Sparkle and merriment were in the air as SWWJ members gathered at the Christmas event, held at the Victory Services Club, London.
There was a chance to network and chat about all things writing and more, before SWWJ Chair, Val Dunmore, officially welcomed everyone to the event.
This was followed by presentations to the winners of our recent competitions.
First up was Vivien Brown, winner of the Elizabeth Longford Trophy for Poetry, to receive her award from our poetry judge Vic Pickup.
Before handing over the accolade, Vic praised the quality and contents of the poems, that they were a delight to read and that she truly enjoyed them all.
Next was the presentation of the John Walter Salver to winner Valerie Dunmore. The theme of the competition was “The Day I Met.” and Valerie’s entertaining encounter with Clement Attlee, the UK’s Prime Minister between 1945-1951, won the attention of judge and SWWJ Patron, Sir Tim Rice. Council member Sylvia Kent made the presentation on his behalf.
The winning entries and details of the runners-up and highly commended are in the current issue of The Journal.
Following the formalities, it was time for members and guests, to enjoy a sumptuous afternoon tea.
Once everyone had sampled the delicious sandwiches and sweet treats, it was time for our speaker for the day, crime writer Clare Whitfield.
Clare is the author of three novels, the first, People of Abandoned Character, a historical mystery about Jack the Ripper and his wife, was published in 2020 and won the Goldsboro Glass Bell 2021. Her second book, The Gone and the Forgotten was published in 2022 and is described as part psychological thriller and a coming-of-age story of buried family secrets.
Her third and most recent novel, Poor Girls, is inspired by the real-life all-female crime gang known as The 40 Elephants and was shortlisted for a CWA Historical Crime Dagger award.
The thread amongst her stories, is placing women as the central criminal or as leaders front and facing in her novels, a role not often portrayed by women in times gone by.
Combining crime and history is something that Clare feels is a result of her love of history in general and her passion for learning something new with everything she writes.
Clare spoke of how she became an author after studying her MA in Creative Writing at the University of Winchester and has since flourished while still juggling a full-time job as a project manager and being a mum to her daughter.
A question and answer session was followed by a raffle, before everyone went on their way, full of festive cheer.
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