Words
and Women: One, 2014, was published
by Unthank Cameo, and has been edited by Lynne Bryan and Belona Greenwood. This
anthology arises from the work of Words And Women, an organisation which
started as a small reading event in Norwich, Norfolk, to celebrate
International Women's Day in 2011. This event was so much fun and had such a
great reception, that it was obvious that it was not going to be a one-off! Now
Words And Women continues to celebrate International Women's Day, but also
offers women writers in the East of England opportunities to present their work
and talk about their writing, using their energy and resources to provide a
platform for all those voices which it feels need to be heard. This anthology
features the work of 21 writers who entered Words And Women's first writing
competition which was launched in July 2013. It was for prose work - either
fiction, memoir or creative non-fiction under 3000 words in length. It features
writers from a huge range of backgrounds, ages and education.
This
book certainly creates a new league of expectations for women writers. The
diversity which is shown within the content of each individual story is
extraordinary. Wellfleet by Lily
Meyer, at the beginning of the book, gives you a dramatic shock challenging
everything you were expecting. It
shows confidence, in its greatest form, challenging the norms. The surprisingly
open and very funny friendship between Della and Rosie was definitely one of my
favourite aspects. It was written beautifully, and was unbelievably liberating,
with the underlying message about relationships being truly uplifting. This
story is an exceptional beginning to an exceptional book, as it creates the
perfect atmosphere in your mind representing how influential women can be when
being supported and letting their imagination and creativity go wild!
The
story of Len's Whole Life by Alice
Kent is a prime example of the differences shown within the writing. All of the
work is so invigorating and enlightening.
It grabs your heart strings straight away, and leaves you wishing there
was more, and you can count on never getting tired of reading, as one story full of girl power ends, the
story of a lonely man with mental health issues pulls at your emotions, begins.
By no
means is Words And Women limited to women only. The writing is done to such an
immaculate standard, that anyone, male or female, will be captured by the
visual beauty created. There is a story for everyone. I cannot emphasise enough
how the variety is so refreshing, you can lose yourself so easily in these
wonderful pieces of writing, and feel as if you're there in the room watching
the storylines unfold, as in My Sister's
Haircut, the wonderful winning piece
of writing by Dani Redd, you can literally feel your heartbeat increasing as
the intensity grows.
Overall,
I would highly suggest to anyone who enjoys reading, has a love for writing, or
even those who just want something to occupy themselves with on the train, to
purchase this book. I believe that everyone has the ability to relate to a lot
of what is written about, from relationship mishaps to the inconceivable
situation of a missing child. In conclusion, the writing may be short in
length, but the storylines are ones which will stay with you for a lot longer.
Click here for a link to Unthank Cameo.
Click here for a link to Unthank Cameo.
Danielle Clarke was born
in Norwich and lives in the rural village of Bacton, but has spent time in
London and Amsterdam. She attends Paston Sixth Form College in Norfolk where
she has studied Law, Media Studies, Psychology and Business Studies at A level.
She is now in her final year, continuing Psychology, Media and Law. Danielle
secured a place in the British Film Institute (BFI) Film Academy for young
people, where she was able to work with professionals as well as share her
passion of media with other young people. The project produced a short
documentary film called 'Apocalypse Now?' She has written for student
newspapers, and is always looking for new ways to develop, challenge and
express her creativity. She has a strong passion for writing and journalism and
has offers from universities in London where she hopes to study journalism.
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