This week I told my beloved Towcester Writers Group that I am leaving. Tuesday was my final meeting as (founding) Chair, and it was quite an emotional evening. 

Don't panic, I'm not quitting. I still count myself as a writer, and will really feel the loss of being Chair here. Be reassured, though, that I am not giving up or bored of this wonderful group. I'm leaving for a positive reason: I have a new job... In this case, it means moving over 100 miles from Towcester to Bristol. 

I have been Chair of Towcester Writers since January 2012, and have become so proud of this great group of people and the club we have constructed. The website gets around 100 views per week, and we do connect quite a bit on Facebook. Some of the members almost feel like family - I see them more frequently than some of my family, at least! We have poets, memoir writers, bloggers, comedy and crime writers, and a shared interest in cakes. Oh, sorry, writing. On many occasion I have laughed until I have cried at something written, but conversely felt the silence fall over a poignant, personal piece, bringing tears of another kind to our eyes. 

These writers are talented. They are good people, loving and welcoming, old and young(er) - we don't have anyone under the age of 30, strangely, but they're always welcome! I love these guys!

Over the last 32 months (!!) I have planned a programme which I hope inspired and encouraged our writers. We've studied the writing process, had a fun evening learning how to create convincing character names, and I ran several workshops, including ones on getting the best out of social media and writing for a different perspective. We've had a few guest speakers - poets, writing mentors, other prose writers - meetings of which has been very interesting and encouraging. It's been beneficial to see beyond Towcester for the stories and skills of other (relatively) local writers. Most evenings for our group, however, are open mic sessions. The theme is set the month before, and 99% of the time people have stuck to it. I never fail to be amazed at the different stories which come from the same very simple prompt. 

I want to say a special 'thanks' to Gilly, who was the person who originally approached me about starting a group. Her encouragement and belief in me started it all off, really, and our on-going friendship means a lot to me. Also, thanks to Kate at the library, who unfailingly lets us in and out of our venue, even in lambing season.

Towcester group is continuing after I leave (hooray!), so if you fancy going along to a warm, friendly group of varied talent and with different genres and walks of life, pop along one evening. 

                                      Third Wednesday of the month
                                Next meeting is Wednesday 19th November
                     Towcester Library, Richmond Road, Towcester, NN12 6EX 
                                                    7.30 - 9.30pm

Take a look at the community on their Facebook page and give it a go! It's just £3 per session, which includes refreshments. 

Towcester Writers: I will miss you. Take care, be happy, and keep writing!

Lou x

I recently had a clear-out of a cupboard which wasn't really mine, but was full of my stuff. Dear parents, thanks for letting me store stuff!

While having a good root in boxes and through files, I found a dirty, old, thin newspaper. It was more of a gem than it sounds - my first article in print! My university (Keele) published a weekly newspaper, "Concourse", and I managed to get a book review printed in an issue during my final year. The piece is nowhere near perfect, but it made me quite nostalgic. I left university in 2006, so it's been eight years since I last saw this. 

After this first publication, feeling the early buzz of getting my name in print, I wrote another three or four articles. From memory, one was on the history of popcorn (following a film festival on campus), and another was extolling the virtues of studying abroad - check out "Why you should study in Canada", an updated version of this article which I posted on my travel blog recently. I forget what the other article was, but I was, and remain, excited to see my name in print. 

Finding old pieces you were proud of or enjoyed writing is a great excuse for keeping all you create. Has anyone else ever found some age-old writing they've written and been transported back years or decades? 

Lou x

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“Breaking the silence”. I heard this phrase yesterday, and, although I’ve heard it many times before, the words sounded differently. Breaking the silence – I listened to the words and wondered ‘what does that actually mean, and why do we use that exact phrase?’ Thus, the inspiration for my blog today!

As you know, ‘breaking the silence’ means someone has spoken or created a noise to sound through a patch of silence. Normally it’s said in context of a conversation pausing for a few moments, minutes, and then someone speaks.

To me, breaking the silence is a simple phrase, but the more I thought about it, the more violent it sounded.  

Breaking… snapping… cracking…smashing…

Bored, I Googled the origins of this phrase.  I learned this phrase is widely used as organisation and campaign names. It’s one of my favourite phrases, and I have seen it printed on many occasions, but little did I know the full impact and use of these three words. Here are a few of the results I found. Some strong messages…

BREAKING THE SILENCE

A Guatemalan organisation which promotes social, political and economic justice. Find them on Twitter here.

A UNICEF campaign against child abuse.

A programme created by the International Federation of Medical Students’ Association for enhancing the relationship between doctors and their deaf/hard of hearing patients.

A controversial political group.

A website which encourages learning about the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

A website with lesson plans for teachers trying to help kids understand mental illness. These guys are also on Facebook, if you want to know more.

A film called ‘Lima: Breaking The Silence', a drama based on the true story of Peruvian rebels who in kidnapped hundreds of high-ranking diplomats and government officials in an attempt to force the release of 400 political prisoners.

A sexual abuse support group for male Asians living in Yorkshire (supported by Comic Relief). 

There are also several books with this title (mainly about suppressed personalities, hidden sexual preferences, sexual abuse or 'taboo' illnesses).

It’s a prolific phrase – one I hadn’t considered the full impact and emotion of before. This simple phrase has been hijacked by evil causes, and been made more important by its use by causes good. Terrorist group aside, 'breaking the silence' has give words and a voice to those who have previously kept their stories of struggle and abuse hidden.

What a powerful phrase.

Lou x

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