Due to the terrible weather last Friday, only a select brave group ventured to St. Johns Church by 7.30 pm. They were rewarded with a treat from the speaker, Professor Tony Curtis, emeritus professor of poetry at the University of South Wales.

Professor Curtis wrote short stories many years ago, before moving on to poetry, which he found was quicker to write while still allowing him to tell a narrative. However, after something undisclosed but unpleasant happened to him when visiting Tenby and he found it did not work as a poem, he wrote it as a short story. This led him to consider doing a collection of short stories, using some of his earlier ones with a few specially written stories. He now has 20 ready to go in such a collection, and he read two at the Arts Club.

He felt that one of the last legal naughty pleasures was to be an adult and to be read a story, and encouraged the audience to sit back and enjoy the experience.

The first was entitled 'Throwing the punch'. This was set in a South Wales pit during the Second World War, and about a confrontation between two miners over the ill-treatment of a pit pony. It was written about 30 years ago, and carefully timed to fit the 15-minute slot on Radio 4 that it was broadcast on at the time. Professor Curtis started as a teacher and moved on to teacher training. He was told this story by a porter during a tea break and rushed home to write it down while he still had the accent in his ear. "Get the voice right and you are halfway there."

The second story, 'Terminates at Newport', was recently written, and was first heard in public last Friday in Tenby – our very own world premiere. It concerned an incident on the train from London to Cardiff, when the protagonist failed to act with the confidence and firmness that he later felt would have been appropriate. This was based on an incident that had happened to the author several years ago, and had remained with him to this day.

The stories both drew vivid pictures of other lives, and provoked a lively discussion during coffee. Professor Curtis truly provided the seldom experienced pleasure of story-telling to those hardy souls who had braved the weather!

This (Friday) evening, Harry Gardiner AWPF presents 'A Photographer's view of Tenby'. Hopefully the weather will be better, and all are welcome to St. Johns Hall for a 7.30 pm start. Entrance is £2 for members (annual membership only £10), and £4 for non-members.

A.D.