National Libraries Day

Here at Blakenhall Writers, we have strong links to our local libraries - we meet in one, and we were originally set up by Wolverhampton Council's library service. That's why it's such good news that this year, National Libraries Day falls on the same day as our February meet-up! Central Library at Wolverhampton is running a series of events throughout the day, including an appearance by none other than our old friend and founder, Simon Fletcher.

On Saturday 8th Feb, Blakenhall Writers will be running a session on Writing for Young People. We’ll make sure we’ve got something special to promote the event, but what better way to show our appreciation for the libraries which have supported us throughout our journey than to pop in after our session to check out what's going on?

You can find more info about the event here, and info about National Libraries Day here. Follow Wolverhampton Libraries on Twitter and Facebook for updates as we get closer to the day.

Meet the Crew!

If you've read our 'about' page you know a bit about the group, but what about the members? Here's the lowdown on the friendly faces you can expect to find at our meetings:

Romalyn Ante is originally from the Philippines but now lives in the West Midlands, working as a nurse. Her works have appeared in 'The Wolf' (University of Wolverhampton Magazine), the anthology 'We’re All In This Together' (Offa’s Press), 'The Cannon’s Mouth' Issue 47, 'Ink, Sweat and Tears', and 'Blakenhall Words' anthology. She has also performed her poetry at Wolverhampton ‘City Voices’ and Stafford Arts Festival 2013.

Desmond Cox is a mature student from Wolverhampton who likes reading horror stories (vampires & monsters) and making up jokes. He's currently reworking some of his old poetry to reinvigorate it with new bold ideas in the hope of submitting some for publication. His writing has appeared in 'Blakenhall Words' anthology.

Cherry Doyle is a Business Analyst living in Wolverhampton who enjoys the outdoors and cooking. Her poetry and stories have appeared in The Shrewsbury Chronicle, the anthology 'The Poetry of Shropshire' (Offa's Press), 'Blakenhall Words' anthology and 'Hippopotamuse' e-zine. She has also performed at Wolverhampton 'City Voices' and the Hippopotamuse launch night.

Michael Hill has a passion for detective stories and recently worked with Des to lead a session about crime fiction. Living in Wolverhampton, he is working on a detective novel of his own which he hopes will be adapted for TV. He has been attending Blakenhall Writers Group for many years, and his work has appeared in 'Blakenhall Words' anthology. He also attends Wolverhampton 'City Voices' regularly. When he's not watching or reading mysteries, you'll find Michael tinkering with electrics as he likes to upcycle cables and TV components.

Kuli Kohli was born in India but moved to Wolverhampton at a young age. She is currently working on a follow-up to her debut novel,'Dangerous Games', alongside working for Wolverhampton City Council. Kuli is a monther of three who enjoys the countryside, movies and music. Her work has appeared across many platforms, including 'New Writings from Wolverhampton' anthology, 'We're All In This Together' and 'The Poetry of Shropshire' anthologies (Offa's Press), 'Faith Initiative' magazine and 'Disabled World' international website and Wolverhampton 'City Voices' (among many others!) She has also placed in several competitions with her poetry.

Nirmal Orjally is from Hertfordshire but is now living in Wolverhampton. She has two jobs and enjoys decorating, design and cooking with unusual herbs & spices. In between all of that she finds time to work on her novel, 'Tambi'. Her work has appeared in 'Blakenhall Words' anthology and she's been published by 'United Press'.

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I hope you know us a bit better now! Don't be afraid to drop by to one of our meetings, or for more updates and news, follow us on Twitter, or 'like' our Facebook page.

Jan 11th Meeting & Jan Writing Task

We had an interesting session on Saturday 11th on the subject of Crime Fiction, where we learned about the queen of the genre, Agatha Christie, and about different representations of the 'detective' figure in books and on TV. We used this knowledge of the 'detective' archetypes and some guidance on writing Crime Fiction to come up with a character which we're going to use as the basis for this month's homework. Here's our guy:

Name: Eugene Morris
Age: Early 40s
Ethnicity: Mixed Race (Jamaican & English)
Marital Status: Single
Job: Undercover Police Officer
Years of Service: 15 years undercover
Economic situation: Quite well-off
Personality: Self-assured, ladies' man, smart, easily bribed (likes money), doesn't follow the rules.

Background to the story: Eugene has been posted on an undercover job with the mob, but he is actually working for both sides. His loyalties are lying with the mob, where he turns a blind eye to their crimes. One day his police chief calls him to a meeting to tell him that the mob he's working with are suspected of the murder of a young woman and instructs him to find out what he can about the crime. When Eugene finds out the murdered woman is a former lover, his loyalties are tested as he's torn between helping the police solve her murder and working for the mob.

Your challenge is: Write a SHORT story or poem based on this information. You can use as much or little as you like, and add any details of your own. Use the handout provided on Saturday to piece together your story. Bring your story/poem to the next meeting (Sat 8th Feb) so we can see what you've come up with!