March 2026 Newsletter

Welcome back! We’ve been quiet in the public eye but much has been happening. The February meeting effectively became an AGM, where we focused on the following key issues:

Funding for the website

We don’t charge membership fees, and this year our web hosting costs reached prohibitive levels. An initial decision was made to retire our current website and move to a free platform. Options explored included Google Sites and Blogger, but the results proved…underwhelming.

Final arrangement are still being confirmed, but the current proposal is a $25 annual donation from members who wish to be published on the website. Meanwhile, we’ll continue maintaining the current site while also exploring alternative publication platforms. All the more reason to turn up for the next meeting on April 13^th, 12 noon, chip in, and be included!

Massive thanks to Malvern Computers, who have supported us for the last four years, including during this transition period now.

Meeting Location

The advent of rain during the March meeting drove us out of our normal location at Fernleigh Café. While the sound of rain on a tin roof can be comforting, it’s less helpful when trying to read stories out loud. Unfortunately, the alternate location also proved noisy – through human intervention, this time.

This triggered a coordinated investigation effort. Several members sought out recommendations and visited multiple cafes simultaneously on Monday at noon (our regular meeting time). A couple of locations seem viable so far: Café Inu at Carrington, and Bostin Brew at Merewether. For the April meeting, we will try out Inu, and may rotate venues for a while. Further recommendations are welcome! The criteria are:

• Easy parking

• Quiet

• Able to sit about ten people

• Decent food

• Outdoor seating a bonus

• Clubs with gaming machines are out

 March Meeting

We returned to our writing prompts. The location will remain anonymous; suffice it to say that the ‘random prompt’ chosen was ‘Cold Coffee’. We’re still collating the pieces written, but some are up already on the site. As always, each one is wildly different!

Member Successes

On Sunday 15^th March, member David Gairdner screened his short film Hiccups at the hugely popular Newymation Short Film Extravaganza, part of the Newcastle Fringe Festival. The place was packed, and we got to meet David’s talented crew and celebrate with him, as well as enjoy the film and those of others. What a night! Congratulations!

Competitions closing in April

Next month is particularly rich in poetry competitions. Check out opportunities listed on our website.

Next Meeting

Monday 13^th April 2026, 12 noon, Café Inu, Carrington.

As usual we’ll chat for half an hour or so, and then pick a random prompt and write for 20 minutes, after which we’ll read out our freshly-baked stories. Come and join us!