KALEIDOSCOPE by HAINAULT WRITERS' GROUP

HAINAULT CREATIVE WRITERS PRESENT A

KALEIDOSCOPE

OF STORIES AND POEMS IN MANY SHADES AND COLOURS

THE BLURB:-

Reading is a great pastime- enjoy our stories, verse and rhyme.

THE REALITY:-

This treat was passed on to me by my partner's mother- she has a retired, widowed relative (cousin, second cousin or in-law, I'm not sure of the exact relationship) who attends this Hainault Creative Writers' group regularly. They collectively read books for discussion and submit their own material, much the same as many writers' groups all over the country. It's a nice thing to do and a great outlet for those who are passionate about the written word.

I enjoyed a lot of the works and speed-read the less interesting. Like any collective work, some things grabbed my attention and some didn't. I'm aware that many of the members are seniors and I don't mind this- I'm always interested in old people's stories of a bygone age (before my time) and like their anecdotes about childhoods less privileged than my own, and also their lovely stories regarding the war.

One commended work was The Zoo, a poem by Barbara Cleere, about a day out and one lady's fear of being eaten by a lion! I'm not being biased- I liked this before realising that it was written by my partner's relative!

Of particular note is the story Valentine's Gift by Pat Ade Ayebola, with its sinister end twist. The story which really struck an emotional chord was Mummy's Girl by Janis King, this being my favourite work in the whole book.

I wish I hadn't been reading I Won't Do That Again by Susan Reid Jones whilst eating my chicken curry supper- urgh, too much information about dogs' shit!

My criticism of this book is that with spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, wrong contextual use of words and malapropisms, is that it really needs an editor. I would be happy to offer my services FOC in return for a credit (and maybe a bottle of sparkling white wine!) A bit more continuity with the typing would have created a more professional finish, rather than a hotch-potch of fonts and sizes. Someone else can offer their services to do that as I'm not a secretary and it would take me forever!