Bandcamp Friday means direct support for artists. Give these tracks a listen or even buy one or two and support the unemployed! Need more suggestions? Check out my own eclectic collection.
Voilà Brigitte
Thanks to Bertie’s recommendation I have started watching Voilà Brigitte, which comes in wee bite-sized episodes on the ‘tube. They’re perfect for taking breaks from the presentation I’m writing for ISSS later this month — or should I say wrestling into submission (I hope!). The eons that exist between the proposal and the presentation hold…
CFP Divination, Witchcraft & the Occult: PCA Boston 2027
Call for PresentationsDivination, Witchcraft & the Occult *SPECIAL TOPIC*Popular Culture Association National Conference24-7 March 2027, Boston MA The broad interest in divination, witchcraft, and the occult has been part of popular culture for centuries. Scholars’ discomfort with the topic is often palpable: they tend to focus on intersections that feel more legitimate, e.g. legal ramifications…
Hookland Fragments
Re-enchantment is resistance. I think it fortunate (fated?) that my initial order of the Hookland book was returned for ‘unknown’ reasons — at one point there were claims of damage en route, but no substitute was suggested. This allowed me to instead order it from lovely Treadwell’s and receive in addition the much-desired Right to…
James Whale’s Man in the Iron Mask (1939)
As I put the finishing touches on my presentation for Sunday, I have been taking breaks with more swashbuckling: James Whale’s 1939 version of The Man in the Iron Mask. Returning stars of a recent view Louis Hayward and Joan Bennett, as the twins and the queen-to-be respectively. A great cast all around — it’s…
Life and Death of the Wicked Lady Skelton
After finally watching The Wicked Lady I decided I really needed to read it, too. Finding that it was cheaper to get the annotated copy was just a bonus because there were all kinds of notes and a good introduction. Magdalen King-Hall is not as well known as other historically-inspired novelists of her era like…
One Hundred Years of Surrealism: 1p RPG
I warned you, didn’t I? Yes, a third game in the space of a week because once you have a container it’s a simple thing to fill it with ideas! Okay, I am perhaps characteristically underplaying the concept because actually this is a completely different form than the pervious games of chance. This is a…
Swashbuckling Adventure
When I get fed up with what I’m working on — or if I actually finish something and need a break — a good old vintage film is often what I look for. The Wicked Lady (1945) is cracking fun. I regret not getting to it sooner. I used to have an aversion to Margaret…
Alchemy Anarchy: 1P RPG
‘You never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough You can never know enough without knowing more than enough; the road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom,’ or so said William Blake. (I should look it up as I never remember quotes quite right, but I’m fairly certain…
Mystic Lodge Fracas: 1P RPG
I am happy to announce my very first one-page Role Playing Game (or at least my first attempt at one): MYSTIC LODGE FRACAS. ‘Tis the season for one page RPGs at Itchio, where my first ever game now languishes (BE SURREAL, which needs some little fixes I think). All this obsessing about tarot led me…