Author Archives: Merrilyn Thomas

Do You Want To Know A Secret?

Merrilyn Thomas Posted on by

After many many months of research, writing, drafting and re-drafting, I have just given birth to my first novel. It has been a long gestation but now – finally – it is done. Know You Her Secret has been published. Inspired by the true story of my great-great-aunt, it relates how Lucy King left her safe, secure middle-class home in Lancashire to become governess to a little Russia princess in the St Petersburg of Imperial Russia and was caught up in the Russian Revolution … So What’s the Secret? Well –it could be one of many. Was my great-great-aunt a … Read more …

Megan Young Poetry Prize 2020

Merrilyn Thomas Posted on by

Poetry Becomes a Covid Casualty It seems that poetry has become a casualty of Covid 19. Schools are being advised they can drop poetry from the GCSE syllabus, at least for the next 12 months. What a shame! Children are natural poets. They are uninhibited. They express their thoughts and feelings as they find them. They love rhythm and are fascinated by word play. They don’t just read poetry – they write it. I know this as the mother of a child who wrote poetry from the moment she could write. I know it also because in recent years I … Read more …

Remembering Dresden reconciliation

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Dresden Anniversary Fifty-five years ago, when the world was divided into East and West, communism and capitalism, I went to the city of Dresden with a group of other young people from Britain. We were full of idealism about a peaceful world, a world where people of all countries could live in harmony with one another. We were doing our bit against chauvinism and hate – even if those thoughts were poorly formulated in our young minds at that time. We went there to help rebuild a church hospital which had been partially destroyed during the bombing raid of February … Read more …

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In Poetry Every Word Counts

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Misprints in poetry I was reading an article in the magazine of the Society of Authors the other day about the extra care that is needed to avoid misprints in poetry. ‘In poetry, every word counts,’ wrote the poet John Greening. Misprints can be brought about by the need to transcribe a poet’s hand writing or, these days, by an over enthusiastic spellchecker. John Greening’s article struck a chord with me. When my daughter died at the age of 32 I took on the task of transcribing her poetry, mostly handwritten, contained in a scruffy old folder. Subsequently I published … Read more …

Cancer of Unknown Primary Awareness Week 2018

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Many people do not know that you can be diagnosed with cancer and yet doctors cannot tell you what type of cancer you have. This is known as Cancer of Unknown Primary (CUP). A charity is working to raise awareness of this form of cancer and promote research in order to improve diagnosis and treatment.

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Peace and Reconciliation – How Far Have We Come?

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Young people’s desire for peace and reconciliation remains as strong as it did sixty years ago when the German organisation Aktion Sühnezeichen was founded. At that time the aim was to send young volunteers to work in countries that had suffered during the Second World War. Today the organisation sends volunteers around the world and has broadened its mission to include fighting racism, discrimination and social exclusion.

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Should we stop talking about the battle with cancer?

Merrilyn Thomas Posted on by

When my daughter Megan was dying of terminal cancer, she was adamant that at her funeral no-one should talk about her brave fight or use phrases such as ‘she died after a long battle with cancer’. This is not a battle, she told me. I am dying. A cancer charity says that the perceived idea that people need to fight cancer can have a negative effect.

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