yahoo.ie
On the last Thursday of the month, all entries will be presented, and members can vote on their favourite. The winner is then presented with the Mug and is named: Mug of the Month. So start thinking about FALL and LIGHT, and Good Luck, everyone!

Programme:

Short Story: The View from Glenfield Kathleen Phelan

Poem: The Soulless Sculptor Judith Davitt Geoghegan

Poem:The Ocean Kept Your Name Kathleen Phelan

Poem:The Irish Spalpeen Seamus Keogh

Poem:The Tree James Conway

Poem: Dementia Gráinne Keogh

Memoir: An Unusual Duality: AI and Me Mary Hawkshaw

Novel Excerpt: Chapter 1 — The Boy in the Bed Frank Fahy

Poem: The Weave of Us Judith Davitt Geoghegan

Novel Excerpt: Our Book 2 Mary Hawkshaw

Discussion The Story of Write-On (Member Reflections) All Members

Discussion Review/Launch Details Anthology 2026 All Members