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women in comics in UK/Ireland – redux
The promised follow-up to the British women in comics blog post in January. I’ve written an overview of this entry also. A list of female writers and artists (colourists, inkers, pencilers, etc.) who work in sequential storytelling in the UK and Ireland. I’ve created a permanent page for this list on my web site – it’s linked on the sidebar. This post will no longer be updated. All further updates will be on the page. Update: for a comprehensive overview of the history of women who have worked in the comic book industry in the UK read The Inking Woman, edited by Nicola Streeten and Cath Tate, published by Myriad.…
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Script Frenzy 2011
Fancy a challenge for the month of April? The annual Script Frenzy kicks off on the 1st of April (it’s no joke!), and the aim is to write 100 pages of original scripted material during the 30 days of April. (Screenplays, stage plays, TV shows, short films, and graphic novels are all considered.) Writers can join the web site, find other writers who are striving toward the same goal and thus encourage one other. Script Frenzy is a donation-funded non-profit and doesn’t charge a fee for participation. There are also no valuable prizes awarded or “best” scripts singled out. Every writer who completes the goal of 100 pages gains the…
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a host
I suspect Wordsworth‘s poem ‘Daffodils‘ is so well-known that its familiarity lends a little contempt. Still, it is marvellous and uplifting to happen upon a crowd of daffodils, their golden trumpets bouncing in March breezes. After a long winter it’s a lovely sight, especially if you’re lucky enough to have sunshine to add a gleam to their Spring parade. This image was taken in my local park, where every year sections of the path are lined with their yellow glory. We’ve been blessed with good weather lately, so they were really putting on a show that day. Unlike Wordsworth, I have an digital image to remind me of their beauty,…
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solidarity
I have a history of social activism. When I was attending Trinity College in Dublin I got involved in student politics. For four years I was on the Gradate Students’ Union, and for the last year I served as President. During that period I sat on numerous college committees, including TCD’s College Board – which was the ultimate decision-making body in the college. I learned a great deal during those years. I learned the nuances of negotiating within a structure where the majority of the decisions were quietly agreed upon by an elite group behind the scenes. I also learned the importance of solidarity. Even though people speak in patronising…
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the wren the wren the king of all birds
This little fellow had quite an escapade today. Since we’re having beautiful weather at the moment I left the back door to our kitchen/dining room open. A while later, as I tapped away on the computer, I heard scuffling noises from the kitchen. When I investigated I discovered this chap rustling about among the cups on the windowsill, desperate for an exit. This is a somewhat regular occurrence. I’ve had swallows (three in one go!), chaffinches and robins take a wrong turn and end up trapped in the house. One time it took me a couple of days to evict a tiny avian adventurer because it flew into one of…
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genre for Japan
Floor to Ceiling Books reviewer Amanda Rutter, Solaris editor Jenni Hill, BFS reviewer Louise Morgan, blogger Ro Smith and Hub editor Alasdair Stuart have formed Genre for Japan, an SF/F/horror-themed auction to benefit the British Red Cross Japanese Appeal. Following the example of Authors for Japan, where bids are now closed, we’d like to introduce Genre for Japan, a chance for the comics, science fiction, fantasy and horror communities to unite and show our generosity to those who need it right now. We are planning to run auctions for genre-themed prizes and we need YOU to donate. We are looking for really fantastic prizes: examples might include signed first editions, coaching sessions…
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shake up the sky
I always say trees and sky belong together. I snapped this a few days ago, and I love how the cloud formations seem like cartoon movement ripples or sound lines radiating from the tree. As if it is hollering out: Wake up! Spring has returned!
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brilliant
It’s the end of St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland, a day of celebrations and parades all over the country. It’s turning into a fun holiday, far from the pitiful parades of yore, which involved tractors with ghetto-blasters strapped to their sides blaring out The Clancy Brothers, dingy floats advertising the local supermarket, shivering school bands wearing beige blazers and plaid skirts marching in grim formation and people wrapped up in raincoats and scarves waving plastic tricolours with scant enthusiasm. Later, after we’d breathed life back into our blue fingers, we’d watch the parades in New York, Paris and Sydney on telly and wish we had something that colourful and interesting…
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Spring
I took this photograph today of the Cherry-plum tree in my front garden. It’s always the welcome first herald of Spring, blossoming before most other trees. We’ve had two stunning, sunny days in a row, and the tree is garlanded with flowers now. Against the clear, azure skies the laden boughs sink and sigh, gravid in the breeze. Today I started sweeping up the clumps of leaves and twigs that have accumulated in drifts around the outside of the house thanks to winter’s storms. It’s the first day I’ve felt compelled to start the usual gardening jobs. Weeds are appearing, and I can’t say I’ve missed them. It’s best to…
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memories of Japan
In the autumn of 2007 Martin and I travelled to Japan. It was a country both of us always wanted to visit, and it was a memorable trip. My favourite part was our short seclusion in the Buddhist village of Kôyasan, which is located high in the mountains south of Osaka. It was founded twelve centuries ago, and is the centre for the study and practice of Shingon Buddhism. It is difficult to describe the majesty of its surroundings or the serenity that permeates the area. If you wish to stay overnight you must take lodgings in one of its 120 beautiful monasteries. In 2004 UNESCO named the “Sacred Sites…
