One of the most exciting and rewarding aspects of the diverse events we hold at the SWC, is the opportunity to hear new writers take their first steps (and to have the privilege of promoting those individuals in whatever way we can, through public performance and peer review).
Our last Speakeasy, on March 18th, was one bursting at the seams with talent – perhaps spurred by our promise to take the best reader to the Appletree Writers/SWC showcase event at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on Sunday, August 10th. Our sincere apologies to all runners up (fantastic performers like John McGlade, Kady Reilly, and Colette Coen, for instance), but the general consensus afterwards was that Frances Corr’s very moving short story, A Man, a Woman, a Telly, and a Flower, had something extra special that deserves all the encouragement we can muster.
Mary Wilson, whose short story Put Out to Pasture (from an earlier Speakeasy – Spring 2013), also blew us away with its subtlety and wry humour. Mary will be performing her story, too, at the August Edinburgh Fringe event.
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Frances Corr began writing in a community group many years ago; her plays have made it to the stage, and her short stories have been published in New Writing Scotland, Gutter magazine, and other anthologies. More recently she has been writing poetry. Frances is also an artist, and holds a BA (Hons) in Painting from the Glasgow School of Art (in addition to an MLitt in Creative Writing from Glasgow University).
Mary Wilson has published a number of non-fiction articles, and a self-help book entitled Living with a Drinker – How You Can Change Things (Thorson’s 1994). Since retiring from the NHS seven years ago, she has been writing fiction for pleasure (and several of her poems and short stories have appeared in four of the Federation of Writers (Scotland) New Voices Press anthologies). Mary is a member of the SWC English writing group, and is currently writing a fictional comic diary (based on the character from the story which she will be reading at the SWC/Appletree Edinburgh Fringe showcase in August).
To everyone else who has read at our Speakeasy events, remember: you are brilliant too. Keep bloody writing.
