Today I found myself on a trip into central Bristol for a meeting with a consultant for the Arts Council South West who had invited local writing groups to discuss ways of supporting writers. The meeting turned out to be a lively and enjoyable chat over a cup coffee at the Arnolfini. Alec (the consultant, also working for Arts Matrix )had a number of proposals, mostly based on models developed in other regions, particularly Scotland, where he began his career in development work. We batted around his ideas and added a few of our own, but it soon became apparent that the South West is badly off in this respect. We listened open-mouthed to tales of how groups elsewhere get help with setting up websites, publishing chapbooks, or meeting published writers. I think we also impressed him with how resourceful we are as a group and how much we’ve achieved on our own (which isn’t to say we would turn down any offers of help!)With this in mind, I’ve decided to make my next post a celebration of Bristol Women Writers. (Next stop a website?) So Alec, good to meet you, and if you do stop by, I hope you’ll check back in a couple of days!
Ali Bacon, Author 