Wossname -- November 2015 -- Main issue
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wossnameWossname
Newsletter of the Klatchian Foreign Legion
November 2015 (Volume 18, Issue 11, Post 1)
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WOSSNAME is a free publication offering news, reviews, and all the other stuff-that-fits pertaining to the works of Sir Terry Pratchett. Originally founded by the late, great Joe Schaumburger for members of the worldwide Klatchian Foreign Legion and its affiliates, including the North American Discworld Society and other continental groups, Wossname is now for Discworld and Pratchett fans everywhere in Roundworld.
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Editor in Chief: Annie Mac
News Editor: Vera P
Newshounds: Mogg, Sir J of Croydon Below, the Shadow, Wolfiekins, Mss C, Alison not Aliss
Staff Writers: Asti, Pitt the Elder, Evil Steven Dread, Mrs Wynn-Jones
Staff Technomancers: Jason Parlevliet, Archchancellor Neil, DJ Helpful
Book Reviews: Annie Mac, Drusilla D'Afanguin, Your Name Here
Puzzle Editor: Tiff (still out there somewhere)
Bard in Residence: Weird Alice Lancrevic
Emergency Staff: Steven D'Aprano, Jason Parlevliet
World Membership Director: Steven D'Aprano (in his copious spare time)
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INDEX:
01) QUOTES OF THE MONTH
02) EDITOR'S LETTER
03) THE TERRY PRATCHETT SCHOLARSHIP: A REPORT
04) ODDS AND SODS
05) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS
06) DISCWORLD GAMES NEWS
07) DISCWORLD ARTS AND CRAFTS NEWS
08) DISCWORLD MEETING GROUPS NEWS
09) DISCWORLD CONVENTION NEWS
10) ROUNDWORLD TALES: THE UNDELIVERED LETTERS
11) AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE
12) IMAGES OF THE MONTH
13) CLOSE
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01) QUOTES OF THE MONTH
"I have reached the conclusion that a person may make a decision to die because the balance of their mind is level, realistic, pragmatic, stoic and sharp. And that is why I dislike the term 'assisted suicide' applied to the carefully thought out and weighed up process of having one's life ended by gentle medical means."
– Sir Terry Pratchett, 2010, in his Dimbleby Lecture "Shaking Hands with Death"
"We should always debate ideas that appear to strike at the centre of our humanity. Ideas and proposals should be tested." – ibid.
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02) LETTER FROM YOUR EDITOR
Hogswatch is a-coming, the sausages are fat... and as winter sets in around the lands of the Ankh-Morpork Consulate and the dwellers in Fourecks start to gear up for BBQ season, the naughty and the nice are making their hopeful lists to send to the Hogfather. Item 7 is full of excellent suggestions from the assorted artificers at the Discworld Emporium and Discworld.com, should you be in the market for fanworthy gifts. And if you're thinking of gifts of the dead tree variety, don't forget your local booksellers, both real and virtual (_http://www.myindependentbookshop.co.uk/_).
There is quite a lot of Discworldly art featured in this issue, both official and fan-made. Some of it requires staying within the lines. Some of it is also edible. I hope you enjoy the various art links we've gathered for your delectation...
And that will do for the moment. But first, a word about a kerfuffle. In last month's issue, item 9 ("Fanac") was devoted to a string of Discworld-centric limericks sent in by one of our Newshounds. As no source was given apart from "found this on Facebook", I did a number of searches (as I normally do) but found nothing to indicate where the limericks thread came from; but as it was obviously fan-made and definitely fun, I decided to include it in the issue. Then, not long after the month's issue went out, I received an email from Jason Anthony of Discworld Monthly newsletter, explaining that the limericks came from a thread on the Discworld Monthly Facebook group, which is a private group. Jason and I have since discussed this and all's sorted. But as offence was taken, Wossname hereby apologises to the Discworld Monthly Facebook group for the uncredited sharing of a thread posted in that group.
The very purpose of Wossname, since its beginning back in the 1990s, has been to make fans aware of both direct news of the life and work of Terry Pratchett and various international activities of Pratchett fans, including links to fan art and reposting of forum threads and assorted fan poetry and essays; and that will continue to be our policy and raison d'etre. But to anyone – staff or civilian – who wants to send in any fan-based items from less than public sources in future, do let us know the origins...
On with the show!
– Annie Mac, Editor
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03) THE TERRY PRATCHETT SCHOLARSHIP: A REPORT
A special report by Danny Sag of the Australian Discworld Convention Committee
As you may have heard, Sir Terry Pratchett has – posthumously – created a perpetual scholarship at the University of South Australia, allowing Masters students to undertake their research at the Hawke Institute at UniSA and the Long Room at Trinity College Dublin.
On Monday September 28, Rob Wilkins – Terry's long time PA, Business Manager and friend presented the scholarship to UniSA Vice Chancellor Professor David Lloyd. You may have seen some of the news articles, or the official video from UniSA (links below), but I'm here to tell you about a fan's perspective.
Members of the Australian Discworld Convention committee including myself were fortunate enough to be invited to this event, and so we stood there nervously amongst many other university dignitaries, feeling a little out of place - until Rob came in, recognised us, and gave us all hugs!
Once the formalities began, Professor Lloyd introduced Rob and the scholarship, Rob spoke for a short while about Terry's life since the embuggerance, and the relationship Terry and Rob had developed with Prof. Lloyd at his time at Trinity College Dublin and later UniSA. Terry was given an honorary doctorate at Trinity College in 2008 and at UniSA in 2014, and for some of the time in between, Terry was a visiting Professor at Trinity College giving some lectures on writing. Rob then told us how last October – on the day after Prof Lloyd had visited to present Terry with his UniSA doctorate (together with a graduate's hat with corks), Terry wrote letters to his family and to Rob, which were not opened until Terry's birthday this year, after his passing.
The letter to Rob included a phrase similar to "I fancy a memorial scholarship in my name. Speak to David Lloyd and make it so." – and it has now happened! This is special as it's a perpetual scholarship - worth AU$1,000,000 (there or thereabouts) – which should tie the two universities together in Terry's name forever.
After the speeches, Rob presented Professor Lloyd with a large novelty cheque from the Royal Bank of Ankh-Morpork, the official documentation was signed (and stamped with Terry's bee), and a few of us had Rob sign our copies of The Shepherd's Crown.
A fun morning all around, and we were *also* lucky enough to catch up privately with Rob a little later to discuss the 2017 Australian Discworld Convention, which will be held in Adelaide. But we can't possibly tell you about that.... although if you sign up to the mailing list at http://ausdwcon.org you'll find out about Nullus Anxietas VI when we have stuff to announce!
Here be more photos: http://imgur.com/a/MlZfc
[Editor's note: there is indeed fresh Nullus Anxietas VI news! Scroll down to item 9.1]
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04) ODDS AND SODS
4.0 PTERRY STATUE UPDATE
From the Salisbury Journal:
"A campaign get a statue of the late Sir Terry Pratchett installed in Salisbury has gathered more than 2,500 signatures. Organisers say they are now working [with] an artist and Sir Terry's management team to draw up concept designs for the statue. Campaigner Emily Brand said: 'We've had some fantastic support and media coverage for the project, and it just goes to show how much love the community in both Salisbury and across the world had for Sir Terry. It's been a little quiet the last couple of weeks, but we are now working with artist Paul Kidby and Sir Terry's management team to create some concept designs for the statue in the near future. Once we have some designs I can go forward with the official pitch which I have been invited to put forward to one of the local councils. This project is going to be a long time coming to fruition, but I am so overwhelmed by the positive responses we've had so far, and I hope you'll all continue to follow us we work together to see this tribute to one of Britain's great authors come to life.'..."
http://bit.ly/1OlfWFA
4.1 THE FIFTH AND FINAL LONG EARTH NOVEL
The final Long Earth novel is due to be published in June 2016. Here be blurbage from Goodreads:
2070-71. Nearly six decades after Step Day and in the Long Earth, the new Next post-human society continues to evolve. For Joshua Valiente, now in his late sixties, it is time to take one last solo journey into the High Meggers: an adventure that turns into a disaster. Alone and facing death, his only hope of salvation lies with a group of trolls. But as Joshua confronts his mortality, the Long Earth receives a signal from the stars. A signal that is picked up by radio astronomers but also in more abstract ways – by the trolls and by the Great Traversers. Its message is simple but ts implications are enormous:
JOIN US.
The super-smart Next realise that the Message contains instructions on how to develop an immense artificial intelligence but to build it they have to seek help from throughout the industrious worlds of mankind. Bit by bit, byte by byte, they assemble a computer the size of a continent – a device that will alter the Long Earth's place within the cosmos and reveal the ultimate, life-affirming goal of those who sent the Message. Its impact will be felt by and resonate with all – mankind and other species, young and old, communities and individuals – who inhabit the Long Earths...
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25859268-the-long-cosmos
...and here be an interview with Guardian journalist (and fan) Alison Flood, back in 2010, when the Long Earth series was a mere project in its infancy:
"Both authors are determined to put the parameters of their world(s) down in concrete before getting started. 'Once you've got the science and the background you have to be true to it. One of the problems of Doctor Who-type fiction is that you can make it up as you go along. If you do it right, you use the modelling clay you've got,' said Pratchett. 'You only get one chance to put down the parameters of what's possible. I've been phoning doctors and people like that and saying "Can this work?" You have to find something which seems right and not too blatantly bad from a scientific point of view'..."
http://bit.ly/1P1tMzZ
4.2 THE BOING BOING REVIEW: THE SHEPHERD'S CROWN
By Cory Doctorow, with little to no spoilage:
"The Tiffany Aching books were Pratchett's personal favorites, a fact that had puzzled me, because as good as they were, they seemed slight alongside of the Moist von Lipwig books, whose exploration of the way that modernity and technological change rippled out through society really resonated with me. But in The Shepherd's Crown, I've come to realize what it is about these books that makes them so special and endeared them so well to Pratchett's own heart: it's their compassion... In The Shepherd's Crown, Tiffany's coming of age arrives at its climax, and Pratchett uses her challenges to bring her into contact with a much wider piece of the Discworld. More importantly, he makes her confront impossible situations – wicked problems where someone must lose. Into this action, Pratchett introduces all kinds of symmetries and touches in on some of the Discworld's old threads: the old romance between Granny Weatherwax and Archchancellor Ridcully, the ongoing story of the railroad (see Raising Steam), the social pecking order of witches, and the relationship of gender to witchcraft and wizardry, first explored in 1987's Equal Rites.
"What makes this book so great – what made Pratchett so great – is his commitment to making jokes into something more than gags. The early Pratchett Discworld novels were rather thin by comparison to the later ones (he confesses as much in some of his essays), because Pratchett got better as he went along. Pratchett's early work was dominated by puns, Douglas-Adams-ish comic footnotes (that often fell short of Adams's high standard) – cheap yucks. But Pratchett got better. Lots better. He didn't get better by giving up on those cheap yucks: he got better by making them into something more than cheap yucks. The Nac Mac Feegle are a silly gag about Scottish, drunken, ultraviolent Smurfs. In the Wee Free Men, Pratchett played with this notion, figured out where and how he could push it around. Five books later, the Nac Mac Feegle aren't a gag anymore. They're full-blown characters, and if there are running gags about them all being called things like No'-as-big-as-Medium-Sized-Jock-but-bigger-than-Wee-Jock Jock, they are garnish, not the main dish, which is a deft way of using these spear-carriers to move the story into complicated places where Tiffany's wisdom, self-confidence, compassion and sense of duty are all tested... I loved this book. I loved it even when it tore my guts out. If you love Pratchett, I guarantee it will tear your guts out too, and even though I'm not someone who worries much about spoilers, this one is big and I'm going to leave it to you to discover. But you've been warned..."
http://bit.ly/21ccap7
4.3 DISCWORLD COLOURING-IN PAGES!
A set of Paul Kidby's Tiffany Aching novels illustrations for all ages, generously made available on Terry Pratchett Books to print out and colour...
Tiffany and her frying pan:
http://bit.ly/1Hh1ejm
Rob Anybody Mac Feegle of the Chalk Feegles, looking fearsome as a Big Man should:
http://bit.ly/1MwAcn8
Miss Treason's Boffo skulls, Enochi and Athootita:
http://bit.ly/1PISjdc
...and a rendering of the original Paul Kidby cover for The Shepherd's Crown:
http://bit.ly/1QCM0bt
And to get ready for next October, you can download the Shepherd's Crown Halloween Pack, complete with costume suggestions and plenty of other things, by going to http://bit.ly/1MwAkTw and clicking on the download button
4.4 ADOPT A DRAGON!
From the Discworld Emporium and the creative genius of Paul Kidby...
"Please don't let our flames go out! At Hogswatch the Sunshine Sanctuary is 'swamped' by countless dragons in desperate need of love and care. By adopting a dragon today you'll help provide vital aid for the sanctuary's most needy residents. In return for your contribution and support, you'll receive 3 own baby swamp dragons, lovingly and exclusively sculpted by Mr Paul Kidby! Produced in a beautifully glinty cold-cast bronze finish, these dragon babies really glow! But that's not all – you'll also receive adoption certificates to name and keep safe with your dragons, all presented in transportation gift boxes to prevent escape! Please remember: 'A Dragon is for Life, not just for Hogswatch!'
"Our dragons are house trained but will sit happily outdoors should they become too much of a handful. It is also worth noting that these dragons are 100% unexplosive, and pose no risk to your home or possessions."
There are several different dragons...
Swamp Dragon #1: "This little cutie measures 160(l) x 95(w) x 60(h)mm." Priced at £30. For more information, and to order, go to http://bit.ly/1MfT73b
Swamp Dragon #2: "This little cutie measures 95(l) x 100(w) x 95(h)mm." Priced at £30. For more information, and to order, go to http://bit.ly/1MfTb34
Swamp Dragon #3: "This little sweetheart measures 115(l) x 85(w) x 100(h)mm." Priced at £30. For more information, and to order, go to http://bit.ly/1LUvpeV
Full set of three dragons: "These little b-lighters measure (mm): 95(l) x 100(w) x 95(h), 95(l) x 100(w) x 95(h), 160(l) x 95(w) x 60(h)." Priced at £80 the lot. For more information, and to order, go to http://bit.ly/1Hw6WZh
To view the main Adopt a Dragon page, featuring photos of Mr Kidby putting the finishing touches on his original dragon sculptures, go to http://bit.ly/1PepeWW
4.5 JIM VISION'S NEW DISCWORLD TRIBUTE ART
Nomes! On a boat!
I've been following Jim Vision and End of the Line's Twitter feeds ever since the Brick Lane Pratchett mural made the headlines many moons ago, and I was gratified to find that there was further Discworld tribute art to be had from the same artists in London. But as it.'s been several months since the post about the "Terry Pratchett boat" and the starboard side photos never materialised, here be the post with its incomplete set of art photos:
http://www.endoftheline.co/the-terry-pratchett-boat-starboard-side/
Another straight-on view, from Jim Vision's collection:
http://bit.ly/1XTWbcx
"Following the production of the Terry Pratchett tribute wall by Jim Vision & Dr Zadok, fans gathered far and wide to marvel at the spectacle. One of them being barge owner and London resident Faith. Faith got in touch with us to request her very own Terry Pratchett mural to be painted along the side of her house boat which moors on the east London canal. Jim Vision headed on over last week to get started and completed the starboard side with signature Josh Kirby gnomes and frogs. Take a look below. The port side still needs completing, so you can find Jim & Faith's brand new boat on the canal this Saturday. Final images to come next week.."
Photo credit on the page: T.Elhaj
http://jimvision.co.uk/
Also, here be an action replay of the Brick Lane mural, which has been partially changed by the same artists to Star Wars figures, after an unusually long tenure with minimal vandalism:
http://www.endoftheline.co/the-terry-pratchett-tribute-mural/
4.6 JOSH KIRBY GIVEAWAYS!
From the dedicated Josh Kirby Facebook page:
"In December we have two big giveaways planned so please share this page with friends, family and fans of Josh Kirby, Terry Pratchett and Discworld."
https://www.facebook.com/officialjoshkirby/
Editor's note: the page can be viewed even by those who don't have a Facebook account. If you're not familiar with Kirby's non-Discworld art, go give yourselves a treat! And be sure to have a shufti at Mr Kirby's biography:
http://www.artofjoshkirby.com/about.html
4.7 STEELEYE SPAN WINTER 2015 TOUR DATES
The wonderful co-creators of the Wintersmith songs, live on tour:
Tue 24 Nov The Stables, Milton Keynes – Box office/info: 01908 280800
Wed 25 Nov New Vic Theatre, Newcastle Under Lyme – Box office/info: 01782 717962
Thu 26 Nov Prince of Wales Centre, Cannock – Box office/info: 01543 578762
Fri 27 Nov Town Hall, Cheltenham – Box office/info: 0844 576 2210
Sun 29 Nov Royal & Derngate, Northampton – Box office/info: 01604 624811
Mon 30 Nov Epsom Playhouse, Epsom – Box office/info: 01372 742555 / 742227
Tue 1 Dec The Winding Wheel, Chesterfield – Box office/info: 01246 345 222
Wed 2 Dec Huddersfield Town Hall, Huddersfield – Box office/info: 01484 223200
Thu 3 Dec Sage, Gateshead – Box office/info: 0191 443 4661
Fri 4 Dec Leeds Town Hall, Leeds – Box office/info: 0113 224 3801
Sun 6 Dec Great British Folk Festival, Skegness – Box office/info: 0330 102 5295
Tue 8 Dec The Apex, Bury St Edmunds – Box office/info: 01284 758000
Wed 9 Dec Corn Exchange, Ipswich – Box office/info: 01473 433100
Thu 10 Dec St Mary's In The Castle, Hastings – Box office/info: 01323 841414
Sat 12 Dec The Lighthouse, Poole – Box office/info: 0844 406 8666
Sun 13 Dec Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch – Box office/info: 01708 443333
Mon 14 Dec Cadogan Hall, London – Box office/info: 020 7730 4500
Tue 15 Dec St George's Bristol, Bristol – Box office/info: 0845 40 24 001
Wed 16 Dec Portsmouth Guildhall, Portsmouth – Box office/info: 0844 847 2362
Thu 17 Dec City Hall, Salisbury – Box office/info: 01722 434434
To purchase tickets online for any of these dates, go to http://steeleyespan.org.uk/tour/ and click the button for the desired date.
4.8 THE RETURN OF... GREEBO?
In the Nottingham Post:
"A missing cat returned to its owners having lost an eye after five years in the wilderness – and weeks before the couple perform in a play featuring a one-eyed feline. Half-Persian tabby Silva was feared dead when she went missing from her Colwick home in 2010. But last Monday owner Gale Brammer received a call from Cat Rescue saying microchipped Silva had been picked up by one of their volunteers. The news came as Gale, 56, and her husband Richard, 48, were rehearsing the Colwick Theatre Club's production of Terry Pratchett's Maskerade. Richard, producer of the show, said: 'It's the most bizarre coincidence. It was almost too coincidental to be true. In the play, Nanny Ogg has a tomcat called Greebo, who only has one eye. Silva had two eyes when we last saw her, so she must have been through some awful things. It's very sad, but she's home and safe now.' The couple toyed with the idea of casting their cat in the role but decided it would be too cruel to put her on stage in front of live audiences. 'If it was being recorded like a film, I'm sure we could have involved her,' said Richard. 'But it's just not fair on her and we don't want to frighten her.'..."
http://bit.ly/1GHnOky
4.9 THE OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY BLOG: THE LANGUAGE OF DISCWORLD
An excellent Oxford Dictionaries blog entry about the language of Discworld!
"What first started life in 1983 as a parody of the fantasy and science fiction genres has now blossomed into a minutely detailed world. One of the most enjoyable aspects of Pratchett's writing is that, despite the fantastical setting, the people and places seem very real and relatable. One of the ways that Pratchett has achieved this is through richness of language... The Disc is both 'a world and mirror of worlds', filled with different countries and cultures which have more than a passing resemblance to our own, and it's clear that Pratchett has had a lot of fun creating the linguistic identities of Discworld's various inhabitants... With so many different languages spoken on the Disc – Morporkian, Klatchian, Ephebian, and Omnian to name a few – there's no wonder that language barriers, as anywhere, can cause confusion. For example, Ankh-Morpork might be the Disc's greatest metropolis but to a native of Uberwald (a 'very wild' place indeed!) Morpork is a word for an item of ladies' underwear. The Borogravian national anthem is another familiar example of the problems of translation. While probably a rousing call to arms in its native tongue, the Morporkian (or English) translation is somewhat mystifying... If human language differences weren't problematic enough there are also Trollish and Dwarfish to contend with. A clear parody of Tolkien's own inventions, Discworld dwarves speak a guttural language which, to the untuned ear, sounds like someone in need of a throat sweet or two. Dwarves famously have no single word for rock and can also communicate through a complex pictorial language known as Minesign. Trolls, on the other hand, are much more physical beings, communicating mainly by hitting each other with rocks. They do, however, have both a written and a spoken language and are perhaps responsible for the oldest writing on the Disc... Aside from the amusing names and satirizing of cultural confusion, language forms an important part of the underlying philosophy of the novels as Pratchett recognises how language creates the reality it describes. He also demonstrates the power of language in shaping the way we relate to our own identities and the past..."
http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2012/06/the-language-of-discworld/
4.10 REVIEW: THE WORLD OF POO
In The Missoulian (of Missoula, Montana), a review by Marjorie Doyle:
"If you have a child around 9 or 10 years old and are a fan of Pratchett's 'Discworld,' this is the book for you. If you've never read Pratchett and need some humor in your life, this little book will have you hooked. One of the only authors that my spouse and children have in common, Pratchett's use of word play and irreverent humor will have most chuckling all the way through this book 'for all ages.' The story of young Geoffrey – who is sent off to visit his grandmamma while his mother is preparing for childbirth – and his quest to collect samples of poo of every variety is more amusing than can be imagined..."
http://bit.ly/1ShyN5F
4.11 A CHAMPION DISCWORLD CAKE!
In the South Wales Argus:
"An Ebbw Vale woman and her five-year-old son were 'over the moon' after they were given top prizes in an international cake competition at the weekend. Jay Humphris won gold for her two-foot goblin and fairy cake while her son Toby Ashman, five, was given a certificate of merit for his creation at the Cake International show in Birmingham. The pair entered the decorative exhibit category alongside Emma Phillips, who runs Ebbw Vale-based Epic Cakes and also won a silver prize for her elaborate Terry Pratchett-inspired cake... Ms Phillips, who owns Epic Cakes and runs classes in Ebbw Vale learning action centre, won silver in the competition. She said: 'This is the first year I've entered. We were delighted to bits. My cake was a bit of a nod to Terry Pratchett because he passed away last year and my husband is a huge fan.'"
http://bit.ly/1NIhW85
And here is a photo of Emma and her award-winning cake: http://bit.ly/1XgblXB
[Editor's note: for more amazing Discworld cakes, go to the Images section!]
4.12 TERRY PRATCHETT, MIRROR(ER) OF (REAL) WORLDS
Here be a well-crafted piece by Shweta Taneja about how speculative fiction can provide a truer picture of reality, on the Indian culture site Scroll:
"In 2001, while receiving the Carnegie Medal for his children's book The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents, author Terry Pratchett said, 'We categorise too much on the basis of unreliable assumption. A literary novel written by Brian Aldiss must be science fiction, because he is a known science fiction writer; a science fiction novel by Margaret Atwood is literature because she is a literary novelist. Recent Discworld books have spun on such concerns as the nature of belief, politics and even of journalistic freedom, but put in one lousy dragon and they call you a fantasy writer.'... For fantasy, be it in gaming or books or movies, is perceived by the majority as escapism and a desire to live in alternate realities. But for many authors like Pratchett, the purpose of fantasy is not to immerse yourself in another world so as to forget your own, but to reflect on your own society, to gaze into its gaping holes. In the same speech, Pratchett says, 'Far more beguiling than the idea that evil can be destroyed by throwing a piece of expensive jewellery into a volcano is the possibility that evil can be defused by talking. The fantasy of justice is more interesting that the fantasy of fairies, and more truly fantastic. In the book the rats go to war, which is, I hope, gripping. But then they make peace, which is astonishing.' And the skilled writer that he is, he manages to reflect our society's political and social milieu through satire, mirroring international bickering on climate change, the modern day obsession with television, ambitious politicians who force war in the name of justice, and even the disruptive role that everyday greed and cowardice play, all through a bunch of monsters and wizards..."
http://bit.ly/1N4t0zW
4.13 "RISE OF THE TOMB RAIDER" CONTAINS A TRIBUTE FROM RHIANNA TO HER DAD
In Gamezone:
"The daughter of beloved fantasy giant Terry Pratchett, she had the opportunity to learn at the knee of one of the greats, but she's stood out on her own skills and has carved an niche into the world of gaming with writing credits for the 2013 reboot of Tomb Raider, Mirror's Edge, Heavenly Sword, Overlord, and she's back with Rise of the Tomb Raider. Lara's father has been a specter and motivator for the titular archaeologist since her inception, exploring Croft Manor and traversing tundra following his clues and with the passing of Terry Pratchett, the younger saw a good opportunity to include an homage to the late author. 'There is one journal ... when my dad was being interviewed about his Alzheimer's, he said that there was one particular memory he didn't want to lose,' Pratchett recently told GamesRadar. 'It was about the time I was born. The night I was born. I immortalized that memory in one of Richard [Croft]'s diaries. So it's a little– it's a riff on that memory of my father's, rolled into Richard's memories.' Pratchett described the experience as cathartic and it's nice to see such a genuine tribute to someone who was not only clearly dear to her, but to the many Discworld fans around the world...."
http://bit.ly/1NjV1pp
There's also a full interview with Ms Pratchett in The Telegraph, about the game and other things:
http://bit.ly/1O9ohxO
4.14 ON READING THE SHEPHERD'S CROWN
Tracy Briseno of the Ames Public Library has written a reflective essay about the end of new Discworld novels:
"I am having trouble reading this book. Usually, I buy the newest Pratchett book the day it is released and read it cover to cover that day or at the very least, within that week. I devour the book, then often go back and re-read it again once I've finished. Pratchett's books are fun and interesting, thought-provoking, and make the reader see the world around them with different eyes. I've read most of them multiple times and regularly recommend them to friends (and strangers). The point remains, that I don't want to finish this book. I dearly want to read it, but when it is over, there will be no more new adventures in this wonderful world I've come to love. That breaks my heart... The interesting thing for me is that the loss is felt anew when you discover an author you love, read through their whole body of work, then get to the end... For me, this doesn't translate to wanting others to continue ghostwriting (which Pratchett's daughter has assured fans will not happen in his case.) I mourn the finality, but anything else would feel like a sham, not quite right..."
http://amestrib.com/news/memory-terry-pratchett
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05) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS
5.0 NEW: UNSEEN THEATRE'S NEW AUDITIONS!
Unseen Theatre's next Discworld play will be Feet of Clay! The play will run from 15th to 30th April 2016 – but first, a cast is needed. Director Pamela Munt says, "This is a 'City Watch' play so I am hoping that lots of you male actors out there are jumping in to attend auditions. Female roles are also available of course. Basically we need a cast of thousands."
Auditions info:
When: Sunday 29th November 2015
Venue: Bakehouse Theatre, 255 Angas Street, Adelaide
Time: 5pm
Rehearsals will be held each week on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings, running to this schedule:
December 8th to 20th (Christmas break)
Jan 3rd to Feb 11th (Fringe break)
March 15th to April 14th (Production Week commences Sunday April 10th)
If you are interested in auditioning, contact Pamela Munt at pamela@unseen.com.au to let her know. "No appointment time is necessary because the auditions will be run in a group format. BUT we do need an idea of numbers."
5.1 NEW: ERIC IN CARDIFF (FEBRUARY 2016)
Monstrous Productions are going from strength to strength! Having raised over £16,000 for Alzheimer's Research UK so far through ticket sales for their Discworld plays – including £4,000 for their recent and much lauded production of Night Watch – the company is now set to tackle Eric in the new year!
When: 18th, 19th and 20th February 2016
Venue: The Gate Arts Centre, Keppoch Street, Roath, Cardiff CF24 3JW Box Office (029) 2048 3344
Time: 7pm all evening shows; 2pm matinee on Saturday 20th
Tickets: £7 (£5 concessions). To purchase online, go to http://7889269b08cd.fikket.com/
"Tickets are now on sale for Eric! They're a bit cheaper than usual as the play is shorter. Please be aware that there is one performance less than usual too so there will be fewer tickets available."
5.2 REMINDER: MASKERADE IN CAMBRIDGE (DECEMBER)
Discworld plays and home of the Cambridge Footlights – what's not to like? The ADC Theatre will present their production of Maskerade in December.
"After the sell-out success of Wyrd Sisters, Bawds bring another Discworld to the ADC Theatre with their unique mix of film, music and comedy, directed by a former President of the Footlights and dedicated to the proposition that 'in opera, no-one can hear you scream'."
When: Tuesday 8th – Saturday 12 December 2015
Venue: ADC Theatre, Park Street, Cambridge CB5 8AS (phone 01223 300085). "Parking is available in Park Street Car Park operated by Cambridge City Council. Street parking on Jesus Lane is often available for minibuses and other large vehicles. Approach must be made via Victoria Avenue or Maids Causeway due to traffic restrictions."
Time: 7.45pm
Tickets: £12/£10 concessions (Tue & Sat Matinee £10/£8 concessions). To book, go to https://www.adctheatre.com/whats-on/drama/maskerade.aspx and select a date from the drop-down menu on the right of the page
https://www.adctheatre.com
5.3 REMINDER: WYRD SISTERS IN HEXHAM (NOVEMBER)
The Queen's Hall Theatre Club are presenting their production of Wyrd Sisters this week.
When: Thursday 26th – Saturday 28th November 2015
Venue: Main Theatre, Queen's Hall Arts Centre, Beaumont Street, Hexham, Northumberland NE46 3LS (Box Office 01434 652477)
Time: 7:30pm a shows
Tickets: £10 (concessions £9, under 18s £7). The Box Office is open from 10.00am – 5.00pm Monday to Friday & 10.00am to 4.00pm Saturday and one hour before the start of every performance. To buy online, go to http://bit.ly/1O5eIAp and click on the tab marked BOOK, then click the BOOK tab for the date of your choice.
http://www.queenshall.co.uk/events/terry-pratchett%E2%80%99s-wyrd-sisters
http://www.queenshall.co.uk/
5.4 REMINDER: WYRD SISTERS IN BELFAST (NOVEMBER)
The Bart Players will present their production of Wyrd Sisters this week.
25th–28th November 2015
Venue: Bart Players, 183 Stranmillis Road, Belfast
Time: 7.30pm all shows
Tickets: £10.00 (Concession for Under 18/Over 60s/Students £8.00; groups of 10 or more will earn a discount). Tickets can be purchased online at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/bartplayers – or by email to bartplayersbelfast@gmail.com,
or by phoning 028 9020 2280.
http://bartplayers.co.uk/
5.5 NEW: MORT IN YORK, 2016: AUDITIONS!
We Are Theatre, a performance group particularly dedicated to engaging community and disability, will be presenting their production of Mort next June – the 21st and 22nd, at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre in York. But first, it's auditions time! Charlotte and Donna of We are Theatre tell us: "York is readily accessible via transport and as a company, we have an open door policy, so we do not have a core membership, instead holding open auditions and casting from those auditions for each show."
When: 10th, 17th and 24th January 2016
Time: late afternoon/early evening. To book an audition, contact wearetheatre@googlemail.com or ring 07521 364107, and give the following information: name, age (if under 18), email address, telephone number, and preferred audition date.
Rehearsals for the June dates will be held on Sunday afternoons/evenings "from Spring 2016 onwards".
www.wearetheatre.co.uk
5.6 REVIEW: MASKERADE IN LINCOLNSHIRE
by Winston Brown in the Spalding Guardian
"The ever-ambitious Act II Theatre Company set its drama group the task of bringing Pratchett's reworking of The Phantom of the Opera to theatre audiences at Spalding's South Holland Centre... The production turned into an epic, two-hour, 40-minute marathon with catchphrases like 'It's all about the music', 'the show must go on', and 'if your house is on fire, what's the first thing you would take out?' Kelly's remarkable turn as Nanny Ogg, plus steal-the-scene turns from Lily Bergin (Sgt Detritus) and Summer Milnes (Corporal Nobbs), added to reliable performances by Morgan, Hayley and the precocious Alex Gilman (Greebo)..."
http://bit.ly/1NIgSkD
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06) DISCWORLD GAMES NEWS
6.1 LEGO NO-GO
Some disappointing news for Lego and Discworld fans:
"Lego has just reported the results of Lego Ideas, in which it crowdsourced suggestions from Lego lovers for new products. And the news is bad. Not one of the ideas, all of which received the required 10,000 supporters, has been given the green light. In total, 13 ideas were rejected, including a Lego set that replicated the living room from '80s sitcom The Golden Girls; minifigures of the two elusive members of dance act Daft Punk; a scene from the Discworld novels; a Tyrannosaurus rex; the International Space Station; video game The Legend of Zelda and an ice palace from Disney movie Frozen. Each suggestion received at least 10,000 backers between January and May this year, making it eligible for Lego Review. But the Danish company decided not to forward any of the projects to the production stage, an unwanted first in Lego history. Lego did not divulge the reasons behind its decisions, although one factor could be the challenge of securing intellectual property rights on certain ideas."
http://yhoo.it/1X44u8M
However, some people remain undaunted, especially amazing large-scale Lego sculptor Eero Okkonen, interviewed here by Lego aficionados "The Brothers Brick":
"TBB: What was the hardest aspect of a Discworld character to capture in LEGO?
"Eero: Probably the Librarian's shapes and proportions, especially with my limited dark orange collection. The Dean's leather coat's text 'DEAN – BORN TO RUNE' was tricky too. Most of the MOC was built simply around it, as it set the scale for it.
"TBB: Did you have a moment of 'Eureka' when a particularly odd part just seemed to fit?
"Eero: The Librarian's face, definitely. It took lot of shaping, but came out surprisingly fast in night-time, two or three hours. I tried all sorts of odd parts to capture his rubbery baggy face. The minifig arms connected to the hip piece were going to be used as the brow but they ended up in the lower jaw instead. The handlebar piece had the most important 'Eureka' moment here, as it made a great upper lip and framed the eyes. It also made it possible to move the yellow teeth a bit forward, giving a bit less human-like and more orangutan-like overall shape to the face.
"TBB: How much time does it take to complete a build? Do you revisit for improvements before you are satisfied?
"Eero: The time taken differs... But I think I am quite fast builder. These usually have taken something like six hours each, some less, some more. Ridcully, who was the first one built, was done in a weekend shortly after Sir Terry's death in March and it took a bit more; I somehow found the legs challenging as most of my character builds usually have longer cloaks. Rincewind, on the other hand, took a lot less. His facial features took some shaping and SNOT work, but everything else came together in hour or two, the shaping being very simple here. I always revisit my old creations, but usually after they are photographed and posted online..."
http://bit.ly/1lAcNse
If you haven't time at the moment to read the full interview, do take a moment to look at these amazing photos of his Discworld work!
Ridcully, Rincewind, the Dean and the Librarian:
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5687/23056056312_22b5f5c521_z.jpg
The amazing Vimes, with cigar, truncheon – and proper bare toes:
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5707/21719775158_55b8f10547_z.jpg
...and Susan, dressed for The Duty and accompanied by the Death of Rats:
http://farm1.staticflickr.com/733/21808725266_2fdb0855ae_z.jpg
6.2 "CLACKS": A HOGSWATCH REMINDER!
No, there's no new news (or indeed, new ODs) since last month. But this is where your Editor imp-lores all and sundry who haven't bought Clacks yet to go to your nearest Roundworld game-seller and demand they present you with a copy to buy. While I have no full review to offer yet since it's taken a while to arrange a proper multiplayer session (December issue will have the review), we at Wossname Central have tinkered a bit with the game and can assure you that it's a goer. And what better way to liven up your post-Hogswatch dinner family games, right?
http://www.backspindlegames.com/clacks/
http://discworld.com/products/games/
http://www.discworldemporium.com/Clacks
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07) DISCWORLD ARTS AND CRAFTS NEWS
7.1 DISCWORLD.COM UPDATES
It looks like Discworld.com have got their hands on Tiffany's goddess-of-summer cornucopia, when it comes to Discworld merchandise...
"Crunching snow, snorting boar and rolling turnips in the office herald the approach of Hogswatch at Discworld.com HQ, and we're delighted to invite you to explore our range of seasonal gifts on our NEW festive favourites pages. Here you'll find tempting treats to delight every Discworld fan, unusual stocking-fillers and some new ideas from the Roundworld goodies vault. But do avoid disappointment and heed our last ordering dates as we cannot guarantee postage of items ordered after the following:
UK – 11th December
Europe – 4th December
USA – 4th December
The rest of the world (including Australia & New Zealand) – 1st December
http://discworld.com/products/festive-fun/
http://discworld.com/products/stocking-fillers/
Stocking fillers
"We have a ton of treats to stuff the stocking of any Discworld fan and a host of affordable Roundworld gifts too so please take a browse through our new Hogswatch pages, where everything is grouped together for simpler, faster shopping! Brighten up your desk with one of our quality mousemats, which are now all priced at just £5 – stock is extremely limited so grab your favourite design while it lasts. Or order one of our canvas bags and cover it with badges from our massive selection – we even have a colourful range of six 'festive specials'. Our quality Dweenie badges are always a hit but when the Hogfather turns up who can resist! He's only available for a limited time so snap one up while you can. And don't forget to deck your Christmas kitchen with magnets and coasters from our Dweenie range, again the Hogfather is only available for a short time. And grab the hugely popular rat chopping board and NEW Death chopping board while we still have stock!"
http://discworld.com/products/stocking-fillers/
http://discworld.com/products/bags/
http://discworld.com/products/badges/
http://discworld.com/products/dweenie-badges/
http://discworld.com/products/coaster/
http://discworld.com/products/gimlets-kitchen/rat-chopping-board/
http://discworld.com/products/gimlets-kitchen/death-chopping-board/
And for under the tree...
"We're delighted to offer you a huge range of high quality goodies featuring all your favourite characters from the Discworld. We have t-shirts and hoodies, Tiffany's exquisite pendants, stunning artwork (some still signed in person by Terry Pratchett), DVD's (including Terry's 'Living with Alzheimer's', now back in stock) and a hog-load more."
http://discworld.com/products/t-shirts/
http://discworld.com/products/hoodies/
http://discworld.com/products/jewellery-discworld-merchandise/
http://discworld.com/products/signed/
http://discworld.com/products/dvds/terry-pratchett-living-with-alzheimers/
Festive Favourites...
"All your festive favourites are here in our Hogswatch special page, from Death as the Hogfather specials to our seasonal range of high-quality A5 Hogswatch cards. Beautifully illustrated gloss cards featuring the artwork of Paul Kidby, they include a lineup of Discworld characters guaranteed to titillate even the most cynical scrooge. Cards feature The Hogfather, The Librarian (We all need a little extra 'Ook! in life!) and Nanny Ogg in a festive mood. All cards have individual messages and come complete with colourful envelopes."
http://discworld.com/products/hogswatch-cards/
http://discworld.com/products/festive-fun/
A really special gift...
"We have limited stocks of items that were personally signed by Terry Pratchett. Keep a little piece of history and remember him by tucking these items away on your shelf at home. A truly irreplaceable and precious Hogswatch gift. We also have limited numbers of collectable items and keepsakes for you to choose from for those extra special gift ideas."
http://discworld.com/products/signed/
http://discworld.com/products/collectables/
"Books, books and more bOOKs! As well as a vast range of Discworld novels in paperback and hardback, embossed with Terry's golden coat of arms, we have a wonderful selection of gift books ranging from the sublime Nanny Ogg's cookbook, Terry's incredible & moving 'Shaking Hands with Death' and the wickedly funny 'Good Omens', to the glorious Death's Domain and other Discworld mapps! We're all engrossed in the NEW Discworld atlas too, well worth a read! This stunning work brings to life the lands and locations of the Discworld stories in a way never seen before. Accompanied by lavish full-colour illustrations and a detailed world map, this is a must-have for any Discworld fan."
http://discworld.com/products/paperbacks/
http://discworld.com/products/hardbacks/
http://discworld.com/products/books/book-nanny-oggs-cookbook/
http://discworld.com/products/books/shaking-hands-with-death/
http://discworld.com/products/books/book-good-omens-paperback/
http://discworld.com/products/books/book-deaths-domain/
http://discworld.com/products/books/book-a-tourist-guide-to-lancre/
http://discworld.com/products/books/the-discworld-atlas/
"Organise your year with us... With 800 days, 13 months, two of each season and more festivals than Vetinari has mimes in his dungeon, a Discworld year is hard to keep track of! But we CAN help you keep tabs on a Roundworld Year with the 2016 Collector's Calendar. This unusual collection features twelve pieces of original art from Joe McLaren, cover artist for Gollancz's hugely successful Discworld Collector's Library. The calendar includes all major realtime calendrical data for Great Britain, Eire, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA, as well as notable Discworld dates. And the delightfully illustrated 2016 diary is a must for any Pratchett fan's Hogswatch stocking! A durable, high quality hardback, with heavy weave pages, this beautiful book comes with all the functionality of an everyday diary but also packs the charm, wit and wonder of the Discworld into every month – a must for the modern witch!"
http://discworld.com/products/books/discworld-2016-collectors-edition-calendar/
http://discworld.com/products/discworld-library/
http://discworld.com/products/books/discworld-2016-diary-a-practical-manual-for-the-modern-witch/
"Collect all your favourite characters from the Lancre Coven now easily accessible in our special selection pages. From Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, Magrat Garlick and Agnes Nitt to our youngest star, Tiffany Aching. We have a wonderful selection of magical merchandise to please every fan of the delightful Discworld witches."
http://discworld.com/products/the-witches/
"Cheer up the tree this Hogswatch! You asked for them and we're delighted to announce the launch of three heavenly Hogswatch decorations to brighten up the tree of any Discworld fan! These cheerful designs feature Paul Kidby's ever-popular artwork. The reverse is printed with festive mottos and each aluminium disc is suspended from a jolly red ribbon – Happy Ho Ho Hogswatch from us all!"
http://discworld.com/products/hogswatch-decorations/
"We've launched three quality new phone cases just in time to make the Hogswatch of any iPhone 5 or 6 user. Sporting three of our most popular designs these cases are proving to be a huge hit so order while we still have stock. And for those of you who don't have an iPhone, don't worry, we're looking at stocking other covers so keep checking our Facebook, Twitter and website!
http://discworld.com/products/phone-covers/
https://www.facebook.com/discworldofficial/?ref=hl
https://twitter.com/Discworld_com
http://discworld.com/
7.2 DISCWORLD EMPORIUM UPDATES
First off, the Hogswatch delivery news:
"'Nether rain nor snow nor glo m of ni t...' As an official branch of the Ankh-Morpork Post Office we pride ourselves on offering swift and reliable delivery all over the Roundworld."
For delivery in time for Hogswatch please make sure you order by the following dates:
Asia, Cyprus, Far East, Japan, South America, Eastern Europe – 6th December
Australia, New Zealand, Greece – 9th December
Germany, Italy – 13th December
Canada, USA – 14th December
Rest of Europe – 15th December
UK – 18th December
"We will cease shipping from Friday 18th December. Orders placed after this date will not be sent until we re-open on Tuesday 5th January. Check the postal system for worldwide incidents or status updates by visiting
http://www.royalmail.com/service-updates."
Editor's note: for the full info, go to http://bit.ly/1lBEUXP
Now, for some new stuff...
* The Great A'Tuin game mats!
"A generously proportioned Discworld game mat from Micro Art Studio featuring Great A'tuin, the Star Turtle by Paul Kidby. This marvellous mat isn't just for gaming though, oh no. In fact, we've been using ours as a general desk mat but it is also ideal for crafting, table decor, pet bowls and as a mouse mat for trolls for example! Measures 60 x 40cm, fabric with 2mm rubber non-slip backing."
Each Game Mat is priced at £10.00. For more information, and to order, go to:
http://www.discworldemporium.com/discworld-atuin-mat
* The Flora & Fauna of Discworld tea towel!
"100% cotton tea towel featuring some of our favourite Discworld plants and critters, including the Curious Squid, Quantum Weather Butterfly, Counting Pine, Hermit Elephant and Swamp Dragon! Illustrated exclusively for us in glorious thaumicolour by Vladimir Stankovic in his wonderfully dark story-book style, this fantastical tea towel is a tribute to some of the 'wilder' creations from the mind of Terry Pratchett – the flora and fauna that made the Discworld world just a little bit more, well, Discworld. Measures 78 x 48cm."
Each Discworld Flora & Fauna tea towel is priced at £9.95. For more information, and to order, go to:
http://www.discworldemporium.com/discworld-flora-and-fauna-teatowel
* The Death's Cloak pin!
"A replica of the Omega cloak pin worn by Death and Susan in the film adaptation of Hogfather. Made in pewter with a heavyweight brooch clasp, and delivered in a stylish presentation box. Measures 70 x 40mm."
Each Death's Cloak pin is priced at £10.00. For more information, and to order, go to:
http://bit.ly/1vleZlt
...and the Kidby Dragons latest...
"Thank you! Our baby swamp dragons, exclusively sculpted for us by Mr Paul Kidby, have twice sold out, meaning that lots of little dragons have been adopted, helping to provide vital aid for dragons in desperate need of love and care this Hogswatch. Each dragon is hand-cast, polished and finished to achieve their special glow – so it takes time for them to be created, but we're working hard to get them restocked soon and will let you know when they are ready for re-homing once more."
http://www.discworldemporium.com/
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08) DISCWORLD MEETING GROUPS NEWS: UPDATES AND REMINDERS
The Broken Drummers, "London's Premier Unofficially Official Discworld Group" (motto "Nil percussio est"), meets next on Monday 7th December 2015 at the Monkey Puzzle, 30 Southwick Street, London, W2 1JQ. For more information, go to http://brokendrummers.org/ or email BrokenDrummers@gmail.com or nicholls.helen@yahoo.co.uk
*
Canberra, Australia has a new Discworld fan group, Drumknott's Irregulars! "We are a newly established Terry Pratchett & Discworld social group in Canberra called Drumknott's Irregulars. The group is open to all, people from interstate and overseas are welcome, and our events will not be heavily themed. Come along to dinner for a chat and good company. We welcome people all all fandoms (and none) and we would love to see you at one of our events, even if you're just passing through. Please contact us via Facebook (_https://www.facebook.com/groups/824987924250161/_) or Google Groups (_https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/drumknotts-irregulars_) or join us at our next event."
*
There is a new public Facebook meeting group, "The Gathering of the Loonies (Wincanton chapter)": "This group, by request of Jo in Bear will continue to be used for future unofficial (not run by the Emporium) fan Gatherings in Wincanton. Look here for information. Next event Loonies Christmas Party. Same weekend as Hogswatch would have been. ie 27/28/29 November."
https://www.facebook.com/groups/373578522834654/
*
The Pratchett Partisans are a fan group who meet monthly at either Brisbane or Indooroopilly to "eat, drink and chat about all things Pratchett. We hold events such as Discworld dinners, games afternoons, Discworld photo scavenger hunts. Our recent 'Murder In Morpork' mystery party was a great night out. With 26 people attending, we had 24 suspects, our special guest – Vetinari, and one dead mime! It was a fun night of food and murder and we are planning another Murder in December so stay tuned. We also attend opening night at Brisbane Arts Theatre's Discworld plays." The Partisans currently have about 100 members who meet at least twice a month, usually in Brisbane.
Upcoming events hosted by the Pratchett Partisans include:
Homicide at Hogswatch. Sat 19 December 6pm-10pm. Grand Central Hotel Dining Car. Will another Murder will be committed in Ankh Morpork? More details will be released soon.
For more info about their next meetup, join up at https://www.facebook.com/groups/pratchettpartisans/ or contact Ula directly at uwilmott@yahoo.com.au
*
The City of Small Gods is a group for fans in Adelaide and South Australia. For more information on their upcoming activities, go to www.cityofsmallgods.org.au
"Every few months, we have a full day's worth of board games at La Scala Cafe, 169 Unley Rd, Unley in the function room starting at 10am."
Upcoming events include:
Nov 26th Monthly Dinner and Games, Seven Stars Hotel, 187 Angas St
Nov 29th Planning Picnic, Botanic Park, 11.30am
Dec 6th Round World Events SA Annual General Meeting
Dec TBA End of Year Dinner
For more info, go to http://ausdwcon.org/fan-clubs/adelaide/quiz/
*
The Broken Vectis Drummers meet next on Thursday 3rd December 2015 (probably) from 7.30pm at The Castle pub in Newport, Isle of Wight. For more info and any queries, contact broken_vectis_drummers@yahoo.co.uk
*
The Wincanton Omnian Temperance Society (WOTS) next meets on Friday 4th December 2015 (probably) at Wincanton's famous Bear Inn from 7pm onwards. "Visitors and drop-ins are always welcome!"
*
The Northern Institute of the Ankh-Morpork and District Society of Flatalists, a Pratchett fangroup, has been meeting on a regular basis since 2005 but is now looking to take in some new blood (presumably not in the non-reformed Uberwald manner). The Flatalists normally meet at The Narrowboat Pub in Victoria Street, Skipton, North Yorkshire, to discuss "all things Pratchett" as well as having quizzes and raffles. Details of future meetings are posted on the Events section of the Discworld Stamps forum:
http://www.discworldstamps.co.uk/forum/
*
Sydney Drummers (formerly Drummers Downunder) meet next on Monday 7th December 2015 at 6.30pm (probably) in Sydney at 3 Wise Monkeys, 555 George Street, Sydney,2000. For more information, contact Sue (aka Granny Weatherwax): kenworthys@yahoo.co.uk
*
The Treacle Mining Corporation, formerly known as Perth Drummers, meets next on Monday 7th December 2015 (probably) from 5.30pm at Carpe Cafe, 526 Murray Street, Perth, Western Australia. For details follow Perth Drummers on Twitter @Perth_Drummers or join their Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Perth.Drummers/ – or message Alexandra Ware directly at <alexandra.ware@gmail.com>
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09) DISCWORLD CONVENTION NEWS
9.1 AUSDWCON 2017 NEWS
Nullus Anxietas VI – The Discworld Grand Tour – will take place at the Lakes Resort Hotel, West Lakes, Adelaide, South Australia on 4-6 August 2017. Read on...
Announcing The Discworld Grand Tour!
=======================================
Ladies, Gentlemen, Dwarfs, Trolls, Vampires, Werewolves, Goblins, Feegles, sundry others and Nobby Nobbs – the Ankh-Morpork Tourism Board invites you to a journey of wonder, whimsy, and, er, wossname at *Nullus Anxietas VI – The Discworld Grand Tour – The Australian Discworld Convention.*
The Discworld Grand Tour will be held on 4th-6th August 2017 at the Lakes Resort Hotel, Adelaide, South Australia. This convention will be a way to escape on a luxurious trip to the Discworld to enjoy three (or four) fabulous days of fun and frivolity with your fellow fans of the late, great Sir Terry Pratchett.
Our wonderful new website has just launched and can be found at https://ausdwcon.org
Please visit the site to read all about the upcoming convention and to book your tickets!
Let Rincewind tell you all about it:
https://youtu.be/j80m1JdktQA
Terry Pratchett Folio Special Offer
=======================================
Thanks to the kind generosity of Rob Wilkins, the first 50 people to purchase tickets to Nullus Anxietas VI will receive a very special gift – a limited edition Terry Pratchett Folio, containing some short writings by our very favourite author. These have only been previously available to attendees at the UK Discworld Convention in 2014, at Nullus Anxietas V in 2015 and for a very short time at Discworld.com. This is your chance to get one of the few remaining copies, simply by buying your ticket to Nullus Anxietas VI!
For more information, see https://ausdwcon.org/shop/folio-special-offer/
HO! HO! HO! Buy your loved one a Hogswatch present!
===================================================
Also now available in the Australian Discworld Convention shop are Hogswatch Presents – vouchers you can buy for a friend or loved one which they can use at a later date to buy their Nullus Anxietas VI ticket! This is a special limited-time sale – Hogswatch Presents will only be available until December 20th.
Meet your fellow tourists
====================
You can find out more about Nullus Anxietas VI – The Discworld Grand Tour – The Australian Discworld Convention and chat with other potential tourists at:
Website: https://ausdwcon.org
Facebook page: https://facebook.com/Ausdwcon
Facebook group: https://facebook.com/groups/ausdwcon2017
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ausdwcon
IDWCON LETTERS
The Irish Discworld Convention committee have now released a collection of these letters, from members of Team Pratchett and members of the public, in .pdf form.
"Throughout the Convention, we ran a memorial event called 'Letters to Terry', where attendees were encouraged to write a letter celebrating the impact of Sir Terry's work on their lives." A few extracts to whet your interest:
"Well, if the old adage is true: 'no man is truly dead while his name is remembered', then there are millions of us remembering your name old darling, so many in fact that perhaps by some strange alchemy of fate the concept you so wonderfully explored in 'Small Gods', of deities being created by the prayers of their followers, then you might yet appear in some vision to a virgin or as a rocking statue in the grotto of your choice..."
– Bernard Pearson
"So many of us mourn you not just as an admired author, a fiction producing superstar glimpsed from afar, but for the very real way your writing touched our lives, widened our world view, improved our sense of justice and made us laugh."
– Shivers
"I had never been part of a fan community. I knew nothing of fan conventions or fan culture... And so, when the 2008 convention rolled around, I, at age 48, packed up my bags and flew to England from New Delhi to attend and it was the first time in my entire life that I had gone somewhere alone, to be amongst people I had never met before for any purpose, least of all for the purpose of celebrating works of fiction and their author. I arrived, met a few people, started gophering and the first duty I was given was to carry your bags. I was in awe..."
– Elizabeth Ann Warner Gaw
"I am a religious believer, and you weren't, and we had many a good discussion on this. But ultimately, once one has crossed the black sands under the starry skies, these speculations will disappear in the light of reality. So it is my confident prayer that one day we shall see one another again, and talk, and talk, and talk..."
– Jacqueline Simpson
"I was a geek when that was a thing that got you beat up regularly in school, long before it turned into an ironically cool label. You were a refuge, an example that people who unabashedly spent their time thinking about witches and elves could be spectacularly successful and not apparently bothered if others didn't care for the same thing... You gave me joy, Terry, when I needed it. You gave me a way to connect with those I love. You let me look at the world in a different way, and continue to do so. I miss the idea that there is more to be heard from you, but I know that's incredibly greedy when you've already given me so much."
– Kris Vasquez
To read the whole collection, go to http://idwcon.org/index.php/convention/2015aftermath.html/ and click on the Letters to Terry link. Beware, the whole document is 54 pages long and may cause strong emotions...
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10) ROUNDWORLD TALES: THE UNDELIVERED LETTERS
As told by Maev Kennedy in The Guardian:
"Thousands of pieces of correspondence, many still unopened, were stored away by Dutch postmaster and are now being examined by academics... an extraordinary trove of thousands of pieces of correspondence, never delivered, many still unopened and sealed closed, found packed into a leather trunk and stored away for centuries in the Netherlands. The collection includes letters from aristocrats, spies, merchants, publishers, actors, musicians, barely literate peasants and highly educated people with beautiful handwriting, and are written in French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and Latin... The letters were sent between 1680 and 1706, a time of constant war and political upheaval in Europe, and were kept by a married couple, Simon de Brienne and Maria Germain, the postmaster and mistress in The Hague. They were a canny business couple who spent a period in England as court officials to the newly crowned William III before selling their positions for £1,550 and a barrel of Burgundy and returning home. At the time the delivery of letters was paid for by the recipient, and many may have been undeliverable because the recipient had changed address – one had been forwarded to a series of different addresses, in vain – or even died. Smith believes that they were kept in the hope that one day they would be collected and paid for. 'Something about these letters frozen in transit makes you feel like you've caught a moment in history off guard,' he said. 'Many of the writers and intended recipients of these letters were people who travelled throughout Europe, such as wandering musicians and religious exiles. The trunk preserves letters from many social classes, and women as well as men. Most documents that survive from this period record the activities of elites – aristocrats and their bureaucrats, or rich merchants – so these letters will tell us new things about an important section of society in 17th-century Europe. These are the kinds of people whose records frequently don't survive, so this is a fantastic opportunity to hear new historical voices.'..."
http://bit.ly/1HBvVKP
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11) AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE
Here be another thoughtful review by the excellent Kokay Maramot. This time it's Jingo:
"Jingo is easily Terry Pratchett's craziest stunt. Unlike most City Watch novels, Jingo didn't start with a murder or death (or at least not obviously criminal). It starts with squids and fishermen! It is fair to say that everything would have continued peacefully where it not for a freak geological movement which caused an island (much like Atlantis, though possible less grander and definitely smellier), to surface. Crane up to Ankh-Morpork where the social weathercocks are stirring in the direction of war! From the humblest citizen to the bigwigs in the war councils of Ankh-Morpork, everyone is talking big and thinking small. But this being a City Watch novel and our main heroes and heroines [are] policemen, it's not going to be about the merits of diplomacy. It's going to be about the delights and excites of proactive crime fighting... But while Jingo had a lot to say about the stupid things people do that gets them into stupid wars, most of the novel is just gratuitously fun. And that fun goes a long way when your subject matter is something as grave as war. And I realized something peculiar at how Terry Pratchett frames his omniscient authorial voice. One can't help but laugh when Colon goes on with his aggressive jingoism, but feel truly disgusted when the nobles do the same..."
http://bit.ly/1X5s9FR
...and here we have a fascinating blog post by one Jamie Gibbs, covering all the stages of being in a Discworld play (this on being Monstrous Productions' recent Night Watch), from auditions to final bows and post-run celebrations, complete with terrific iconographs:
"It was a strange experience – I've not done any kind of performing for about a decade, so suddenly being back in that world again was a little nerve-wracking. I read Carcer's monologue at the audition – not too successfully as I fumbled the words and didn't come across as menacing at all. The dialogue scenes were easier as the nerves had worn off and there was less of a deer-in-headlights feeling. Thankfully, that night after the audition I'd been told I'd got a part and could become a member of Monstrous Productions! As the play progressed, I was lucky enough to get an upgrade to my role not once, but twice, due to cast members leaving. And so it was that I went from Waddy to Billy Wiglet to Ned Coates, earning me the award for 'Most Promoted' at the Night Watch after-show party... When it came to the first day of show week, I'd started to get a little nervous. Thankfully the rest of the cast and their backstage shenanigans did away with any nerves pretty quickly. One of the most satisfying things was, during a fight scene when I get winded by John Keel and go down like a sack of potatoes, there were audible gasps from the audience. Jes and I had practiced the fight numerous times, but it was great to get confirmation that it was believable..."
http://bit.ly/1PUEo2k
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
12) IMAGES OF THE MONTH
12.1 FAN ART
A selection of Discworld fan art...
A funky group portrait by FaQy:
http://faqy.deviantart.com/art/discworld-456356452
...and one by Yenefer:
http://yenefer.deviantart.com/art/Discworld-characters-121973566
...and one by Jesskat:
http://bit.ly/1PH0NS4
Bob Greyvenstein's fabulous take on Granny, Nanny, Lily and Tiffany:
http://bit.ly/1X5Eo5q
A (literally) eye-popping Rincewind by a-discworld-guild:
http://bit.ly/1NJmhHY
A collection of assorted Discworld fan art from the sublime to the, um, less sublime:
http://bit.ly/1MJRVoR
...and a fine collection of Discworld animal life in sepia, by Andrew Salt:
http://bit.ly/1SRmVHl
Wossname has featured several "Discworld Doodles" drawings by the extremely talented Amy Simmonds, who says, "I would just like to say thank you very much for featuring some of my Doodles on the Wossname newsletter and crediting me by name :D I have absolutely no problem with you using any of my Discworld fan art but might I ask that you also provide a link to my Discworld Doodles Facebook page please?" Of course we will, Amy!
Amy's Facebook page:
https://t.co/Yf7B37PMKe
Amy on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/InkaDoodleDo
12.2 MORE CAKES!
A small but perfectly formed iconograph of possibly the best Discworld cake ever, made by Mrs Barracude-Bruce, as posted on Cake Wrecks:
http://bit.ly/1MG1iVL
Natalie Porter of Immaculate Confections, cakemaker extraordinaire and dedicated Discworld fan, made an amazing Grim Squeaker cake for Hogswatch at the Discworld Emporium:
http://www.immaculateconfections.co.uk/grim-squeaker-hogswatch-cake/
Jo Orr of Ciccio Cakes made an amazing Hogfather from Rice Krispies Treats, fondant, white chocolate and edible lace, for UK children's charity Bake a Christmas Wish:
http://bit.ly/1SRljxc
And from Cake International 2013, a fine Luggage:
http://bit.ly/1lBIpO9
12.3 OTHER IMAGES
A marvellous montage! Some characters who will be in the Studio Theatre's 2016 production of The Shakespeare Codex:
http://bit.ly/1kM3LIl
From Paul Kidby's official page: "Here is Granny's cottage in the Ramtops, one of the endpapers I created for The Shepherd's Crown collectors gold edition."
http://bit.ly/1KXd64F
https://www.facebook.com/paulkidby
We all know what Paul Kidby looks like, but if you ever wondered what Josh Kirby looked like, here you go:
http://bit.ly/1KYaC6i
A set of photos from Uppingham Theatre Company's recent production of Wyrd Sisters:
http://mdbaines1.jalbum.net/Wyrd%20Sisters/Friday%20Photos/index.html
Also, Magrat and Verence caught (almost) in the act:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CSqGZT3WwAAYNnl.jpg
...and some of the audience, who definitely got into the spirit of things:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CSrH5vWWUAErhxr.jpg
Some of the Alexandra Players' cast from their recent production of Wyrd Sisters:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CSo4Ef8WIAA0rKx.jpg
and https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CSp8aoeXIAEEPT8.png
and https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CSz0RM0WEAEyftn.jpg
...and finally, possibly the best Discworld cosplay ever – one David Mountain and friends, doing true justice to Moist, Angua, Colon, Vimes and Mort at a convention in the UK:
http://bit.ly/1Yn7quu
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
13) CLOSE
And that's the lot for the moment, apart from a few items:
The superb Good Omens radio play has been nominated for a BBC Audio Drama Award in the Best Audio Drama (series or serial) category. Judging for the awards will be on 31st January 2016 at Broadcasting House in London.
*
According to the Random House website, there will be a graphic novel version of Small Gods, to be published in July of next year. Stay tuned for updates!
*
Granny Weatherwax made it easily into a "top ten greatest witches of all time" list in the Huffington Post:
"There are loveable witches aplenty in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, from the earthy Nanny Ogg to would-be opera diva Agnes and YA heroine Tiffany Aching. Esme Weatherwax is exceptional in that she is far from loveable, but will always do right by her village, even sitting down to play dice with the Grim Reaper on occasion it it means saving a life..."
http://huff.to/1NJhlD5
*
There's an interesting blog entry on The Oxford Student, about authors and their "look". Included, of course, is The Hat:
"A distinctive look can reinforce, or play against, a reader's perception of what an author is like based on their work. No-one is surprised after reading Neil Gaiman's work to find him a slightly dishevelled, tousle-haired goth with a fondness for black coats... The late, great Terry Pratchett was known not only for his unique prose style, but in his public appearances for his trademark black hat, to the point where it was disconcerting to find pictures of him not wearing it..."
http://oxfordstudent.com/2015/11/13/an-author-after-a-fashion/
In closing, I'd just like to point out that Pratchett superfan Emily Whitten is truly amazing. In addition to being bright, beautiful and clever, she has written a top-notch topical essay that references a certain Discworld book that can be said to reflect certain current events. Do have a read: http://bit.ly/1NlGmtM
Wossname wishes our USA readers a very happy Thanksgiving. See you all soon!
– Annie Mac
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The End. If you have any questions or requests, write: wossname-owner (at) pearwood (dot) info
Copyright (c) 2015 by Wossname for the Klatchian Foreign Legion
Newsletter of the Klatchian Foreign Legion
November 2015 (Volume 18, Issue 11, Post 1)
********************************************************************
WOSSNAME is a free publication offering news, reviews, and all the other stuff-that-fits pertaining to the works of Sir Terry Pratchett. Originally founded by the late, great Joe Schaumburger for members of the worldwide Klatchian Foreign Legion and its affiliates, including the North American Discworld Society and other continental groups, Wossname is now for Discworld and Pratchett fans everywhere in Roundworld.
********************************************************************
Editor in Chief: Annie Mac
News Editor: Vera P
Newshounds: Mogg, Sir J of Croydon Below, the Shadow, Wolfiekins, Mss C, Alison not Aliss
Staff Writers: Asti, Pitt the Elder, Evil Steven Dread, Mrs Wynn-Jones
Staff Technomancers: Jason Parlevliet, Archchancellor Neil, DJ Helpful
Book Reviews: Annie Mac, Drusilla D'Afanguin, Your Name Here
Puzzle Editor: Tiff (still out there somewhere)
Bard in Residence: Weird Alice Lancrevic
Emergency Staff: Steven D'Aprano, Jason Parlevliet
World Membership Director: Steven D'Aprano (in his copious spare time)
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INDEX:
01) QUOTES OF THE MONTH
02) EDITOR'S LETTER
03) THE TERRY PRATCHETT SCHOLARSHIP: A REPORT
04) ODDS AND SODS
05) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS
06) DISCWORLD GAMES NEWS
07) DISCWORLD ARTS AND CRAFTS NEWS
08) DISCWORLD MEETING GROUPS NEWS
09) DISCWORLD CONVENTION NEWS
10) ROUNDWORLD TALES: THE UNDELIVERED LETTERS
11) AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE
12) IMAGES OF THE MONTH
13) CLOSE
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
01) QUOTES OF THE MONTH
"I have reached the conclusion that a person may make a decision to die because the balance of their mind is level, realistic, pragmatic, stoic and sharp. And that is why I dislike the term 'assisted suicide' applied to the carefully thought out and weighed up process of having one's life ended by gentle medical means."
– Sir Terry Pratchett, 2010, in his Dimbleby Lecture "Shaking Hands with Death"
"We should always debate ideas that appear to strike at the centre of our humanity. Ideas and proposals should be tested." – ibid.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
02) LETTER FROM YOUR EDITOR
Hogswatch is a-coming, the sausages are fat... and as winter sets in around the lands of the Ankh-Morpork Consulate and the dwellers in Fourecks start to gear up for BBQ season, the naughty and the nice are making their hopeful lists to send to the Hogfather. Item 7 is full of excellent suggestions from the assorted artificers at the Discworld Emporium and Discworld.com, should you be in the market for fanworthy gifts. And if you're thinking of gifts of the dead tree variety, don't forget your local booksellers, both real and virtual (_http://www.myindependentbookshop.co.uk/_).
There is quite a lot of Discworldly art featured in this issue, both official and fan-made. Some of it requires staying within the lines. Some of it is also edible. I hope you enjoy the various art links we've gathered for your delectation...
And that will do for the moment. But first, a word about a kerfuffle. In last month's issue, item 9 ("Fanac") was devoted to a string of Discworld-centric limericks sent in by one of our Newshounds. As no source was given apart from "found this on Facebook", I did a number of searches (as I normally do) but found nothing to indicate where the limericks thread came from; but as it was obviously fan-made and definitely fun, I decided to include it in the issue. Then, not long after the month's issue went out, I received an email from Jason Anthony of Discworld Monthly newsletter, explaining that the limericks came from a thread on the Discworld Monthly Facebook group, which is a private group. Jason and I have since discussed this and all's sorted. But as offence was taken, Wossname hereby apologises to the Discworld Monthly Facebook group for the uncredited sharing of a thread posted in that group.
The very purpose of Wossname, since its beginning back in the 1990s, has been to make fans aware of both direct news of the life and work of Terry Pratchett and various international activities of Pratchett fans, including links to fan art and reposting of forum threads and assorted fan poetry and essays; and that will continue to be our policy and raison d'etre. But to anyone – staff or civilian – who wants to send in any fan-based items from less than public sources in future, do let us know the origins...
On with the show!
– Annie Mac, Editor
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
03) THE TERRY PRATCHETT SCHOLARSHIP: A REPORT
A special report by Danny Sag of the Australian Discworld Convention Committee
As you may have heard, Sir Terry Pratchett has – posthumously – created a perpetual scholarship at the University of South Australia, allowing Masters students to undertake their research at the Hawke Institute at UniSA and the Long Room at Trinity College Dublin.
On Monday September 28, Rob Wilkins – Terry's long time PA, Business Manager and friend presented the scholarship to UniSA Vice Chancellor Professor David Lloyd. You may have seen some of the news articles, or the official video from UniSA (links below), but I'm here to tell you about a fan's perspective.
Members of the Australian Discworld Convention committee including myself were fortunate enough to be invited to this event, and so we stood there nervously amongst many other university dignitaries, feeling a little out of place - until Rob came in, recognised us, and gave us all hugs!
Once the formalities began, Professor Lloyd introduced Rob and the scholarship, Rob spoke for a short while about Terry's life since the embuggerance, and the relationship Terry and Rob had developed with Prof. Lloyd at his time at Trinity College Dublin and later UniSA. Terry was given an honorary doctorate at Trinity College in 2008 and at UniSA in 2014, and for some of the time in between, Terry was a visiting Professor at Trinity College giving some lectures on writing. Rob then told us how last October – on the day after Prof Lloyd had visited to present Terry with his UniSA doctorate (together with a graduate's hat with corks), Terry wrote letters to his family and to Rob, which were not opened until Terry's birthday this year, after his passing.
The letter to Rob included a phrase similar to "I fancy a memorial scholarship in my name. Speak to David Lloyd and make it so." – and it has now happened! This is special as it's a perpetual scholarship - worth AU$1,000,000 (there or thereabouts) – which should tie the two universities together in Terry's name forever.
After the speeches, Rob presented Professor Lloyd with a large novelty cheque from the Royal Bank of Ankh-Morpork, the official documentation was signed (and stamped with Terry's bee), and a few of us had Rob sign our copies of The Shepherd's Crown.
A fun morning all around, and we were *also* lucky enough to catch up privately with Rob a little later to discuss the 2017 Australian Discworld Convention, which will be held in Adelaide. But we can't possibly tell you about that.... although if you sign up to the mailing list at http://ausdwcon.org you'll find out about Nullus Anxietas VI when we have stuff to announce!
Here be more photos: http://imgur.com/a/MlZfc
[Editor's note: there is indeed fresh Nullus Anxietas VI news! Scroll down to item 9.1]
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
04) ODDS AND SODS
4.0 PTERRY STATUE UPDATE
From the Salisbury Journal:
"A campaign get a statue of the late Sir Terry Pratchett installed in Salisbury has gathered more than 2,500 signatures. Organisers say they are now working [with] an artist and Sir Terry's management team to draw up concept designs for the statue. Campaigner Emily Brand said: 'We've had some fantastic support and media coverage for the project, and it just goes to show how much love the community in both Salisbury and across the world had for Sir Terry. It's been a little quiet the last couple of weeks, but we are now working with artist Paul Kidby and Sir Terry's management team to create some concept designs for the statue in the near future. Once we have some designs I can go forward with the official pitch which I have been invited to put forward to one of the local councils. This project is going to be a long time coming to fruition, but I am so overwhelmed by the positive responses we've had so far, and I hope you'll all continue to follow us we work together to see this tribute to one of Britain's great authors come to life.'..."
http://bit.ly/1OlfWFA
4.1 THE FIFTH AND FINAL LONG EARTH NOVEL
The final Long Earth novel is due to be published in June 2016. Here be blurbage from Goodreads:
2070-71. Nearly six decades after Step Day and in the Long Earth, the new Next post-human society continues to evolve. For Joshua Valiente, now in his late sixties, it is time to take one last solo journey into the High Meggers: an adventure that turns into a disaster. Alone and facing death, his only hope of salvation lies with a group of trolls. But as Joshua confronts his mortality, the Long Earth receives a signal from the stars. A signal that is picked up by radio astronomers but also in more abstract ways – by the trolls and by the Great Traversers. Its message is simple but ts implications are enormous:
JOIN US.
The super-smart Next realise that the Message contains instructions on how to develop an immense artificial intelligence but to build it they have to seek help from throughout the industrious worlds of mankind. Bit by bit, byte by byte, they assemble a computer the size of a continent – a device that will alter the Long Earth's place within the cosmos and reveal the ultimate, life-affirming goal of those who sent the Message. Its impact will be felt by and resonate with all – mankind and other species, young and old, communities and individuals – who inhabit the Long Earths...
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25859268-the-long-cosmos
...and here be an interview with Guardian journalist (and fan) Alison Flood, back in 2010, when the Long Earth series was a mere project in its infancy:
"Both authors are determined to put the parameters of their world(s) down in concrete before getting started. 'Once you've got the science and the background you have to be true to it. One of the problems of Doctor Who-type fiction is that you can make it up as you go along. If you do it right, you use the modelling clay you've got,' said Pratchett. 'You only get one chance to put down the parameters of what's possible. I've been phoning doctors and people like that and saying "Can this work?" You have to find something which seems right and not too blatantly bad from a scientific point of view'..."
http://bit.ly/1P1tMzZ
4.2 THE BOING BOING REVIEW: THE SHEPHERD'S CROWN
By Cory Doctorow, with little to no spoilage:
"The Tiffany Aching books were Pratchett's personal favorites, a fact that had puzzled me, because as good as they were, they seemed slight alongside of the Moist von Lipwig books, whose exploration of the way that modernity and technological change rippled out through society really resonated with me. But in The Shepherd's Crown, I've come to realize what it is about these books that makes them so special and endeared them so well to Pratchett's own heart: it's their compassion... In The Shepherd's Crown, Tiffany's coming of age arrives at its climax, and Pratchett uses her challenges to bring her into contact with a much wider piece of the Discworld. More importantly, he makes her confront impossible situations – wicked problems where someone must lose. Into this action, Pratchett introduces all kinds of symmetries and touches in on some of the Discworld's old threads: the old romance between Granny Weatherwax and Archchancellor Ridcully, the ongoing story of the railroad (see Raising Steam), the social pecking order of witches, and the relationship of gender to witchcraft and wizardry, first explored in 1987's Equal Rites.
"What makes this book so great – what made Pratchett so great – is his commitment to making jokes into something more than gags. The early Pratchett Discworld novels were rather thin by comparison to the later ones (he confesses as much in some of his essays), because Pratchett got better as he went along. Pratchett's early work was dominated by puns, Douglas-Adams-ish comic footnotes (that often fell short of Adams's high standard) – cheap yucks. But Pratchett got better. Lots better. He didn't get better by giving up on those cheap yucks: he got better by making them into something more than cheap yucks. The Nac Mac Feegle are a silly gag about Scottish, drunken, ultraviolent Smurfs. In the Wee Free Men, Pratchett played with this notion, figured out where and how he could push it around. Five books later, the Nac Mac Feegle aren't a gag anymore. They're full-blown characters, and if there are running gags about them all being called things like No'-as-big-as-Medium-Sized-Jock-but-bigger-than-Wee-Jock Jock, they are garnish, not the main dish, which is a deft way of using these spear-carriers to move the story into complicated places where Tiffany's wisdom, self-confidence, compassion and sense of duty are all tested... I loved this book. I loved it even when it tore my guts out. If you love Pratchett, I guarantee it will tear your guts out too, and even though I'm not someone who worries much about spoilers, this one is big and I'm going to leave it to you to discover. But you've been warned..."
http://bit.ly/21ccap7
4.3 DISCWORLD COLOURING-IN PAGES!
A set of Paul Kidby's Tiffany Aching novels illustrations for all ages, generously made available on Terry Pratchett Books to print out and colour...
Tiffany and her frying pan:
http://bit.ly/1Hh1ejm
Rob Anybody Mac Feegle of the Chalk Feegles, looking fearsome as a Big Man should:
http://bit.ly/1MwAcn8
Miss Treason's Boffo skulls, Enochi and Athootita:
http://bit.ly/1PISjdc
...and a rendering of the original Paul Kidby cover for The Shepherd's Crown:
http://bit.ly/1QCM0bt
And to get ready for next October, you can download the Shepherd's Crown Halloween Pack, complete with costume suggestions and plenty of other things, by going to http://bit.ly/1MwAkTw and clicking on the download button
4.4 ADOPT A DRAGON!
From the Discworld Emporium and the creative genius of Paul Kidby...
"Please don't let our flames go out! At Hogswatch the Sunshine Sanctuary is 'swamped' by countless dragons in desperate need of love and care. By adopting a dragon today you'll help provide vital aid for the sanctuary's most needy residents. In return for your contribution and support, you'll receive 3 own baby swamp dragons, lovingly and exclusively sculpted by Mr Paul Kidby! Produced in a beautifully glinty cold-cast bronze finish, these dragon babies really glow! But that's not all – you'll also receive adoption certificates to name and keep safe with your dragons, all presented in transportation gift boxes to prevent escape! Please remember: 'A Dragon is for Life, not just for Hogswatch!'
"Our dragons are house trained but will sit happily outdoors should they become too much of a handful. It is also worth noting that these dragons are 100% unexplosive, and pose no risk to your home or possessions."
There are several different dragons...
Swamp Dragon #1: "This little cutie measures 160(l) x 95(w) x 60(h)mm." Priced at £30. For more information, and to order, go to http://bit.ly/1MfT73b
Swamp Dragon #2: "This little cutie measures 95(l) x 100(w) x 95(h)mm." Priced at £30. For more information, and to order, go to http://bit.ly/1MfTb34
Swamp Dragon #3: "This little sweetheart measures 115(l) x 85(w) x 100(h)mm." Priced at £30. For more information, and to order, go to http://bit.ly/1LUvpeV
Full set of three dragons: "These little b-lighters measure (mm): 95(l) x 100(w) x 95(h), 95(l) x 100(w) x 95(h), 160(l) x 95(w) x 60(h)." Priced at £80 the lot. For more information, and to order, go to http://bit.ly/1Hw6WZh
To view the main Adopt a Dragon page, featuring photos of Mr Kidby putting the finishing touches on his original dragon sculptures, go to http://bit.ly/1PepeWW
4.5 JIM VISION'S NEW DISCWORLD TRIBUTE ART
Nomes! On a boat!
I've been following Jim Vision and End of the Line's Twitter feeds ever since the Brick Lane Pratchett mural made the headlines many moons ago, and I was gratified to find that there was further Discworld tribute art to be had from the same artists in London. But as it.'s been several months since the post about the "Terry Pratchett boat" and the starboard side photos never materialised, here be the post with its incomplete set of art photos:
http://www.endoftheline.co/the-terry-pratchett-boat-starboard-side/
Another straight-on view, from Jim Vision's collection:
http://bit.ly/1XTWbcx
"Following the production of the Terry Pratchett tribute wall by Jim Vision & Dr Zadok, fans gathered far and wide to marvel at the spectacle. One of them being barge owner and London resident Faith. Faith got in touch with us to request her very own Terry Pratchett mural to be painted along the side of her house boat which moors on the east London canal. Jim Vision headed on over last week to get started and completed the starboard side with signature Josh Kirby gnomes and frogs. Take a look below. The port side still needs completing, so you can find Jim & Faith's brand new boat on the canal this Saturday. Final images to come next week.."
Photo credit on the page: T.Elhaj
http://jimvision.co.uk/
Also, here be an action replay of the Brick Lane mural, which has been partially changed by the same artists to Star Wars figures, after an unusually long tenure with minimal vandalism:
http://www.endoftheline.co/the-terry-pratchett-tribute-mural/
4.6 JOSH KIRBY GIVEAWAYS!
From the dedicated Josh Kirby Facebook page:
"In December we have two big giveaways planned so please share this page with friends, family and fans of Josh Kirby, Terry Pratchett and Discworld."
https://www.facebook.com/officialjoshkirby/
Editor's note: the page can be viewed even by those who don't have a Facebook account. If you're not familiar with Kirby's non-Discworld art, go give yourselves a treat! And be sure to have a shufti at Mr Kirby's biography:
http://www.artofjoshkirby.com/about.html
4.7 STEELEYE SPAN WINTER 2015 TOUR DATES
The wonderful co-creators of the Wintersmith songs, live on tour:
Tue 24 Nov The Stables, Milton Keynes – Box office/info: 01908 280800
Wed 25 Nov New Vic Theatre, Newcastle Under Lyme – Box office/info: 01782 717962
Thu 26 Nov Prince of Wales Centre, Cannock – Box office/info: 01543 578762
Fri 27 Nov Town Hall, Cheltenham – Box office/info: 0844 576 2210
Sun 29 Nov Royal & Derngate, Northampton – Box office/info: 01604 624811
Mon 30 Nov Epsom Playhouse, Epsom – Box office/info: 01372 742555 / 742227
Tue 1 Dec The Winding Wheel, Chesterfield – Box office/info: 01246 345 222
Wed 2 Dec Huddersfield Town Hall, Huddersfield – Box office/info: 01484 223200
Thu 3 Dec Sage, Gateshead – Box office/info: 0191 443 4661
Fri 4 Dec Leeds Town Hall, Leeds – Box office/info: 0113 224 3801
Sun 6 Dec Great British Folk Festival, Skegness – Box office/info: 0330 102 5295
Tue 8 Dec The Apex, Bury St Edmunds – Box office/info: 01284 758000
Wed 9 Dec Corn Exchange, Ipswich – Box office/info: 01473 433100
Thu 10 Dec St Mary's In The Castle, Hastings – Box office/info: 01323 841414
Sat 12 Dec The Lighthouse, Poole – Box office/info: 0844 406 8666
Sun 13 Dec Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch – Box office/info: 01708 443333
Mon 14 Dec Cadogan Hall, London – Box office/info: 020 7730 4500
Tue 15 Dec St George's Bristol, Bristol – Box office/info: 0845 40 24 001
Wed 16 Dec Portsmouth Guildhall, Portsmouth – Box office/info: 0844 847 2362
Thu 17 Dec City Hall, Salisbury – Box office/info: 01722 434434
To purchase tickets online for any of these dates, go to http://steeleyespan.org.uk/tour/ and click the button for the desired date.
4.8 THE RETURN OF... GREEBO?
In the Nottingham Post:
"A missing cat returned to its owners having lost an eye after five years in the wilderness – and weeks before the couple perform in a play featuring a one-eyed feline. Half-Persian tabby Silva was feared dead when she went missing from her Colwick home in 2010. But last Monday owner Gale Brammer received a call from Cat Rescue saying microchipped Silva had been picked up by one of their volunteers. The news came as Gale, 56, and her husband Richard, 48, were rehearsing the Colwick Theatre Club's production of Terry Pratchett's Maskerade. Richard, producer of the show, said: 'It's the most bizarre coincidence. It was almost too coincidental to be true. In the play, Nanny Ogg has a tomcat called Greebo, who only has one eye. Silva had two eyes when we last saw her, so she must have been through some awful things. It's very sad, but she's home and safe now.' The couple toyed with the idea of casting their cat in the role but decided it would be too cruel to put her on stage in front of live audiences. 'If it was being recorded like a film, I'm sure we could have involved her,' said Richard. 'But it's just not fair on her and we don't want to frighten her.'..."
http://bit.ly/1GHnOky
4.9 THE OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY BLOG: THE LANGUAGE OF DISCWORLD
An excellent Oxford Dictionaries blog entry about the language of Discworld!
"What first started life in 1983 as a parody of the fantasy and science fiction genres has now blossomed into a minutely detailed world. One of the most enjoyable aspects of Pratchett's writing is that, despite the fantastical setting, the people and places seem very real and relatable. One of the ways that Pratchett has achieved this is through richness of language... The Disc is both 'a world and mirror of worlds', filled with different countries and cultures which have more than a passing resemblance to our own, and it's clear that Pratchett has had a lot of fun creating the linguistic identities of Discworld's various inhabitants... With so many different languages spoken on the Disc – Morporkian, Klatchian, Ephebian, and Omnian to name a few – there's no wonder that language barriers, as anywhere, can cause confusion. For example, Ankh-Morpork might be the Disc's greatest metropolis but to a native of Uberwald (a 'very wild' place indeed!) Morpork is a word for an item of ladies' underwear. The Borogravian national anthem is another familiar example of the problems of translation. While probably a rousing call to arms in its native tongue, the Morporkian (or English) translation is somewhat mystifying... If human language differences weren't problematic enough there are also Trollish and Dwarfish to contend with. A clear parody of Tolkien's own inventions, Discworld dwarves speak a guttural language which, to the untuned ear, sounds like someone in need of a throat sweet or two. Dwarves famously have no single word for rock and can also communicate through a complex pictorial language known as Minesign. Trolls, on the other hand, are much more physical beings, communicating mainly by hitting each other with rocks. They do, however, have both a written and a spoken language and are perhaps responsible for the oldest writing on the Disc... Aside from the amusing names and satirizing of cultural confusion, language forms an important part of the underlying philosophy of the novels as Pratchett recognises how language creates the reality it describes. He also demonstrates the power of language in shaping the way we relate to our own identities and the past..."
http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2012/06/the-language-of-discworld/
4.10 REVIEW: THE WORLD OF POO
In The Missoulian (of Missoula, Montana), a review by Marjorie Doyle:
"If you have a child around 9 or 10 years old and are a fan of Pratchett's 'Discworld,' this is the book for you. If you've never read Pratchett and need some humor in your life, this little book will have you hooked. One of the only authors that my spouse and children have in common, Pratchett's use of word play and irreverent humor will have most chuckling all the way through this book 'for all ages.' The story of young Geoffrey – who is sent off to visit his grandmamma while his mother is preparing for childbirth – and his quest to collect samples of poo of every variety is more amusing than can be imagined..."
http://bit.ly/1ShyN5F
4.11 A CHAMPION DISCWORLD CAKE!
In the South Wales Argus:
"An Ebbw Vale woman and her five-year-old son were 'over the moon' after they were given top prizes in an international cake competition at the weekend. Jay Humphris won gold for her two-foot goblin and fairy cake while her son Toby Ashman, five, was given a certificate of merit for his creation at the Cake International show in Birmingham. The pair entered the decorative exhibit category alongside Emma Phillips, who runs Ebbw Vale-based Epic Cakes and also won a silver prize for her elaborate Terry Pratchett-inspired cake... Ms Phillips, who owns Epic Cakes and runs classes in Ebbw Vale learning action centre, won silver in the competition. She said: 'This is the first year I've entered. We were delighted to bits. My cake was a bit of a nod to Terry Pratchett because he passed away last year and my husband is a huge fan.'"
http://bit.ly/1NIhW85
And here is a photo of Emma and her award-winning cake: http://bit.ly/1XgblXB
[Editor's note: for more amazing Discworld cakes, go to the Images section!]
4.12 TERRY PRATCHETT, MIRROR(ER) OF (REAL) WORLDS
Here be a well-crafted piece by Shweta Taneja about how speculative fiction can provide a truer picture of reality, on the Indian culture site Scroll:
"In 2001, while receiving the Carnegie Medal for his children's book The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents, author Terry Pratchett said, 'We categorise too much on the basis of unreliable assumption. A literary novel written by Brian Aldiss must be science fiction, because he is a known science fiction writer; a science fiction novel by Margaret Atwood is literature because she is a literary novelist. Recent Discworld books have spun on such concerns as the nature of belief, politics and even of journalistic freedom, but put in one lousy dragon and they call you a fantasy writer.'... For fantasy, be it in gaming or books or movies, is perceived by the majority as escapism and a desire to live in alternate realities. But for many authors like Pratchett, the purpose of fantasy is not to immerse yourself in another world so as to forget your own, but to reflect on your own society, to gaze into its gaping holes. In the same speech, Pratchett says, 'Far more beguiling than the idea that evil can be destroyed by throwing a piece of expensive jewellery into a volcano is the possibility that evil can be defused by talking. The fantasy of justice is more interesting that the fantasy of fairies, and more truly fantastic. In the book the rats go to war, which is, I hope, gripping. But then they make peace, which is astonishing.' And the skilled writer that he is, he manages to reflect our society's political and social milieu through satire, mirroring international bickering on climate change, the modern day obsession with television, ambitious politicians who force war in the name of justice, and even the disruptive role that everyday greed and cowardice play, all through a bunch of monsters and wizards..."
http://bit.ly/1N4t0zW
4.13 "RISE OF THE TOMB RAIDER" CONTAINS A TRIBUTE FROM RHIANNA TO HER DAD
In Gamezone:
"The daughter of beloved fantasy giant Terry Pratchett, she had the opportunity to learn at the knee of one of the greats, but she's stood out on her own skills and has carved an niche into the world of gaming with writing credits for the 2013 reboot of Tomb Raider, Mirror's Edge, Heavenly Sword, Overlord, and she's back with Rise of the Tomb Raider. Lara's father has been a specter and motivator for the titular archaeologist since her inception, exploring Croft Manor and traversing tundra following his clues and with the passing of Terry Pratchett, the younger saw a good opportunity to include an homage to the late author. 'There is one journal ... when my dad was being interviewed about his Alzheimer's, he said that there was one particular memory he didn't want to lose,' Pratchett recently told GamesRadar. 'It was about the time I was born. The night I was born. I immortalized that memory in one of Richard [Croft]'s diaries. So it's a little– it's a riff on that memory of my father's, rolled into Richard's memories.' Pratchett described the experience as cathartic and it's nice to see such a genuine tribute to someone who was not only clearly dear to her, but to the many Discworld fans around the world...."
http://bit.ly/1NjV1pp
There's also a full interview with Ms Pratchett in The Telegraph, about the game and other things:
http://bit.ly/1O9ohxO
4.14 ON READING THE SHEPHERD'S CROWN
Tracy Briseno of the Ames Public Library has written a reflective essay about the end of new Discworld novels:
"I am having trouble reading this book. Usually, I buy the newest Pratchett book the day it is released and read it cover to cover that day or at the very least, within that week. I devour the book, then often go back and re-read it again once I've finished. Pratchett's books are fun and interesting, thought-provoking, and make the reader see the world around them with different eyes. I've read most of them multiple times and regularly recommend them to friends (and strangers). The point remains, that I don't want to finish this book. I dearly want to read it, but when it is over, there will be no more new adventures in this wonderful world I've come to love. That breaks my heart... The interesting thing for me is that the loss is felt anew when you discover an author you love, read through their whole body of work, then get to the end... For me, this doesn't translate to wanting others to continue ghostwriting (which Pratchett's daughter has assured fans will not happen in his case.) I mourn the finality, but anything else would feel like a sham, not quite right..."
http://amestrib.com/news/memory-terry-pratchett
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05) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS
5.0 NEW: UNSEEN THEATRE'S NEW AUDITIONS!
Unseen Theatre's next Discworld play will be Feet of Clay! The play will run from 15th to 30th April 2016 – but first, a cast is needed. Director Pamela Munt says, "This is a 'City Watch' play so I am hoping that lots of you male actors out there are jumping in to attend auditions. Female roles are also available of course. Basically we need a cast of thousands."
Auditions info:
When: Sunday 29th November 2015
Venue: Bakehouse Theatre, 255 Angas Street, Adelaide
Time: 5pm
Rehearsals will be held each week on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings, running to this schedule:
December 8th to 20th (Christmas break)
Jan 3rd to Feb 11th (Fringe break)
March 15th to April 14th (Production Week commences Sunday April 10th)
If you are interested in auditioning, contact Pamela Munt at pamela@unseen.com.au to let her know. "No appointment time is necessary because the auditions will be run in a group format. BUT we do need an idea of numbers."
5.1 NEW: ERIC IN CARDIFF (FEBRUARY 2016)
Monstrous Productions are going from strength to strength! Having raised over £16,000 for Alzheimer's Research UK so far through ticket sales for their Discworld plays – including £4,000 for their recent and much lauded production of Night Watch – the company is now set to tackle Eric in the new year!
When: 18th, 19th and 20th February 2016
Venue: The Gate Arts Centre, Keppoch Street, Roath, Cardiff CF24 3JW Box Office (029) 2048 3344
Time: 7pm all evening shows; 2pm matinee on Saturday 20th
Tickets: £7 (£5 concessions). To purchase online, go to http://7889269b08cd.fikket.com/
"Tickets are now on sale for Eric! They're a bit cheaper than usual as the play is shorter. Please be aware that there is one performance less than usual too so there will be fewer tickets available."
5.2 REMINDER: MASKERADE IN CAMBRIDGE (DECEMBER)
Discworld plays and home of the Cambridge Footlights – what's not to like? The ADC Theatre will present their production of Maskerade in December.
"After the sell-out success of Wyrd Sisters, Bawds bring another Discworld to the ADC Theatre with their unique mix of film, music and comedy, directed by a former President of the Footlights and dedicated to the proposition that 'in opera, no-one can hear you scream'."
When: Tuesday 8th – Saturday 12 December 2015
Venue: ADC Theatre, Park Street, Cambridge CB5 8AS (phone 01223 300085). "Parking is available in Park Street Car Park operated by Cambridge City Council. Street parking on Jesus Lane is often available for minibuses and other large vehicles. Approach must be made via Victoria Avenue or Maids Causeway due to traffic restrictions."
Time: 7.45pm
Tickets: £12/£10 concessions (Tue & Sat Matinee £10/£8 concessions). To book, go to https://www.adctheatre.com/whats-on/drama/maskerade.aspx and select a date from the drop-down menu on the right of the page
https://www.adctheatre.com
5.3 REMINDER: WYRD SISTERS IN HEXHAM (NOVEMBER)
The Queen's Hall Theatre Club are presenting their production of Wyrd Sisters this week.
When: Thursday 26th – Saturday 28th November 2015
Venue: Main Theatre, Queen's Hall Arts Centre, Beaumont Street, Hexham, Northumberland NE46 3LS (Box Office 01434 652477)
Time: 7:30pm a shows
Tickets: £10 (concessions £9, under 18s £7). The Box Office is open from 10.00am – 5.00pm Monday to Friday & 10.00am to 4.00pm Saturday and one hour before the start of every performance. To buy online, go to http://bit.ly/1O5eIAp and click on the tab marked BOOK, then click the BOOK tab for the date of your choice.
http://www.queenshall.co.uk/events/terry-pratchett%E2%80%99s-wyrd-sisters
http://www.queenshall.co.uk/
5.4 REMINDER: WYRD SISTERS IN BELFAST (NOVEMBER)
The Bart Players will present their production of Wyrd Sisters this week.
25th–28th November 2015
Venue: Bart Players, 183 Stranmillis Road, Belfast
Time: 7.30pm all shows
Tickets: £10.00 (Concession for Under 18/Over 60s/Students £8.00; groups of 10 or more will earn a discount). Tickets can be purchased online at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/bartplayers – or by email to bartplayersbelfast@gmail.com,
or by phoning 028 9020 2280.
http://bartplayers.co.uk/
5.5 NEW: MORT IN YORK, 2016: AUDITIONS!
We Are Theatre, a performance group particularly dedicated to engaging community and disability, will be presenting their production of Mort next June – the 21st and 22nd, at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre in York. But first, it's auditions time! Charlotte and Donna of We are Theatre tell us: "York is readily accessible via transport and as a company, we have an open door policy, so we do not have a core membership, instead holding open auditions and casting from those auditions for each show."
When: 10th, 17th and 24th January 2016
Time: late afternoon/early evening. To book an audition, contact wearetheatre@googlemail.com or ring 07521 364107, and give the following information: name, age (if under 18), email address, telephone number, and preferred audition date.
Rehearsals for the June dates will be held on Sunday afternoons/evenings "from Spring 2016 onwards".
www.wearetheatre.co.uk
5.6 REVIEW: MASKERADE IN LINCOLNSHIRE
by Winston Brown in the Spalding Guardian
"The ever-ambitious Act II Theatre Company set its drama group the task of bringing Pratchett's reworking of The Phantom of the Opera to theatre audiences at Spalding's South Holland Centre... The production turned into an epic, two-hour, 40-minute marathon with catchphrases like 'It's all about the music', 'the show must go on', and 'if your house is on fire, what's the first thing you would take out?' Kelly's remarkable turn as Nanny Ogg, plus steal-the-scene turns from Lily Bergin (Sgt Detritus) and Summer Milnes (Corporal Nobbs), added to reliable performances by Morgan, Hayley and the precocious Alex Gilman (Greebo)..."
http://bit.ly/1NIgSkD
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06) DISCWORLD GAMES NEWS
6.1 LEGO NO-GO
Some disappointing news for Lego and Discworld fans:
"Lego has just reported the results of Lego Ideas, in which it crowdsourced suggestions from Lego lovers for new products. And the news is bad. Not one of the ideas, all of which received the required 10,000 supporters, has been given the green light. In total, 13 ideas were rejected, including a Lego set that replicated the living room from '80s sitcom The Golden Girls; minifigures of the two elusive members of dance act Daft Punk; a scene from the Discworld novels; a Tyrannosaurus rex; the International Space Station; video game The Legend of Zelda and an ice palace from Disney movie Frozen. Each suggestion received at least 10,000 backers between January and May this year, making it eligible for Lego Review. But the Danish company decided not to forward any of the projects to the production stage, an unwanted first in Lego history. Lego did not divulge the reasons behind its decisions, although one factor could be the challenge of securing intellectual property rights on certain ideas."
http://yhoo.it/1X44u8M
However, some people remain undaunted, especially amazing large-scale Lego sculptor Eero Okkonen, interviewed here by Lego aficionados "The Brothers Brick":
"TBB: What was the hardest aspect of a Discworld character to capture in LEGO?
"Eero: Probably the Librarian's shapes and proportions, especially with my limited dark orange collection. The Dean's leather coat's text 'DEAN – BORN TO RUNE' was tricky too. Most of the MOC was built simply around it, as it set the scale for it.
"TBB: Did you have a moment of 'Eureka' when a particularly odd part just seemed to fit?
"Eero: The Librarian's face, definitely. It took lot of shaping, but came out surprisingly fast in night-time, two or three hours. I tried all sorts of odd parts to capture his rubbery baggy face. The minifig arms connected to the hip piece were going to be used as the brow but they ended up in the lower jaw instead. The handlebar piece had the most important 'Eureka' moment here, as it made a great upper lip and framed the eyes. It also made it possible to move the yellow teeth a bit forward, giving a bit less human-like and more orangutan-like overall shape to the face.
"TBB: How much time does it take to complete a build? Do you revisit for improvements before you are satisfied?
"Eero: The time taken differs... But I think I am quite fast builder. These usually have taken something like six hours each, some less, some more. Ridcully, who was the first one built, was done in a weekend shortly after Sir Terry's death in March and it took a bit more; I somehow found the legs challenging as most of my character builds usually have longer cloaks. Rincewind, on the other hand, took a lot less. His facial features took some shaping and SNOT work, but everything else came together in hour or two, the shaping being very simple here. I always revisit my old creations, but usually after they are photographed and posted online..."
http://bit.ly/1lAcNse
If you haven't time at the moment to read the full interview, do take a moment to look at these amazing photos of his Discworld work!
Ridcully, Rincewind, the Dean and the Librarian:
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5687/23056056312_22b5f5c521_z.jpg
The amazing Vimes, with cigar, truncheon – and proper bare toes:
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5707/21719775158_55b8f10547_z.jpg
...and Susan, dressed for The Duty and accompanied by the Death of Rats:
http://farm1.staticflickr.com/733/21808725266_2fdb0855ae_z.jpg
6.2 "CLACKS": A HOGSWATCH REMINDER!
No, there's no new news (or indeed, new ODs) since last month. But this is where your Editor imp-lores all and sundry who haven't bought Clacks yet to go to your nearest Roundworld game-seller and demand they present you with a copy to buy. While I have no full review to offer yet since it's taken a while to arrange a proper multiplayer session (December issue will have the review), we at Wossname Central have tinkered a bit with the game and can assure you that it's a goer. And what better way to liven up your post-Hogswatch dinner family games, right?
http://www.backspindlegames.com/clacks/
http://discworld.com/products/games/
http://www.discworldemporium.com/Clacks
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07) DISCWORLD ARTS AND CRAFTS NEWS
7.1 DISCWORLD.COM UPDATES
It looks like Discworld.com have got their hands on Tiffany's goddess-of-summer cornucopia, when it comes to Discworld merchandise...
"Crunching snow, snorting boar and rolling turnips in the office herald the approach of Hogswatch at Discworld.com HQ, and we're delighted to invite you to explore our range of seasonal gifts on our NEW festive favourites pages. Here you'll find tempting treats to delight every Discworld fan, unusual stocking-fillers and some new ideas from the Roundworld goodies vault. But do avoid disappointment and heed our last ordering dates as we cannot guarantee postage of items ordered after the following:
UK – 11th December
Europe – 4th December
USA – 4th December
The rest of the world (including Australia & New Zealand) – 1st December
http://discworld.com/products/festive-fun/
http://discworld.com/products/stocking-fillers/
Stocking fillers
"We have a ton of treats to stuff the stocking of any Discworld fan and a host of affordable Roundworld gifts too so please take a browse through our new Hogswatch pages, where everything is grouped together for simpler, faster shopping! Brighten up your desk with one of our quality mousemats, which are now all priced at just £5 – stock is extremely limited so grab your favourite design while it lasts. Or order one of our canvas bags and cover it with badges from our massive selection – we even have a colourful range of six 'festive specials'. Our quality Dweenie badges are always a hit but when the Hogfather turns up who can resist! He's only available for a limited time so snap one up while you can. And don't forget to deck your Christmas kitchen with magnets and coasters from our Dweenie range, again the Hogfather is only available for a short time. And grab the hugely popular rat chopping board and NEW Death chopping board while we still have stock!"
http://discworld.com/products/stocking-fillers/
http://discworld.com/products/bags/
http://discworld.com/products/badges/
http://discworld.com/products/dweenie-badges/
http://discworld.com/products/coaster/
http://discworld.com/products/gimlets-kitchen/rat-chopping-board/
http://discworld.com/products/gimlets-kitchen/death-chopping-board/
And for under the tree...
"We're delighted to offer you a huge range of high quality goodies featuring all your favourite characters from the Discworld. We have t-shirts and hoodies, Tiffany's exquisite pendants, stunning artwork (some still signed in person by Terry Pratchett), DVD's (including Terry's 'Living with Alzheimer's', now back in stock) and a hog-load more."
http://discworld.com/products/t-shirts/
http://discworld.com/products/hoodies/
http://discworld.com/products/jewellery-discworld-merchandise/
http://discworld.com/products/signed/
http://discworld.com/products/dvds/terry-pratchett-living-with-alzheimers/
Festive Favourites...
"All your festive favourites are here in our Hogswatch special page, from Death as the Hogfather specials to our seasonal range of high-quality A5 Hogswatch cards. Beautifully illustrated gloss cards featuring the artwork of Paul Kidby, they include a lineup of Discworld characters guaranteed to titillate even the most cynical scrooge. Cards feature The Hogfather, The Librarian (We all need a little extra 'Ook! in life!) and Nanny Ogg in a festive mood. All cards have individual messages and come complete with colourful envelopes."
http://discworld.com/products/hogswatch-cards/
http://discworld.com/products/festive-fun/
A really special gift...
"We have limited stocks of items that were personally signed by Terry Pratchett. Keep a little piece of history and remember him by tucking these items away on your shelf at home. A truly irreplaceable and precious Hogswatch gift. We also have limited numbers of collectable items and keepsakes for you to choose from for those extra special gift ideas."
http://discworld.com/products/signed/
http://discworld.com/products/collectables/
"Books, books and more bOOKs! As well as a vast range of Discworld novels in paperback and hardback, embossed with Terry's golden coat of arms, we have a wonderful selection of gift books ranging from the sublime Nanny Ogg's cookbook, Terry's incredible & moving 'Shaking Hands with Death' and the wickedly funny 'Good Omens', to the glorious Death's Domain and other Discworld mapps! We're all engrossed in the NEW Discworld atlas too, well worth a read! This stunning work brings to life the lands and locations of the Discworld stories in a way never seen before. Accompanied by lavish full-colour illustrations and a detailed world map, this is a must-have for any Discworld fan."
http://discworld.com/products/paperbacks/
http://discworld.com/products/hardbacks/
http://discworld.com/products/books/book-nanny-oggs-cookbook/
http://discworld.com/products/books/shaking-hands-with-death/
http://discworld.com/products/books/book-good-omens-paperback/
http://discworld.com/products/books/book-deaths-domain/
http://discworld.com/products/books/book-a-tourist-guide-to-lancre/
http://discworld.com/products/books/the-discworld-atlas/
"Organise your year with us... With 800 days, 13 months, two of each season and more festivals than Vetinari has mimes in his dungeon, a Discworld year is hard to keep track of! But we CAN help you keep tabs on a Roundworld Year with the 2016 Collector's Calendar. This unusual collection features twelve pieces of original art from Joe McLaren, cover artist for Gollancz's hugely successful Discworld Collector's Library. The calendar includes all major realtime calendrical data for Great Britain, Eire, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA, as well as notable Discworld dates. And the delightfully illustrated 2016 diary is a must for any Pratchett fan's Hogswatch stocking! A durable, high quality hardback, with heavy weave pages, this beautiful book comes with all the functionality of an everyday diary but also packs the charm, wit and wonder of the Discworld into every month – a must for the modern witch!"
http://discworld.com/products/books/discworld-2016-collectors-edition-calendar/
http://discworld.com/products/discworld-library/
http://discworld.com/products/books/discworld-2016-diary-a-practical-manual-for-the-modern-witch/
"Collect all your favourite characters from the Lancre Coven now easily accessible in our special selection pages. From Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, Magrat Garlick and Agnes Nitt to our youngest star, Tiffany Aching. We have a wonderful selection of magical merchandise to please every fan of the delightful Discworld witches."
http://discworld.com/products/the-witches/
"Cheer up the tree this Hogswatch! You asked for them and we're delighted to announce the launch of three heavenly Hogswatch decorations to brighten up the tree of any Discworld fan! These cheerful designs feature Paul Kidby's ever-popular artwork. The reverse is printed with festive mottos and each aluminium disc is suspended from a jolly red ribbon – Happy Ho Ho Hogswatch from us all!"
http://discworld.com/products/hogswatch-decorations/
"We've launched three quality new phone cases just in time to make the Hogswatch of any iPhone 5 or 6 user. Sporting three of our most popular designs these cases are proving to be a huge hit so order while we still have stock. And for those of you who don't have an iPhone, don't worry, we're looking at stocking other covers so keep checking our Facebook, Twitter and website!
http://discworld.com/products/phone-covers/
https://www.facebook.com/discworldofficial/?ref=hl
https://twitter.com/Discworld_com
http://discworld.com/
7.2 DISCWORLD EMPORIUM UPDATES
First off, the Hogswatch delivery news:
"'Nether rain nor snow nor glo m of ni t...' As an official branch of the Ankh-Morpork Post Office we pride ourselves on offering swift and reliable delivery all over the Roundworld."
For delivery in time for Hogswatch please make sure you order by the following dates:
Asia, Cyprus, Far East, Japan, South America, Eastern Europe – 6th December
Australia, New Zealand, Greece – 9th December
Germany, Italy – 13th December
Canada, USA – 14th December
Rest of Europe – 15th December
UK – 18th December
"We will cease shipping from Friday 18th December. Orders placed after this date will not be sent until we re-open on Tuesday 5th January. Check the postal system for worldwide incidents or status updates by visiting
http://www.royalmail.com/service-updates."
Editor's note: for the full info, go to http://bit.ly/1lBEUXP
Now, for some new stuff...
* The Great A'Tuin game mats!
"A generously proportioned Discworld game mat from Micro Art Studio featuring Great A'tuin, the Star Turtle by Paul Kidby. This marvellous mat isn't just for gaming though, oh no. In fact, we've been using ours as a general desk mat but it is also ideal for crafting, table decor, pet bowls and as a mouse mat for trolls for example! Measures 60 x 40cm, fabric with 2mm rubber non-slip backing."
Each Game Mat is priced at £10.00. For more information, and to order, go to:
http://www.discworldemporium.com/discworld-atuin-mat
* The Flora & Fauna of Discworld tea towel!
"100% cotton tea towel featuring some of our favourite Discworld plants and critters, including the Curious Squid, Quantum Weather Butterfly, Counting Pine, Hermit Elephant and Swamp Dragon! Illustrated exclusively for us in glorious thaumicolour by Vladimir Stankovic in his wonderfully dark story-book style, this fantastical tea towel is a tribute to some of the 'wilder' creations from the mind of Terry Pratchett – the flora and fauna that made the Discworld world just a little bit more, well, Discworld. Measures 78 x 48cm."
Each Discworld Flora & Fauna tea towel is priced at £9.95. For more information, and to order, go to:
http://www.discworldemporium.com/discworld-flora-and-fauna-teatowel
* The Death's Cloak pin!
"A replica of the Omega cloak pin worn by Death and Susan in the film adaptation of Hogfather. Made in pewter with a heavyweight brooch clasp, and delivered in a stylish presentation box. Measures 70 x 40mm."
Each Death's Cloak pin is priced at £10.00. For more information, and to order, go to:
http://bit.ly/1vleZlt
...and the Kidby Dragons latest...
"Thank you! Our baby swamp dragons, exclusively sculpted for us by Mr Paul Kidby, have twice sold out, meaning that lots of little dragons have been adopted, helping to provide vital aid for dragons in desperate need of love and care this Hogswatch. Each dragon is hand-cast, polished and finished to achieve their special glow – so it takes time for them to be created, but we're working hard to get them restocked soon and will let you know when they are ready for re-homing once more."
http://www.discworldemporium.com/
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08) DISCWORLD MEETING GROUPS NEWS: UPDATES AND REMINDERS
The Broken Drummers, "London's Premier Unofficially Official Discworld Group" (motto "Nil percussio est"), meets next on Monday 7th December 2015 at the Monkey Puzzle, 30 Southwick Street, London, W2 1JQ. For more information, go to http://brokendrummers.org/ or email BrokenDrummers@gmail.com or nicholls.helen@yahoo.co.uk
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Canberra, Australia has a new Discworld fan group, Drumknott's Irregulars! "We are a newly established Terry Pratchett & Discworld social group in Canberra called Drumknott's Irregulars. The group is open to all, people from interstate and overseas are welcome, and our events will not be heavily themed. Come along to dinner for a chat and good company. We welcome people all all fandoms (and none) and we would love to see you at one of our events, even if you're just passing through. Please contact us via Facebook (_https://www.facebook.com/groups/824987924250161/_) or Google Groups (_https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/drumknotts-irregulars_) or join us at our next event."
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There is a new public Facebook meeting group, "The Gathering of the Loonies (Wincanton chapter)": "This group, by request of Jo in Bear will continue to be used for future unofficial (not run by the Emporium) fan Gatherings in Wincanton. Look here for information. Next event Loonies Christmas Party. Same weekend as Hogswatch would have been. ie 27/28/29 November."
https://www.facebook.com/groups/373578522834654/
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The Pratchett Partisans are a fan group who meet monthly at either Brisbane or Indooroopilly to "eat, drink and chat about all things Pratchett. We hold events such as Discworld dinners, games afternoons, Discworld photo scavenger hunts. Our recent 'Murder In Morpork' mystery party was a great night out. With 26 people attending, we had 24 suspects, our special guest – Vetinari, and one dead mime! It was a fun night of food and murder and we are planning another Murder in December so stay tuned. We also attend opening night at Brisbane Arts Theatre's Discworld plays." The Partisans currently have about 100 members who meet at least twice a month, usually in Brisbane.
Upcoming events hosted by the Pratchett Partisans include:
Homicide at Hogswatch. Sat 19 December 6pm-10pm. Grand Central Hotel Dining Car. Will another Murder will be committed in Ankh Morpork? More details will be released soon.
For more info about their next meetup, join up at https://www.facebook.com/groups/pratchettpartisans/ or contact Ula directly at uwilmott@yahoo.com.au
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The City of Small Gods is a group for fans in Adelaide and South Australia. For more information on their upcoming activities, go to www.cityofsmallgods.org.au
"Every few months, we have a full day's worth of board games at La Scala Cafe, 169 Unley Rd, Unley in the function room starting at 10am."
Upcoming events include:
Nov 26th Monthly Dinner and Games, Seven Stars Hotel, 187 Angas St
Nov 29th Planning Picnic, Botanic Park, 11.30am
Dec 6th Round World Events SA Annual General Meeting
Dec TBA End of Year Dinner
For more info, go to http://ausdwcon.org/fan-clubs/adelaide/quiz/
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The Broken Vectis Drummers meet next on Thursday 3rd December 2015 (probably) from 7.30pm at The Castle pub in Newport, Isle of Wight. For more info and any queries, contact broken_vectis_drummers@yahoo.co.uk
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The Wincanton Omnian Temperance Society (WOTS) next meets on Friday 4th December 2015 (probably) at Wincanton's famous Bear Inn from 7pm onwards. "Visitors and drop-ins are always welcome!"
*
The Northern Institute of the Ankh-Morpork and District Society of Flatalists, a Pratchett fangroup, has been meeting on a regular basis since 2005 but is now looking to take in some new blood (presumably not in the non-reformed Uberwald manner). The Flatalists normally meet at The Narrowboat Pub in Victoria Street, Skipton, North Yorkshire, to discuss "all things Pratchett" as well as having quizzes and raffles. Details of future meetings are posted on the Events section of the Discworld Stamps forum:
http://www.discworldstamps.co.uk/forum/
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Sydney Drummers (formerly Drummers Downunder) meet next on Monday 7th December 2015 at 6.30pm (probably) in Sydney at 3 Wise Monkeys, 555 George Street, Sydney,2000. For more information, contact Sue (aka Granny Weatherwax): kenworthys@yahoo.co.uk
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The Treacle Mining Corporation, formerly known as Perth Drummers, meets next on Monday 7th December 2015 (probably) from 5.30pm at Carpe Cafe, 526 Murray Street, Perth, Western Australia. For details follow Perth Drummers on Twitter @Perth_Drummers or join their Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Perth.Drummers/ – or message Alexandra Ware directly at <alexandra.ware@gmail.com>
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09) DISCWORLD CONVENTION NEWS
9.1 AUSDWCON 2017 NEWS
Nullus Anxietas VI – The Discworld Grand Tour – will take place at the Lakes Resort Hotel, West Lakes, Adelaide, South Australia on 4-6 August 2017. Read on...
Announcing The Discworld Grand Tour!
=======================================
Ladies, Gentlemen, Dwarfs, Trolls, Vampires, Werewolves, Goblins, Feegles, sundry others and Nobby Nobbs – the Ankh-Morpork Tourism Board invites you to a journey of wonder, whimsy, and, er, wossname at *Nullus Anxietas VI – The Discworld Grand Tour – The Australian Discworld Convention.*
The Discworld Grand Tour will be held on 4th-6th August 2017 at the Lakes Resort Hotel, Adelaide, South Australia. This convention will be a way to escape on a luxurious trip to the Discworld to enjoy three (or four) fabulous days of fun and frivolity with your fellow fans of the late, great Sir Terry Pratchett.
Our wonderful new website has just launched and can be found at https://ausdwcon.org
Please visit the site to read all about the upcoming convention and to book your tickets!
Let Rincewind tell you all about it:
https://youtu.be/j80m1JdktQA
Terry Pratchett Folio Special Offer
=======================================
Thanks to the kind generosity of Rob Wilkins, the first 50 people to purchase tickets to Nullus Anxietas VI will receive a very special gift – a limited edition Terry Pratchett Folio, containing some short writings by our very favourite author. These have only been previously available to attendees at the UK Discworld Convention in 2014, at Nullus Anxietas V in 2015 and for a very short time at Discworld.com. This is your chance to get one of the few remaining copies, simply by buying your ticket to Nullus Anxietas VI!
For more information, see https://ausdwcon.org/shop/folio-special-offer/
HO! HO! HO! Buy your loved one a Hogswatch present!
===================================================
Also now available in the Australian Discworld Convention shop are Hogswatch Presents – vouchers you can buy for a friend or loved one which they can use at a later date to buy their Nullus Anxietas VI ticket! This is a special limited-time sale – Hogswatch Presents will only be available until December 20th.
Meet your fellow tourists
====================
You can find out more about Nullus Anxietas VI – The Discworld Grand Tour – The Australian Discworld Convention and chat with other potential tourists at:
Website: https://ausdwcon.org
Facebook page: https://facebook.com/Ausdwcon
Facebook group: https://facebook.com/groups/ausdwcon2017
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ausdwcon
IDWCON LETTERS
The Irish Discworld Convention committee have now released a collection of these letters, from members of Team Pratchett and members of the public, in .pdf form.
"Throughout the Convention, we ran a memorial event called 'Letters to Terry', where attendees were encouraged to write a letter celebrating the impact of Sir Terry's work on their lives." A few extracts to whet your interest:
"Well, if the old adage is true: 'no man is truly dead while his name is remembered', then there are millions of us remembering your name old darling, so many in fact that perhaps by some strange alchemy of fate the concept you so wonderfully explored in 'Small Gods', of deities being created by the prayers of their followers, then you might yet appear in some vision to a virgin or as a rocking statue in the grotto of your choice..."
– Bernard Pearson
"So many of us mourn you not just as an admired author, a fiction producing superstar glimpsed from afar, but for the very real way your writing touched our lives, widened our world view, improved our sense of justice and made us laugh."
– Shivers
"I had never been part of a fan community. I knew nothing of fan conventions or fan culture... And so, when the 2008 convention rolled around, I, at age 48, packed up my bags and flew to England from New Delhi to attend and it was the first time in my entire life that I had gone somewhere alone, to be amongst people I had never met before for any purpose, least of all for the purpose of celebrating works of fiction and their author. I arrived, met a few people, started gophering and the first duty I was given was to carry your bags. I was in awe..."
– Elizabeth Ann Warner Gaw
"I am a religious believer, and you weren't, and we had many a good discussion on this. But ultimately, once one has crossed the black sands under the starry skies, these speculations will disappear in the light of reality. So it is my confident prayer that one day we shall see one another again, and talk, and talk, and talk..."
– Jacqueline Simpson
"I was a geek when that was a thing that got you beat up regularly in school, long before it turned into an ironically cool label. You were a refuge, an example that people who unabashedly spent their time thinking about witches and elves could be spectacularly successful and not apparently bothered if others didn't care for the same thing... You gave me joy, Terry, when I needed it. You gave me a way to connect with those I love. You let me look at the world in a different way, and continue to do so. I miss the idea that there is more to be heard from you, but I know that's incredibly greedy when you've already given me so much."
– Kris Vasquez
To read the whole collection, go to http://idwcon.org/index.php/convention/2015aftermath.html/ and click on the Letters to Terry link. Beware, the whole document is 54 pages long and may cause strong emotions...
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10) ROUNDWORLD TALES: THE UNDELIVERED LETTERS
As told by Maev Kennedy in The Guardian:
"Thousands of pieces of correspondence, many still unopened, were stored away by Dutch postmaster and are now being examined by academics... an extraordinary trove of thousands of pieces of correspondence, never delivered, many still unopened and sealed closed, found packed into a leather trunk and stored away for centuries in the Netherlands. The collection includes letters from aristocrats, spies, merchants, publishers, actors, musicians, barely literate peasants and highly educated people with beautiful handwriting, and are written in French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and Latin... The letters were sent between 1680 and 1706, a time of constant war and political upheaval in Europe, and were kept by a married couple, Simon de Brienne and Maria Germain, the postmaster and mistress in The Hague. They were a canny business couple who spent a period in England as court officials to the newly crowned William III before selling their positions for £1,550 and a barrel of Burgundy and returning home. At the time the delivery of letters was paid for by the recipient, and many may have been undeliverable because the recipient had changed address – one had been forwarded to a series of different addresses, in vain – or even died. Smith believes that they were kept in the hope that one day they would be collected and paid for. 'Something about these letters frozen in transit makes you feel like you've caught a moment in history off guard,' he said. 'Many of the writers and intended recipients of these letters were people who travelled throughout Europe, such as wandering musicians and religious exiles. The trunk preserves letters from many social classes, and women as well as men. Most documents that survive from this period record the activities of elites – aristocrats and their bureaucrats, or rich merchants – so these letters will tell us new things about an important section of society in 17th-century Europe. These are the kinds of people whose records frequently don't survive, so this is a fantastic opportunity to hear new historical voices.'..."
http://bit.ly/1HBvVKP
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11) AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE
Here be another thoughtful review by the excellent Kokay Maramot. This time it's Jingo:
"Jingo is easily Terry Pratchett's craziest stunt. Unlike most City Watch novels, Jingo didn't start with a murder or death (or at least not obviously criminal). It starts with squids and fishermen! It is fair to say that everything would have continued peacefully where it not for a freak geological movement which caused an island (much like Atlantis, though possible less grander and definitely smellier), to surface. Crane up to Ankh-Morpork where the social weathercocks are stirring in the direction of war! From the humblest citizen to the bigwigs in the war councils of Ankh-Morpork, everyone is talking big and thinking small. But this being a City Watch novel and our main heroes and heroines [are] policemen, it's not going to be about the merits of diplomacy. It's going to be about the delights and excites of proactive crime fighting... But while Jingo had a lot to say about the stupid things people do that gets them into stupid wars, most of the novel is just gratuitously fun. And that fun goes a long way when your subject matter is something as grave as war. And I realized something peculiar at how Terry Pratchett frames his omniscient authorial voice. One can't help but laugh when Colon goes on with his aggressive jingoism, but feel truly disgusted when the nobles do the same..."
http://bit.ly/1X5s9FR
...and here we have a fascinating blog post by one Jamie Gibbs, covering all the stages of being in a Discworld play (this on being Monstrous Productions' recent Night Watch), from auditions to final bows and post-run celebrations, complete with terrific iconographs:
"It was a strange experience – I've not done any kind of performing for about a decade, so suddenly being back in that world again was a little nerve-wracking. I read Carcer's monologue at the audition – not too successfully as I fumbled the words and didn't come across as menacing at all. The dialogue scenes were easier as the nerves had worn off and there was less of a deer-in-headlights feeling. Thankfully, that night after the audition I'd been told I'd got a part and could become a member of Monstrous Productions! As the play progressed, I was lucky enough to get an upgrade to my role not once, but twice, due to cast members leaving. And so it was that I went from Waddy to Billy Wiglet to Ned Coates, earning me the award for 'Most Promoted' at the Night Watch after-show party... When it came to the first day of show week, I'd started to get a little nervous. Thankfully the rest of the cast and their backstage shenanigans did away with any nerves pretty quickly. One of the most satisfying things was, during a fight scene when I get winded by John Keel and go down like a sack of potatoes, there were audible gasps from the audience. Jes and I had practiced the fight numerous times, but it was great to get confirmation that it was believable..."
http://bit.ly/1PUEo2k
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12) IMAGES OF THE MONTH
12.1 FAN ART
A selection of Discworld fan art...
A funky group portrait by FaQy:
http://faqy.deviantart.com/art/discworld-456356452
...and one by Yenefer:
http://yenefer.deviantart.com/art/Discworld-characters-121973566
...and one by Jesskat:
http://bit.ly/1PH0NS4
Bob Greyvenstein's fabulous take on Granny, Nanny, Lily and Tiffany:
http://bit.ly/1X5Eo5q
A (literally) eye-popping Rincewind by a-discworld-guild:
http://bit.ly/1NJmhHY
A collection of assorted Discworld fan art from the sublime to the, um, less sublime:
http://bit.ly/1MJRVoR
...and a fine collection of Discworld animal life in sepia, by Andrew Salt:
http://bit.ly/1SRmVHl
Wossname has featured several "Discworld Doodles" drawings by the extremely talented Amy Simmonds, who says, "I would just like to say thank you very much for featuring some of my Doodles on the Wossname newsletter and crediting me by name :D I have absolutely no problem with you using any of my Discworld fan art but might I ask that you also provide a link to my Discworld Doodles Facebook page please?" Of course we will, Amy!
Amy's Facebook page:
https://t.co/Yf7B37PMKe
Amy on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/InkaDoodleDo
12.2 MORE CAKES!
A small but perfectly formed iconograph of possibly the best Discworld cake ever, made by Mrs Barracude-Bruce, as posted on Cake Wrecks:
http://bit.ly/1MG1iVL
Natalie Porter of Immaculate Confections, cakemaker extraordinaire and dedicated Discworld fan, made an amazing Grim Squeaker cake for Hogswatch at the Discworld Emporium:
http://www.immaculateconfections.co.uk/grim-squeaker-hogswatch-cake/
Jo Orr of Ciccio Cakes made an amazing Hogfather from Rice Krispies Treats, fondant, white chocolate and edible lace, for UK children's charity Bake a Christmas Wish:
http://bit.ly/1SRljxc
And from Cake International 2013, a fine Luggage:
http://bit.ly/1lBIpO9
12.3 OTHER IMAGES
A marvellous montage! Some characters who will be in the Studio Theatre's 2016 production of The Shakespeare Codex:
http://bit.ly/1kM3LIl
From Paul Kidby's official page: "Here is Granny's cottage in the Ramtops, one of the endpapers I created for The Shepherd's Crown collectors gold edition."
http://bit.ly/1KXd64F
https://www.facebook.com/paulkidby
We all know what Paul Kidby looks like, but if you ever wondered what Josh Kirby looked like, here you go:
http://bit.ly/1KYaC6i
A set of photos from Uppingham Theatre Company's recent production of Wyrd Sisters:
http://mdbaines1.jalbum.net/Wyrd%20Sisters/Friday%20Photos/index.html
Also, Magrat and Verence caught (almost) in the act:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CSqGZT3WwAAYNnl.jpg
...and some of the audience, who definitely got into the spirit of things:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CSrH5vWWUAErhxr.jpg
Some of the Alexandra Players' cast from their recent production of Wyrd Sisters:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CSo4Ef8WIAA0rKx.jpg
and https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CSp8aoeXIAEEPT8.png
and https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CSz0RM0WEAEyftn.jpg
...and finally, possibly the best Discworld cosplay ever – one David Mountain and friends, doing true justice to Moist, Angua, Colon, Vimes and Mort at a convention in the UK:
http://bit.ly/1Yn7quu
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13) CLOSE
And that's the lot for the moment, apart from a few items:
The superb Good Omens radio play has been nominated for a BBC Audio Drama Award in the Best Audio Drama (series or serial) category. Judging for the awards will be on 31st January 2016 at Broadcasting House in London.
*
According to the Random House website, there will be a graphic novel version of Small Gods, to be published in July of next year. Stay tuned for updates!
*
Granny Weatherwax made it easily into a "top ten greatest witches of all time" list in the Huffington Post:
"There are loveable witches aplenty in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, from the earthy Nanny Ogg to would-be opera diva Agnes and YA heroine Tiffany Aching. Esme Weatherwax is exceptional in that she is far from loveable, but will always do right by her village, even sitting down to play dice with the Grim Reaper on occasion it it means saving a life..."
http://huff.to/1NJhlD5
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There's an interesting blog entry on The Oxford Student, about authors and their "look". Included, of course, is The Hat:
"A distinctive look can reinforce, or play against, a reader's perception of what an author is like based on their work. No-one is surprised after reading Neil Gaiman's work to find him a slightly dishevelled, tousle-haired goth with a fondness for black coats... The late, great Terry Pratchett was known not only for his unique prose style, but in his public appearances for his trademark black hat, to the point where it was disconcerting to find pictures of him not wearing it..."
http://oxfordstudent.com/2015/11/13/an-author-after-a-fashion/
In closing, I'd just like to point out that Pratchett superfan Emily Whitten is truly amazing. In addition to being bright, beautiful and clever, she has written a top-notch topical essay that references a certain Discworld book that can be said to reflect certain current events. Do have a read: http://bit.ly/1NlGmtM
Wossname wishes our USA readers a very happy Thanksgiving. See you all soon!
– Annie Mac
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The End. If you have any questions or requests, write: wossname-owner (at) pearwood (dot) info
Copyright (c) 2015 by Wossname for the Klatchian Foreign Legion
