WHEN WRITERS MEET...

Song writers, poets, novelists, bloggers, social analysts, journalists – they were all here around the Kitchen Table. Thanks to Global Fusion Music and Arts...

First Angela Aimes and Sandhya Kaffo, proudly, showed their new poetry collections. Then Wendy Higgs exhibited her jewels from Egypt, the work of a man called ...what was the man’s name? Adel. Not the famous English musician, but an Arab designer. Fascinating colours: emerald, ruby, purple, cream...you name it. 

Appreciation was shown in different ways- some touched, some said their favourite ones, others bought one, two, three pieces for themselves, wives, friends, etc.

Then it was time to read new works.

Angela Aimes shows her new book : Peace for Sale...

So far ...since the group started back in July, it has been poetry and poetry and poetry. We have a couple of people who are into novels, some into plays, some song writers and composers, but the tendency has been poetry. Wendy read something which always began with a question: How? What? Etc. Then Louisa let us share a sketch from her recent holidays in Spain.

Writer and Musician, Louisa Le Marchand reads new poem...

 The repetition at each beginning of her poem was emphasized...some people called it Onomatopoeia...but I don’t think that is the right word. Onomatopoeia means similar sounds e.g.  Brittle, little, fiddle, middle, etc...

The right word like I pointed out was actually alliteration...

This would be for example:

“He goes to Lusaka

He goes to Osaka

He goes to Lusaka to kill the lions

He goes to Osaka to see earthquakes...”

Sandhya’s poetry was a continuation of her joy at having published a new collection “Sandhya Speaks”...she has also launched a Facebook Page...

Sandhya Kaffo...

She and Angela Aimes (aka Jennifer) passed their new books around.  It felt like sharing glasses of wine and flowers and cakes and new guitars. Angela’s title is “Peace For Sale” -she shall read at Friday’s Peace Concert organised by GFMA...so that is possibly why she wasn’t so keen to recite ...nothing to prove. Let them wait. I like that kind of patience.

Angela Aimes's " First Love"...

There were new faces in this group, in the “halo” of one known Yoruba dancer, Funmi...I haven’t seen her for years and her hair has grown into a huge Afro...like Sandhya....they have very natural African hair style (no bleaching and artificial extensions...bless them) who read her poem (jotted in her mobile phone)...it was short and to the point. Discussions rambled on and on...

In the course of it all internet talk dominated and we were given some interesting site names:

Wattpad

And ted.com...

Whoaa!

Claude Deppa,(below) ever buoyant and cheerful was another recent face.

“I compose music without words,” he said and you heard a minute’s silence.  Suck it in fellas. Writers are thought to be people wo deal with words ONLY. But what about musicians who have given us sweet melodies and  moods without singers and repetitive chants, e.g. the European classical composers (all of them Bach, Stendhal,  Chopin, Beethoven, etc) or African American jazz  muscles, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis (does “ Kind of Blue” need words? ) or Dizzy Gillespie. What did the old maestro mean when he composed “Night in Tunisia”?

Lately,  I have personally been listening and trying to play  Moaning by Bobby Timmons. I can’t stop loving it.  Music literature and sans words is another type of high level mathematics.
There is space for every kind of writer today and in the past. I am into blogging and this is what I am doing right here.  Ha! Ha! Ha!   And so I steered and enjoyed trying to  guide. Yet I felt I was just there to make sure we were stuck in literature not just talking and pleasing each other. What is the technique of writing? I always believe content is an easy ride, because everyone has something to say: Trump, a drunk, a beggar, a killer, a police officer, lollipop sister, shopkeeper, a lazy bum...everyone has a story, a reason to open their lips...but how do we say these things? What and how is the form? That is the burning question. Can you summarise your story in a paragraph. Prepare for your book cover's blurb. Remember. Balancing Form and content is the ultimate challenge in literature and art...

Aubrei Woki (Botswana musician) Otis Hylton (holding Angela's book) and Angela Aimes...

Otis did not say much; listening and nodding is a great skill in (and) by itself; he is thinking about that novel...and so did Bob Fanshaw...who has been writing and well, he knows a lot about novels and he emphasized structure: beginning, middle and end. Basics, Bob, Basics.

And Aubrei Woki, who is recording his album at GFMA studios.

While Louisa Le Marchand made sure tea was available and nibbles.

Some people were absent on the night. Gill Swann...and who else was there? Ben Ndegwa (below) from Kenya. He has intensity.

Ben Ndegwa...reflects...

 I am sure one of these days we are going to hear one of his literature sounds in one way or another...A quote from his fascinating mind :

 “If you want to be a millionaire question everything.”

We were still able to expect the next date...Thursday ....27^th September, 2012. I guess.

Keep track of all this at ...GFMA Facebook Page...

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