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Hello! Welcome to the last issue of the academic year! Hasn’t it come round fast? Spring is fast approaching, and with this new season comes change. As some of you may or may not know, this will be our last issue as the editors of Show Don’t Tell. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for the support that you’ve shown since we started the magazine; whether you’ve submitted an article, shown up to launches or joined us in a bar for a celebratory drink. It’ll be strange leaving this behind, but we’re super excited to be handing over to the one and only Mathias. We look forward to seeing the direction he takes both the magazine and the Creative Writing society - you can hear from him later... It’s also coming up to the end of an era for some of our MA students and third years who will be leaving us this summer. We wish them luck in completing their dissertation and as they begin work on their future plans we’ve got a few suggestions of what you could all be doing next. Check them out on page 11. As always, we’ve packed a punch in to our little magazine with plenty of fun articles and triggers to keep you writing over Easter and Summer. Enjoy this issue! And remember Show, Don’t Tell! Charl & Ash The Editors
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new writers' groups - all popping up all of the time.
It would seem the internet has a strange obsession with 'looking the part'. Even stranger is the repeated use of Audrey Hepburn saying "Everything I learned, I learned from the movies." Because being a writer means more than writing, there's now a stereotype. Hollywood would have you believe that we are a community of introverted extroverts, tee-total addicts and stylish sofa-hermits. But how well do you match up to the filmic image of the author? Think Bradley Cooper in Limitless, John Turturro in Barton Fink. Maybe it is our fault. Our fascination with literature, our aspirations to become writers - collectively accumulating to change the way writers are 'made'. Of course, this is great for the environment - new literature festivals, A-level and GCSE courses in creative writing,
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But along with that also comes the greed for a faster track to 'writer-dom'. So a rise in writing self-help books, crash-course retreats, character and plot generators and ways to at least look like a writer... Well, thanks to the glorious wonders of the world wide web, we can see what the stereotype should have us all wearing in Spring and Summer of 2016... To start our journey into Narnia, I went to the most reliable corners of the internet. WikiHow. This website gives you a breakdown of the s t e r e o types—the
intellectual writer, the artistic writer and (just in case you’re on your way to Andhra Pradesh) the stylistic choices of an Indian journalist. Wear mysterious, artsy things. Their concept for this consists of looking as if you’ve just thrown something on. Wear smart and casual blazers, an extra long scarf, baggy tops and wide belts, anything with stripes, or go totally gothic like Dorian Gray. Whatever you do don’t forget your red lipstick, s m o k y eyes and
all of that hand-made jewellery you’ve created. Now, WikiHow suggests big duct tape rolls. Apparently they’re versatile and are going to be one of the big hits from London Fashion Week. Another reliable source tells us that to look like a writer, we must also look like a reader... Readers, by their very nature, read a lot. So glasses, of any kind, are a necessity. Cheap glasses are available at your local pound stores, or just pop out those lenses in your IMAX glasses. Like Beaver and Brownie badges, the more eclectic accessories you can fit into your outfit, the more accomplished you will become. Own headphones connected to a music
device for listening to your audio muses, always carry a book (because obviously), an unusual pen and a large, practical but also fashionable bag. Here, the ‘experts’ advice you get your hands on some nostalgic smelling scents. Old smells from the 1930s could work, or aim for something that smells like pies. This style of pure elegance should really boost your writerly aesthetic. Finally people will take us seriously when we have crawled out from our rocks to face the public. Handily, the internet also provides advice on what we can wear on our down-time too. Rej oic e fellow scribblers, as we are allowed to wear our yoga or tracksuit bottoms inside the home. Finish the look with a hooded jumper, or a novelty sweatshirt for
extra measure and watch the genius spill on to the pages. Another 32 authors swear by a good old fashioned directors’ cap for unbroken attention when writing. For all you floppy-haired poets, no longer do you have to put up with your fringe. Use gel or wax to keep those raggedy ends out of your eyes. Phew! At long last, these life affirming questions have been answered. We can now take up our pens and write good.
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Writing is a sport. Not a close-contact sport with a ball in the middle like rugby, or football, but more of an individual sport like swimming or running. Nevertheless writing is a sport, or essentially the same as sport, and I think it important to look at it this way. Let me try to explain. When you are a writer, or when you do Creative Writing at uni, or when you just write, other people often expect you to dream of becoming a professional. If you do, awesome, keep going. But if you tell them you just write just because you like it and don't have huge ambitions, if any, about becoming professional, a lot of people get skeptical. The question 'Why do you spend so much time on it if you don't want to make it your living?' is common. This is why I think we should look at writing as we
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look at sports. No one would stop someone who is out for a run and say ‘Whoa, dude, why are you running? Are you training for the Olympics?’ Maybe he was actually training for the Olympics, maybe he was just trying to stay in shape, or maybe he just likes to run. When people see, or hear about, someone doing sports, they usually don't question why. The exact same thing can, and should, be applied when it comes to writing. Maybe you are training to become a professional writer, maybe you just want to keep your mind in shape, or maybe you just like to write. Some people live and breathe their writing, others just write for fun. Some send their pieces to all the publishers they can, while others keep it to themselves. Some compete with everyone, some compete only with themselves. Mix and match the types and styles as you like.
Whoever you are, that is perfectly fine. Some might argue that with great power comes great responsibility, but even if you're the best, or the worst, writer the world has ever seen it is all up to you what you do with it, and that is no one's business but your own. In the same comparison, writing and sports can be just as much of a competition as you make it. You can sign up for competitions, and constantly compare yourself to others, or you can just compete with yourself and how much better you get the more you do. If you don't want to do it by yourself, you can go join a team, which in writing would be collaborations, workshops, or any other team effort. I could go on and the parallels between writing and sports could fill out several pages, but I think you get the idea. In conclusion: writing is a sport. Have a nice practice later, and remember to stay hydrated.
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‘I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that
some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious Ambiguity.’ - Gilda Radner It’s the final few months for some of us and as we look back over the last three years and wonder how it all went past so quickly, I wanted to share a few words of perhaps self -reflective realisation. Firstly, learn to put yourself out there. Get involved with opportunities. Whether it’s something small like helping out at an Open Day, or something like volunteering often with the Students Union, it will put you in touch with other people and give you experiences you can take with you. Take part fully in workshops. They should never just be about what you’ve written. Attending workshops will always help you learn something and going to them will help others too. You’ll find the others will remember you were there for
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them and they will probably want to help you more in return. Begin writing early. Don’t leave it until a few weeks or days before a deadline to start writing a piece. You find out the deadlines and what is needed on the first day of semester, so begin thinking then what you’re going to do. Put down ideas and start forming something to bring to workshops. Leaving it too late will result in a sloppy piece of work that could probably have done with editing; in turn this will leave you with a much lower mark than you could have achieved. Read the recommended texts or as much as you possibly can. ‘Knowing the texts’ can go a long way in understanding what is going on in a lecture and referring to them in essays and RCU’s will help raise your grades.
As I’ve said in a previous issue, you read for a degree and that can never be repeated enough. As well as it helping you to learn sentence structure and gaining ideas for your stories, it might also help you gain that extra point in a Creative Writing Society quiz. And finally, make use of your lecturers, your personal tutor, other students and the Helpzone when needed. They are there to help you and will welcome the opportunity to speak to you more in person. Don’t feel you’re alone in what you’re doing. Seek advice from students that have been in your position. If ever you feel things are getting too much, whether it be assignments, fitting in work or anything else, there is always someone you can talk to.
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ving ithout ha ry w e it r w to y sto it difficult ere to go with m ups), d n u fo I o , h L g degree cussion about w (think writing gr A in N it O r I T W ork a dis ative t as SPIRA g my Cre ith my peers and edback on your w in the same boa PRO: IN in h is n fi le r w fe p mer, afte orkshop f getting from peo Over Sum . I yearned for a w en't other ways o g I had support in r e a deadlin ot saying there a to writing know n in k 'm c is next. I to get ba dline in tow! y which the g d o lo o o g h t s n a a ing a from s a de but it w tive Writ y use your skills there wa a e if r n C e l v a .e u Y me.. finall r ann HOLOG rk on ou means you can o T w N o A t E t e d oo an you g PRO: TH student, put on your CV t A M n a to u're nto a When yo It's a great thing nd hold o ty a . n fe li fu f y o ll rea Socie t way e years. with tha reative Writing owcase le g in m past thre l can stil o go to C opportunity to sh t u NITY o t r y U o , e ff M t e a M gradu ake an great PRO: CO an under ll day. M ssions; they're a t a o d n e e b 'r u in op se en yo ld lie Even wh e when you cou n mics or worksh e im simpler t ether it be the op ith your peers. h w w it , bout events or chat a k r o w r u yo PRO/CO N: IT'S NOT AL In the un L CREA dergradu TIVE W ate, there dialogue RITING . In the M 's a lot of says to w aster's, t m odules a h r about th ite. Of course, de ere's not much C bout the fundam re re pe en on the th e modules that re nding on what y ative Writing to tals of writing li k o e s q spiration ory around Crea uire Creative W u're interested in ubmit for worksh e structure and riting, in tive Writ , this cou o for your p, just m clu ld in w how to w o rite a no riting - but some g. That's not to s ding your disser be a pro or a con re esvel, for in tation, an ay it's no . There's thing to CON: IT think abo t stance. d 'S TIME ut if you interesting - it ca the rest are base d w n C a off O n ted to pu NSUMIN Even wh rely lear er a lot of inG en you d n more a o do rough bout ly six ho the MA part-tim urs of cla e, it take prepare fo su ss down a p r, assignments to time a week, but p a lot of your tim art/full-t w t ime job w rite, projects to he work doesn't e. Currently, I st stop ther udy part research hich can -t e a sometim es be str nd reading to be . There are work ime and essful. shops to done, as well as h olding
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She pauses at the top of the hill. Around here, they call it The Drop, and she has only ever walked her bike down. “It’s a ladies’ road bike,” her ex-boyfriend said on the day he gave it to her. “It’s for mild terrain, and commuting.” He’s gone now. She drops and she is going too; down the hill, into town, the first day of her new job. She’s working part-time in a café in the city centre, but it’s something. The gravel sparks and spits under her wheels, she wobbles, and looks ahead instead of down. She can see the flat path stretching out in front of her, the wind is high, and it feels cool on her neck where she is sweating. If she pulled the brakes, she would skid. She looks up instead of ahead, the sky is sugary blue and the diamond gaps in between the leaves are sunlight, she’s going faster, faster, faster, she takes her feet off the pedals and straightens her legs up and out to the side, feeling the cold wind up her calves, she laughs, her face is patched with diamond sunlight, she flies. She’s gone now.
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We caught fireflies with our hands and placed them into jars, they radiated and surrounded us, they were ours for the night. A fairytale scene, the river teeming next to us, the moon watched from above. Such a peaceful night to embrace. I was at home with you, your arms wrapped around me, like a blanket. The stars seemed to align for us, I didn’t want this to end.
The stars seemed to align for us, I didn’t want this to end. “I was at home with you,” I say as I wrap myself in a blanket. Such a peaceful night to embrace as I watched the moon from below. A fairytale scene, the river still teeming, they radiated and surrounded me, but I didn’t want them tonight, because we caught fireflies and placed them into jars.
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She floats before me, short, with auburn hair falling below her shoulders, and eyes bluer than the water we tread. She’s idealised perfection, the eyebrows just right, and the lips a fulsome lavender tint. Her vintage clothing correlates the old-fashioned sense of beauty that defines her. Every time my eyes fall upon this faultlessness, her eyes lay upon my own triviality, and we realise one another’s importance. The sea surrounds us and the waves lap against us. She comes close so we're touching and I hold her, as I feel her legs working to keep afloat. The water's cold, but now together the warm embraces us and we sink into one another’s guard. The currents turn and we turn with them. I tighten my hold as we spiral seamlessly out of control and I see the fear in her eyes. But I won’t let go, for I refuse to lose her without one final farewell, and so pulling her close we kiss upon the lips, and part, watching one another as we drift distant among the waves. She fades into my horizon and it hurts to see such a vision pass. She’s a diamond lost at sea, forever in my mind, and I miss the strawberry scent and the calm air she would bring with her every step. A moment of pain and then I fall further as the sea shrouds me in its grasp, and to the depths I belong. But on the ocean surface I see her once more in sight and she eclipses the sunlight burning through. I start to rise and once again I’m belonging beside her. The beauty brought forth from the lost, the classical taste of elegance, and together we stay, her eyes bluer than the water we tread, and in love we share.
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I am scared where this is going now
There are galaxies in your eyes.
'cos we're singing it all out of key
I am so deeply immersed;
I will not return that staining gaze
stars firing across navy skies
into all your dreary shades of black
and meteors cascade to Earth.
We can keep counting
A burst of golden embers,
all the strokes we have made
like a phoenix, ready to rebirth.
And you can shade me until there's just a silhouette Though grey stains will stay the black ink will fade away. I don't care where this is going now 'cos we're singing it in harmony I cannot stop watching your face since I coloured you in gold We can keep counting
In the brink of December, I have seen it myself. Frosted words leave me to remember, and your eyes take me somewhere else, to a world of my own, with love and wealth. I want you in the depth of my bones; I’ll keep you in my heart of stone.
all the strokes we can make And you can colour me any way you want Portraits creased, but at least the empty frames are gone. We must straighten them out to get moving on. Looking low, feeling fine I hope I'm not wrong, with boiling blood, and a molten mind. I'd rather leave it blank, than paint into blurry blends
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As I sit at my grey box of a desk staring, somewhat hopefully, at my computer screen I find myself thinking; what the heck do you write in a column? Of course I have read numerous columns by a multitude of different writers, and apart from either laughing, or sleeping, through half of them, I find myself beginning with a conclusion. Writing this stuff isn’t as easy as one might assume. See, when you think of writers, what do you imagine? Maybe they have the charis mati c novelist in mind, sat in his (or her) highbacked leather
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chair reading their final copy of a manuscript before sending it to the publisher, in a vain hope that his script will make a bestseller. In reality, although there is a great deal of time spent at home in the high-backed leather chair, sipping tea from a bone china mug thinking about the next book, I imagine there to be an awful lot of research involved and that, for me, sounds like an invitation for procrastination. But how do you really write a novel? Or a book? Or even, a column? In a perfect world, where lions sleep with lambs without tearing them to shreds, one would imagine that an author or writer need only sit down and let the words flow, like a river from his mind, to the computer screen. Please! If only it was that simple.
What actually happens is not half as optimistic. It is rather like a battle. You are on one side, with this phenomenal idea buzzing around your skull like a trapped bee. Your keyboard is on the other, staring at you with a sense of blank determination that you will write nothing. What you fight for are words. Not just any words, but the right words. The words to put your tale across with the correct level of sophisticat i on and i n trigue. With every stab of your fingers, you feel the words come forth and multiply. Yet, as you look y o u r
screen, you suddenly realise your fingers are failing you, that the words you’ve won so far are not nearly enough. How smug a keyboard looks in these moments, revelling in its assumed victory. You're left, blindly staring at a blank word document, forming paragraph after paragraph in your head, only to have them fall short of the standard in which you seem to have set yourself. But still you continue, a n d , a f t e r much procrastination, in which the only mildly inspiring thing you have discovered is your lack of paper tossing ability, you finally start to drag your column from your mind, a sentence at a time. Soon you may have just about gotten your piece and it's time for the nittygritty, pen-sucking, eyestraining, mind-boggling, gargantuan, and ultim at e ly t i m e -
gobbling task of checking and fine-tuning your work. To put this into some form of analogy, it’s a bit like going through your article with one of those evil-looking, white, finely -toothed combs doctors use when looking for lice. Strangely, I find the two experiences worryingly similar. With each painful read of your piece, you find more knots in the wet mass of sentences which you must painfully untangle; or tug at until finally they give, and you are allowed to continue. It always makes me wince to find a foolish error in my work. But then, I guess that’s just disappointment. Checking done, here comes the time to hand in your final text to your editor. You sit there while they read your work, without even a hint of life on their face, while they scrutinise and critique. You feel like a fourth grade student sent, by their most loving teacher, to show their work to the Headteacher because “It’s wonderful!” It is the single most rewarding, but also terrifying, experience of my life.
As you w at c h them, you suddenly remember all the mistakes you missed, and pride soon gives way to an unfailing pani c a s y o u realise t h a t , w h a t y o u ' v e handed them is, in fact, hardly worth a mention. But, after a few minutes, although it feels like an age, your editor looks up and nods, giving it the go ahead. Now you can slump back at your desk and wonder about getting a celebr ator y sandwich. Howeve r, in my case, I c o u l d probably practice my paper toss.
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The reigning monarch gives final approval to every law proposed by parliament in the last 300 years. To this day, no monarch has refused the wishes of the government. This play begs the question - what if one did? And if so, how far would the law makers push back? After a sold-out run with Almeida Theatre and a season of critically acclaimed performances, King Charles III is now touring the UK. Written by Mike Bartlett (Game, Doctor Foster), the play has been described as a pseudoShakespearean verse drama. It imagines the Prince of Wales becoming king and finding himself in opposition to his reformist family and parliament. It focuses on Charles' outspoken views in politics and its possible effect on monarchy/government relationships.
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In this narrative future, the new king has become the hero, fighting for the voice of the people when Parliament proposes a new law to censor the freedom of the press. More than political theatre, and in no means a high brow play - King Charles III posits some very deserving characterisation on a set of encapsulating figures of our society; Harry's reluctance to conform, Camilla's struggle with disassociation, William and Kate's growing ambitions. As for the cast - who better to wear the role of the King than an actor who personally knows the Prince himself. Robert Powell - who you would most likely recognise from Holby City as Mark Williams - is a TV, Film and Theatre icon, bringing sensitivity and a regal emotion to the stage. In an age where anarchists question the real need for the monarchy, this modern tale presents a timely discussion on the freedom of speech - and maybe, just maybe, the people have a true ally within the walls of Buckingham Palace.
March 7th-12th Everyman Cheltenham
Murder, is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.
Made famous in Alfred Hitchcock’s film of the same name—Frederick Knott’s gripping thriller, Dial M for
Tony is convinced his wife is having an affair. Betrayal, passion... Murder.
March 8th-26th The Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol It’s 1972. Spacehoppers, Ziggy Stardust, polyester and pubic hair. 1972: The Future of Sex promises a brisk romp
March 21st-26th Everyman Cheltenham Celebrating the 60th anniversary production, Agatha Christie’s world famous murder mystery, The Mousetrap, returns to Cheltenham.
March 30th-2nd April Bristol Old Vic Studio One for revisionists - The Greek myth of Iphigenia is re -imagined in the character of Effie. Her life spiralling out of control (drink, drugs and drama) Effie is given a chance to become something more.
through those awkward firsts, begging the question, where have we gone wrong? Was it really easier back in the day? Award-winning Edinburgh Fringe hit - a must see for all sex enthusiasts.
Trapped in a country house, cut off by the snow, a group of characters discover that one of their party has been murdered. Classically clever whodunit? The butler?
An emotional, heartbreaker presenting the high price we have to pay for society’s shortcomings. Winner of the UK Theatre Award for Best New Play 2015.
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Writing a short story is hard work. Within a certain word count, you have to get the reader to invest in the world you are creating and care about characters from your imagination. A good way to do this is by writing stellar description, which is not always a easy task. You have to consider what is important information and what could be left out. For instance, is it relevant that your character’s coat is red? That the watch on their wrist is 9ct gold? If the detail doesn’t tell us something interesting about the character, or isn’t something relevant that will pop up later on in the story, then it’s probably not worth writing. I’ve always struggled with writing good description, but thinking about the five senses is a good place to start. Think about your setting: what do you see? Hear? What are you touching? Is your character eating - what do they taste? What do you smell? Draw up a grid next time you’re writing. Divide it into five sections and write keywords in each category. This is also a useful way of discovering what you miss out of your descriptions, perhaps without even realising it. We’ve done an example opposite to give you some inspiration... Good luck!
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I know it's a clichĂŠ to say, but it is with mixed feelings I'm writing this. Mostly happy though. Some of you might know, some of you might not, but from after Easter/next year I'm taking over the Creative Writing Society as well as Show Don't Tell, with me I have Jaz. In November last year, I was asked to be the new host of the open mic, which I answered with a 'yes' before Alice even had the chance to give me any details. Now most of the amaz-
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ing people from the Society are stepping down as they reach the end of their course, or have too much work on their shoulders, and I take over everything together with Jaz. I can only admire and be inspired by the hard work everyone from the society has put into it, and the amazing social bond we've all created together across years, ages, and courses. I love the Society, I love Show Don't Tell, and I will not let any of it down. I'm proud to take over, and I will do my best to make it as great as ever. Yes, it's a great responsibility, and yes, it will include many hours of hard work
and planning, but I see it just as much as an honour that people trust me enough to hand such a strong society to a viking. Next year will still have weekly socials, with open mics, quizzes and of course the launch of Issue 9 and onwards of Show Don't Tell. In the pipeline, we're also talking about brand new social activities. They're not yet finetuned but among the ideas are a book-club (one of Charl's ideas we intend to use), a gameshow, and movies-basedon-books evenings. Whatever kind of schedule we end up with, nothing will be done without full force. I don't do things less than 104%.
ACROSS
DOWN
1. The rhythm of a line of verse (5) 4. Pen name of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, first name (5) 7. Tyler Keevil’s 2010 Novel (8) 8. Tennessee Williams’ Ramos ___ Fizz Cocktail (3) 10. Roald Dahl’s Fantastic character (3) 11. Name of a book, or a piece of work (5) 13. Screenwriting abbr. for ‘inside’ (3) 14. ‘The Modern Prometheus’, Mary ______(7) 16. Danny Wallace, ‘One little word can change your life’ (3) 17. E.g: Running, Writing, Doing.. (4) 20. Author of Les Miserables (6,4) 22. Scrabble-accepted word: slang for pizza (2)
2. Author of The Famous Five, first name (4) 3. Hunger Games Ally, District 11 Tribute (3) 4. Humbert Humbert’s object of affection (6) 5. Fourteen-lined poem, iambic pentameter (6) 6. W.W. Jacobs’ short, The Monkey’s ___ (3) 8. The first digital library, Project _______ (9) 10. Lord of the ____ (5) 12. The Cherry Orchard, playwright (7) 15. The Man in the High Castle, Novel: The Grasshopper Lies ____ (5) 18. A Song of ___ and Fire (3) 19. Definite Article (3) 21. Home of Rinkitink, Patchwork Girl and Glinda (2)
Answers are published overleaf - NO CHEATING
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Tuesday 15th Society Workshop Francis Close Hall, 7.30pm Tuesday 17th Easter Social! FCH SU Bar, 8.00pm
Tuesday 5th The After Easter Welcome Back “Drinks and Chocolate” TBC Tuesday 12th Open Reading Smokey Joes, 7.30pm Tuesday 19th Quiz Smokey Joes, 7.30pm Tuesday 26th Society Workshop Francis Close Hall 7.30pm
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Tuesday 3rd Final Open Reading! Frog and Fiddle 7.30pm Tuesday 10th End of year event “The Something Super-Special” TBC
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