Our Writers!
By Melinda Heathcote
We are lucky to have (at least) 3 published writers in our parish here at Arundel: Ian Caws a prizewinning poet, Alwyn Dow who has published several novels, the latest of which is described here, Professor Jim Lynch OBE, FRSC, FRSB, FRSA, FRGS, Distinguished Professor of Life Sciences Emeritus, Centre for Environment and Sustainability, University of Surrey.
Ian Caws has published 11 collections of poetry since 1975, the latest of which is The Canterbury Road. In 1988, he was runner up in the National Poetry Competition, having been a prizewinner the year before. He and his wife, Hilary, have been in West Sussex since the late 60s and parishioners at Arundel since Hilary became a teacher at St Philipâs School in the early 1990s. âI am not sure why I began writing poetry but I was 17 and our class had had
Ian Caws Wildeâs âThe Ballad of Reading Gaolâ read to us some years before and it made an impression. 5 years later I produced a ballad of my own and so it went on. I showed it to a schoolmaster who introduced me to the poetry of Edward Thomas who had lived 2 miles from the school. Thomasâ influence has been lifelong. âTime passed and Hilary and I found ourselves living in the same village as the Welsh poet, the late Leslie Norris, who became a great friend and an attentive and helpful mentor. I also learned from Ted Walker
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