The Spoons That Are My Ears!

The weekend was a big one, much bigger than most, although I didn't go on any long walks or attend any gigs or even bask in the sun. But this same biggness means I've fallen behind with my work. I have lots of work to do but I feel demotivated. I'm helping some friends with their university assignments and so I've been trying to cram up on subjects I know nothing about. Cheating on behalf of others isn't easy!

I've just received the timetable for an SF conference organised by the Welsh Academi at the University of Glamorgan in June. The fact the Academi has organised a conference that has nothing to do with social realism is remarkable in itself. Next they need to learn the difference between genre and true fantastical literature (magic realism, fabulism, metafiction, etc) and maybe I can help that process along, just a little. My own talk is entitled 'OuLiPo: how to write impossible stories' and I'm looking forward to demonstrating some of the remarkable techniques devised by Queneau, Perec, Calvino, Roubaud, etc.

The Postmodern Mariner is almost ready to go to the printers! Yo ho ho! The unofficial launch for the book will be on the beach here in Swansea (unofficial to bypass Health & Safety laws) and it's hoped people will dress in piratical garb of some sort, even if it's just a knotted hanky on the bonce. I have a clear image of what a Postmodern Mariner should look like: outfitted like a buccanneer but with a frappuccino instead of a parrot on his shoulder. A filmmaker named Martin Roberts might film the event.