One of the joys that has come out of my writing journey is running a local creative writing group. It wasn't something I planned to do, but it has become very close to my heart. It's a relaxed and friendly affair - we do writing prompts, games, and exercises, and we chat about all things Writing, Publishing, and Creativity. There's some soul-baring, tea, and plenty of laughter. From the taster session in Autumn 2023, to the addition of a second weekday session in 2024, Scribes has grown into a wonderful writing community.
It isn't everyone's eventual aim to be published; there are so many other reasons to write. But lately there has been a wonderful flurry of Swad Scribes successes, which makes me very proud. I have lost count of the number of Scribes who have had poems broadcast on BBC Local Radio over the past few months, via BBC Upload. Two Scribes have had children's poems published on The Dirigible Balloon poetry site, several have had micro fiction published on the website Paragraph Planet, and this week I heard that a Scribe has had a micro-memoir accepted by a different website. Several of these writers had never submitted anything for publication before.
A fantastic new spoken word event has started up locally, encouraging and supporting writers with all levels of experience, to share their words. Scribes Aloud is the brainchild of one of the very first members of Swad Scribes, and together with a friend and fellow writer, they host warm and supportive open mic evenings, attended by Scribes, friends and family, and attracting a few new faces (and voices) every time. At last month's event, during the readings, an audience member asked for a pen and paper (so inspired was he), wrote a piece then and there, then got up and performed it. Then he wrote another and read that too. Just wonderful.
Members of Swad Scribes will have their poems displayed as part of the upcoming Swadlincote Festival of Words (another project of mine, for another blog post, probably!), and there is a Scribes Aloud open mic night happening as part of the festival, too. All details here: www.swadlincotefestivalofwords.co.uk
Swad Scribes meet twice a month in the coffee shop of Massey's DIY store, Swadlincote. More details on the events page of my website.
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