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A Word from Our
President
A Happy New Year to all our members
and friends of the Lancashire Authors’ Association and welcome
to 2023. After two years in the doldrums let’s hope that we can
finally shake off the misery that has been Covid-19 with all its
deaths, illness, heartache and restrictive lockdowns and get
back to enjoying each other’s company at live events.
In my own field of delivering talks
and entertainment on a Lancashire theme, I have noticed this
year a gradual but steady increase in enquiries and bookings as
social groups return to regular meetings. Still not at the level
we were two years ago but it’s a start. As the song says, “You
don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone”, and I shall never
again complain about being heckled by the audience.
Among the events that fell foul of
Covid restrictions was the transfer of ownership of the
Lancashire Authors’ Association library collection to the
University of Bolton. Over 2,000 documents and volumes,
assembled by our members over the last 100 years, should have
been moved to its new home amid fireworks and fanfares. Instead,
the deed was accomplished by a couple of officers from each
organisation in a closed room. There should at least have been a
song. Olive and I attended a small meeting on January 18th with
a view to rekindling interest in having an official “launch
party” and using the books to promote the LAA and Lancashire’s
literary heritage. It is, after all, what we’re here for. We’ll
let you know how we get on….
On a more positive note, one of the
best things I’ve seen in the last few years has been our
Lancashire Writers of Today, an anthology of the annual
competition winners for 2022, produced for us by Chapeltown
Books. Every member should have received a copy and it should
become a regular feature along with your newsletters.
Sid
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