Being James Joyce

That's a snap of me in profile being James Joyce last Sunday. My dear friend Kevin Jackson was making a short promo video for his forthcoming and most excellent book: Constellation of Genius, which is a history of the year 1922.

This was especially timely since I'd spent the previous three days in Dun Laoghaire, in sight of the Martello tower where Joyce spent six nights once upon a long time ago. The tower is a museum to this great Irish writer now.

I was in Dun Laoghaire (a name, as my co-host @tomdonegan pointed out, that is not conducive to auto-correct) for the superb Mountains to Sea book festival, six days of wonder and fun curated by lovely Tom and equally lovely @sarahwebbishere.

I did a couple of Raven Mysteries events, which I end with a little play performed by myself (as Edgar the raven) and five volunteers from the audience. It's almost always a complete shambles, and more fun because of that, and I'm glad to say that the plays were as smooth as always ;-) I was chortling so much I forgot my lines :-)

Tom and I took a stroll to the end of the harbour wall in DL, a spot which according to Mr Donegan proved the turning point for Samuel Beckett, who taking a similar jaunt in a force eight gale decided to move to Paris instead and leave Ireland behind him. We were blessed with extraordinary weather however and on the way back witnessed this cloud formation, sometimes mistaken for a flying saucer. (it's the one dead centre) Neither of us could recall its proper name, anyone know? Answers on a postcard please.

The following morning I just had time to witness a superb double act from @jabberworks and @philipreeve1 and then it was time to whizz home to prepare to be James Joyce.

Constellation of Genius is launched October 4th I believe. And then the next film Kevin and I work on together will be an extract of My Swordhand is Singing, shot on location in the Alps!

Closed graves...

Sorry not to have tweeted much (i.e. at all) on the second day of Open Graves, Open Minds, the Bram Stoker Centenary Symposium held at Keat's House - it was a busy day, which kicked off with a tour of the house and then moved on to the sessions proper, starting with a double act from your humble blogger and my friend Kevin Jackson.

I did a 45 minute slot on the folklore of the vampire, and how it differs from the vampire we have come to know from fiction and films. In this I was aided by my friend Thomas over at That Elusive Line, who drew me the handsome vampire you see here.

Then Kevin spoke about various vampirical things, and showed his 10 minute vampire film, Pavane for a Vampire Queen. Take a look if you haven't seen it - it's beautiful :-) And for the eagle-eyed features a cameo by, well, me.

The whole day was a great success, I thought, but the highlight for me was the closing talk, by Sir Christopher Frayling, a man whose books and TV programmes I have admired since I was young. He spoke about pictorial representations of the Gothic in art and film, and it was flawless and fascinating. It was based in part on material first considered in his show Gothic Nightmares from 2006 at Tate Britain, still available in the show catalogue. It was a total fan-boy moment for me, as we traded folkloric aspects of the undead.

Then came vampire themed canapés; black pudding on coffin shaped blinis, stakes through steak etc, and we all went home very happy, and much more enlightened about vampires in general. I'd like to thank Dr Sam George of the University of Hertfordshire for inviting me, and for organising the weekend.