Inkerman Writers
a showcase of our work
January 2011 Blog Posts (13)
Talking Book candidate by Masha Woollard
FOXED
MASHA WOOLLARD
Every morning she took a cup of tea up to her room, postponing as long as possible the moment when…
ContinueAdded by John Dean on January 31, 2011 at 9:00am — No Comments
Talking book stories - how to post and read them
If you are looking for stories to nominate, don't forget you can go to our old site at www.inkermanwriters.co.uk (click here and you should be taken directly to it) where there are loads more stories to enjoy. And don't be shy, nominate your own as well. We will make the choices by secret vote during classes next week. To add a story, either go to 'quick add' to the right of this section and 'add a blog post' (cutting and pasting into the white…
ContinueAdded by John Dean on January 28, 2011 at 4:30pm — No Comments
Talking books candidate
Ally Finnegan
Wednesday
Ally Finnegan struggled into consciousness, everything was fuzzy and everything really, really hurt.
She tried to make sense of her surroundings, but pain overwhelmed her and she slipped into unconsciousness again.
Saturday
There were voices close by, gentle, careful, loving voices; and music playing. Ally tried to move, and speak, but nothing seemed to work. She couldn’t do anything and…
ContinueAdded by Libby Thompson on January 26, 2011 at 9:41pm — No Comments
Talking book candidate
OVERHEARD
They obviously thought I was asleep because they hardly bothered to keep their voices down.
Dad started...
“Well, did you tell her?”
“No. I couldn’t face it”
“Well she needs to know”
“Yes, I’m well aware of that, but, well, I didn’t know how to put it. It never seemed like the right time, and anyway, it doesn’t have to be me. You could tell her.”
God, what on earth were they talking about? ‘Her’ was obviously…
ContinueAdded by Libby Thompson on January 26, 2011 at 9:37pm — No Comments
talking books candidate
Secrets
Teddy Taylor pulled his sleeves down over his bruises and hung his coat on his peg. He made his way into his classroom and sat on the carpet as everyone did at the start of the day. His teacher, Mrs. Hetherington, took her place at the front of the class and took the register. When she said “Good morning Teddy”, he was supposed to say “Good morning Mrs. Hetherington” but he didn’t, he never did. He wouldn’t. Teddy never said a word, not at school. He could…
ContinueAdded by Libby Thompson on January 26, 2011 at 9:33pm — No Comments
2 TALKING BOOK CANDIDATES BY BUD CRAIG
WALKING THESE BLUES
One foot in front of the other. Steady away, talking to Fats Domino. Courtesy of MP3 technology, Fats, your huskily caressing voice sings in my ears about someone ‘walking these blues.’ That’s what I’m doing, I suppose. Why did you record a song called Walking to New Orleans when you live there? Mind, I’ve no room to talk. I’m just finishing the Lovendale Way - 49 miles in 4 days – and I’ve lived in Lovendale all my life. The North East of England’s…
ContinueAdded by Bud Craig on January 21, 2011 at 6:33pm — No Comments
A Talking Book candidate from Mike Watson
Bedtime
“Bedtime Alfie. Up you go.”
Alfie kissed mum.
Alfie kissed dad.
He closed the door of the back room and stood at the beginning of the path that led through the valley of the hall.
The walls of the valley were high.
The walls of the valley were steep.
And the sun blazed down from a flat grey sky.
“A long and dangerous journey,” thought the Hero. “But a…
ContinueAdded by John Dean on January 20, 2011 at 11:00am — No Comments
Talking Book and the next Inkermans anthology
Anyone coming on here looking for possible Talking Book stories can find them (or post them) in this blog section, like Pat's below, or below in the forum where some writers have their own sections. Deadline for CD choice is the end of January.
We are also putting together an anthology this year, following on from A Strawberry in Winter. If you are not attending classes and want more info and our style guide do let me know, either through the site here or at…
ContinueAdded by John Dean on January 14, 2011 at 5:09pm — No Comments
Home Truths
Kirsty
Her ankle went over and she staggered, the glass slipping, but she continued to thread her way unsteadily through the moving mass of dancers. ‘Cattle’ she thought, ‘They’re cattle’ and a moment later, ‘and I’m a proper cow.’ At that thought she paused, swaying slightly on the spot, to tip her head back and drink, a lazy dribble running over her chin and working its way down across her chest. Aware now of eyes upon her, she pushed through until she was out… Continue
Added by Pat Stewart on January 14, 2011 at 4:00pm — No Comments
Opportunity
Just heard about this opportunity.
Budding writers are being sought to contribute articles and short stories to a new magazine. Vintage Script, which showcases writing on historical themes, is looking for original and well-written pieces for its first edition, due to be published
in the Spring.
Editor Emma Louise Oram, from Kirk Merrington, near Spennymoor, County Durham, said: "We are looking for writing on any subject, as long as it's historical. It could be a factual…
Added by John Dean on January 13, 2011 at 2:16pm — No Comments
Talking Book
Hi everyone
You will be aware that just before Christmas, Inkerman Writers secured £1500 to produce CD ‘talking books’, primarily for the partially-sighted, based on the idea that such products normally rely on out-of-copyright classics or big names and we felt that there was a gap in the market for original fiction. Many thanks in particular to Millie, Alison and Richard…
ContinueAdded by John Dean on January 13, 2011 at 1:05pm — No Comments
Another year
Added by John Dean on January 12, 2011 at 8:11am — No Comments
Meeting postponed
Hi
Just got this from Paul Harman
DARLINGTON FOR CULTURE
PUBLIC MEETING POSTPONED FROM 13 TO 20 JANUARY
Dear Supporters
We have been called to a meeting with officers of Darlington Borough Council on Tuesday…
ContinueAdded by John Dean on January 10, 2011 at 3:43pm — No Comments
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About
DfC
The Inkerman Writers are members of Darlington for Culture (DfC), which was set up in 2010 to help save Darlington Arts Centre from closure.
Its members include representatives of arts and community groups.
DfC was established after the centre’s owner, Darlington Borough Council, announced that budget cuts meant that it would have to withdraw its subsidy from the Arts Centre.
Although the centre closed, the organisation remains active - more at www.darlingtonforculture.org
Publications
Welcome to the site created by the Inkerman Writers to showcase our work.
Based in Darlington, North East England, and having celebrated their tenth anniversary in 2013, members have enjoyed success in a variety of arenas, including winning, and being shortlisted and highly commended, in short story competitions, having novels published and publishing the short story anthology A Strawberry in Winter, which can be obtained by visiting the website www.blurb.com
The group's second anthology of short stories, Christophe's Farewell and Other Stories, can be obtained, cost £4.95 plus postage and packing, from
The Inkerman Writers’ latest book, Out of the Shadows, which was launched as part of the 2013 Darlington Arts Festival, is on sale. The book can be ordered direct from
http://www.blurb.co.uk/b/4204019-out-of-the-shadows
The group also produced The Last Waltz, a double CD of short stories, available by contacting deangriss@btinternet.com, cost £5 plus p and p.
Several of our writers wrote original one-act plays in a collaboration with the Green Theatre company, which were performed at Darlington Arts Centre early in February, 2012.
Darlington-based Inkerman Writers have produced their latest anthology of short stories, Inkerman Street, based on the demolition of a fictional northern street and the stories of the people who lived in it.
The book, which features a variety of stories ranging from horror to comedy, was launched to a large audience at the Darlington Arts Festival Literary Day on Saturday May 26 and begins like this:
“Inkerman Street is still and graveyard-hushed tonight, the terraced houses cold behind boarded-up windows, silent sentinels among a sea of wasteland. No one lives here now and tomorrow the bulldozers will move in to flatten the houses to make way for the Council’s Grand Plan.
“Although the people are long gone, the houses still have life. Peek into one of the bedrooms and see on the wall a painting of a seaside scene, brightly-coloured boats bobbing in the harbour, fishermen pipe-smoking in the noonday sun and seagulls wheeling high above the choppy waters. In the roaring silence of the night, you can hear the screeching of the birds and taste the salt air, acrid and herring-sharp at the back of your throat. It is an illusion; the bedroom is empty and the blooms on the faded wallpaper have long since wilted.
“The air in the houses is musty with neglect yet but a few months before, these were bustling homes filled with frying bacon and steaming irons, whistling kettles and playing children. The houses witnessed all these scenes for more than 150 years. Behind their curtains were enacted a thousand stories but tomorrow they will be destroyed because Inkerman Street is the last of its ilk.
“Now, on the eve of the street’s death, the people who once lived here have returned, gathering solemn and silent in the mist, the ghosts of the past come to pay final tribute….”
The anthology can be purchased at http://www.blurb.co.uk/bookstore/invited/7524452/bae89c993c98ec8c8b37b12d6b9b37ecced5dec3
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