On Wednesday 06 November 2024, our Creative Writing Group met with a new purpose. Our Annual Showcase is set for Wednesday 27 November, at our u3a’s regular Monthly Meeting, and there was much discussion about the running order and the content of what would be presented.

As well as planning for the event, there was also a chance to hear some of the group’s compositions. We had a piece about “The Show Must Go On”, revealing important secrets about a pantomime horse. We had a story about a Halloween Night where things did not go quite as planned. That was followed by a poem about the families and career development of two infamous rock stars, one still with us and one no longer here.

We had a poem about the experiences of leaving a cult and finding a position in society. That was followed by another story challenging the group to find new phrases to replace the old and familiar ones. For example, “Let the dog see the rabbit” is no longer relevant in the 21st Century, so what should replace it? Several unusual family sayings were offered by the members!

We had a poem from the point of view of a lump of clay on a potter’s wheel. After that came a spooky story of a strange ride on the Metropolitan Line, and a possible meeting with James Bond, “007”. With a seasonal outlook, we had a chance to compare Christmas in the pandemic with the traditional Christmas in a family. That was followed by the girls in a school picking team members for a netball game, and the thoughts of the one player no one wanted to select. We finished with the innermost thoughts of a professional assassin undertaking a tricky assignment.

Such creativity augurs well for the annual showcase. Our next meeting is scheduled for 20 November 2024, just a week before the big event.