WOWO Thursday, 17 April 2025, 7-9pm

With eight magnificent entries this evening, we can look forward to a stimulating and varied selection of works by our members. We’re particularly pleased to welcome back James Keogh after a long absence, with a chapter from his exciting novel set in Ireland in the early 1900s. While Mary Hodson caters for humour, the remaining entries display a strong poetic seam, whether in verse or in prose.

There will be no Write-On session on 24 April, when we take our traditional Easter Break on the Thursday after Easter Sunday. So, while Mug of the Month entries should have reached Anne Murray by Sunday, 20 April, the competition itself will take place a week later than usual. The key words to be included in your 50-word text are TANGLE and SPARK.

Welcome to Write-On’s Zoom Session on Thursday evening, sit back, relax and enjoy! These are our pieces for this evening:

Swing, Miss, Repeat by Mary Hodson
Maura and her friend Kate embark on their first golf lessons, armed with confusion, sarcasm, and a questionable understanding of the rules. As they hack, splash, and laugh their way through the course, what begins as a comedy of errors blossoms into unexpected joy. A delightful tale of friendship, humility, and finding your swing – eventually.

The Rise and Fall of Gertrude Wall by Deirdre Anne Gialamas
In this witty and satirical poem, society’s obsession with reinvention is laid bare through the tale of Gertrude Wall – transformed, renamed, and ultimately undone by the pressures to be someone else. With playful rhyme and biting humour, the piece explores identity, class, and the absurdities of social aspiration.

Lightning by James Conway is a fierce and vivid poem capturing the primal drama of a storm at sea. With imagery that crackles and churns, Conway evokes a world caught between chaos and calm – where boatmen hover in suspense, waves obey unseen forces, and lightning reveals the storm’s hidden intent. Nature becomes both a stage and a warning, as we sense the hush before fury finds its voice.

The Stained Collar – Chapter 1 by Seamus Keogh plunges us into the tense hush before a storm, where history and resistance smoulder just beneath the surface. Widow Mamo O’Connor commands her household and comrades with sharp wit and an iron will. As whispers of a ‘training’ in Merlin Woods stir memories of bloodshed and sacrifice, an old weapon is unearthed – one tied to the Easter Rising and stained with personal loss. Past and present collide in this opening chapter, where old ghosts wake and the next battle quietly begins.

Pertinent Nest by James Conway is a lyrical meditation on joy, music, and the quiet power of nature. As a blackbird sings at dawn, its song captivates the world around it – free from structure, rich in emotion. Conway’s imagery transforms the street into a stage, the trees into listeners, and the morning into a moment of rebirth. This is poetry as celebration: tender, hopeful, and tuned to the rhythms of spring.

The Birds Told Me by Deirdre Anne Gialamas is a tender, spiritual piece where the natural world becomes messenger and companion. As birds gather in quiet communion, their presence seems to offer answers to questions unspoken. With gentle reverence, Deirdre invites us to listen not just with ears but with soul – to sense meaning in wingbeats, breath, and the hush between calls. A poem of stillness, wonder, and quiet wisdom.

Persuasion by Anne McManus
A sharp and self-deprecating tale of one woman’s reluctant plunge into the world of alternative medicine – complete with Epsom salts, grapefruit, olive oil, and an unforgettable coffee enema. With wit and just the right dose of disbelief, the story charts the hilarious consequences of friendship, ageing, and the enduring power of peer pressure.

Breath by Anne McManus
A poignant and delicately layered poem capturing the tender moment between a parent and child – where a simple act, like blowing bubbles mirrors the deeper truth of letting go. With lyrical grace, the piece evokes both the wonder of beginnings and the quiet sorrow of inevitable separation.

Programme:

Poem The Rise and Fall of Gertrude Wall Deirdre Anne Gialamas

Poem Breath Anne McManus

Poem Lightening James Conway

Poem Pertinent Nest James Conway

Poem The Birds Told Me Deirdre Anne Gialamas

Short Story Swing, Miss, Repeat Mary Hodson

Short Story Persuasion Anne McManus

Short Story The Stained Collar, Chapter 1 Seamus Keogh