Strathmore arts festival


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Alyth Writers Group






Convenor:
Jim Adam,
Dilkusha,
Leitfie Terrace,
New Alyth,
ALYTH,
Perthshire,
PH11 8NE
Tel/Fax 01828 633287

I originally founded the Alyth Writers Group early in 2005. Unfortunately after a successful run of sessions I became ill and the group ceased meeting about mid summer of that year. On the initiative of the Spring 2007 satART Festival the Group restarted on March 22nd this year.

The guest writer for that first session in March was Des Dillon. Des is a successful writer of short stories, novels and screen and radio plays. It was a brilliant two hour session. However, money constraints mean that we could not repeat such a master-class too often.

Although I only attended a writers group in Dundee for a few years in the 1980's I have always had a passion for writing. I wrote for the Dundee Community Theatre, which was then in the old Dudhope school, and now is with Dundee Rep at which point the Writers Group wound up. Three of my plays were presented by the Community Theatre and I produced another of my plays at a Caird Hall Festival in Dundee. A short story of mine was published in. a compilation of work by the Dundee Writers Group. More recently I have assisted young people to develop their own scripts for some of the work presented by Alyth Community Youth Theatre Group until it ceased to function in 2005. In the year 2000 ACYTG was the largest youth group in the town

One of the driving factors in my writing has been a deep-rooted belief that storytelling is an essential part of the human condition. Humankind has developed through time as a social animal. Art, storytelling and stories illustrated by dance and drama are all present and are important in the lives of primitive peoples. All of these cultural features figure in modern sophisticated societies. I believe they are a necessary part of civilized life. Each can play a very large part in how modern society develops. Which worries some people when they see the amount of violence on today's television. However, others can remember the social impact of TV drama like "Cathy Come Home" which articulated the inhumanity of homelessness, changed Parliamentary legislation and played a vital role in the creation of the modern charity "SHELTER." Present-day politicians may eventually come to realize just how important all cultural activities are to our way of life.

The Alyth Writers Group is currently on summer break. We are hoping to secure the services of another well-established writer for the restart on Thursday 30th August 10.30 a.m. to 12.30 in the Community Wing, St Andrews Street. If not on that particular date then certainly in one of our earlier sessions. The proposal is that we continue to meet fortnightly. Everyone is welcome. Perhaps demand may grow for an evening session if numbers are big enough. Who knows?

We can all tell stories! Come and share yours with us!

Jim Adam