Conkers

The most important thing at primary school was not what we were studying, or even what we were wearing but what craze was currently in: hopscotch, French skipping with elastic, marbles, stilts, hoops, you name it they all came and went. Most of these crazes were fleeting and unrelated to the seasons, but there was one craze that came round regularly every autumn: conkers.

The conker is the seed of the horse chestnut tree. A magnificent deciduous tree which has pink or white candelabra of flowers in spring and in autumn bears a curious fruit that looks as though it came out of book on mediaeval warfare. The conker hides inside a green prickly ball which is quite tough and almost leathery – it is difficult to peel open but well worth the effort, as once you manage to pry it out of its protective shell, there lies the conker, a luscious, dark-chocolaty shiny brown gem.

Although well worthy of being collected for their beauty alone, that was not what we wanted conkers for. Indeed we did use them in a kind of warfare. Once you had found and peeled your conker you had to see if it was a good one. This meant that it had to be hard, but not brittle, as it had to be pierced by a sharp instrument and then threaded onto a piece of string about 6 inches long, knotted underneath the conker. Many a conker did not survive this first test and had to be discarded when it split open at the skewering process.

Once the conker was threaded for combat we paired off to duel with our mediaeval flails. Each person held their conker like a ball on a chain swinging ominously. On the count of three both parties would bang conkers together, trying to split the other person’s open. The winner survived unscathed. Some conkers were invincible and those became our favourites and would rule the playground for days, only relinquishing when they, in turn were split by a new contender.

One particularly bounteous autumn the conker crop was so glorious that my sister Isobel decided not just to use them for warfare but to collect them. In a trunk my father had used to pack his belongings for boarding school, she hoarded away literally hundreds of conkers. To her they were jewels, lying in the chest winking and glowing like so many amber eyes.

I suppose she thought that they would retain their fresh autumn-lustre forever but of course they could not. When, a couple of months later, she opened the trunk to be confronted with a mound of withered opaque nuts, so acute was her disappointment that she threw a tantrum and tipped the contents of the trunk out of her bedroom window where they hailed down like cannon balls falling from the citadel of a mediaeval castle. Conkers are to be enjoyed in autumn, not kept for spring.

Joanna Richardson, May 12, 2008

Internet Resources for Writers

On May 7th, 2008 at the 34th International Book Fair in Buenos Aires, members of Thursdays@Three presented a workshop in conjunction with the U.S. Embassy entitled, "How to Launch a Writing Career Using the Internet." See below for resources referred to in this workshop, in addition to other useful web sites.

AWARDS, CONTESTS, & PUBLICATION RESOURCES:

Poets & Writers Magazine
www.pw.org
Searchable database of contests, residencies and retreats, magazines seeking submissions, and grants, mostly U.S.-based. Also has articles for a writing audience.

Funds for Writers
www.fundsforwriters.com
Grants, contests, magazines that pay for submissions, and other writing resources. Also possible to receive e-newsletter with updates.

First Writer
www.firstwriter.com
Agents, publishers, magazines, contests and advice.

Writers’ Market
www.writersmarket.com
Fee-based comprehensive service on writers markets in the U.S. Free 30 day trial.

ONLINE WRITING CLASSES:

Gotham Writers’ Workshop
www.writingclasses.com
Premier resource for online writing classes in any genre.

Writers College.
www.writerscollege.com
More online writing classes.

FREELANCE JOURNALISM:

Media Bistro
www.mediabistro.com
Freelance market hub for journalists.

Suite 101
www.suite101.com
Always looking for freelance writers to write on an endless variety of topics. Also has articles about writing at: www.suite101.com/writingandublishing/

Ground Report
www.groundreport.com
Citizen journalism website. Upload your articles and get paid by number of clicks.

Argentina’s Travel Guide
www.argentinastravel.com
Online travel guide to Argentina that accepts freelance articles.

GENERAL FREELANCE RESOURCES:

Guru
www.guru.com
Online freelance marketplace.

Elance
www.elance.com
Online freelance marketplace.

BLOGGING RESOURCES:

Blogger.com
www.blogger.com
Set up your own blog for free.

Technorati
www.technorati.com
Hub of blogs and blogger news.

WRITERS NETWORKS:

Craigs List
www.craigslist.org
Classifieds for everything organized by city. Click on “writing/editing” under “jobs” or “writing” under “gigs” for updated opportunities. Can also post to advertise opportunities, organize a local writers’ group, etc.

Coffehouse for Writers
www.coffeehouseforwriters.com
Online writing community with workshops, resources, advice and opportunities to chat with other writers.

Red Room
www.redroom.com
Online community of writers and news on the writing industry.

Society of Authors
www.societyofauthors.com
Online community of writers with staff available to answer questions about the business and grant award opportunities. Primarily for British authors.

More resources in Spanish are available at: www.juevesalastres.blogspot.com