Events, News

HYTHE FESTIVAL – TODAY!

It’s the last day today, what a super weekend it has been down at Hythe. We have had many authors popping along to sell their books and chat to readers. We have been selling our last anthology called GHOSTS BY THE SEA and promoting our next book that is out soon, it is available free on kindle unlimited.

Debby takes the award for best seller, for her own book and the groups books. Come along and get your free bookmark and learn about the writing group, they do say everyone has a story in them but even a poem is great plus you might see your own words in our next book.

So many great stalls, loved the Bubbly one, then you have Matthew selling cherry cider, that sounds delicious. Super tasting ice coffee and many food stalls.

Pop along and say hi 👋

Meetings, News

NEWS – TONIGHT

Hi, first of all I hope you are keeping well and safe. A few things have been bubbling away in the background and I would like to share the Zoom meetings with you that Tony has undertaken to host for the group.  Thank you Tony.

I am struggling with this lockdown so not really up for much at all, in fact I keep thinking I should be writing about all this as it will eventually be history that our future generations will read about and learn, but the motivation and thoughts are just not there.

Here is the message from Tony about how to connect with us tonight.

TONIGHT 6.55

 

Firstly, if you have not already done so, please make sure you have downloaded Zoom:

https://zoom.us/

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The meeting ID is 788-8834-9662

The meeting Password is 132655

You may not have to use these figures.

I will open things up at 6.55pm.

I have now purchased a monthly subscription to Zoom, so there should be no issues about the meeting stopping suddenly.

That said, we can break again around 8pm in order that, those who wish to, can express their support for key workers.

I am planning now that we are joined each week by one or more local creatives to entertain us. This week, I am delighted to say that we have two popular artists for the price of one.

Some of you may know Helen Finn (Finn to her friends), owner of YoYo’s Street Food stall on the Old High Street. She is also a talented singer-songwriter, as well as fine interpreter of others’ work, and she will be singing and playing for us this evening.

In addition, I am so pleased that we will have Anthony White from Poets’ Corner reading his latest poem, “Isolation April 2020”.

With the 75th anniversary of VE Day on the following day, I invite attendees to read anything relating to the Second World War that is meaningful to them – poem, speech, personal reminiscence. Frank Butler and I are currently planning to read from the poets from that conflict.

It would also have been Robert Browning’s birthday, so if anyone wants to read from his work, they will be very welcome.

Ultimately, you are invited to read anything – a favourite poem, extract from fiction – or something you have written.

And if all else fails, I have another light Coronavirus inspired quiz for us to do!

Finally, if anyone would like to invite friends to join us, it would be great to see them too.

Look forward to seeing you this evening!

Tony Quarrington
 
(Owner, Tony’s Fabulous Folkestone: Voted Best Home Based Business in Folkestone 2019)
Telephone:     +44 1303 778543
Mobile:           +44 7738 624522
Blog:               www.tonyquarrington.wordpress.com/
See you all later
Karen
Events

AUTHORS, ARTISTS & WELLBEING EVENT

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I am really looking forward to this, if you would like to be involved then please do email me and I can send you the info and registration form.

karensworld.writer@yahoo.com

This is a superb write up in the Community website and magazine.

The Beacon event

We have plenty of space for more artists as there is plenty of wall space to fill.

It is with great pleasure that I have Chris and Liz from The Chambers doing the bar and food. You relax and eat or drink while listening to some live background music.

See you there

 

 

Poems

SETAREH EBRAHIMI- POET

It was with great pleasure that we had Setareh presenting us with a workshop about basic steps in writing a poem. The evening was very well received with about twelve people joining us.

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Many shared their work also asking plenty of questions in the Q&A session. I felt her story about how she got into poetry, people could relate too as knowing you want to write as your career but not what to write is a path that many find themselves on.

Her husband and baby came along to listen as well, which was cute.

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IN MY ARMS is the title of Setareh’s book which you can purchase here at Amazon.

Another great event for WRITE BY THE SEA.

Events

SETAREH EBRAHIMI – POET

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We have pleasure in welcoming Setareh to our February author event, a local poet who has her first book out. We have something a bit different for this month as there will be a workshop towards Valentine Day, so if you want to create a poem to go in your card for tommorow then please do pop along. As usual the event is free, bring along a pen and paper and do please support the venue by buying a drink at the bar as food and drink will be available all evening.

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See you on the 13th February at 6.30 pm

Author event 2019

DAVE STONE

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Dave is a local poet, singer, guitarist living in Folkestone, he has been writing his qquirky stories for the last twenty years and his output has increased as his work gets a wider audiance. Today it comprises, comedy peices, blues songs, tragedies and love storues as well as a more recent venture into story telling.

Dave is a regular at the various open mike nights on and around and is looking to reach a wider audiance, his first book is a collection of some of his work over the past twenty years and volume 2 is already in the early stages of preparation.

Things to make you think, are they songs or poems? You decide.

 

Author event 2019

BEN BARTON

BC39F673-63CD-409B-81A6-D843BF9FFB58Ben Barton grew up on the Romney Marsh in Kent. His poems have been published widely in both the UK and USA. Nominated for the Canterbury Poet of the Year Award and the erbacce-prize, he works as a professional copy and travel writer.

Also a film artist, Ben’s film Stella Erratica was funded by the late David Bowie, and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. He lives in Folkestone with his husband and son, beside the beautiful North Downs.

Books available from Amazon here.

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Author event 2019

BEA STEVENS

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I have to stay that this was one of the best set up stalls at the event!

Author of Chick Lit, lover of chocolate (and doesn’t think it’s pure coincidence that the two sound similar!) Has a penchant for shoes, bags, clothes (the usual necessities), and socialising with friends, family and anyone else who gets dragged along.
Hopes you enjoy her books, get her humour, don’t object to her use of British spellings and keep in touch!

She’d love you to sign up to her newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/dnI9bv
And/or follow her on:
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorBeaStevens/

https://www.instagram.com/authorbeastevens/

And check out her website at https://www.beastevens.com/

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All available on Amazon here.

Meetings

JANUARY MEETING

We held our first meeting of the year in the new venue, THE HIDEAWAY, I would like to take this opportunity of thanking Matt & Leanne for their hospitality. Food and drink will be available at all meetings. A warm welcome to our new members.

I have closed the private Facebook group so we just have a page on Facebook, it was not being used for members writing and I am trying to keep things easy and simple.  I will put everything on the website and Mark has very kindly offered to transfer it onto social media. Thank you so much, Mark.

Please go onto the website at folkestonewritebythesea.wordpress.com and scroll down until you get to this:

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Then follow by putting in your email address. You will then get an email when I post something for the group. I have started to do the posts for the 33 authors that attended the book event in November so they will be on there, please do like and share them for the authors.

The stories from the Living advent will go in our GHOSTLY ANTHOLOGY that I plan to have done by Halloween so we can sell it then. Members can submit stories or poems in this theme up to about 3,000 words. The cost will be £5 for each piece of work entered. We can proofread each others that you can organise yourself as to who you would like to ask as some like myself are not very good at that. We will also need a ghostly Folkestone photo for the cover. For the artists amongst you, it would be nice to have some illustrations between the work. I will bring in the last 4 anthology books for everyone to have a look at as to the setup. I will ask HG Wells society if he could come and advise us about how he does their books.

We will be drawing up a funding proposal for the anthology and advertising stands, Debby has kindly offered to help with that. We will ask local such as the council and Roger De Hann for funds.

We are having a CRIME PANAL DAY on a Saturday during September, details to follow about that.

Every Thursday will be a WRITING DAY at THE HIDEAWAY from 9 am until 3 pm This is for you to write or get advice from other members.  I will try to be there during the mornings but then from 1 pm until 2.30 pm I will be doing the STORYTIME at THE WELLBEING CENTRE by Sainsbury’s, if you would like to come along to listen or read or to help and maybe take a session then please do let me know.

 

The children’s writing competition put on by Pelham House has been cancelled as there were only 6 entries. I have suggested to them that maybe they should just involve groups such as brownies, cadets etc as schools have such a tight curriculum now it is hard to fit extra things in. Also if they want to do workshops then the group organisers can take these as they have already got their police checks. So we may be asked next year just to judge, we will have to wait and see.

There is now a BOOK SWAP on the side in THE HIDEAWAY so please all make use of that, I started it off with a few of Jane Wenham-Jones books and Dave Stone put his book in there.

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There won’t be a newsletter anymore just these posts with all the news. I will also do one for any up-coming competitions that look appropriate for us and low cost.

I have bought an A-frame notice board for outside THE HIDEAWAY I have to re-paint it then it can have a poster of our picture and dates of meetings written on it. Leanne has kindly offered to do the writing on the board.

Our charity last year was MIND we raised £31 for them and I have given it to them. They will be putting photos and info about our group on their website. They will also be bringing it up at the next meeting about our group and them getting involved in it by way of sending people who would like to write for their mental health.

I will be sending a write-up to all the small free booklets like the Folkestone town one letting them know our dates and plans so hopefully, we will get another free inclusion as they appear to be the best for advertising.

This year appears to be the ’60 years’ old, Matthew and Debby have said they are having a garden party on the 20th June for members and families. It will be bring a plate then a barbeque in the evening, they have a marquee also will look into some live music. For more information please have a chat to Matthew or Debby.

Please could everyone take a couple of posters and put out as then we are spreading the word about our group. I am eager for people to join in who are housebound as they can still share their work and read our posts.

I will be chatting on ACADAMY FM at just after the news at 11 am on the first Wednesday of every month with Kay.  Acadamy fm

THE BEACON has asked me to advise and help them put on an event similar to the November one. Thank you, Paul, for offering to come with me and be note-taker, it does all sound like a brilliant idea. This will be on a far bigger scale, plus including artists and wellbeing practitioners as well as us authors and a bar with food.  I am setting up meetings for this week to get a rough idea of interest, if you would like to have a table for the first event in April then please let me know. I am thinking we could have a block of tables together for our group. There is much to organise but I should have everything planned by our next group meeting. The Beacon will do the main advertising but we can all share on our pages over social media. I will do another post about all this hopefully next weekend if all meetings have gone ahead.

Members read from their books or stories they had written, it is nice to hear what we are each up to.

Hannah has suggested that she records the author events and put them on our website, I think that is another good idea, especially for people that can’t get to our meetings.

TASK – We picked four words: COFFEE   MAGAZINE    ROYAL    MANIC                                Your task is to make something from these words and bring it along to the next group meeting on the 6th February at 6.30 to share if you would like to, no pressure from us.

See you all on the 23rd of January at 6.30 for our author event where I will be chatting to two first time authors about the roads they travelled to get their books published. I am sure this will be a really interesting and well-attended event. We all want to know how to get published.

Thank you all so much for attending, have a great writing week.

Author event 2019

DREW WAGER

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Drew Wagar was born in Canada in 1970, but has lived in the UK since 1972. He was educated at the university of Brighton where he studied Computer Science. Drew published his first novel, ‘Torn’, in 2011 and followed this up with a short story in the anthology ‘Fusion’ in 2012. Drew has written one of the official novels set in the universe of Elite: Dangerous by Frontier Developments. This book, ‘Elite:Reclamation’ , is now on Amazon worldwide. EMANATION is the first book in Drew’s upcoming ‘Shadeward Saga’, hardback editions will be available from October 2015. www.drewwagar.com

Drew is on his tenth novel at the moment with them all available on Amazon here.

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