Writing creatively

Burngreave’s Creative Writing Group have been busy with their thoughts and their pens. They meet every two weeks to discuss writing, sometimes their own and sometimes published authors.

Here are just a couple of examples of what they have been doing.

One of my earliest memories

by Kate Sheldrick

It is dark. I am warm. Tucked in, with a hot water bottle to cuddle. My teddy bears are safe on the chair. My eyes are closed and I am waiting for sleep. A man’s voice comes from the living room. It is low, and slow. It is melodic. It rolls up and down, and pauses effortlessly. It is soothing.

“Forties, Cromarty, Forth; North Westerly 5 to 6, becoming severe gale 8 later; rain; moderate or good. Tyne, Dogger, Fisher, German Bight; North Westerley 5 to 7; moderate or good; low 1020, rising more slowly. Sole, Lundy, Fastnet, Irish Sea; Northerly 6 to gale 8; moderate or good. Rockall, Malin, Hebrides, Bailey; Westerly backing Northerly; 7 to severe gale 9; moderate or good, occasionally poor; decreasing to 5 later.”

I don’t know whether I, or the radio, drift off first, but when I open my eyes, it is morning.

Garanwaa…The Stranger Tree

By Saeed Y.Abdi, November 2011, Somaliland

In the beginning not many noticed this green rumpled bush and then they realized it was getting around a lot. In the towns first and now along the roads into the country. Those who had grown up in the countryside were the first to stop and stare. It ignited arguments and they talked about it for so long. All were fascinated by this invader,cropping up in all the unexpected places, and they didn’t like it at all. In a true nomadic fashion, wary of the stranger, they were scared of this unknown arrival.

They didn’t do anything about it though, maybe because after all it was just a shrub and they had more pressing issues to worry about. Slowly but surely, while they were busy eating the wrong tree (Khat) and burning the right tree (for charcoal), the unknown tree was safe to invade unchallenged right across their land and homes.

‘Garanwaa’ was doubly unwelcome because “our livestock doesn’t like it. It has no ample shade and you can’t burn it for charcoal. We want to tell the president something must be done about it.” As a result of pushing responsibility to the state, it is not at all absurd that this tree is now the excuse for NGOs and local ‘politicians’ to obtain funding and hold seminars on the ‘threat’ while there are so many more pressing problems to deal with. But then it is not so strange because they need to be seen dealing with something and this shrub is a readymade visible enemy. It even has a horrible name which sounds more like a disease than a plant and it’s always easier to blame the other.

Now that as predicted, the world’s truly shrunken, with limitless travel of both people and goods just a mouse click away, the migration of any species to far flung lands is not so extraordinary anymore. Plants, animals, diseases and the people who carry them are finding themselves called ‘Garanwaa!’ in new environments. They are the alien, the one no-one knows, the stranger. The Garanwaa in the Somali soil following in the footsteps of earlier invaders may or may not be defeated, but for now, accepted or not, it is here to stay.

New members are welcome to join this supportive group to share ideas and get motivated to write creatively.

The group is supported by the Yemeni Community Association. To find out details of the next meeting contact the Burngreave Messenger on 242 0564.