Last Saturday my writing group held a Mad Hatter’s tea party book festival to celebrate World Book Night. As always, we had a brilliant time, and we had a decent turnout for the event.
The event started with a poetry reading by Ian Henery. We also had the pleasure of listening to author Guy Mcelveny read part of his novel The Stranger in the Window.
As well as story and poetry readings, we had many other activities. For the children (and children at heart) we had Pin the Grin on the Cheshire cat, find the golden keys and The Mad Hatter’s hat competition. The kids loved the activities, and it was nice to see their excited little faces when they won prizes. There was also a tombola and a table of refreshments.
In the second part of the event, we had the members of O.W.G stand up and read their own stories and poems, and that included me. It was the first time that I have ever stood up and read my work to an audience. It was a nerve-wracking experience – I’m still shaking at the thought of it – but it was something that I needed to do. And the more I read, the more my confidence grew. I was amazed by the feedback I got from everyone, especially when people laughed at the right parts of the story. It was a real adrenaline rush.
The event was a great success. We managed to raise money for the library and the writing group. And we are hoping that those who came to the event will spread the word about our group and events.
So many good things have come from joining the Oldbury Writing Group. I’ve met some great people, gone on interesting trips, gained confidence in my work, and so much more. I’m proud of all the achievements we have made together and individually, and I can’t wait to see what we do next.
If you want to know more about Oldbury Writing Group, you can visit our website: https://oldburywritinggroup.wordpress.com/
Keep writing, folks!
My latest, The Horror Tree, post can be found at the link below.
http://horrortree.com/setting-self-doubt-on-fire-why-you-should-go-to-a-writing-festival/
My latest, Writing Times Magazine, article can be found at the link below.
http://www.writingtimes.co.uk/reading-the-useful-activity-for-writers