It has been a while since I last put a post up on this blog. I am not going to use the excuse of 'I have been very busy' or 'knackered.' In truth, I am both, but I am not going to use either as an excuse. But I am going to ask if you're okay? I know COVID is big topic right now and with good reason, but that is not what this blog is about.
I care a great deal about people and other animals and our well-being. At the moment, so much has been focusing on COVID that I feel, the need for other things, have gone by the way side, especially since the libraries have closed. I have said it before and I will say it again, libraries are not just a building full of books and computers. Those are just material things that these days pretty much anyone can get from anywhere. But our libraries are like little community centers. They are places people generally go to just get out of the house, to join a group with their friends, to gain support in the community, to learn new skills or just to be apart of something. Since the libraries closed, these support groups have gone. Some are online but many of the people who really need these groups do not have access to the internet, and some don't have a computer or access to one. Some people really are alone and as we saw before COVID 19 came to our shores, loneliness is a killer too. It does not help that the laws are becoming more and more confusing. Questions are being raised by the public, good questions like 'why the pub and not my parents house?' 'Why the supermarket and not the hospital?' These are all good and valid questions that are not being answered and that is causing frustration, anger and upset. On the other hand, there has been so many random acts of kindness and they really do go a long way. A 'good morning' in the street to a stranger may bring a much needed smile to someone's face. So, please be kind to each other. Now more than ever, we need some kindness, patience and understanding in the world. Let's not let the lonely be lonely, pick up the phone and give someone a call. Whilst people cannot go to their local library for a writing group, coffee morning or even a knit and natter group, whilst pretty much every government building is shut to the public, let us be there for each other and maybe, just maybe, we can beat this thing that is not COVID, but something much much worse, the feeling of being alone. Thank you.
0 Comments
It is important to me that we all I've in a world where everyone should be made to feel welcome and happy to be alive. It breaks my heart to think that there are people out there that do not feel this way.
When I was little, in Primary school, I had two best friends, Ragwinder Kaur and Michelle. I can't for the life of me remember Michelle's surname, to be fair, it was a long time ago. Well, Ragwinder was an Asian girl, Michelle was a black girl and I am white. I didn't care about colour then, I still don't now and this is a trait that I learnt from my parents. I am proud of my parents, both of them and I will always be grateful that they brought me, my sister and my brothers up to be good people, with good morals. This is the reason, or at least one of the reasons why I am so pleased and proud to be a part of Poets Against Racism. Not only do I want to make my family proud of the person that I have become, but also because it really does bother me. I have questions. My main ones are: Why do we have to tar everyone with the same brush? Why can't people be accepted for who they are? Why, in the 21st century do we still live in a segregated world? We do. regardless of how we look at it and it is not just race. It is everything from sexual orientation, disability, age and the list goes on. The Equality and Diversity Act (2010) was supposed to have erased any kind of discrimination, but it still goes on. I once heard someone ask a gay person why they feel the need to parade, what it is that makes them any different to us? Why should straight people have to watch people prancing about the streets in celebration for who you are? Her answer was simple. She said, 'be thankful that you don't feel the need to celebrate who you are.' Of course, she is right. It was once a crime to be gay and in some countries, it still is. I am not gay, or by or trans. I am not black or Asian, but I know what it feels like to be on the receiving end of prejudice, but not because of who I am. It was just bullies...JUST bullies! Like many others in this world, I am a survivor. So, when I get up on that stage at the Bar Beacon Music and Food Festival on the 3rd and 4th of August (2019). I will be doing so as part of Poets Against Racism, not just because I am a poet and I am against racism, but I will be getting up to read in support of my fellow survivors. Whether you have survived racism, sexism, ageism, being a victim of prejudice because of a disability or being bullied because the bullies have not got anything better to do than to hurt others. When I get up on that stage I will read my poems, and those poems will be for you. Stay strong. You were never a victim, you are a survivor. The Oldbury Writing Group (OWG) has recently been to the Wolverhampton Literature festival where we did a talk on the benefits of joining a writing group. Everyone who has ever performed anywhere will tell you that unless you sell tickets to your event, there is no way of knowing how your event is going to go until the actually day.
Okay, so we turned up the Wolverhampton Literature Festival thinking 'I'll be surprised if anyone turns up, but on the other hand, I'll be upset if no one does.' Boy, was I wrong, not only did we get an audience, we sold a few copies of our book, gave one away for review (to the Arts Foundry) and we have made some friends of the Telford Writing Group. It was, by all intense and purposes, a very good event indeed. I introduced the event, we all spoke about how the joining OWG has helped us individually and then we read out a short piece of work that was inspired by, in one way or another, the OWG. The Telford writing Group has challenged us to a poetry slam. Now, I think that is a very good idea, but without sounding in anyway patronising to my friends at the OWG, many of the OWG has never been to a poetry slam before, so I am not sure if they know what to expect. Okay, to all of you guys out there that has never been to one either, this is how it goes. You have 3 mins (or there about) in that 3 minutes you can read as many poems as you like as long as you don't go over that three minutes, if you do, you're disqualified. You vote for the best poet. The poet with the most votes wins the slam. At least that is how the slams I have been to work. If you have different stories or ideas of how a slam should work, then please let me know. So, that is something to look forward to. The great thing about going to places like these literature festivals is that we get to network, meet new people, make new friends and create new opportunities for ourselves. This year (2018) has only just begun and I would like to think that we can go to more events like this as a group. There are plenty of them about. It is sad though that PowWow Literature Festival in Moseley (prince of wales Pub) is not on this year. I do hope it comes back soon. I have never been to a literature festival and not taken something from it. The PowWow inspired me to start studying for my degree and take up ghost writing. It has also given me an idea for my next book. Yes, there are lots of festivals about and there is a good list of them in the Writers and Artists yearbook 2018, which, incidentally is something my partner bought for me this year and I would recommend it to any writer no matter how established you are. It is a book that has got pretty much all the answers to most writers questions and it has certainly helped me throughout the years. So, do I think that the Wolverhampton Literature Festival was a success this year? I certainly do and I can't wait to hear from our new friends in Telford. One thing I know for sure, is that if I had not have started the OWG, I would not be the writer that I am today. Not only have other members learnt from me, but I have learnt equally, if not more, from them. Each member is a good friend, we have created opportunities for each other, pointed each other in the right direction by giving good advice. We've helped one another with confidence issues and celebrated together when we each get published. We are individuals who recognise the support a group like ours can give to those who need it. The OWG has been going now for about three and a half years and I hope with all my heart that we have many, many more years to come. The Oldbury Writing Group (OWG) will be taking part in the second ever Original Wolverhampton Literature Festival. We will be doing a talk on the benefits of joining a writing group. Each member who takes part will be talking about how joining a writing group has helped them and what they have achieved as a writer since joining one. Each member will also give an example of their writing since joining the OWG.
Every member joins a writing group for their own specific reasons, but I started the group because after being unsupported by family and friends during writing my first novel, I knew there were people out there that desperately needed to connect with people who are also writing. We know that generally, family members and friends love us dearly, but they don't always understand what we do and why we do it. This is where the support of a good writing group comes in. Not everyone understands that we writers need time to write, sometimes, something as simple as being asked if we want a cup of tea can throw us off course in our train of thought and as a result writing can be a long and lonely job. This is another reason why it is a good idea to find people who understand your why of life. I say 'way of life' because that is what it is for a writer. It is a profession that tends to choose us rather than the other way around. We can be naturally unsociable people, who desperately needs to be left alone to work, but asking friends to temporarily go away can cause offence, it is this reason why writers need other writers to understand their needs and show support. It does not mean that you have to give up your old friends, I wouldn't do that and I would not expect anyone else to either, but gaining a good friendly relationship with others that understand you and can relate to you is never a bad idea. You will be able to hear more about the Oldbury Writing Group and the how the OWG has helped others at the Wolverhampton Art Gallery (the community room) at 12:30 - 13:30 on the 27th January 2018. For anyone who is on the fence about joining a good writing group, or you just need more information about how we and others might work, this is the event for you. For more information about the OWG visit www.oldburywritinggroup.wordpress.com As you all know, the OWG have recently written a book together called From Sunrise to Sunset. It is an anthology of poems and short stories based on different aspects of World War Two. Our book is selling well due to the collaboration of marketing between members. We are gaining new members on a regular basis and every member, whether new or existing will be taking part in our next anthology. Every week, I, as the leader of the group give out an assignment (which is really just an imagination prompt), we take it home and we have a week to write it. This has proved very effective for those who either need help to give their imagination a jump start or for those who write for therapy. On the following week, we have the chance to read out the assignment written from the week previous, this has helped many of our members who have confidence issues in both their writing and public speaking. We are allowed to critique each others writing but only constructive criticism is welcome. These assignments will be the basis of our next book, our favourite assignments.
However, writing books together is not the only way that we are published as a group. The Oldbury Writing Group has recently been involved in the Made in Oldbury Project, Curated by Brendan Jackson, Laundry. We have written short stories and poems inspired by an exploration of Sandwell Archives. These have been turned into a newspaper which will be launched on Tuesday 3rd October 2017, between 6-8 pm at the Arts Cafe, Central Sixth, New Square, West Bromwich, B70 7PG. We were involved in the very first Wolverhampton Literature Festival, taking part in a poetry workshop and I was on Made in Birmingham and Wolverhampton's, The Wolf radio, recorded at the Molinuex with Mr Ian Henery promoting the series of events that made up the literature festival. These are just a few things that the OWG has been involved with. Others have been charity events, we have raised over £500 for the British Red Cross, book launches, radio appearances, and much more. There are many reasons to join the OWG, whether that be because you want to improve your writing skills and confidence, or if you need support with your writing. You have to remember, that Rome was not built in a day, it takes time to be published and confidence is a fickle thing, it can be improved but not in the space of one meeting. But one thing is for sure, if you stick with us and take part in our collaborative writing, you will be published. To find out more about the Oldbury Writing Group, visit us either at www.oldburywritinggroup.wordpress.com or visit our Facebook and Twitter pages. Failing that, you could come to one of our weekly meetings, we convene every Saturday morning between 10:00-11:30 at Oldbury Library. The kettle will be on for you. I started the Oldbury Writing Group on the 22nd August 2014. I had been wanting to do something like this for quite a while as nothing pleases me more than being able to share my knowledge and help other writers. Though I am a published author now having published two books. It has not always been that way, in fact, my writing started when I was very young. When I was a child I would spend all my pocket money on pens and paper, and then I would pinch my sisters pocket money and hide it behind the sofa, she always found it and told Mom on me but hey, it was worth a try, right?
I have always had a love for wildlife and in my teens I was learning the behaviour, physiology and classification of mammals, by the time I was 21 years old, I wrote a 162 page wildlife book called, 'Wildlife in Colour.' I drew all the illustrations myself, though this book was never published, at the time I had no idea about publishing and all the work that is involved in it, in those days, publishing was very much different to what it is now. During the following nine years to come, I did not write much. The odd story, the odd poem, but I carried on studying wildlife. Then on the 11th February 2010 my dad passed away. His home was a council property and they did not give us much time to sort out his belongings and hand his keys back in, so, we had a lot to do while we were going through the tough time of grieving. Then one day, after my family and I had organised his belongings between the family or to the charity shop, it was my job to wait in for an inspector from the council to come and check the place out, make sure it is clean and empty. During this time, I was alone in an empty flat that used to belong to my wonderful dad, I walked around remembering the time that I helped him wall paper his bedroom, how I went shopping with my sister and brother to choose his living room colours, then I sat in the kitchen, on the floor was the markings of where the fridge freezer used to be, where the cooker used to be and I couldn't help thinking, 'Is this it? apart from wonderful memories, photographs and trophies from his crown green bowling, is this all that is left of my dad, an empty flat with markings on the floor?' I cried and I knew that I had to do something to leave some kind of legacy, not just for me but for my dad too. Just like anyone that whats to write fiction, I had no idea, how was I going to make the transition from non-fiction to fiction and get published? Well, about six months later, I watched for the very first time Stephanie Meyers Twilight, and I know, I know, vampires, werewolves, far too common . . .but was it, too common - is there any such thing as too common when it comes to a good story? After I watched the film I thought, 'I wonder if there is a book to this film, surely there has to be.' So I went to Waterstones and bought the first three books, Breaking Dawn had not yet come out at this point. I read them all, one of the other and when I was done I read them again. I loved them and I could not wait to get the next installment in the series. I thought, I can do this, I can write a story with characters that I love. It was at this point that I realised that your characters have to come first, I knew I had to know them like I know my own sister. I got online and learned a lot about the art of writing fiction, I went back to Waterstones and picked up books on writing and I looked around the charity shops to see what I could pick up too. Don't get me wrong I already knew a lot about writing, but believe me there is a huge difference between writing fiction and writing non-fiction. When I had got an idea of what I wanted to write, how my story was going to go, who the characters were. I sat down at my computer with a coffee and a cigarette (I don't smoke anymore), and I started the first words of what was to become my first full length novel, Innocent Spirits and I dedicated this book to my dad, Leslie Garratt, immortalising him and his latest achievement of raising nearly £3000 for the Meningitis Trust forever. Now my dad will never be forgotten for being the great man that he was. You see, I had to learn the heard way about writing, having people laugh at me, being told I will never do it. I know how hard it is to find a pathway to your first words in your novel, but I did it and it felt so good to hold that first copy in my hands, to see all that work put into book form. There are so many people out there that are right now struggling, just like I was. They want to write but they don't know where to start, I know exactly how that feels, it can make you feel like you are in limbo. To have a fire in your belly but you have no idea how to fuel it. How many of you have felt like that? The ones that have, know what I am talking about. It is that reason why I started the Oldbury Writing Group, and it is that feeling that compels us to keep going, every week on a Saturday morning at Oldbury Library, West Midlands. This is, in a nutshell, the story of how I started writing, Nicole has her story, Andy has his as does Percy and Jackie and all our other members . . .and you have your story, how did you get started? It would be great to hear from you. It has been four weeks today for me. It has been a bit of a hard day today craving wise. Yesterday, I thought I was doing well and told myself that I am going to start weaning myself off the Nicotine gum. I set myself a target of just having seven pieces today and so far at 16:48 I have had five pieces. So, I have two pieces left. It is the same old thing, you always want what you can't have. If I have my next one at seven and the last at nine, I am sure I will be fine with that until tomorrow. How about you? How are you doing? Can you imagine how much money would come out of the government pay packet if we all just stopped smoking at the same time? The amount of tax they put on ciggies, the people in parliament would have the shock of their lives wouldn't they. Funny! I think the government gets enough money out of me, I am not going to let them take more by taking the tax out the cigarettes I (used to ) buy and watch me kill myself in the process with their poisonous cancer sticks. Just for that reason I am glad I quit. I can't believe how much money I use to spend on them. I may as well take about £300 p/m and set fire to it. It's hard though, isn't it? All said and done, it is hard. I don't know who is reading this if anyone, but I do know in just talking to you it is helping. What are your reasons for quitting smoking? Mine are:
The list goes on and on. I have just had my nails done for the first time in months with the money that I would have spent on cigarettes. That feels nice. I would love to hear from you, if you are quitting smoking and need a friendly ear to listen to you. You are welcome to respond to this blog. Maybe we can support each other in our quest to quit smoking. How many of us say we are going to make a new years resolution and are absolutely adamant that you are going to keep it until you realise that there is actually work involved in keeping it?
I think we can all be a little bit guilty of that. Losing weight, quitting smoking, giving up the drink? It sounds great when you say it, but doing it is an entirely different thing altogether. Take smoking for instance. for all you non-smokers out there, whom have never smoked a single cigarette in your life (great, keep it up), you may wonder what all the fuss is about, why is it so hard to give up? Are these smokers making a mountain out of a mole hill? Just give up for goodness sake! Let me tell you what I was told by a nurse a few years ago, and it puts things into perspective. They say that giving up nicotine is harder than giving up heroine (true or false, I don't know, but that is what they say), why? Imagine a smoker smokes on average 20 cigarettes a day - from each cigarette the smoker takes about 10 drags, that is 200 hits of nicotine that the body is used to, if suddenly those hits of nicotine are taken away, it is going to effect the body, not might, or it should but won't, it WILL EFFECT THE BODY. Their brain is being deprived of the one thing it has become accustomed to, in effect, it is like telling a fish not to swim or a dog not to bark, to a smoker, the brain is telling them that smoking is perfectly natural and without it you will not function correctly. However, we all know that smoking is not natural and it will kill us in the end (either that or make us very poorly indeed), so the nicotine is causing a smokers brain to play tricks on him/her. So quitting (I quite three and a half weeks ago), my advice, QUIT, QUIT, QUIT!
In a few months time, but not yet because (like, as above in the bullet points) I believe in taking one step at a time. I will start to lose weight, but not until I am ready. When I do, I will let you all know. Happy New Year Everyone, and Good Luck! Let me know if you have quit smoking and what your experience is. Today, was another special day for the Oldbury Writing group. We celebrated our second Christmas together by having a meal at the White Swan. Not only was the company wonderful but the food and atmosphere was great too. It is sad that Bally, a very talented member of the group could not be with us, but in the end we had a wonderful day anyway. Before the meal, we had our group as normal this morning at 10.00 - 11.30 at Oldbury Library, we had a very informal group today though, it being the last one before Christmas, we completed a couple of writing games and spoke a bit about the war anthology we are writing together. Soon after, as the table was booked for 12 o clock, we went to the pub, Nicole had brought some Christmas crackers in so we all had our hats, gifts and jokes. This is a great time to reflect upon the year and to be honest with you, we have achieved so much. We have raised hundreds for charity, developed in our writing skills and Bally, has won a brilliant photography competition. Not to mention we took part in a documentary for the Walsall Poetry Society (as at the time I was the editor for the WPS) and we decided that we would be writing our first anthology together. Not only do I believe that starting this group 22nd August 2014 was one of the best things I ever did, but I am so proud and privileged to say, I have friends like Nicole Simms, Bally Barquer, Andy Lines, Jackie Adams and Percy Emaus whom makes up the O.W.G. The Ghost of Henry Schnieber
A novella by Angela L. Garratt An intriguing tale of greed, suspense, love and the paranormal. https://www.createspace.com/5810183 1856 When Jecepi is killed by the infamous Henry Schnieber and his henchmen for not paying protection money, the town’s people of Greeley decide enough is enough and devise a plan so shocking that it leaves a scar on time itself. 1944 People are being killed in a mysterious way, as seen as there is no rational explanation to their deaths; they are put down to war crimes. 2006 The mysterious deaths have returned and victims are turning up burned beyond recognition. The press are calling it Spontaneous Human Combustion (SHC). So, DCI Mason puts DI Simon Jackson and DI Collette Taylor on the case. They discover a truth so much more disturbing and much, much more dangerous. ~#~ The Ghost of Henry Schnieber was written by Author/poet Angela L. Garratt. She is the former editor of the Walsall Poetry Society and has been published in many different places including the Black Country Bugle and the National Poetry Magazine Star Tips for Writers. The Ghost of Henry Schnieber is a 74 page novella and Angela’s second book. The first, Innocent Spirits is a 336 page novel also based on the paranormal. Angela say’s "The Ghost of Henry Schnieber was a pleasure to write, it is a dark story with a sting in its tail and will be enjoyed by anyone who has a love for the darker side of literature." She continues, "I have more stories in the pipeline and I am planning on publishing my next book in December, it is called Crash Test and it's a different version of A Christmas Carol. I know it has been done a thousand times before, but in my opinion A Chrstmas Carol is one of the best stories ever written and so, I just had to write it." Launch Angela is holding a launch for The Ghost of Henry Schnieber at Oldbury Library on the 14th November 2015. It will start at 10.30 am and continue until 1.00pm. There, you will be able to purchase a signed copy from the author and enjoy the poetry of the Oldbury Writers Group, former poet laureate of Walsall and Black Country Bugle Ambassador, Ian Henery and the music of Niven Smith from DharkLhands. It will be a great opportunity to be meet other writers and likeminded people. Refreshments will be available. Angela runs a successful writers group at Oldbury library in the Black Country and together they are writing an anthology of poems and short stories based on different aspects of WW2. She is an advocate of the libraries and has been on TV, in the newspapers and on radio raising the profile of the libraries. She has also starred in a documentary for the Walsall Poetry Society, Produced and Directed by the award winning Nigel Moffatt. The Ghost of Henry Schnieber is now available to buy now on Amazon and soon all online book retail outlets for the low price of £3.90. Paperback ISBN: 9781518680366 |
AuthorI am the author of a book called Innocent Spirits, I write short Novella's and Short stories. I love to dabble with a bit of Poetry. All my stories are either Horror or paranormal Thrillers. I write poetry of all genres. Archives
July 2019
Categories |