Write Up!

Over the years I have written a number of stories aimed at people of a more tender age - children. These stories are strange and a little off-the-wall and try to deliver a message that it's ok to be who you are. They also have a strong underlying sense of both humour, love and anger, recognisable human emotions no matter what age you are! In that sense these stories are for everyone. Enjoy! Contact us at southwestwriters@yahoo.com

Careless in the Community is the story of Wattie Watters who decides to hold a party in his parents house when they're away on holiday. The trouble is, he lives next door to a gent who has forgotten to take his anti-psychotic meds, and objects to a noisy gang of teenagers carousing next door, with dire results...

The Hydra Files is episode seventeen of the Write Up! podcast. The Hydra Files is a short story that looks at what would happen if mankind wanted to reverse ageing. Instead of being a cold treatise about the subject, it is a look at the lives of those involved and how what might be created by the funding - and the backing of giant labs - might be turned into a small, local event of world shattering proportions. It won't be easy, it won't happen overnight, but that little hunk of protoplasm called the Hydra be the key to a form of immortality.

This month we have a very special podcast featuring the work of Debbie Campbell, Robert Neil, Scott Nicol and Brian McDonald, all of whom colloborated to sing, write and produce the debut album for Debbie entitled 'About Time.' This podcast is an interview with Robert Neil, who wrote about 70% of the lyrics featured in the podcast. Robert goes into how he came to write some of the lyrics and how he paired up with Scott and Debbie to turn them into songs. He also gives interesting insiights into the creative process. Those who are interested in following up and purchasing the CD or music can find links on: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=debbie%20campbell%20music%20

Episode two of Write Up! features poems, stories and articles by Alexander Frew. One of the poems, A Killing Joke, is about the old days of wall telephones at work. Another poem is about the perils of bathing your dog. There is an article about the origins of Braveheart, about William Wallace, and where he actually came from deep in the heart of ancient Ayrshire. There is a story called 'The Cat who Lost his Purr,' which is a pretty self-explanatory title. In addition there is an article about the origins of Scottish Tartan, containing some facts that may be surprising to listeners. The incidental music is provided by Anchor to support podcasters, but the introductory and final music is provided by Andy Fleming, writer, poet and musician who plays with Alex as part of spoof folk duo Frobisher and Gleason. If you are interested in sending in audio features for the podcast the email address is: southwestwriters@yahoo.com just put 'Write Up! podcast' as the subject title. Terms apply.

Write Up! Is a podcast devoted to the writings of Alex Frew and friends, The podcast will include poems, articles, stories and book excerpts by the presenter and other featured writers. The first episode is devoted to the presenter. Alex is a Scottish author who has had twenty-three books published, including children's books, adventure stories and science fiction. He is also a performance poet and the winner of the Tron summer slam 2019. Contact Alex: southwestwriters@yahoo.com

Welcome to the latest edition of the Write Up! Podcast. In this episode Alex Frew shares poems, songs and tunes written during his time with South West Writers. He also features tunes created along with Neontetrahedron, the YouTuber, for their album 'Gemini Outriders,' by the duo - you've guessed it, the Gemini Outriders. Comments and feedback are welcome please contact southwestwriters@yahoo.com

This is a bonus episode of Write Up! in resposne to episode five which was devoted to 'Songs from the West Coast,' a booklet of song lyrics by the group which was published in 2010. The group also released an album of the same name, also produced in 2010. However this version did not contain all of the songs in the booklet as it would have been far too long. Here's a list of the songs in the podcast, mainly written by Alex Frew and Andy Fleming. 1. Shredding Valentines Andy Fleming 2. The Mormon Song Alex Frew 3. Too bad so sad Andy Fleming 4. Compromise Andy Fleming 5. The Jesus Rap Alex Frew 6. Honk Andy Fleming 7. Trashwalk Andy Fleming 8. Burgers Alex Frew 9. Let it rain Michelle Paton 10. I'm ready for my close-up Andy Fleming 11. Cheerleader Song Alex Frew 12. Plump Rappa Alex Frew 13. Hurricane Frew/Fleming 14. Begin Again Michelle Paton/Frew 15. Sing Along Songs Andy Fleming

In this episode of Write Up! I interview the poet, writer, performer and all-round entertainer Robin Cairns. Robin has had a long and varied writing career. He moved to London to be a punk rocker when he was in his teens. After working in the music and theatre scene for a while he moved back to Scotland. Once back in Glasgow he quickly established his presence in the local poetry and performance scene, where he quickly became a staple of poetry slams. It wasn't long before he was arranging slams several times in different venues such as the Mitchell and Tron theatres. He was also the host of the monthly performance event at Rio Cafe, an experience that lasted for ten years, with many memorable guests. His book 'Please don't punch the poets,' is about that time and contains many amusing anecdotes about being a poet and performer. In this podcast Robin talks about his life and times and shares some of his excellent poems with the listener. Contact Alex: southwestwriters@yahoo.com Tel: 07947975806

This episode of Write Up! features a book of songs from South West Writers. Entitled 'Songs from the West Coast,' the booklet is a printed version of the album of the same name. This episode contains lyrics by Alexander Frew, Andy Fleming, Michelle Paton, Grace Halbert, Jim Goldie, and Sandy Morton. All of the lyrics are read by Alex Frew. The opening and final music is 'Bag Packng Heats,' composed by Neontetrahedron, and can be found on YouTube. The cover art is by Anne Marie Gracie, my late wife.

Welcome to a very special episode of Write Up! In this episode I have a conversation with the Ayrshire bard Robert Neil. The conversation is about the ins and outs of the poetry and performance scene. Then Robert reads some of his poems. Not enough in my opinion, but these give a flavour of his humour and personality. Along with his poetry, Robert is also a talented song writer along with his partner Debbie Campbell, a fantastic singer, and Scott Nicol another talented songwriter, but also a great musician. This is only the first of a series of proposed interviews and I would like to thank Robert personally. It was fun.

This episode of the Write Up! podcast is based on my poetry booklet 'Intimations of Mortality,' which is about life, love and loss. It is a celebration of our parents, brothers, sisters, friends and significant others in our life who are no longer with us. The poems speak for themselves. Although they seem to be a source of sadness, these poems are actually a celebration of those we have know and how much they have meant to us in our lives. If you have any memories you want to share contact me, Alex, at: southwestwriters@yahoo.com or 07947975806 and I can feature your work on future podcasts. Music 'Bag Packing Heats,' by Neon tetrahedron and available on his channel on YouTube.

Episode Nine of the Write Up! podcast is based on the poetry booklet Furious Cycling. Furious Cycling is an event that is chargeable in law and means that you are cycling in a manner that is dangerous and unlawful. This tickled my fancy because I have written many poems about cycling as it was, for many years, my primary mode of transport. I have returned to cycling recently and it can't be beaten for short trips, I would recommend to anyone, even in older years and my poems in this podcast reflect the spirit of the freedom cycling gives. The music was from the album 'Gemini Outriders,' by the Gemini Outriders. Copies are available. Contact Alex: southwestwriters@yahoo.com

In yet another story from 'The Last Great Car Ride,' we get to meet Wattie, Buzz, Ony and Davy as they take part in an Arts Festival as part of a Community Outreach Project to bring the arts to deprived communities.At first the four young men are reluctant to take part, but soon throw themselves into the Words Festival with a series of hilarious observations and poems that cement their relationship with a growing fandom.This episode contains swear words and attitudes that were current in the working class environment at the time the stories were written.Contact: southwestwriters@yahoo.com with comments and suggestions.

This is part three of the booklet 'Pet Memories,' which is about, as it says on the tin, people's pets. I've always thought that our relationship with our pets says a lot about us, and the fond memories on this podcast for Write Up! show this unique relationship. Thanks to all the contributors, and if you want a copy of the book you can contact: Alex Frew southwestwriters@yahoo.com

In part two of Pet Memories, a Write Up! Podcast we continue with the theme of writing about our beloved animals. The poems in this second part, much like the first, represent a wide range of authors and styles. There is nothing more emotice than writing about the animals you have loved and you will find something in here for all lovers of animals and poetry. Enjoy Pet Memories Part Two!

Welcome to the next episode of 'Write Up,' a Writers Podcast. This month we're featuring an anthology of pet poems created by the people of this United Kingdom. It was a project instigated in 2016, and featured the work of poets mainly recruited via Facebook. There was a prize for the best poem (although that is a subjective preference) and the anthology was widely popular, many copies being distributed. If you are interested in contributing to this podcast contact Alex on southwestwriters@yahoo.com or on Alexander Hawksville's FB page. https://www.facebook.com/alexander.hawksville/

Part two of my interview with Frank Beattie. In this episode the author talks about writing his local history books. He has published more than twelve books about Kilmarnock in particular and Ayrshire in general. Frank also discusses the five novels that he has written and shares part of his creative process. He also gives some very sound advice to would-be writers. He is an inspiration to all budding writers.

Frank Beattie is a Kilmarnock Author. I was excited to interview him because he is a local history writer, and has published more than a dozen books about Kilmarnock and district. He is a talented, hard working archivist. He started his career as a reporter and in part one I cover his life working in various local newspapers. He tells me many anecdotes about how he developed his writing skills and makes me laugh many times as he is a great storyteller. Part Two will be about his career in book publishing,

Carla Woodburn is a well-known Glasgow poet and presenter of the show 'Express Yourself,' on Sunny Radio Govan, which she has been presenting for an amazing nine years. She also hosts 'Express Yourself,' events in Glasgow and has been the guest performer at many performance events. Carla is also associated with the Scots Language Centre, and the Scottish Poetry Library. She accepts poetry submissions at: expressyourselfprojects@outlook.com Poetry must be recorded in mp3 format and have an introduction to say who the poet is, and the poem too.