THE INKY SHEFFIELD WRITERS NEWSLETTER Summer 2005 No. 34 The Biggest Bumper Issue - Ever! ______________________________________________________ Inky News US Novelist Calls in at Sheffield Peter Plate, author of eight novels, including Fogtown, Angels of Catastrophe, and Snitch Factory, is in the UK in November and, while he's here, he'll be dropping in at the Signpost offices. Peter, on his way to host a six day course for the Arvon Foundation, will be stopping off to run a workshop for us on Saturday 12th November between 11.00 am and 4.00 pm. If you are seriously interested in improving your novel writing then this is the workshop for you, be prepared for some hard writing. There are only twelve places for this workshop and, as demand will be high, they must be booked in advance. To reserve your place please send a cheque (payable to Signposts) for £8.00 / £5.00 concessions to the Signposts address on the last page. Bookings will be confirmed by post and if the workshop is fully booked we'll notify you and return your cheque straight away. Calling Barnsley Writers! The Writers Resource Centre has started running regular Saturday sessions In Barnsley Central Library. Signposts are running the Resource Centres in partnership with B.M.B.C. Arts Department and B.M.B.C. Libraries and they will take place on the 2nd Saturday of every month. The Barnsley Writers Resource Centre will be offering advice and guidance to Barnsley writers, whether you're a full-time writer, part-time, occasional or just interested in the idea of trying some writing to see if you enjoy it, all are welcome. There's no need to book it's free, just turn up between 11.00 am and 1.00 pm. What will you find there? Everything from information on local writing groups, writing courses, competitions and live events through to advice on publishers, writing magazines and The Inky Writers Newsletter. What is the Inky Writers Newsletter? The newsletter includes information about writing groups, opportunities, live readings and competitions together with interviews, news, reviews and articles. The Inky is printed four times a year from Sheffield and the paper version is available free from the Resource Centre, it can also be sent to you by free subscription - all you need to do is join our mailing list (details on the last page). Other Resource Centre Dates We'll be visiting other libraries in the coming months: Goldthorpe Library, Thursday 4th August, 11.00 am-1.00 pm Royston Library, Thursday 1st September, 11.00 am-1.00 pm Darton Ward Library, Thursday 15th September, 11.00 am-1.00 pm If you think we can help you come and see us, if you require more information then our contact details are on the back page. The Inky? Some information for new readers. The Inky is produced by Signposts Writing Development Project in two versions, the paper one and this online version. If you want to find out more about us and you've been referred to this page then visit our website at: www.signpostsonline.org You'll find a lot more information about us there and if you need any more details then please do contact us. And ... if you like our web site and you fancy one of your own then visit web magician Robin Garside's site: http://www.garside.f9.co.uk/ he designed ours and will be happy to do one for you. Seeing in Colour - Writing Workshop Based on our popular 'Winter Writing Workshops,' Signposts, in partnership with B.M.B.C Arts Department and B.M.B.C. Libraries, will be staging a re-run of the previously sold out workshop by Ann Hamblen. Seeing in Colour is for anyone who enjoys playing with words and is for new and more experienced poets alike! Using 'colours in the world' as the theme, Ann Hamblen will be looking at how we translate colour into words and how it permeates published writing as well as our own. The workshop will be held in the Meeting Room in The Barnsley Central Library on Saturday 10th September between 11am - 1pm. There will also be an opportunity to visit the Writers Resource Centre, which will be running around the same time in the main library. Places on the workshop must be booked in advance, to book your place please send a cheque (payable to Signposts) for £6.00 / £3.00 concessions, to the Signposts address on the last page. Please contact us if you require any more information. Sharpen Up Your English! If you think that your English is letting your creative writing down well there's a way to improve it without leaving your home. Two courses, provided by Sheffield College, will allow you to study for either GCSE English or A Level English Language & Literature completely online. The courses will provide you with your own experienced online tutor and class, and you can study from your own home or chosen place of study, as a fully online student. For more details of these courses go to:www.sheffcol.ac.uk then click on 'Online Learning' and scroll down to the links for 'English GCSE Online' and 'AS Level English Language and Literature Online' or telephone the college on (0114) 260 3637. Hit The Poets' Tourist Trail! Imagine fields of blue flowers; a slice of goose pie; boys fishing in the river; factories making spring-wire for Swiss watches; a stagecoach accident on the packhorse bridge, or local ruffians being pelted with rotten fruit in the stocks! All this and more is part of Barnsley's hidden history, brought to life by this fascinating book written by Access Poetry Barnsley in collaboration with Barnsley Local History Group. Like a conventional guidebook, Hidden Barnsley has historical notes and a map of the Trail, but that's where the similarity ends! The book is filled to overflowing with a colourful array of poems, all by local writers, inspired by the new trail and the history it uncovers. At only £3 per copy, this book is an absolute Barnsley bargain! It was published to coincide with the Raise Your Voice arts festival in June and is available from Barnsley Central Library on Shambles Street, all Barnsley branch libraries, the Cooper Gallery on Church Street, WH Smith on Cheapside and Old Barnsley in the Upper Market Hall. For more information or to obtain a copy of Hidden Barnsley, contact Jakey Anderson, Chairman, Access Poetry Barnsley, on Barnsley 232604 or email jakeyanderson@blueyonder.co.uk. BOOK REVIEW The Forest of Souls - Carla Banks Harper Collins, £10.99 The Forest of Souls opens in a forest, "the wooded depths of the Derwent Valley". The book unfolds from a present-day murder to the ravaged region of Belarus in the Second World War, and along the way we have many glimpses of other dark forests and the secrets they contain. The novel begins with the murder of Helen Kovacs, in the library of an old hall where she was researching an Eastern European wartime archive. Faith Lange, an old school friend of Helen's, worked with her at Manchester University. As Faith tries to unravel the truth about Helen's death, that mystery is interleaved with two stories of memory and identity from the past. The first concerns Marek Lange, Faith's grandfather. Like Banks' own father he escaped to Britain during the Second World War. Lange never speaks of his wartime experiences but is clearly haunted by the past, we discover his ghosts through a series of short fairytale-like stories. The second story is that of Sophia Yevanova, the mother of a distinguished historian from Faith and Helen's department. Sophia's secrets also thread through the book, shadowed by the intimidating presence of her son. Both Marek and Sophia are interviewed by Jake Denbigh, a journalist with an interest in wartime refugees. He becomes involved in the mystery of Helen's murder through Sophia's connections to the chief suspect, and through his developing relationship with Faith. This is a novel about hidden identities, about untidy families and the secrets they keep from each other out of love or fear, and about the threads from the past to the present, including racism. Forests and fairytales are repeating motifs, and the connections between the characters and their histories twist like branches in a forest canopy and the sense of suspense and danger is successfully maintained throughout. Carla Banks is a new name for Danutah Reah, a Sheffield writer who has already published four crime novels. Her local knowledge is evident in this novel as in her previous writing. As this book is slightly different from her earlier work, however, Danutah's publishers suggested she publish it under a different name. She found the name 'Carla Banks' on a headstone in Highgate Cemetery, and with The Forest of Souls has given it a successful new life. Thanks to Beth Longstaff for the review What is a Villanelle? Not Sure? Then contact Ruth Grimsley, she's written an information sheet on villanelles, entitled "What is a villanelle and how do I write one? If you are interested send a cheque for £2.50 to Ruth at: 12 Oak Park, Broomhill, Sheffield, S10 5DE The South Yorkshire Pages New to The Inky - pages which are specific to Barnsley, Rotherham and Doncaster. The aim is to expand the content of The Inky to include information from these areas and to do this we need your help. If you have any information that you think could be included then we want to know, let us have the details and we'll include them in these pages and on the Signposts website. Barnsley Calling All Poets & Have a Go'ers David Lofthouse is organising another Pints and Poets night at the Grey Horse Pub in Barnsley on Wednesday 31st August. The proceedings officially start at 8.30 but members of the Access Poetry Barnsley group are expected to be out in force so, if you want to book an open mike slot, the advice is to get there early. The Grey Horse Public House is on Kensington Road, Old Town, Barnsley. If you need any more information or a map emailing to you then please contact Jakey Anderson : Jakey Anderson, Chairman, Access Poetry Barnsley, 50 Regent Crescent, Barnsley, S Yorks S71 3TS. Tel.: 01226 232604, email: jakeyanderson@hotmail.com Free . . . Inky Sign-up Opportunities Sign up to receive the Inky Writers Newsletter, delivered free of charge to your home. Just drop in to the Barnsley Resource Centre on the 2nd Saturday of each month to add your details to our mailing list. As an introduction to the Barnsley writing world we've asked Jakey Anderson to tell us all about ACCESS POETRY BARNSLEY. "When you think poetry, think Access Poetry Barnsley!" We're accessible to everyone, we like all things poetic and we're based in Barnsley. To quote a phrase, we do exactly what it says on the tin! We're celebrating our first anniversary and wow, it's been an exciting year! We've had workshops, read-arounds, discussions, guest poets and a competition. We've started a group internet site, joined in pub poetry nights, read our work at an art gallery and even published a book! A casual conversation started it off. "Why don't you start a poetry group in Barnsley?" said one poet. "Mm," said the second poet, and set about creating one. I met Andy when he was handing out leaflets, and he introduced me to Stuart. Jay arrived at about the same time. Then we were four: a committee! In no time we were publicising our first meeting. Stuart went on a funding course and managed to get start-up funding, and we were off and running. I won't say it's been easy - artistic temperaments and all - but despite some stormy committee meetings and occasional changes of personnel, the group has gone from strength to strength. I can't wait to see what our second year will bring. So what's next? Possibly a poetical theatrical pageant. Probably another book. Certainly more poetry evenings at the Cooper Gallery and the Grey Horse pub, and plans for extra venues. On 6th October we'll be celebrating National Poetry Day at St Mary's Church. We'll have a strong presence in Barnsley's festivals, such as the All Barnsley Diversity Festival in September and Raise Your Voice next June. There's talk of a magazine, a commercial website, a prize competition, 'public poetry portals', town centre poetry-reading, CDs, community events......... more than enough ideas to see us through several years! So why am I telling you this? The clue's in our name, Access Poetry Barnsley. We're an equal opportunities amateur group. We like all sorts of poetry, poets and could-be-poets. We also love people who like listening to poetry, i.e. an audience! To cut a long story short (which always pleases the Editor) we want you to join us! We meet at Barnsley Central Library (Meeting Room) at 7pm on the second Monday of the month, though it's a good idea to contact us first, in case there's a special event instead. If you'd be interested in helping us develop still further, we'd be delighted to hear from you too! We particularly need people with skills such as publicity, PR, website design, proof-reading, applying for funding, creating audio CDs, business development, administration and running community events: you don't need to be poetically inclined, just willing! If you're part of another group or organisation and would like original poetry and/or poets to contribute to your events programme, don't hesitate to give us a call. Jakey Anderson, Chairman, Access Poetry Barnsley, 50 Regent Crescent, Barnsley, S Yorks S71 3TS. Tel.: 01226 232604, email: jakeyanderson@hotmail.com Thanks to Jakey for the article "Passing Through" Barnsley Start with a musician, who's also a cartoonist, form a band, write songs, join Virgin, join Faust, release an LP for 49p, kick-start Virgin, join Henry Cow, join Faust and Henry Cow, join another band, and another, draw backgrounds for Peanuts cartoons, join the Golden Palominos, forget the cartoons, re-join the other bands (nearly), remember the cartoons, Join the Independent On Sunday-draw the weekly comic strip 'Leviathan', become world famous! Who are we talking about? As if you didn't know, of course it's Peter Blegvad, world famous superstar writer, cartoonist, and musician and guess where he's been? The centre of the universe - Barnsley. As part of the Raise Your Voice festival in June, Peter Blegvad did a two day tour of Barnsley and while he was there he searched for the legendary "Lost Beatles in Barnsley Tapes", he found a man who had experienced the nuclear holocaust in Yorkshire, met the 'Snow Queen of Cawthorne' and, the pinnacle of his visit, he talked 'socks' with the living leg-end 'George the Sockman!' Unbelievable but it's true and in case anyone questions you about it, you could buy a double CD recording of his exploits to prove the point. "Passing Through" - A Two Day Tour of Barnsley including Eartoons and Field recordings by Peter Blegvad is available from the Cooper Gallery in Barnsley at the bargain price of £2.60 and it's much more fun than the Faust LP (even though that was only 49p). ROTHERHAM RCAT Creative Writing Course Is Ready To Welcome New Writers Rotherham College of Arts & Technology is offering places to potential writers along with a huge helping of flexibility as to what day and time it will run. The class is ostensibly an assessed course but the priority will be towards developing creative writing skills and there is room for a large degree of negotiation between students and tutors as to which direction the course will take. There's a fee for the full years course but if you are on a pension or receiving certain benefits the course will be free. The course code is PR139AT, and is being coordinated by Jenny Scott. Most local colleges sadly neglect Creative Writing courses so this is a good opportunity to turn the tide, increase the facilities available to writers in Rotherham and develop your writing skills at the same time. For more information on this course please contact the College on: (01709) 362111 WEA Writers Fly With Radio Nightingale Students from two South Yorkshire WEA Writers' Workshops recently visited Radio Nightingale hospital radio to record some of their poetry, stories and sketches for broadcast to patients. The radio station and the students were so pleased with the results that a CD has been produced and is now on sale at £3.00 with all profits (£1.70 per CD) going towards the upkeep of the radio station, a voluntary charity. The students are members of WEA writing groups in Dodworth near Barnsley and Ship Hill Learning Centre in Rotherham, and were accompanied by WEA Creative Writing Tutor, Graham Rippon. The eight students were also joined by members of Rotherham Metro Writers Group who hold regular meetings at the local pub Nellie Denes in the centre of Rotherham. As a follow-up, the two writing classes have also produced a small A5 anthology of their writings. Priced at just £2.50 again, all profits go to the radio station. If you're interested in obtaining copies of either the CD or the booklet then they are available from: Graham Rippon, 19 Godric Drive, Brinsworth, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, S60 5AN. Cheques payable to 'Graham Rippon'. It's BUPA Jim - But Not As We Know It! Are you over 60 or disabled with a concessionary bus pass? Do you enjoy writing poetry or sketching? Would you like to visit interesting Northern venues with the opportunity to indulge in your hobby while you are there? If the answer is "Yes" then you need to join BUPA - The Bus Pass Artists. Organised by Roy Blackman, the BUPA group has reserved a seat on the bus for you, to find out more give Roy a call now on (01709) 377097. Rotherham Festival Special The Rotherham Festival kicks off in September and the big day for writers is Saturday 24th September when all of the literary factions of Rotherham and beyond come out in force. The events are spread throughout Rotherham but the main writing jamboree focuses on the Charters Arms in the Market Place. As part of the celebrations there will be workshops led by Ray Hearne including one on song-writing, performances from the likes of Vera Percy, Terry and Ada Wilson, Judy Dalton, The Glass Mountain Writers and Doreen Bottomley. In addition to this the Metro Community Theatre will provide three hours of short plays and songs. If you would like more information on the events or want to book a slot for yourself or your group then contact Roy Blackman on: (01709) 377097 Doncaster Doncaster Writers Require Urgent First Aid Apparently Doncaster writers are in urgent need of treatment for a severe lack of resources, deprivation and leadership! "Writers of this region," according to established author Penny Nibbet, "have suffered from a steady decline in resources, and, as a consequence the opportunity to share ideas with other writers has been reduced to virtually nil." This situation has, so it would appear, been ongoing for a number of years now. Ms. Nibbit, author of 'The Doncaster Writers Gazette' a comprehensive guide to writing groups, courses, workshops & other resources for writers in the Doncaster area (a huge and invaluable resource, now sadly out of print), remarked how, within the space of five years, the writing scene in and around Doncaster had been decimated by cutbacks, policy changes and u-turns by "people who should know better." She continued to explain how local writers had mostly gone 'underground' thinking that they would be the next targets if they continued to try to write against the wind. From our outposts at Signposts Towers it does appear that writers in Doncaster have indeed suffered unfairly, be it at the hands of the powers that be or the hands of fate we don't know but, we do keep hearing that the wind is changing direction. Local writers are reaching for their pencils, grasping their rubbers with renewed vigour, and, with paper to hand; they are ready to rise again. We at Signposts will be happy to collate and distribute any information regarding creative writing within the Doncaster area. We will try to fulfil any request for details regarding writing groups, courses, events, etc, but to do this we need you to send us any information that you may have. So far we have heard that there may be groups of writers meeting in the following places: Rossington, Woodlands, Conisbrough and Balby, there may even be a Doncaster Women Writers group. If you have any details of these or any news regarding creative writing in Doncaster then tell us, we will spread the word and we won't report you. For now let us be your voice and together we will forge forwards towards that glorious day when Doncaster writers will rise once again and, with one voice, without fear, proclaim "We Write!" Please send any information to the Signposts address as detailed on the last page or email it to us at: signposts@lineone.net The Inky Interview It's five years since we last chatted with Danuta Reah, with the publication of her new book The Forest of Souls (writing as Carla Banks), it seemed like a good time for The Inky to make another call. You once worked at the Central Library in Sheffield, so one of my colleagues tells me. Has the Central Library changed much since then? Libraries have changed a lot since my day - they are more interactive, there is more attempt to engage with readers and there is more going on. When I was there, it was a very silent place - librarians were people who shushed you if you talked. The Central Library still smells the same - it's a very evocative smell that's hard to classify - not unpleasant, quite the reverse. It takes me back to the days when I used to work there. Oddly, though I loved books, I didn't much like the job. I was probably the worst library assistant in the world. I think I would enjoy working in a modern library a lot more. Keeping on the library theme, 'The Forest of Souls' begins like a conventional crime novel - with a murder in a library. However it soon breaks that mould, if only with the sheer magnitude of the war crimes of which this library murder is a late corollary. Were you deliberately trying to paint on a larger canvas? Yes. When I realised I wanted to tell the story of the occupation of Belarus, I wanted to be careful with the modern day crime element. It had to work in the context of the subject matter I was writing about - I decided to open it with a disturbing scene set in the present day, but one that links back to the dreadful past that the book looks at. And the book had to be on a broader canvas because it moves from the present day to the war years, and even earlier, to the aftermath of the Russian revolution. Why the pseudonym? Do you want to be interviewed as Carla Banks or as Danuta Reah? If you want to be Carla Banks can we include the story about your agent finding the name on a gravestone in Highgate Cemetery? I always wanted to write a book based on my father's experiences. I wasn't sure what it would be like, but when I started it, I realised it was going to be different from my other novels - largely because of the broader canvas. I wasn't sure what my publishers would make of it. in the end, they were thrilled with it, but because it is different, they wanted to put it out under a different name. Of course, once you get into pseudonym territory, publishers are quite prescriptive about what they want, and we couldn't come up with anything that suited them that I liked or vice versa. In the end, my agent saw the name Carla Banks on a gravestone in Highgate cemetery. I liked it, the publishers liked it, and so Carla Banks was born - or possibly reborn. Is the novel autobiographical? Can you say something about your father and his wartime experiences - cavalry officer, Polish Free Forces, the non-opening parachute, fighting against the Red Army, etc.? The book isn't autobiographical, nor is it a biography of my father, though he gave me the idea of the character of Marek Lange. He lived for much of his life with the guilt that people who survive disasters seem to feel simply because they came through when so many didn't. He was born in the forest near Baranoviche, which in those days was in Byelorussian territory that had been ceded to the Poles by treaty. He joined the Polish army, and was a cavalry officer when war started and Stalin's Red Army invaded eastern Poland to reclaim Byelorussian territory. He was taken prisoner and held in a prison camp in Romania. He escaped, was rearrested, escaped again and made his way across Europe just ahead of Hitler's army. He joined the Polish Free Forces, and more or less prepared to turn round and go straight back. He was a paratrooper, and they were being trained in low drops. I presume the idea was to make the invasion stealthier and to prevent the paratroopers becoming sitting targets as they came down. But the parachutes weren't like modern ones. The men used to get tangled in the lines when they opened and the landings were hard. My father said that on a normal drop, it was easy to disentangle yourself in time to land the right way up, but with low drops, it was a different matter. Several of his compatriots killed themselves when they landed on their heads. He reckons he was lucky because he only smashed up his leg - but it put him out of the war. The terrible tragedy of Eastern Europe is that they endured the most dreadful occupation, they fought - and died - bravely, and after the war, these countries were handed over to Stalin - they went from one nightmare dictatorship to another. Stalin was worse than Hitler, if only because he killed so many more people. After the war, my father couldn't go back. He had fought against Stalin's army, so he was an enemy of the state. His father had died before the war. He never saw his mother again. The A57 between Glossop and Moscar seems to fascinate you - I remember it featured in a previous novel. In 'Forest of Souls' you play on the Snake road's apt sinuosity, though in non-fictional life the 'Snake' connection is heraldic - to do with the Duke of Devonshire's coat-of-arms - and the sinuosity is coincidental. Do you find something inherently evil and menacing about that particular stretch of road? I find it carries that compelling combination of bleakness and beauty. When I was a child, I was always told it was called the Snake because it twisted and turned, and I found the idea very sinister. I have always felt uneasy at the thought of being stranded there. The road across the top is particularly chilling - the land seems almost dead - real badlands territory, I think. There are two real forests in the novel. The action starts in the Peak Forest, which was a forest in the Norman sense - an area set aside for royal hunting, not necessarily wooded. Then there is the much-wooded Kurapaty Forest in Belarus. Are the two forests juxtaposed in some meaningful way? What happens in the Peak Forest seems to be a small-scale version of what happened in Kurapaty. Peak Forest sets the scene, and there is a parallel in the sense that the book is partly about terrible events that occurred in a forest, and opens with a dreadful event occurring in a forest. The two forests that are central to the story are the forest near Baranoviche where Eva and Marek grow up - part of the primeval European forest that still exists in Belarus - a fitting place for Baba Yaga to lurk. This forest is, at first, benign. Eva loves it all of her life. And then there is Kurapaty, where Stalin's men slaughter thousands upon thousands of people and bury them in grave pits under the trees. Eva sees Baba Yaga in the depths of the woods, the heart of darkness where any evil can happen. Is the Hall where the initial murder takes place based on any real Hall - the former Derwent Hall, for instance - or is it just novelist's licence? Following your directions I found myself heading somewhere near Slippery Stones! No, the hall is purely imaginary, though the road through the woods is real. When I drove through it, I realised I was going to have to use it. There are houses along there, just a few, and I put the hall there, in the most isolated spot I could think of. What happened in places like Kurapaty continues to happen - from Pol Pot's Cambodia to Rwanda, Bosnia, Iraq and umpteen other global hellholes? Does it make you pessimistic about humanity - the sheer depth of cruelty and sadism, the chronic incapacity to learn, the inability of 'ordinary people' to prevent such obvious evils as genocide and ethnic cleansing? I sometimes wonder why people are not aware of their own capacity to do things like this - once society decides that someone is 'other' then suddenly the most terrible things become permissible. I still have nightmares about the crowds howling outside the court where the boys who killed James Bulger were brought. I can understand their anger - what those boys did was dreadful - but not their obvious desire to rip them to pieces. I find it both depressing and frightening that a lot of people now find what is done to people in Guantanamo, or what is done to them in other places in our name, somehow acceptable because of the nature of terrorism. It goes on. I first heard of Baba Yaga through Joseph Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness', where the witch isn't named but is recognisable by her collection of skulls. Have you been greatly influenced by East European folk tales? Like Faith in the book, I was brought up on them. The book of Russian Fairy tales that appears from time to time in the novel is from my own childhood shelves, though I don't know what happened to it. Folk tales are very old, and even the rather sanitised modern versions we read today have a dark resonance in them. Baba Yaga is a particularly frightening figure. You can survive an encounter with her, but it isn't easy. Thanks to Danuta Reah Interview by Dave Sissons Further information: www.danutareah.co.uk www.ladykillers.info The Forest of Souls by Danuta Reah writing as Carla Banks 'A haunting legacy of war' - Frances Fyfield If you are one or know of a writer who you would like to see featured in the Inky Interview then please contact the Signposts office-details on the last page. News-bits Time Out At The Gardener's Rest Roy Blackman will host an afternoon of poetry which will include the Glass Mountain Darnall group as well as others. The possibility of a South Yorkshire Festival will also be discussed. Everyone welcome, especially members of other writing groups. Early afternoon start. More details: Roy Blackman (01709) 377097 Devka Gets Under The Skin Writer, musician, artist Stephen Carley together with Rachael Galletly and John Mills collectively form Devka and they've just released a CD of their latest work. 'Under the Skin' is available from Record Collector as well as other independent record stores around Sheffield. contact Stephen for more information: telephone (0114) 2498065 or email: stephencarley@blueyonder.co.uk Mapplewell Anthology Students at the WEA Mapplewell Creative Writing class have produced a small anthology of their work to raise money for village hall funds. Mapplewell & Staincross village hall is a busy community and learning centre costing around £200,000 a year to run. The anthology, Mapplewell Thursday, costs just £2.00 and is available from Graham Rippon, 19 Godric Drive, Brinsworth, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, S60 5AN. Cheques payable to 'Graham Rippon'. Sound It Out Any event organisers out there looking for a pa system? If so Graham Rippon has one for sale. It's in mint condition, cost £300.00 but any offer over £120.00 will be welcomed. More details from Graham (contact details above). Sinful Subjects Just For You Mslexia, the magazine for women writers, is inviting poetry and short story submissions for its New Writing section. The theme for Issue 28 is Seven Deadly Sins. Anger, envy, gluttony, greed, lust , pride and sloth - take your pick, indulge in one or all, it's up to you! Deadline is 30th September and submissions should be sent to: Mslexia, PO Box 656, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE99 1PZ More details: www.mslexia.co.uk New Writing Classes? There are two new writing classes proposed to start in September. The first is in Grimethorpe, Barnsley, running on Tuesdays, 10.00 am - 12 noon at the Acorn Centre. The second is at Brinsworth & Catcliffe. They are currently asking for prospective students to register their interest and indicate their preferred days and times. (This is being supported by the Brinsworth & Catcliffe Partnership and the Waverley Community Connects) If you are interested in either of the classes please contact either the relevant centre or Graham Rippon (details above) as soon as possible, this may make the difference between the course running or not. Waterstone's Reading Group The group, which meets on the 2nd Sunday of each month, continues through the summer and into the autumn. Contact their Sheffield store for further info: Tel (0114) 2728971 WORDBLAST! Writing Workshops - Matt Black's 13 reasons for and against For Against They are an inspiration to your writing, giving you new ideas, sparking off other people, getting ideas from tutors or others, and by listening to other people's work The inspiration they provide is a very poor substitute for wider reading, or the raw material at the centre of our own lives You learn the ground rules and principles of writing, how real writers do it, what makes a good poem or story, as well as picking up handy tips and advice on allsorts - the dangers of too many adjectives, selling your work, etc. Some of the commonest ground rules and principles of writing are misleading, hideous generalisations and dogmatic follies. three prime examples: show, don't tell, less is more, write what you know about You learn more about the writing world, and the world of publication, without having to trawl through reference books or ring round You learn myths and nonsense about the writing world, and the world of publication They are supportive places, full of good humour and the like-minded spirits of other writers They are full of petty jealousies, writers undercutting each other, not understanding each other's aims, devaluing each other's work People give you a good range of critical feedback, telling you where your strengths and weaknesses lie, and constructive advice on how you might be able to improve your work Critical feedback is partial, subjective, based on individual or workshop prejudices and taste policemen sitting on other writers shoulders, and you end up writing to try and please the workshop, rather than developing your own judgement They are friendly, and get you out of the house when writing is often a solitary activity, and a good way to meet other people engaged in this positive act of faith pursuit If you need to get out of the house, your grandma and grandpa might be a better bet for a friendly visit, and they might be a surer test of whether your writing is working You can borrow books from other people, on their recommendation, and there isn't a date when you get fined on them, unlike with library books You can lose books borrowed from other people and get into trouble They provide cheap heating on cold nights in winter You can miss out on some damn good telly or a night out at the dogs You might fall in love with someone You might fall in love with someone They encourage compromise, democracy and balance They encourage compromise, democracy and balance You get tea and biscuits You get tea and biscuits You're not allowed to smoke You're not allowed to smoke There's the pub full of writers afterwards There's the pub full of writers afterwards There may be a chance of making the double-backed beast! There may be a chance of making the double-backed beast! LISTINGS OF LIVE EVENTS In August / September 2005 August Saturday 13th August Barnsley Writers Resource Centre - Every 2nd Saturday at the Central Library, Shambles Street, Barnsley 11.00 am-1.00 pm Tel: 0114 2634787 for more details Sunday 14th August Waterstone's Sunday Reading Group The reading selection will be "These Foolish Things" - Deborah Moggach Waterstone's Bookshop, Orchard Square. Free. 2.00 pm start. Tel: 0114 2728 971 Wednesday 31st August Pints & Poets Night A chance to voice your poetry to a captive audience Greyhorse Pub', Kensington Road, Old Town, Barnsley Tel: 01226 232604 ___ In September Thursday 1st September Barnsley Writers Resource Centre - a one off special visit to Royston Library 11.00 am-1.00 pm Tel: 0114 2634787 for more details Tuesday 6th September The Sticky Bun Writers Club Their first open mike session of the season F.O.B., Church Street. Free. 7.30 pm start. 0114 2366 225 Wednesday 7th September Rotherham Metro Writers Group 1st meeting of the new season for the group Nellie Dene's public house, Rotherham. 7.30 start. Tel: 01709 559144 for more details Saturday 10th September Barnsley Writers Resource Centre - Every 2nd Saturday at the Central Library, Shambles Street, Barnsley 11.00 am-1.00 pm Tel: 0114 2634787 for more details Sunday 11th September Waterstone's Sunday Reading Group The reading selection will be "The Electric Michelangelo"- Sarah Hill Waterstone's Bookshop, Orchard Square, Sheffield. Free. 2.00 pm start. Tel: 0114 2728 971 If you have any events that you would like us to promote via the Inky listings then please email the details to: signposts@lineone.net or post the details to the Signposts address. SHEFFIELD WRITERS RESOURCE CENTRE For information and advice Wednesdays 5pm - 7.30pm The Main Lending Library Surrey St, Sheffield, S1 For more info - 0114 2734726 (Sheffield Central lending Library) BARNSLEY WRITERS RESOURCE CENTRE For information & advice 2nd Saturday - every month 11.00 am - 1.00 pm Barnsley Central Lending Library, Shambles Street, Barnsley For More Info - 0114 2634787 The Inky acknowledges support from: Arts Council England-Yorkshire _________________________________________________________ The Inky is put together by Matt Black & Geoff Briggs The Inky is a Signposts Project. www.signpostsonline.org Please send contributions for the next issue to: The Inky SIGNPOSTS 4th Floor Furnival House, 48 Furnival Gate, Sheffield, S1 4QP, UK Phone Geoff on 0114 2634787 or email Signposts@lineone.net for more information To receive a free paper copy of the Inky Writers Newsletter please send your address to the Inky address above.