Kate’s Handover

Kate took over running CEW in summer 2012 and handed this on to Simon on the 1st October 2021. On that Friday CEW held a small gathering of past and present members to celebrate Kate’s achievement – here is the speech written by Dennis (the longest standing member after Kate). Malcolm (the second longest) read the speech and added a little of his own. Following a long tradition of making cakes for the group Kate made the one in the photo.

Written by Dennis

Ladies and gentlemen, fellow writers and poets, I have been asked to say a few words about Kate as she relinquishes her tenure in office as the leader of the Cutting Edge Writers group. She has, above everything else, been a stalwart member of the writers’ group and an excellent leader, too. Taking over the reins from Ruby in 2012 was a hard act to follow but Kate succeeded in all areas whether it was setting a good example in her writing or setting tasks for us to carry out each week.

And writing each week has made us a cut above the rest for I’ve spoken to writers in other groups who create one piece each fortnight or even just one piece each month. I’m not saying Kate was a hard taskmaster, but she was a hard taskmaster. 800 or 1000 original words each week plus critiquing everyone else’s work is not easy when there are a million other jobs requiring your attention when you are retired! But none of us would partake in writing something if we didn’t enjoy it and that is down to good leadership too.

We have been entertained by well-known, visiting authors; Rory Clements and Louis de Berniere come to mind, arranged by Kate. Four volumes of anthology have been published during Kates’s tenure. And several times we have visited Prior’s Oak, one of the most amazing gardens in Suffolk, to be entertained and talk amongst ourselves in a different environment. These occasions were always enjoyable and gave us a different perspective, other than looking at each other across a table.

Above all Kate is generous. Generous where praise is due for our writing and generous when entertaining us at her home in Shadingfield. And to cap it all lunch is provided and we all have a splendid time. And on a writer’s birthday Kate produced a cake for that person too; we all shared it and the birthday boy or girl then took the remainder home, usually a substantial piece. Plus it was not uncommon for Kate to bring a box of goodies for us to share each coffee break at The Cut during the time she was in charge. She even managed to tempt me (one of the fussiest eaters on the planet) to indulge in cheese scones, something I’d never do…and they were really, really enjoyable, thank you Kate.

On a personal level I have experienced Kate’s eagerness for a writer to expand their creativity. On several occasions when critiquing her work, I have expressed to Kate, ‘But what does the ending mean, exactly?’ The response when it came was: ‘Dennis, for goodness’ sake not all stories end with happy ever after and are wrapped up tidily. Open your mind dear boy and think, think, think.’ Then there is poetry, my bête noir. ‘Dennis, have a go, and don’t forget not all poetry rhymes.’ (what? poetry doesn’t rhyme!) and so with Kate’s encouragement I have successfully written open verse poetry and the Japanese haiku and tanka. Ok, my scanning needs a bit if work but without Kate I wouldn’t have even started.

Finally, the last sixteen months have been a tad difficult owing to the pandemic. But, with Simon’s help on the technology side, Kate has led from the front on Zoom and we have our enjoyed our literary get-together every Friday morning since March 2020, at our respective homes. And with the same format, and with the same amount of enjoyment, with laughter thrown in for good measure. Kate, your occupancy of the leadership chair has been a resounding success. We offer you our heartfelt thanks and hope your time in ‘retirement’, still with us, is equally successful.

Written by Malcolm:-

For my part, can I just say how well you and your technical assistant Simon have worked together as a double act over the last few months, smoothing the way to a successful change over. Do keep writing, Kate. No slacking on that front. We enjoy you writing and we enjoy your company and we always will.”