Maggie Cobbett

Ripon Writers’ Group featured in Club Focus

As the current Chair, I’m delighted to see RWG featured in today’s Ripon Gazette and its sister newspapers. Given that the Group’s history stretches back over 30 years, founder member Daphne and I certainly had plenty of material to choose from when we wrote the article.  (The limitations imposed by an A4 scanner have led to its appearance below in two overlapping sections.)

8 August, 2013 - Make the first comment on this story

Featured in Writing Magazine

Sally Jenkins’s article on independent e-publishing is in the September 2013 issue and I’m delighted to be one of her interviewees. The others are Neneh Gordon, Anne Harvey and Jackie Johnson.

Along with a great deal of practical advice, Sally has explored our reasons for jumping onto this ‘shiny new bandwagon’. My own are twofold. First of all, it’s an opportunity to offer to a wider readership a selection of short stories that have won competitions and/or already been published; secondly to showcase others not written to fit the requirements of mainstream publications.

As Sally points out, independent e-publishing is not a get-rich-quick scheme for most writers. However, knowing that my stories now have a much longer life span than was previously the case will do for the moment.

2 August, 2013 - Make the first comment on this story

Also available in print!

I’ve lost count of the number of people who’ve told me that they’d love to read my short story collections if only they were available in print. Well, here they are and all in one omnibus edition available from any Amazon website!

Readers who prefer to download the omnibus from Amazon as an eBook can also benefit, as this offers all three collections for the price of two.

28 July, 2013 - Make the first comment on this story

Literary Allsorts 2013

Ripon Writers’ Group’s third annual ‘open mic’ event saw around forty writers and their guests enjoy an evening of readings at the Golden Lion on Allhallowgate. Vicky and Steve generously allowed us free use of their large (and air conditioned) function room, for which everyone was very grateful on such a hot evening.

In addition to many local writers, it was good to welcome contingents from Leeds, Harrogate, Nidderdale and York, including many Swanwickers (devotees of The Writers’ Summer School held each August at The Hayes Conference Centre in Swanwick, Derbyshire).

Poetry, prose, fiction and non-fiction flowed in generous measure and I managed to fit in – just – everyone who signed up to take part. Chairing the event was quite a task but an enjoyable one, even though I seemed to spend as much time scanning the list of would be readers and anxiously eyeing my watch as listening to their contributions.

Fortunately, fellow RWG committee members kept my glass well filled and the evening ended in a happy glow.

More photographs of the event can be seen at www.riponwriters.co.uk

12 July, 2013 - Make the first comment on this story

Featured in the Yorkshire Post

N.B. My companions and I didn’t just have ‘a trip round’ the Russian capital in a double-decker. We bought the old bus for a very modest sum and drove from Manchester to Moscow via France, Belgium, West and East Germany and Poland.  Our route home took us through parts of the Ukraine, Hungary and Czechoslovakia. Six weeks on the road and plenty of food for thought!

5 July, 2013 - Make the first comment on this story

An Evening with Andy Humphrey and Guests

An upper room in the Royal Oak on Goodramgate was the venue for the launch of Andy’s first full-length poetry collection, A Long Way To Fall. The place was bursting at the seams when I arrived just after 7.30 p.m. and more people squeezed in later; a tribute to Andy’s popularity and many hats.  A great deal more about Andy can be gleaned from his own website http://andyhumphrey1971.webs.com/

There was much to enjoy on this fine if rather muggy evening in York. Guest performers included poets Ann Heath, Tanya Nightingale and James Nash and there were musical numbers from Rob Nightingale and Union Jill, all well known faces on the local scene.

Hearing Andy read is always a great pleasure and the audience listened with rapt attention to the poems he chose on this occasion.

Ripon Writers’ Group is looking forward to welcoming Andy and other members of York Writers to our showcase/open mic event on Tuesday, 9th July.

28 June, 2013 - Make the first comment on this story

Pre-Swanwick reunion in Newcastle

One of my favourite weeks of the year is in August, when I go down to Derbyshire for the Writers’ Summer School.  It’s known to writers all over the UK and many abroad simply as ‘Swanwick’, the name of the village in which it takes place.

The WSS, which has been going for over 60 years, takes over The Hayes Conference Centre from Saturday afternoon until Friday morning. During that time, 300 or so of us revel in the unique buzz of so many like minded people getting together to swap ideas and learn from a range of outside speakers. Full details of this year’s programme can be found at http://swanwickwritersschool.co.uk/

I first attended in 2006, when I was proud – and completely taken aback – to win a free place through the annual poetry competition. Later on, the first 1000 words of a story for children won me another free place, but I’ve been happy to pay my own way every other year and consider it money very well spent.

In between those wonderful weeks, Swanwickers like to keep in touch through the newsletter, social media sites and many individual arrangements. The photograph above was taken yesterday when a few of us got together for the day. As ever, the conversation flowed even more freely than the drink.

23 June, 2013 - Make the first comment on this story

‘Quartet’ by the Ripon Rowel Players

Reviewing a play is always a pleasurable assignment and I was happy to oblige one fine Sunday afternoon a couple of weeks ago. Having missed the film, I went along to the Ripon Spa Hotel with no preconceptions and had a thoroughly enjoyable time of it. The seating in the ballroom was cabaret style with optional refreshments during the performance and between acts, all of which contributed to the convivial atmosphere.

My review has appeared in full today in the local press. If anyone connected with the performance is away and unable to get hold of a copy, please let me know.

20 June, 2013 - Make the first comment on this story

A literary visit

A perfect June evening was in store for Ripon Writers’ Group as we headed for Markenfield Hall.  Only three miles south of Ripon on the A61 (but invisible from it) lies this rare example of a completely moated medieval manor house. Built in 1310, it has an extraordinary history and is now the home of Lady Deirdre Curteis and her husband, director, playwright and screenwriter Ian Curteis.  Famous for his scripts for popular series such as Doomwatch, Crown Court, Hadleigh and The Onedin Line, Ian is even better known for his political dramas and his tussles with the BBC, particularly over The Falklands Play. At 78, he shows no sign of slowing down.

The inspiration for this event came from our Vice Chair, Lindsay, one of whose friends lives in a cottage on the estate. As well as arranging for Mr Curteis to give us a guided tour of the Hall and a talk about his long and distinguished writing career, Julia was kind enough to allow us to picnic in her garden beforehand, to the complete bemusement of the cattle in the fields beyond. For once, the weather was on our side and we had a glorious evening.

You might like to follow the link to the Group’s own website to see more photographs and learn what else we get up to.

5 June, 2013 - Make the first comment on this story

E-book project now complete

At the start of 2013, I set myself the challenge to group some of my many short stories into themed collections and try them out as Amazon e-books.  This wouldn’t have been accomplished without the technical expertise of my son Richard, to whom I’m eternally grateful. A compilation of all three books may follow and perhaps a print edition. Watch this space!

2 June, 2013 - Make the first comment on this story