Tag: Research

Arnos Vale Cemetery

· Leave a comment ·

Took my son for a jolly in Arnos Vale Cemetery today – I know, he’s a lucky lad, right?

My work in progress, We Are Gathered, will hopefully be performed here in October, so I wanted to get a feel for the place. After an explore through the shadows and having collected over a hundred and twenty photos (ones featured salvaged from the mass of photobombings), I have enough to start on the second draft.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Arnos Vale is a forty-five acre Victorian Garden Cemetery alive with nature trails, a Forest school, guided tours, hidden symbols, underground tunnels and weddings, in the heart of the vibrant UK city of Bristol. For more info, visit www.arnosvale.org

 

Exhibiting UDP

· Leave a comment ·

One of the topics I’m exploring in my story, Hashtag Rewilding, is sexual harassment and how it is ingrained in our society.

This behaviour has transferred to the virtual world where it has become rife, possibly because devices offer a false sense of anonymity. A lot of the women I know have been sent unsolicited pictures of male genitalia via social media. If that is the case, then we must surely come into daily contact with men who have sent this type of image.

Whitney Bell’s art show, I Didn’t Ask For This: A Lifetime Of Dick Pics, which ran at Rhabbitat L.A. in Spring last year addresses this issue in quite a powerful way. I’ve included Konbini’s interview with Bell here.

dickpic-whitney-bell
Quote: Simone Fiasco. Image source: Vice magazine

Ten Amazing Crow Facts

· Leave a comment ·

As a writer, my internet searches tend to be quite bizarre and the results equally so (and regularly NSFW). I have often thought about writing a post containing a list of my most unusual inputs.

Yesterday, I googled ‘crow’s feet’. Not weird particularly, but it did uncover a site all about corvids, a bird species steeped in myth, and one that will feature in my fiction sooner or later.

Here are ‘ten amazing facts’ about corvids via the site, Aves Noir – a site worth exploring.

crow-facts

No Tricks Just Treats from MUP this Hallowe’en.

· Leave a comment ·

More on the special MUP Hallowe’en offer. To get your 30% discount on their gothic list simply go to the MUP website and enter Halloween16 at the checkout. Offer expires at midnight on 31st October……don’t wait for the witching hour get spooky book shopping now!! Halloween Special Offer

via Hallowe’en Special Offer from Manchester University Press — Open Graves, Open Minds

Mother Trees

· Leave a comment ·

I’m reworking The Red Spot Murders tonight. It’s a Pourquoi story exploring the haunted house phenomenon, and features a delightful antagonist by the name of Maeve. It was by researching this character that I learned that there are such things as Mother Trees. I had hoped there were. In fact I typed that exact term into my Google search to see what would come up, and was rewarded with this wonderful TED talk with Suzanne Simard, a Canadian ecologist. Damn, the woods have just got a whole load creepier.

UTV - Vallis spring15.JPG

Euryale 1

· Leave a comment ·

Tonight, I was listening to the sound of growling made by dogs and wolves for my current project, Euryale (working title). At first, I wanted to describe the sound, but am now thinking to concentrate on the feeling it unearths within us.

Mudlark 5

· Leave a comment ·

The final section in Mudlark is entitled, The Mime. I found these two beautiful performances by Jérôme Murat and Clown Adrien whilst studying the art form in preparation to write my story’s conclusion. First draft of the story has just been completed!.

Enjoy the show!