a busy March weekend

At the end the month I’ll be attending P-Con (27-29 March) in Dublin, with a variety of excellent writers. I’m looking forward to catching up with friends and spending time discussing speculative fiction in all its guises.

On the evening before the convention, Thursday the 26th of March, Kim Newman (who is also attending P-Con), will be speaking to members of the Irish Playwrights and Screenwriters Guild about Writing Horror. The format will be a question and answer session conducted by me, with questions open to the floor at the end of the meeting.

Kim will explore the tradition of horror in relation to filmmaking, and will discuss the advantages and difficulties of writing successfully within this genre. Those who are aware of Kim’s encyclopaedic knowledge of the industry, as well as his own deft ability as an author, will consider this an event well worth attending. It’s taking place at 7pm in Room 3 on the second floor of Filmbase, in Temple Bar, Dublin 2. Members of the Guild should RSVP their interest in attending the meeting, and are allowed to bring along a friend.

I should also point out that the Irish Film Institute in Temple Bar is running a Japanese Anime Weekend on the same weekend as P-Con. It includes screenings of Naruto, Sword of the Stranger, Metropolis, and Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, as well as two discussions: “A Brief History of Post-War Japanese Animation”, and “Japanese Animation for Adults”. Both of the talks, which will be given by Helen McCarthy, are free, but tickets must be secured in advance.

You’ll be spoiled for choice for something to do for those couple of days in Dublin.

Since it’s Thursday, here’s my latest twitter story: