WF Info Tuesday, 13 February 2007

It is hoped that everything in this newsletter is of interest and use to you; but PLEASE PAY PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO THE FIRST TWO ITEMS

1 GUEST POET

From time to time, we invite a guest poet to join us. For instance, the Canadian poets Rob MacLennan and Stephen Brockwell joined us on 23rd September 2006.

We are now very pleased to tell you that our invited guest poet for 26th May 2007 will be Allen Fisher.


2 PLEASE NOTE VENUE CHANGE

Our venue is changing, with immediate effect, to

The Betsey Trotwood
56 Farringdon Road
EC1R 3BL

We meet there on Saturday 17th March 2007. (We have no more meetings at Torriano Meeting House.)

Some may remember our workshops at The Betsey Trotwood a few years ago. Now it has a new management and one that seemingly wishes us well: they invited us back.

Our thanks to John and Susan at Torriano. They helped us just when we needed it and have been very kind to us all. There are considerable regrets at changing our venue.


3a. Next meeting

Writers Forum Workshop meets at The Betsey Trotwood on Saturday 17th March 2007. Meet at 3.30 for 4, as usual.


3b.Venue

The Betsey Trotwood
56 Farringdon Road
EC1R 3BL

Underground: Farringdon (Out of the station, turn right and right again at Farringdon Road

Overground: Farringdon – NB All trains on the Brighton-Luton line in both directions stop there, or always have, and can be a good alternative to other routes. The underground and overground stations are one thing, spread over 4 platforms.

Bus: It is believed that the only bus running down Farringdon Road is # 63; but remember that many other buses go past Mount Pleasant; and that it isn’t that far – for the fit and well - to walk downhill from there to The Betsey, though of course it is uphill on the way back. For instance, one can get a frequent bus to Mount Pleasant at The Angel, from just outside the tube station.

The Betsey Trotwood is opposite The Guardian newspaper. It is on the end of a little island of buildings. The beer is Shepherd Neame.


4. THE SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS

Saturday 17-Mar-07
Saturday 31-Mar-07
Saturday 28-Apr-07
Saturday 26-May-07 Invited guest poet Allen Fisher
Saturday 9-Jun-07
Saturday 30-Jun-07
Saturday 21-Jul-07


5 Meetings

Meetings are scheduled to start at 4 p.m.. That is after a 30 minute period of gathering together. We gather from 3.30 p.m; so please aim to arrive before 4 p.m..You can take drinks into the room.

We have agreed that we shall buy from the bar any drinks we consume on the premises. There will be a 10 minute break about half way through.

PLEASE NOTE: The terms of the agreement with The Betsey Trotwood management are good. Implicit is our acknowledgement that their business is selling drink; so PLEASE don’t turn up with carry outs…


6. WEBSITE

We have had a generous offer of server space for a new WF website (covering press and workshop) and that website is in production. In the meantime no further updates will be made to the existing website and all news will be posted at the blogs and on this newsletter.


7. REISSUED PUBLICATIONS (3rd February 2007)

Cobbing, Bob; Lightsong 2; ISBN 978 0 86162 330 3; 6pp small format in an envelope; December 1983 reissued February 2007
£3.00 + £1 (p & p UK)

Houédard, Dom Sylvester with Cobbing, Bob & Mayer, Peter (editors); Kroklok # 3; 32pp, A4 portrait. Feature: Speech as Mime or Gesture (with examples) by Peter Mayer; poems by Christian Morgenstcrn, Ernst Jandl, Peter Finch, Jeremy Adler, Michael Chant, Peter Greenham, Brion Gysin, Ilya Zdanevich, Helmut Hcissenbuttel, Bob Cobbing, August Stramm (introduction to Stramm by Jeremy Adler). Notes by Bob Cobbing. ISBN 978-0-86162-076-0. December 1972, reissued February 2007
£3.00 + £1 (p & p UK)

Introductory comments on the reissues are posted at the blog.

The reissue programme will continue. New titles are on their way, too.


8. THE FUTURE

The disruptions of the last year, caused by the old CPT management and The Plough management, have taken their toll and it has fed back; and numbers attending have dropped and arrival time has slipped. With the move, and then the new website, we hope to return to stability and productive interaction. To that end, we hope that people will attend regularly. It really does make a difference. But an attendance is welcome.

So those who have been saying “I shall go one day” or “I shall go back one day” are encouraged to attend. Try to bring someone with you!

From now on, it should be relatively easy to get to the workshop because the new venue is more accessible than the old to public transport. The arrival period of 3.30 p.m. to 4 p.m. enables us to turn up and have a drink while we all arrive; so that we can start together. It is a communal activity.

Sometimes none of us can avoid being late; but we do urge you to aim for 3.30 until you are used to the journey; and we urge you always to allow time for believable transport delays…. So that you are there on time whenever possible. It can be done most of the time.Let’s take ourselves seriously; and see the workshop grow again to full strength. It has a remarkable history; but let’s not leave it at that. There is nothing permanent about Writers Forum Workshop. If you want it, support it. Please. Also, PLEASE, if you have attended at all this year, let us know if you cannot make it on 17th March.


9 ADDRESSES AND LINKS

WFInfo-subscribe@topica.com

http://writersforumpublications.blogspot.com/

http://writersforum-workshop.blogspot.com/