The Bottom Drawer

27 November 2025

The Bottom Drawer for Thursday, 27 November 2025, 7.00pm – 9.00pm

This week’s Bottom Drawer offers a beautifully balanced mix of memoir, short fiction, poetry and seasonal reflection — the kind of varied and generous collection that always makes our Thursday sessions lively and absorbing. Themes of memory, childhood, friendship, humour and the small turning-points of ordinary life thread their way through the work, promising a warm and engaging two hours on Zoom.

Our two featured serial chapters return: Foundling Girls in the Chapel continues with Lucy’s departure from the Foundling Hospital — a moment of excitement, fear and quiet resilience — while The Boy in the Bed moves into early spring, where Christopher’s world widens into engines, radios and possibility. Alongside these, we have vivid personal stories, village comedy, gentle filmic reflection, poems full of warmth and observation, and a collaborative update from the Write-on Story project.

We also remind everyone of this month’s Mug of the Month competition. The new keywords are CAN and COVER, and your 50-word (maximum) entries should reach Anne Murray by 30 November at annemurraypost@yahoo.ie. As always, we look forward to seeing the creative twists you find in the prompts.

And here are this week’s contents in full:

Chapter 6 – How Beautiful Are the Feet by Mary Rose Tobin

Lucy turns sixteen and learns that she is to leave the Foundling Hospital for service in Westbourne Terrace. Excitement and dread ripple through the dormitory; Polly, devastated, clings to the last hours before the friends must part.

Chapter 41 – The Boy in the Bed by Frank Fahy

Christopher has regained his rhythm and independence. The yard becomes his workshop and refuge, and the roar of a resurrected Morris Minor marks a small but powerful triumph.

Bittersweet Christmas by Joyce Butcher

A moving remembrance of a childhood Christmas that holds both innocence and later sorrow — yet ultimately speaks of resilience, healing, and the making of a gentler home for the next generation.

The Cleansing Fire by Mary Hawkshaw

A sparkling, comic tale from rural Ireland, where an “authentic” turf fire becomes a little too authentic for visiting guests.

The First Music by Mary Hawkshaw

A tender, filmic meditation on earliest sound, belonging and the lullabies that shape us.

Losing My Glasses by Kathleen Phelan

A poem of blurred edges and soft clarity, where a missing pair of glasses opens the world in unexpected ways.

My Teddy Bear by Kathleen Phelan

A gentle, affectionate rhyme celebrating the steadfast presence of a childhood companion.

The Writing Workshop by Kathleen Phelan

A witty send-up of creative writing chaos — lost pens, lofty intentions and the joyful disorder of group creativity.

Fidelis by Tom Doyle

A warm, funny and nostalgic Christmas Eve story about a young man, a toy dog, and the small risks of early love.

The Write-on Story by Write-on Members

Our collaborative, living history of the group — a project that continues to grow as new voices add their reflections.

We look forward to welcoming everyone on Thursday evening.

As ever, entries for the Bottom Drawer can be sent to bd.writeon@gmail.com.

Genre	Title	Author
Novel Extract	Chapter 6 How Beautiful Are the Feet	Mary Rose Tobin
Novel Extract	Chapter 41 The Boy in the Bed	Frank Fahy
Short Story	Bittersweet Christmas	Joyce Butcher
Short Story	The Cleansing Fire	Mary Hawkshaw
Song / Short Film	The First Music	Mary Hawkshaw
Poem	Losing My Glasses	Kathleen Phelan
Poem	My Teddy Bear	Kathleen Phelan
Poem	The Writing Workshop	Kathleen Phelan
Short Story	Fidelis	Tom Doyle
Website	The Write-on Story (Living History & Reflections)	All Members