I was really
looking forward to attending the Postgraduate Creative Writing Showcase, and to
experience the kinds of writing that have developed from the very same place in
which I find myself. I knew dozens of other students felt the same as seats
quickly filled in the small lecture theatre.
It certainly
didn’t disappoint. Seven authors performed a great variety of works; poems, short
stories and extracts from longer ones; each piece unique, each with
a strong voice, wonderful plots and strange, engaging characters.
We heard the
fast-paced chaos of the self-proclaimed ‘nonsense’ poems, the formal monotone
voice of Warden in the prison bath rules poem, a beautifully constructed poem
conveying a charming tale of first meetings in Africa, the short tale of a
sorrowful man, and the brash, powerful screams of a violent criminal in an
extract from a story. Each author made the work come to life and I thoroughly
enjoyed hearing them. What really struck me was how each speaker conveyed the
tone of their writing perfectly in their recital, sometimes becoming their
characters before us. They really got into it, and we benefited because of
it.
It was
exciting to hear all these writers reading their precious work, and a
wonderful event to attend, but for me, the highlight of the event came right at
the end, with a hilarious poem which ended with the sadistic line ‘I didn’t mean to
kill you’. The whole audience erupted into both laughter and
applause.
J.Wedgbury
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