A POIGNANT anthology of poems, stories and memoirs has been published, the culmination of a year’s work by a popular writers group.
Voices of Barnard Castle provided the opportunity for many of the authors to be published for the very first time in an emotional expression of their love of the written word.
Barnard Castle Writers Group was founded in 2022 by Emma Rowell, the owner of McNabbs bookshop, where they have met every month ever since.
Group member and travel writer Raphael Wilkins decided to sponsor and edit the book after seeing the quality of the work being produced.
“I felt that generating a publication would boost members’ confidence and provide a developmental experience, so I offered to sponsor the book and invited contributions,” he said.
Writers submitted their drafts and invited feedback from other group members. Emma and Raphael edited the work. The text was then turned into a book by Michelle Emerson who specialises in supporting self-publishing projects.
The book comprises a collection of work by Emma, Raphael, Ally Hammock, Margaret Asquith, Linda Bird, Valerie Bucknall, Virginia Harrison and Jo Long.
Authors reflect on their life experiences set against the backdrop of upper Teesdale’s stunning scenery and wildlife.
Emma said: “I own a bookshop and now there is one on the shelf with my name on it and it makes me feel very proud. I’ve always written poetry, in fact some of the work dates back to 1987 and has been stuffed in shoeboxes at home. I always have something in my head and invariably it turns out to be a poem. With this project we opened the door to creativity and it arrived. Now we have plans to publish even more.”
Jo said: “By being published you are telling people out loud what is in your heart and I was nearly in tears.”
Virginia said: “At the book club I feel relaxed and safe writing. I love to write what makes people smile or is thought provoking and it’s nice to think that by doing so I’m making other people happy. It’s a lovely group and I enjoy seeing the members experiment and develop their writing. We get a lot of pleasure reading what everyone has written. None of this would have happened without Emma and Raphael.”
Raphael added: “It has been a tremendous privilege to sponsor this publication. Most members have never been published before, some have never let anyone look at their work, so this is a tremendous achievement. They should all be very proud of their writing which merits a place on any bookshelf.”
n Voices of Barnard Castle Vol 1 has 195 pages, costs £9.99 and is available from Amazon and from McNabbs bookshop.
