Copy
View this email in your browser

Christmas is coming....and whether or not you celebrate it, we hope you're all having a good time decking the halls and donning your gay apparel.  If you fancy a rest, here's what's been happening at Autumn Voices this last month!  

Our Autumn Poetry Competition was a runaway success with a grand total of 131 entries!  We announced the results a few days ago at our 'mulled wine and minced pies' event at The Bakehouse in Gatehouse of Fleet, which was hosted by our lovely judge Chrys Salt MBE.  The video of that event is now available HERE as an exclusive bit of members-only content - remember to log in before you watch!  
First prizewinner was Ann Craig (70) , a poet and actress who grew up in Glasgow but has lived in Arbroath for many years.  Her poem Her Choice, written in Scots, was our judge's favourite from the very start of the judging process.  "I loved it – could imagine it being performed, so it was no surprise to discover that Ann is also an actor who trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and wrote and performs a popular one woman show."  Read or listen to Ann's winning poem here.
Runner-up was Al McClimens (65) from Sheffield, who took early retirement from the NHS to concentrate on writing.  His first full poetry collection, ‘The Other Infidelities’ is available via Pindrop Press.  Chrys Salt had this to say about his poem Epictetus Rides Again: "Once I got a handle on this one, its clever two line structure, its rhymes and enjambments... it was not just clever, but irresistible first person narrative." Read or listen here.
Christine Williams' poem Crumbs was Highly Commended by our judge.  Christine (80) is a fluent Welsh speaker and fine artist who lives in Brecon, Mid Wales, and has written poetry for most of her adult life.   "The poem embodies how we make choices  – the ingredients we need for writing poems, how we write, how we choose those we love. I found it quite haunting," said Chrys. You can read or listen to Christine's poem here.
Finally, we have John Ling (75), a former teacher from Manchester.   His Highly Commended poem Hygge struck Chrys as "just the kind of poem I thought we needed in these lockdown times. I love its light touch, captivating images of a flawless, idealised, impossible midsummer day and its sardonic, kick in the teeth ending." Read or listen HERE. 
Our biggest piece of news after the competition results is our forthcoming Crowdfunder!  To be launched in January 2022, the donations we raise by this method will attract match funding from the National Emergencies Trust Local Action Fund and will help us continue to provide all our services and activities as we work towards becoming a SCIO (Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation).  

But there's more than one way you can help. As part of our Crowdfunder, we need to create a short video of 3-5 minutes featuring the voices of Autumn Voices participants. So if you would be willing to record a short video (20 - 50 secs max) of yourself explaining why you became a member of Autumn Voices or what you feel is important about what AV does, we would be very grateful. If you can help, email admin@autumnvoices.co.uk and we'll let you know where to upload the video clip!
Wwe have a new theme for December - A Bit Of Coorie and Hygge! We've already published our first few blogs on the subject. We're eager to hear your own stories about how you keep busy, warm and contented in winter. Are you an avid Christmas crafter? Do you run any creative festive workshops for people in your area? Do you have any special winter routines or hobbies that help you to stay cosy and navigate the chilliest months in a state of contentment? Were there any festive or winter traditions you had growing up with your family or friends? If so, we’d love you to tell us about it. It could be a memoir, a short story, an anecdote or a poem. and Keep them to under 300 words and send them to us - the best will win a copy of Scottish Wilderness Connections by Robin Lloyd-Jones.  
Read more about it and submit your flash memoirs here!! 
There's been quite a bit of new content to read on the Autumn Voices site this last month.  Resident marmalade cat Orlando continues with his agony column for worried pets, and we have answers to our Quick And Quirky Questions from WW2 codebreakers  Pat and Jean Owtram and Autumn Voices Projects Coordinator Ken Cockburn, artist and winner of our Draw Orlando competition  Louis Dunn, historical researcher Adele Godsmark and our poetry competition judge Chrys Salt. We also have a wonderful 3-part blog series as part of last month's war and remembrance them  from retired librarian Lizzie McGregor,  a piece on 'The Devil's Porridge' from  Adele Godsmark and a piece about her grandfather's First World War experiences from  Clare O'Brien.
The deadline for our climate crisis themed competition 'When I Am 100' has been extended to the end of December, as we have disappointingly few entries so far! Given that the climate crisis affects everyone, we'e accepting entries from anyone aged 18 or over, so do tell your younger friends, children and grandchildren about this - they could win see their entry published on our website as well as winning a cash prize.
 
Your entry can be an optimistic or pessimistic view of what the future will be like when you reach your 100th birthday, and can take any form – fiction, non-fiction, poetry.   Go HERE for more details, rules and entry form!
AND FINALLY.... we'd like to give you a wee heads-up about our theme for January, which is all about photography as a hobby, and how it can have a positive impact on our mental health.  Photographer Tom Langlands is writing a series of blogs about how he got started in photography with lots of useful tips to help you enjoy it too!  He's worked on a beautiful project with Polish-Canadian photographer Marianna Armata dealing with mental health in lockdown, entitled Poetry Of Entanglement - and they've produced a beautiful themed book and calendar on the subject.  In the New Year we're going to be inviting you to submit your own photos as a change from a writing prompt, and we'll be offering both a book and a calendar as a prize.
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Copyright © 2021 Autumn Voices, All rights reserved.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp