Gathering and Greeting

 

I had a blog prepared for this slot, which I’ve temporarily put to one side as I realise that I am actually able to attend an ACW event in person this month. Hurrah!

I don’t know who else is still considering popping along to Egham next week for the Autumn gathering, but if you can get there without breaking the bank or a limb, I strongly advise you to do so.  It’s going to be great.

The last ACW event I was able to get to was the WOWIG gathering at Swanwick in June 2022.  I remember it for all sorts of reasons: it clashed with the weekend of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee; my first children’s book was about to be published and I already had copies; the whole Paddington-goes-to-tea-with-HMQ-at-Buck-House storyline bore a more than passing resemblance to a story about tea at the palace in that book.  Oh yes, and of course, the memory of us all shivering outside in the cold in our PJs when that infernal fire alarm catapulted us all out of bed at silly o’clock is still with me.

This time, the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness will be creeping in; I will just have celebrated another turn around the sun and I’m assured that there are no showers on site to trigger any alarms. ‘Hurrah,’ all over again.

More importantly, it will be a time to mingle with other ACW-ers. One of the great things about that WOWIG weekend three years ago, was the opportunity to put faces to names that I’d only seen batting things back and forth across the posts on the Facebook group page or next to articles in the magazine.  As a confirmed visual learner, it helped me no end to connect those two things, and it may very well help you too.

Photo: Fiona Lloyd, with permission

There’s nothing like sharing time, meals, writing-headaches, experiences, trials and triumphs in the company of those who actually know what you’re talking about.  While eyes may glaze over in other gatherings, here, you can bet your laptop (though I don’t advise it), that more than one person will ‘get’ where you’re coming from and empathise completely.

You may find that another ACW-er has just the solution to the conundrum that has recently kept you staring at the ceiling in the wee small hours.  Another may actually have read your book, which will be supremely gratifying; even more so if they enjoyed it.

Friday night will doubtless see us entertained again by the pithy humour of Adrian and Bridget Plass deflating all things pompous that have perhaps, inadvertently, missed Jesus in the midst of other things. 

Photo: Amy Robinson, with permission

If you’re someone who has booked into the local Travelodge, I’m sure your Saturday breakfast will be cheered up enormously by the early morning banter of fellow writers, or at least by the coffee (no guarantees there).  If not, the programme tells me that caffeine and pastries will be served/available at the venue for a full hour before events begin.  Not good for those on Keto, but hey, we may well need that extra layer of insulation as winter bears down upon us.

With sessions from Angela Hobday (aka Annie Try), Jane Walters and one-to-ones to choose from with them and/or Ben Hughes, there’s plenty of scope for chatting about all things writerly. Plus, there’s the opportunity to sell some of your goodies (books, I assume) to those buyers eager to fulfil their Christmas list demands before the seasonal rush.

So, if you haven’t laid your ink-stained hands on a ticket yet, send a message to Joanne Gilchrist and track some down.  If you’re already poised for the weekend, then we’ve arrived at a third, ‘Hurrah!’ and I’ll see you there.  Please do come and say, ‘Hi’.

Jenny Sanders has spent the last twelve years living between the UK and South Africa. She writes faith-inspired non-fiction: Spiritual Feasting (2020) asks how we can ‘feast’ when life serves unpalatable menus; Polished Arrows (2024), explores the allegory of  God shaping us to be fired effectively into our culture and contexts. 

                

Jenny also has two published collections of humorous short stories for Key Stage 2 children: The Magnificent Moustache and other stories, and, Charlie Peach’s Pumpkins and other stories. She is available for author visits and creative writing sessions in primary schools.  She loves walking in nature, preferably by a river, and has a visceral loathing for offal, pineapple and incorrect use of car indicators on roundabouts.