Wossname -- April 2015 -- 2nd issue
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wossnameWossname
Newsletter of the Klatchian Foreign Legion
April 2015 (Volume 18, Issue 4, Post 2)
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WOSSNAME is a free publication offering news, reviews, and all the other stuff-that-fits pertaining to the works and activities 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.
GNU Terry Pratchett: Sending Home, forever (and secreted in Wossname's own server)
Never forget: http://www.gnuterrypratchett.com/
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Editor in Chief: Annie Mac
News Editor: Vera P
Newshounds: Mogg, Sir J of Croydon Below, the Shadow, Wolfiekins
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) ANOTHER QUOTE OF THE MONTH
02) EDITOR'S LETTER: CELEBRATING SIR PTERRY'S BIRTHDATE
03) ODDS AND SODS
04) DISCWORLD GAMES NEWS
05) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS
06) DISCWORLD ARTS AND CRAFTS NEWS
07) DISCWORLD CONVENTION NEWS
08) DISCWORLD MEETING GROUPS UPDATES AND REMINDERS
09) ALZHEIMER'S NEWS
10) ROUNDWORLD TALES: THE COPPER EVERYONE LOVED
11) AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE
12) MORE IMAGES OF THE MONTH
13) CLOSE
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01) ANOTHER QUOTE OF THE MONTH
"I think it's a lovely idea, even though it makes my head spin to think of the books becoming a little closer to reality. And they are nice names, even though I say it myself."
– Sir Pterry in 2009, commenting on the naming of Ankh-Morpork streets in Wincanton
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02) A LETTER FROM YOUR EDITOR
On this day in 1948 – 28th April, to be precise – the child who would become Sir Terry Pratchett was born. It's a sad truth that it's no longer possible to wish him a happy birthday in person, but we can celebrate the day of his birth, year after year, for all time. I find a certain recent internet-driven practice, that of wishing historically famous but long dead people a happy birthday, to be irritatingly daft, but acknowledging – and celebrating – the birthdate of such people is a reasonable thing... especially as it's yet another way of keeping the memory of them in the world. So let's all raise our glasses, be they of scumble or of some gentler poison, to one of the greatest writers and greatest human beings of all time: Terence David John Pratchett, Kt, OBE, and Blackboard Monitor!
In other news, apparently the 25th of April was World Penguin Day. And Paul Kidby responded to that in a truly inimitable fashion:
"Today is World Penguin Day, so here is The Librarian as a penguin to celebrate! Drawn for the Talpress edition of The Last Continent." https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10155966414612355
For those of you who might be insufficiently familiar with the magical Discworld Emporium in Ankh-Morpork's twin town Wincanton, here is a gorgeous page telling the history of the shop and its Cunning Artificers:
http://www.discworldemporium.com/about-us
And there's more – there's always more – but for now I'll close, in the hope that I can get this issue posted while it's still the 28th...
– Annie Mac, Editor
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03) ODDS AND SODS
3.1 MORT ON THE WIRELESS
Listen again to the BBC's four-part adaptation, starring Anton Lesser and Carl Prekopp. The programme will be available worldwide for another three weeks.
Episode one: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007k0v6
Episode two: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007k134
Episode three: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007k1c1
Episode four: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007k1l2
3.2 FLASHBACK: THE WINCANTON WALK OF FAME
Somehow Wossname missed this one when it happened! We reported fully on the Wincanton Discworld street names back in 2009, but this was what happened a year later:
"Legendary author Sir Terry Pratchett OBE returned to the Somerset town of Wincanton to leave Hollywood style 'walk of fame' imprints at Taylor Wimpey's Kingwell Rise development... Treacle Mine Road and Peach Pie Street won the public vote but since then Taylor Wimpey has gained council approval to name all of the roads at the development after Discworld with additions including Hen And Chickens Field, Morpork Street and Kinklebury Street. Hundreds of Discworld fans, many in costume, descended on Kingwell Rise to see Sir Terry place his hands and signature into concrete at the development following other Discworld activities organised by the Discworld Emporium of Wincanton. Sir Terry Pratchett said: 'It is just great to return to Kingwell Rise a year on and actually see homes now built along Treacle Mine Road and Peach Pie Street – it certainly feels more real now – as opposed to fantasy fiction! I hope the new residents are enjoying their road names – I'd definitely pay good money to live on Hen And Chickens Field!'"
...and an iconograph of the imprints ceremony:
http://bit.ly/1dmIGQN
In addition to Treacle Mine Road and Peach Pie Street, Wincanton streets now include Hen and Chickens Field, Moon Pond Lane, Morpork Street and Kinklebury Street. Replica signs of all the named roads were auctioned in August 2009 and raised funds for the Alzheimer's Research Trust; builders Taylor Wimpey also made an independent donation to the Trust. – Ed.
http://bit.ly/1dmrdb4
https://www.streetcheck.co.uk/postcode/startingwith/ba9
3.3 DISCWORLD WEEKEND AT THE OXFORD STORY MUSEUM
This sounds wonderful. Wish we could all be there!
"The Story Museum are proud to announce the return of Discworld Weekend, a celebration of Sir Terry Prachett's phenomenally successful Discworld books. Taking place on the 23rd and 24th May 2015, this year's event is themed around the novel Mort, the story of a teenage boy who finds himself as Death's apprentice, with both disastrous and hilarious consequences. The weekend will see The Story Museum transform with a series of specially programmed events and installations including readings from Stephen Briggs (voice of the Discworld audiobooks), a talk from Discworld super-fan and convention regular Dr Pat Harkin, the chance to see Death and his horse Binky saddling up in our stables, a special MURDER A CURRY night with Terry's assistant Rob Wilkins as guest of honour, and an immersive trip through Death's own library and gardens.
"This year's event is especially poignant – on the 12th April the world received with great sadness the news that Sir Terry had died at home, with his cat sleeping on his bed, surrounded by his family. The loss of such a great writer was felt no less keenly by The Story Museum – Sir Terry had been a long term supporter and one of the 26 authors who offered his time and image for the museum's highly acclaimed '26 Characters' exhibition. As well a whole host of Discworld events and installations, visitors will also be able to enjoy The Museum’s regular attractions including Draw Me A Story, Time For Bed and Extreme Reading, all of which will be sprinkled with a touch of Discworld magic."
When: Saturday 23rd May – Sunday 24th May 2015
Venue: Story Museum, Rochester House, 42 Pembroke Street, Oxford OX1 1BP (phone +44 (0)1865 790050)
http://www.storymuseum.org.uk/whats-on/discworld-weekend/
3.4 TERRY PRATCHETT IS THE NEW MEDIA PLAYER
The newest version of VideoLAN's excellent VLC Media Player, updated from their WeatherWax version, has been named "Terry Pratchett" in honour of The Author:
"VLC 2.2.1 'Terry Pratchett' is a fixed version of 2.2.0 'WeatherWax' It fixes numerous crashes (FLAC, SPC), codec issues (VP9, Atrac3, AAC), regressions and several issues (Resume, MP4 chapters, MKV over network) and security issues.
http://www.videolan.org/
More about the VLC Media Player:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VLC_media_player
3.5 BUT DO THEY SERVE SCUMBLE?
The Broken Drum, Andy Wheeler's new micropub in Westwood Lane, Welling (see Editor's Letter in the March second edition) opened for business on Friday 17th April, and business there was indeed. Here be iconographs:
http://bit.ly/1JlFWNm
3.6 REVIEWS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
A review of A Blink of the Screen in Utah newspaper the Herald Extra:
"When Sir Terry Pratchett died recently, a significant cache of the world's much-needed laughter went with him. Fortunately, Sir Terry was nothing if not prolific so his legacy of high fantasy and sly humor remains to cheer and to bless future generations. His most recent, and perhaps last, book, 'A Blink of the Screen' collects short fiction from various anthologies and includes beloved characters from his Discworld series along with some new folks, interesting in their own right..."
http://bit.ly/1yIDuQH
A paean by Emily Ring in the Yakima Herald:
"Despite knowing that he had been suffering from early-onset Alzheimer's disease for almost a decade, I was sure he had years of life left in him. I was positive I would have a chance to meet him at one of the many conventions where he would be featured as an honored guest. I knew I could look forward to new books from him for many years to come. But I was wrong. One of my favorite authors, who shaped not only the 'what' but also the 'why' of who I am as a reader, is gone. Fortunately, he leaves behind a wealth of stories, spanning his entire career, in two new collections, 'Dragons at Crumbling Castle' and 'A Blink of the Screen.' Before I tell you more about these books, let me tell you this: I haven't read all of the stories in either collection yet. Not because I didn't want to, but because I'm saving some for later, rationing out the goodness the way you would nibble your last-ever bar of chocolate, eking out every last bit of sweetness.
"I'm still left with so much to say about them. First, the basics: 'Dragons at Crumbling Castle' is a book for children, while 'A Blink of the Screen' is for adults (as much as anything Pratchett ever wrote is 'for adults'). 'Dragons at Crumbling Castle' is composed of stories Pratchett wrote during the mid- to late-1960s for a local paper where he worked as a junior reporter. These are daffy, sly, delightful stories. They remind me strongly of Roald Dahl's works, with their clear-eyed sense of wonder, devoid of irony. This impression is bolstered by Mark Beech's exuberant illustrations, which look so much like those of Quentin Blake (Dahl's illustrator) that I keep flipping back to the cover of the book to see if I missed Blake's name somewhere.
"The stories in 'A Blink of the Screen' are plucked from almost five decades of work, and the ideas that spawned many of Pratchett's most famous works can be found here. It contains Pratchett's first commercially published short story, 'The Hades Business,' published in 1963 when he was 15. Reading this story is like hearing Paul McCartney's high school choir performance or seeing Picasso's childhood finger paintings. It's not exactly a masterpiece, but it's clever and unique and shows glimpses of who he would become as a writer..."
http://bit.ly/1G3ZUyD
An interesting op-ed on technology as seen in science fiction, by Georgina Voss in The Guardian:
"Ostensibly about the revival of the Ankh-Morpork postal system, 'Going Postal' acts as a spectacular and unexpectedly moving allegory around the freedoms, ownership, and control of information systems..."
http://bit.ly/1Hgj8j9
3.7 ORANGUTAN (AND LIBRARY) NEWS
Here be a piece by International League of Conservation Photographers Fellow Paul Hilton, "Orangutan Rescue in the Land of the Chainsaw"
"Logs lay on the floor as if some kind of super typhoon has ripped through the area. Orangutan nests dot the canopy. Chainsaws start to echo in the valley once again. Sadly I've come to associate the sounds of chainsaws with Sumatra. Every second motorbike we passed had a chainsaw strapped to the back of it. This last patch of pristine forest will be soon cleared to make way for more oil palms... A single dart flies through the air hitting the mother orangutan in the thigh. In less than 15 minutes the full effects of the tranquilizer should be felt and the orangutan will be sedated. My team will position themselves with the net under the orangutan and she should just fall into the net. The 15 minutes passed but the orangutan kept on moving away from our position. The team determined that the dart had hit a bone and not released the sedative. By now the rain had stopped but it was almost dark so we had to abandon the rescue. ' It would be far too dangerous for the orangutans and the team to proceed now,' said Panut. At first light we started the search for the mother and baby. But we never did find her again.
"Two months later, present day. I receive a phone call. It's Panut. ' Paul can you please get the next flight into Sumatra? We have a large male orangutan that needs rescuing.'... A fully mature cheek-padded male, Friday was not an easy rescue. He evaded the team for sometime before the rescue team vet was able to sedate him. 'There was a serious risk of injury when he finally fell from the canopy,' Panut explained. 'His body did hit a branch on the way down, but the team moved fast to get our specialised net in the right position to catch him 15 metres below. He was really lucky. Our vet checked his condition and after being trapped in such a small area of forest lacking food, he was found to be very underweight, and also had a bullet in his chest, which we removed on the scene. It's clear that had we not been able to conduct the rescue, his future was to die starving here, or make a run for it where he could have been shot at and killed... At dawn the following morning the team drove for more than one and a half hours through miles of uniform oil palms until they finally reached open forest,' Krisna said, describing the release back into the larger forested area of the Leuser Ecosystem. 'As soon as Panut lifted the door of the crate, Friday's massive hand emerged to hoist himself up the nearest tree. Within seconds he had scaled it and was looking down on the rescue team, shaking branches and vocalizing to drive us out of the forest'..."
http://bit.ly/1NfTX5y
...and also on the subject of apes, a USA court has granted a form of human rights to two chimpanzees:
"Previous cases in the United States have failed to produce such a result, but in December an Argentinian orangutan won her case (which was of course actually brought to the court by animal rights activists) and was moved from a zoo to a sanctuary. The U.S. case isn't quite at that point yet: The judge hasn't ruled that the two chimps, who live in a Stony Brook University lab, need to be released. The decision really only means that the chimps have the right to fight their detention in court. It's entirely possible that the judge will hear all sides of the case and rule that Stony Brook researchers have every right to keep using the chimps in their lab. While it's a little soon to start throwing open the doors of every zoo in the country, NhRP representatives are thrilled. 'This is a big step forward to getting what we are ultimately seeking: the right to bodily liberty for chimpanzees and other cognitively complex animals,' Natalie Prosin, the executive director of the NhRP, told Science Magazine. 'We got our foot in the door. And no matter what happens, that door can never be completely shut again'..."
http://wapo.st/1cX8YsK
...and speaking of apes, here is a worth-reading piece about the possible future of libraries (see what I did there?):
"Terry Pratchett imagined a labyrinthine library in Discworld overseen by an orangutan where students occasionally get lost and are forced to eat their own boots to survive. It may sound absurd, but this is perhaps the library that is most immediately relevant to today – with its endless shelves and connections to every library and every collection of books in the Multiverse... The emerging contours of the digital landscape may mean that the end of the library as a repository for books is inevitable. A few clicks are all it takes to access a library larger than the imagination can conceive. We have access to millions of books without ever having to leave our homes. Available through a dizzying amount of providers, times have never been better for voracious readers..."
http://bit.ly/1OrfXaB
...and on the subject of Librarians, here be a photo essay on (some of) the world's most beautiful libraries. Beware – technically worksafe, but may cause unbearable longing:
http://ht.ly/M8zfL
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04) DISCWORLD GAMES NEWS
Clacks is coming – just a little later than anticipated. The lads at Backspindle Games say, "Due to ongoing working with the Polish publisher we have put the release date back from August until October. Hence we have agreed to release at the Irish Discworld Convention. We feel this would be the very best place this year for the Discworld fan fraternity."
Pre-order will be available soon. Meanwhile, here be an image of the game's cover:
http://backspindlegames.com/clacks/
Some extracts from the Guards!Guards! blog:
"As stated in The Guardian about Sir Terry, 'above all, he was funny'. We at Backspindle cannot begin to thank him enough for letting us play a small part in spreading the magic of his books through our games. We have had gamers at Hogswatch being overheard laughing from some twenty five metres away when playing Guards! Guards! We have had scores of Convention delegates frantically running around grand hotels looking for magic spells and some even borrowing (erm..) our demo of Clacks to play in a bar till stupid o'clock in the morning, just cause they liked it. It's been a wonderful four years!
"In tribute to the late Sir Terry Pratchett many websites are adding the message 'GNU Terry Pratchett' into the html header 'X-Clacks-Overhead'. A plugin allows you to see when a website is using the header and read the message included. We are honoured that the message is also displayed visually in the semaphore style from our upcoming board game 'Clacks.'
"Sadly in March it was also confirmed that 2015 will be the last year we can publish Guards! Guards! A Discworld boardgame; so if you know anyone who has not got a copy, you may wish to let them know this.
"Happily in March we had both the box cover and board artwork for our new Discworld boardgame Clacks approved. Our Clacks illustrator, The Artful Nudger, a.k.a. Amber Grundy, has been working into the wee hours to meet our demands. Better known for her cute Dragon illustrations at Discworld Conventions, Amber previously worked with us and David 'Narcocynicalist' Hathway on the fantastic charity IDWCon werewolf card game.
"If you can't wait until later in the year for the release of Clacks perhaps you'd like to come along at play the latest demo with us at the UK Games Expo from 29 – 31 May in Birmingham. We are in the hall of Kings and have been known to occasionally lose at our games when challenged..."
http://www.guardsguards.com/blog/
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05) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS
5.1 NEW: WYRD SISTERS IN BARCELONA (MAY)
The amateur theatre company Grup de teatre de l'Espiga de Les Corts are presenting their special production of Wyrd Sisters – that's Bruixes, in the Catalan tongue – translated by Marta Armengol with permission, this month.
"We're an amateur theatre group in Barcelona," Marta writes, "and I doubt anyone's going to come all the way to Barcelona to see it, but... We'd just be dead chuffed to appear on your site... To our knowledge, this is the first time a Discworld play is translated and performed in Catalan."
When: 9th and 10th May 2015 (additional date in October TBA)
Venue: L'Espiga de Les Corts, Joan Gamper, 30, Barcelona (phone 93. 419. 44. 20)
Time: 6.30pm all performances
Tickets:
http://www.espigadelescorts.cat/ca/
5.2 NEW: MORT IN MANCHESTER (MAY)
The Didsbury Players will present their production of Mort next month in Didsbury.
When: 8th & 9th May 2015
Venue: East Didsbury Methodist Church, Parrs Wood Rd, East Didsbury M20 5QQ
Time: 8pm (doors open 7.30pm)
Tickets: £7 adults, £5 concessions. To buy online, go to www.didsburyplayers.co.uk/tickets
www.didsburyplayers.co.uk
5.3 NEW: WYRD SISTERS IN HAMPSHIRE (MAY)
The Phoenix Players will present their production of Wyrd Sisters next month.
When: Fri15, Sat 16 Fri 22, Sat 23
Venue: Phoenix Arts Centre, Station Road, Bordon, Hants GU35 OLR
Time: 7.30pm all performances
Tickets: £9, (Concessions/members £8)
Call 01420 472664 or email: info@phoenixarts.co.uk
Or to buy online, go to: https://kiosk.iristickets.co.uk/k?v=thephoenixtheatre
http://www.phoenixarts.co.uk/phoenix-players-wyrd-sisters
5.4 UPDATE: WYRD SISTERS IN EYNSFORD, KENT (MAY)
Riverside Players proudly present a new interpretation of Wyrd Sisters. Stephen Briggs' play has been specially adapted for this amateur production by the director, Rob Tizzard.
"This Production marks another first for Riverside Players, in the use of full stage background projection. An original musical accompaniment will be performed by a live band. A wondrous cast who relish bringing the many colourful characters to life. You may even spot the odd cat or orangutan, both beloved by the author. So please join us to celebrate the life of the great writer, with a couple of hours of comedic fun for all. We look forward to seeing you so book now as there will only be six performances of this show."
There will be collections for the RICE Centre during the shows.
When: 8th, 9th, 15th & 16th May 2015
Venue: Eynsford Village Hall, High Street, Eynsford, Kent DA4 0AA
Time: Friday 8th & 15th, 7.45pm; Saturday 9th & 16th, 3pm & 7.45pm
Tickets: Adult £11, Concessions £9 (under 16s, over 60s and students with NUS card), Family £35 (2 adults and 2 concessions); Group Discount: buy 10 tickets, get one of them free! Applies to Adult and Concession
tickets only. Discount will be applied at payment stage.
There is a Discount Code for buying advance tickets: 'ESME15' until 23rd April 2015
5.5 REMINDER: SMALL GODS IN ADELAIDE, FOURECKS (MAY)
Unseen Theatre brings their production of Small Gods to the Adelaide stage next month:
"Although this production was planned quite some time before Terry's passing, some may see it as fate, others as simply co-incidence, that we decided on this particular one of his works that is concerned with theological and philosophical issues. Whatever your beliefs, we hope that it is a fitting tribute to him. Small Gods has all the usual comedy, action, and drama that we have come to expect from one of the most insightful minds of our era. It will also make you think about....well...everything, long after you have left the theatre!
"RIP Sir Terry. We hope you are giving our favourite character a good run for his money! We at Unseen Theatre Company will be sure to keep your work alive on stage."
When: Preview Fri. May 15. Opening Night Sat. May 16. Season continues Wed to Sat until May 30.
Venue: Bakehouse Theatre, 255 Angas Street, Adelaide
Time: All shows at 8pm
Tickets: Adults $20; Concession $18; TREv $16; Groups (10+) $16; Preview all tickets $15; Companion Card accepted.
To book online, go to: www.bakehousetheatre.com
Tickets can also be purchased at the door on the night (subject to availability).
http://unseen.com.au/
5.6 REVIEW: WYRD SISTERS IN CHELMSFORD
By Michael Gray
"This must be one of the most theatrical of the Discworld canon, with its delicious mix of Shakespeare and pantomime.
So a fitting choice for CTW, in what has become a tribute to Pratchett, who died as rehearsals were beginning... CTW's production, directed by Mark Preston and Sally Ransom, deploys its best lighting effect right at the start, on the blasted heath – the soundscape here, and elsewhere, very effective. The set is open and flexible, with fold-out detail for, amongst other things, the copper for Iain Holding-Sutton's foul fiend..."
http://michaelgray.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/wyrd-sisters.html
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06) DISCWORLD ARTS AND CRAFTS NEWS
From the Discworld Emporium, the Cunning Artificers' latest goodies...
"Millennium Hand and Shrimp! Terry Pratchett was a master of the English Language, responsible for some of the most poignant and moving phrases known to literature, but sometimes, nothing is more eloquent than a hearty 'Buggrit...' our Official Discworld T-shirt features the unmistakeable catchphrase of Canting Crew favourite Foul Ole Ron. Distinctive odour not included. This supersoft graphic tee features a typographic design screen printed onto 100% ringspun cotton in indigo. Tailored style for a flattering fit with double-stitched seams. Please check your size carefully before ordering!"
Priced at £15.00, the Millennium Hand and Shrimp tee is available in the following girths:
Small: 36" chest, Medium: 40" chest, Large: 44" chest, X Large: 48" chest, XX Large: 50" Chest
For more info, and to order, go to: http://bit.ly/1dn2GCO
"Treat yourself to a sausage-inna-bun or two with an authentic bag of five half-dollars from the streets and pockets of Discworld's mercantile metropolis. Featuring the profile of Ankh-Morpork's esteemed tyrant Lord Havelock Vetinari, with Morporkia on the flip side, each coin has been hand-cast and individually worked to achieve a suitably distressed appearance with an antique patina. Now with a new-look bag from the Royal Bank of Ankh-Morpork! Lead-free petwer, each coin has a diameter or 29mm."
Priced at £10.00, the Ankh-Morpork Half-dollars bag is now in stock. For more info, and to order, go to:
http://bit.ly/1J614Y7
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07) DISCWORLD CONVENTION NEWS
7.1 NADWCON AT SASQUAN UPDATES
From NADWcon's chief Seamstress, Denise Connell:
"There is a lot of work going on behind the scenes regarding Discworld programing and events for Sasquan / Worldcon 2015 but much of it is a surprise, at least for now. But here is what I can tell you:
"Sasquan is making ribbons for DW fans to wear on their badges so they can find one another. These will be purple and will say, 'Ook'. (Traditionally, the Seamstress Guild makes up their own ribbons which have their motto: Nil Volupti sine lucre. The guild will give these out at the parties they're hosting at Sasquan.) In addition to all the great experiences offered by a Worldcon, Sasquan will be hosting Discworld programming, events, a Discworld exhibit, guild meetups, and our fabulous Seamstress Guild parties... One of the Guests of Honor for Sasquan is David Gerrold, who is also a Terry Pratchett fan. Mr Gerrold has recently started an informal group called Just Us. These are Discworld fans who perform random acts of kindness at conventions and other events. We'll have more on this movement and what it might mean at Sasquan next month. We hope to see you there."
http://bit.ly/1GpTUO6
7.2 NULLUS ANXIETAS V UPDATES
Already planning the next one (Nullus VI in 2017)...
https://twitter.com/NullusAnxietasV/status/588482911554379776
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08) DISCWORLD MEETING GROUPS: UPDATES AND REMINDERS
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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The Broken Drummers, "London's Premier Unofficially Official Discworld Group" (motto "Nil percussio est"), meets next on Monday 4th May 2015. For more information, go to http://brokendrummers.org/ or email
BrokenDrummers@gmail.com or nicholls.helen@yahoo.co.uk
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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". For more info about their next meetup, go to www.meetup.com/Pratchett-Partisans/ 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
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The Broken Vectis Drummers meet next on Thursday 7th May 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 1st May 2015 (probably) at Wincanton's famous Bear Inn from 7pm onwards. "Visitors and drop-ins are always welcome!"
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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 4th May 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 4th May 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>
*
Western Drummers, also based in Sydney, next meet on Tuesday, 21st April at The Rowers, Nepean Rowing Club, Bruce Neal Drive, Penrith, New South Wales (6.30-7.30pm for food, 7.30pm for games, quizzes and chat).
For more information, contact Nanny Ogg – lewis_oz@bigpond.com – or visit their Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/westerndrummers
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09) ALZHEIMER'S NEWS
Since, after all, keeping the subject going was most of the point of Sir Pterry's activism...
9.1 PTERRY'S DONATION: WHERE THE MONEY WENT
Louise Serpell, Professor of Biochemistry at University of Sussex, write of how Sir Pterry's huge donation to Alzheimer's research has been used:
"Around the time of Pratchett's diagnosis there was a change in the attitudes towards Alzheimer's. People really began to discuss both how it felt to be suffering from and caring for someone with the disease. Along with this came awareness of the desperate need for more research funding to understand the disease better. Pratchett spoke openly about his symptoms and how they affected his life. He not only contributed himself, but also called for increased funding by governments and science funding agencies.
"In 2008, we applied for funding from Alzheimer's Research UK and were delighted to be funded to research the mechanisms that lead to the development of Alzheimer's disease. We later learned that the funding had been made possible by Pratchett's donation. We used the money to bring together an international research group to focus our research to understand how one of the proteins involved with Alzheimer's (Amyloid-beta) interacts with the membranes which surround cells. Pratchett's funding allowed us to recruit a number of young scientists to work on this difficult problem, bringing new expertise to the projects. These were exciting times; we worked hard with our collaborators and were able to show that different structures of Amyloid-beta were responsible for the effects on the brain tissues in Alzheimer's disease. Films and books show scientific research as an individual pursuit characterised by sudden 'aha!' moments. But it actually tends to consist of slow and painstaking work by many scientists working together making small steps towards better understanding... The funding made possible by Pratchett's donation shaped our work and, seven years on, has resulted in further successful funding from government grants and other charities. Without his generous contribution, we would not be at the stage that we are now.
"It was not just this direct funding that produced so much change. His fervent and determined campaigning initiated change far and wide. He backed the Alzheimer's society Dementia Friends campaign, famously being photographed holding a sign saying: IT'S POSSIBLE TO LIVE WELL WITH DEMENTIA AND WRITE BESTSELLERS LIKE WOT I DO... Pratchett's incredibly important legacy was to highlight the need for Alzheimer's research funding. This resulted in increased backing to charities such as the Alzheimer's Society and Alzheimer's Research UK which inevitably allow more researchers to search for the cause and the cure. His efforts also led to serious political changes, bringing dementia into the focus of UK and international governments. Indeed, the G8 promised to aim to develop a treatment or cure by 2025.
"So, as we mourn the death of Terry Pratchett as a much-loved writer, we should consider his wider legacy. In the shock of his diagnosis eight years ago, he could have retreated and kept his illness a secret, but instead he chose to go public and lend his voice to an important campaign. He worked tirelessly to raise the need for increased funding for Alzheimer's disease research and he highlighted the fact that dementia can strike anyone..."
http://bit.ly/1wViOUy
9.2 ALZHEIMER'S PREVENTION AWARENESS
An article on prevention awareness in The Guardian:
"One in six people over 80 have the condition, with impaired cognitive function (usually memory loss) and at least one other significant problem with language, spatial awareness or function. Treatments exist, but they often have little or no effect and, despite reports last week that US researchers have found a possible cause, there is still no cure. So the holy grail is prevention... The process of dementia may start 15-20 years before clinical symptoms become apparent. A study by Finnish researchers attempted to find out if there is a window of opportunity to intervene in people at increased risk of dementia because they have vascular risk factors (diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or existing heart disease or stroke) and unhealthy lifestyle factors. The study enrolled 2,654 people at risk, but not yet showing signs of dementia. Over two years, one group was offered nutritional advice, exercise, cognitive training and social activity, as well as management of vascular risk factors. Initial results are promising, with better cognitive functioning among those offered intervention than in the control group... Smoking makes no sense if you want to avoid dementia: smokers have a 45% higher risk of developing all types of dementia than non-smokers. And the more you smoke, the greater the risk. But if you quit, your risk starts to return to that of a non-smoker as soon as you give up...
http://bit.ly/1F5IzUv
9.3 HOSPITALS, DEMENTIA AND HEALTH
June Andrews, Professor of Dementia Studies at University of Stirling, writes about why hospitals are dangerous for people with dementia – and why it's up to families to help:
"Your local hospital might be prepared to welcome people with dementia but you can't be sure. Its management would be wise to do so, as up to 50% of patients, on top of their illness or injury, may be elderly and frail and affected by either dementia or delirium. Delirium is a reversible state of confusion caused by stress and infection. If staff work to reduce delirium, it almost certainly also helps reduce problems associated with dementia... But if old people with dementia can stay out of hospital, it's much better. Of course, some things can't be managed outside a hospital but for many, getting admitted is the top of a slippery slope. They may have been managing perfectly well at home, but during their hospital stay things happen that mean they never go home again. Dementia patients are twice as likely to suffer preventable complications such as pressure ulcers and pneumonia in hospital. Patients with dementia and a fractured hip tend not to be given as much pain relief as other patients with fractured hip. Uncontrolled pain in dementia gives rise to delirium that is often undiagnosed and untreated in hospitals. As a result, half of these patients who develop delirium die in six months. Patients with dementia may get missed by accident at mealtimes and have problems eating and drinking which are made worse in hospital. Some hospitals provide guidance but bad stories are more common...
"Logically families should take more responsibility for care of elderly relatives while in a hospital. Be there to help them eat, and to help them with washing, keeping them company and making sure that they swallow their medication. But hospital staff resist it. For political reasons the NHS has difficulty accepting a situation like this for fear of accusations that the system is failing. Just recommending help from families has in the past been misrepresented in the media or by politicians as an attack on the NHS. This is because we have been led to believe an unreal fantasy of what hospitals can do..."
http://bit.ly/18xVUHz
9.4 FUNDRAISING HUMOUR ANTHOLOGY WANTS YOU!
Also very much Alzheimer's related – authors and Pratchett fans Sorin Suciu and Laura May are seeking submissions for a new anthology of Pratchett-inspired short humour pieces:
"In memory of Sir Terry Pratchett, we are putting together an anthology of short stories to raise money for one of his favourite charities. If you are an author (or suspect you have the makings of one!) and are one of the millions of readers out there who has been touched in some way by the writings of Sir Terry, then read on. We have reached out to Alzheimer’s Research UK, offering to put together a fan tribute anthology on the theme of Memory. The book will be dedicated to Sir Terry Pratchett, with all proceedings going to the charity. They were thrilled and have offered their support."
The story should be between 3,000 and 8,000 words, should follow the theme of Memory, and can be in any genre, although, as the organisers say, "Humorous writing is preferred, given the nature of Sir Terry’s work".
Initial submissions should consist of a brief author biography, a short synopsis (no more than two lines) of the subject of the story, and a writing sample of "up to 500 words of your original published or unpublished work." All profits from the actual publication will go "towards Alzheimer’s Research UK", they say.
For full details, go to:
http://www.explaura.net/the-book/call-for-submissions/
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10) ROUNDWORLD TALES: THE COPPER EVERYONE LOVED
PC Andy Hocking, a Watchman, er, policeman in the Cornish town of Falmouth, died suddenly while off duty last month. PC Hocking was so well-loved and respected in the community that more than 6,000 people lined the streets to pay their respects. Does that call to mind someone in a more fictional world? Why yes, it does:
"Local traders said there had been an "unprecedented outpouring of grief" from all corners of the community for the 52-year old, who had policed the area for 23 years. 'Back and forth through the streets he would go – people liked to see a presence in the street and they liked to see a familiar face – they treated him like a friend, and he treated them like friends,' his wife Sally told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme... Mrs Hocking outlined how 'he had the right ingredients for the job – he was very fair with people, he was very engaging, he was interested and he would always listen – but he was also an interesting character himself'. The legacy of PC Hocking's character is evident throughout the town. Pictures of him hang on the wall of his favourite pub, taxi-drivers talk fondly of him, artists have captured his winning smile in photographs and drawings. One distinct caricature appeared on his wife's doorstep shortly after his death and now hangs proudly in her dining room alongside the numerous awards and commendations he received over the course of his career. Everyone who stops to talk about PC Hocking nods along with certainty when asked the question: 'Did you trust him?'..."
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cornwall-32401906
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11) AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE
Just a small sampling for now...
This is the effect Nation had on blogger The Manila Reader:
"To be honest, I didn't know what to expect when I got my hands on Nation a few days ago except that avid fans of Discworld highly recommend I read it FAST and read it NOW. Well now, Discworld, that's a body of work that would put the Holy Bible to shame for it's sheer moral purpose and ambition. It's also funnier, if maybe slightly more absurd than desert people worshiping a sky god who's morality and purpose in turn could only be described as suspicious.
Nation is also highly recommended by its author and claims it to be the best he'd ever written. Now that is a claim I'm not just going to accept. I mean, has he read Night Watch? So I came to Nation with all the baggage of Discworld on my back (har har, snigger snigger!)... The book was described as a coming of age story. But it is a grim and tragic coming of age story that is seldom seen in the YA genre...
I'd like to think that Terry Pratchett late in his career still [had] an ambition to change the world with a more urgent message. But if there is a commonality in both Discworld and Nation, it is the anger that cannot be quelled, the anger of Sam Vimes, Granny Weatherwax and from what I heard, even Tiffany Aching, and now even Mau, anger at the things that makes us suffer. An anger directed at the gods, and the world, at injustice, and most of all, at being helpless in the face of death. I still don't understand why they let it sit on the YA shelfs when adults should be the one reading this...
http://bit.ly/1DZjidD
Sophie Cleverly aka hapfairy tells how Thief of Time changed her life:
"I was eleven years old, and wandering the school hall for that miraculous event known in the school calendar as the Book Fair. There were endless things to choose from... there was also a book there that I didn’t recognise, and it stood out immediately. I picked it up. It was garish purple and orange, with shiny gold writing. And then there was the illustration – a nightmare vision of the apocalypse. Giant, spinning, smoking stone pillars. People in yellow robes. Death. A tiny skeletal rat with a scythe. It was the weirdest thing I’d ever seen, and I wanted it. So I bought the book (or more likely, begged my mum to buy it for me) and took it home. It was unlike anything I’d ever read before. I don’t think I really understood a lot of what was going on, but I got enough of it to know that I was in love... A lifelong Pratchett fan was born the day I picked up Thief of Time in the school hall...
If you’ve read other books in the series, you may be familiar with Susan. She’s Death’s granddaughter, the child of his adopted daughter, and as such she has inherited some of his powers (genetics are a strange business on the Disc) – stopping time, walking through walls, controlling people’s thoughts. Death tasks her with saving the world, a task she reluctantly takes on, aided (or more accurately, annoyed) by Quoth the Raven and Death of Rats. Oh, and she’s also a primary school teacher. This was the aspect of the book that I’ve always loved. I was never sure whether I wanted Susan to be my teacher or if I just wanted to be her. Her philosophy really spoke to me, both as a child and an adult. She’s a bit like a cross between Wednesday Addams and Miss Frizzle from The Magic School Bus. She transports her students to far-off lands without ever leaving the classroom, introduces them to Death’s horse and even has lectures from visiting retired bogeymen...
"This is an utterly brilliant book, and yet, strangely, it isn’t even in my top 10 Pratchett books. When you’re talking about this man, brilliant isn’t the limit. The limit is exceptional... without Thief of Time, I wouldn’t have discovered Terry Pratchett. And without Terry Pratchett, I wouldn’t have spent a good deal of my life buying, collecting and reading more than eighty (sorry, Rincewind) books by the same man. I wouldn’t have gone to Discworld conventions and met a ton of wonderful, bonkers people. I wouldn’t have laughed my way through Good Omens and cried at the simple, joyful beauty of a reunion in Monstrous Regiment. I wouldn’t have my favourite book of all time, A Hat Full of Sky. I wouldn’t have discovered the true love of writing, a love that led to my first book being published by HarperCollins this year. I wouldn’t have learned so much about humanity, about myself. I wouldn’t be the person I am today..."
http://hapfairy.tumblr.com/post/116017430400/how-thief-of-time-changed-my-life
Childledchaos also felt the Pratchett presence across many years:
"I was 16 when I read my first Discworld novel. It was such a notable experience that I wrote it in my diary at the time, and have kept that diary for 23 years... I suppose I shouldn’t say Terry Pratchett had a huge impact on my life, I should say that his novels (especially Discworld) have. But his genius shines through the words in novel after novel and it’s a huge loss to the world that he died far too soon. Sixty six years wasn’t long enough..."
http://childledchaos.me.uk/2015/04/19/remembering-terry-pratchett/
The blogger known as Pratchett Job offers a marvellously articulate and thorough review/analysis of Thief of Time:
"A clear head is needed to deal with a book that is part philosophical tract, part kung-fu epic (there are a few nods to The Matrix in the novel, a film released a few years before this book’s publication), part apocalyptic pageturner, part paean to chocolate and part subtle love story. I have chuckled to myself when I have tried to summarise Pratchett’s plots because they seem utterly barmy in the black and white of a computer document but make utter sense on the page. Thief of Time is no different. The world is set to end next Wednesday. The Auditors of Reality, the brilliantly cosmic and evil accountants of life, are planning to freeze time and make life more predictable and easier to explain... I feel Thief of Time is about what it means to be human. You could argue that is the role of all fiction – to bring us out of ourselves and experience other people, other ways of living – and it is something this novel does very well.
The story is populated by seemingly incomplete and isolated characters. First there is Susan, a human but insanely powerful, who leads a lonely life as a schoolteaching spinster, whose only enjoyment outside of outwitting her peers (Susan would never view them as such) is chocolate, so long as it is without nougat. As you saw above, Pratchett is juggling a lot of complex plots in this novel but does a great job sketching out Susan’s solitary existence... Lu Tze’s everyday cliche philosophy – with such homespun pieces of advice as “You’ve got to walk before you can run” – hides an interesting longrunning argument through the novel, that of form dictating content. Lu Tze talks of water and a jug and how when water enters a jug, its shape has changed. By forcing Myriad to physically *be* human, she learns what it actually means to do so... We are in familiar Pratchett territory here, where it is experience, it is relationships, it is emotion and everything that comes with it that makes us human. It works better here than in any other Pratchett novel because he has built a cast of diverse characters that experience a similar thing. Susan has no friends, no life and is living on autopilot. Myriad has no idea what is going on. Lobsang can’t find his place in the world and Jeremy realises his place is shut away. Their character arcs progress in different ways but the craft of the book means no-one is ignored or left behind. The readers see the invisible lines between the humans, the near-humans, the undead and the Auditors. You can see how logically one could become another..."
http://bit.ly/1JJ1O5z
Blogger Tealin agrees with the sentiments of last issue's editorial, it seems:
"It is, of course, a pity that he of all people was struck by a degenerative brain disease relatively early in life. For that matter it is a pity that he didn't live to 120 with all his faculties intact, but that's hardly something we can all expect. What we can all expect is that someday, sooner or later, we will die; when that day comes, we will be very lucky if we can look back as he could on a life so well lived. He was incredibly prolific, hugely popular and successful in his lifetime, maintained creative control and the highest standards of storytelling, touched millions of people, administered new ideas and old ideas with a spoonful of sugar, and used his powers for good. He saw the foibles of mankind starkly and still managed to be a humanist; Neil Gaiman talked about his anger but what impressed me most was his hope (that greatest of all treasures). It's just possible that by releasing his imagination into the world, a small percentage of people will be changed by and live up to that hope, and pass it on, incrementally bettering the human condition. It's hard to imagine a more gratifying legacy than that.
"We've had seven years to prepare for this day. He had seven years to prepare for it, too, and didn't waste a single one of them, adding advocacy to his writing regimen and no doubt putting his affairs well in order. That's a mercy, too; imagine if he'd had a heart attack in 2007 instead of an Alzheimer's diagnosis. And in the end he got to go at home, with family, and his cat, having seen a positively glorious first weekend of spring, rather than clinically in a foreign land as he was planning to do. We have lost a bright light, it's true. The world is a poorer place than it was a week ago. But it's an infinitely richer place than it was thirty years ago, thanks to him, and I'm more grateful for those thirty years than sad at the light burning out..."
http://tealin.dreamwidth.org/477652.html
...and for those of you who want a themed blog list, check out the "Terry Pratchett Blog Tour", which started on the 9th of April and is still ongoing:
"Today marks the beginning of a blog tour like no other. Authors, vloggers and bloggers stand united as they bid farewell to one of the greatest writers of this century.We say goodbye the only way we know how – by sharing our love of Terry Pratchett’s books across the internet. Everyone involved desperately wanted to be part of this tour and I truly believe we have created a fitting send off for such an influential writer..."
http://www.serendipityreviews.co.uk/2015/04/the-terry-pratchett-blog-tour.html
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12) IMAGES OF THE MONTH
Fantastic painting of The Author by comics artist Leeahd Goldberg. Heartily approved by Rhianna Pratchett:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CCxmb4UUgAAiQY5.jpg
More on London's Pratchett tribute wall:
Gallery: http://www.endoftheline.co/terry-pratchett-photo-appreciation/
Some artists have a muse. Paul Kidby has a minder! Here they are working on his Discworld Baron piece:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CDiMjiyWoAAbb8t.jpg
Discworld illustrator Marc Simonetti's beautiful Librarian tribute to Sir Pterry's passing:
http://bit.ly/1OlbZUr
Nullus Anxietas V photos:
https://www.flickr.com/groups/na5/
How the "Mona Ogg" came to be painted – Paul Kidby's visualisation of a young Leonard romancing a young Gytha:
http://bit.ly/1b5R7OZ
Illustrator Mark Barnes' amusing take on the mythical Pratchett versus Rowling "rivalry":
http://bit.ly/1Dt87IS
The cover of TSoD4, now available in Quirmian:
http://bit.ly/1DkNQS8
A lovely tribute from abend86:
http://abend86.deviantart.com/art/Farewell-Sir-Terry-Pratchett-519883824
Two Twoflowers and a Rincewind:
http://bit.ly/1JJnBKg
...and some fine photos of Friday, the magnificent male orangutan who was rescued from a danger area and released in a much safer one (see item 3.6 above):
http://bit.ly/1yBkrI0 and http://bit.ly/1OQ3ldB
and also http://bit.ly/1yBkHqv
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13) CLOSE
A few bits to finish...
For his adaptation of "Monstrous Regiment", Lifeline Theatre's Chris Hainsworth is among the nominees for the non-equity Joseph Jefferson Awards (recognizing excellence in nonunion Chicago theatre). The 42nd annual "Jeff Awards" ceremony will take place in Chicago on 8th June.
A reminder: do keep a regular eye on our mirror site/blog – http://wossname.dreamwidth.org – for occasional between-issues updates.
Another reminder: remember the Reddit thread that started the GNU Terry Pratchett movement, and the Sending Home tutorial? This is where they live:
http://www.reddit.com/r/discworld/comments/2yt9j6/gnu_terry_pratchett/
http://www.gnuterrypratchett.com/
And the show goes on. See you next month, well in time for the Glorious 25th!
– 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 Klatchian Foreign Legion
Newsletter of the Klatchian Foreign Legion
April 2015 (Volume 18, Issue 4, Post 2)
********************************************************************
WOSSNAME is a free publication offering news, reviews, and all the other stuff-that-fits pertaining to the works and activities 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.
GNU Terry Pratchett: Sending Home, forever (and secreted in Wossname's own server)
Never forget: http://www.gnuterrypratchett.com/
********************************************************************
Editor in Chief: Annie Mac
News Editor: Vera P
Newshounds: Mogg, Sir J of Croydon Below, the Shadow, Wolfiekins
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) ANOTHER QUOTE OF THE MONTH
02) EDITOR'S LETTER: CELEBRATING SIR PTERRY'S BIRTHDATE
03) ODDS AND SODS
04) DISCWORLD GAMES NEWS
05) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS
06) DISCWORLD ARTS AND CRAFTS NEWS
07) DISCWORLD CONVENTION NEWS
08) DISCWORLD MEETING GROUPS UPDATES AND REMINDERS
09) ALZHEIMER'S NEWS
10) ROUNDWORLD TALES: THE COPPER EVERYONE LOVED
11) AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE
12) MORE IMAGES OF THE MONTH
13) CLOSE
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01) ANOTHER QUOTE OF THE MONTH
"I think it's a lovely idea, even though it makes my head spin to think of the books becoming a little closer to reality. And they are nice names, even though I say it myself."
– Sir Pterry in 2009, commenting on the naming of Ankh-Morpork streets in Wincanton
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02) A LETTER FROM YOUR EDITOR
On this day in 1948 – 28th April, to be precise – the child who would become Sir Terry Pratchett was born. It's a sad truth that it's no longer possible to wish him a happy birthday in person, but we can celebrate the day of his birth, year after year, for all time. I find a certain recent internet-driven practice, that of wishing historically famous but long dead people a happy birthday, to be irritatingly daft, but acknowledging – and celebrating – the birthdate of such people is a reasonable thing... especially as it's yet another way of keeping the memory of them in the world. So let's all raise our glasses, be they of scumble or of some gentler poison, to one of the greatest writers and greatest human beings of all time: Terence David John Pratchett, Kt, OBE, and Blackboard Monitor!
In other news, apparently the 25th of April was World Penguin Day. And Paul Kidby responded to that in a truly inimitable fashion:
"Today is World Penguin Day, so here is The Librarian as a penguin to celebrate! Drawn for the Talpress edition of The Last Continent." https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10155966414612355
For those of you who might be insufficiently familiar with the magical Discworld Emporium in Ankh-Morpork's twin town Wincanton, here is a gorgeous page telling the history of the shop and its Cunning Artificers:
http://www.discworldemporium.com/about-us
And there's more – there's always more – but for now I'll close, in the hope that I can get this issue posted while it's still the 28th...
– Annie Mac, Editor
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03) ODDS AND SODS
3.1 MORT ON THE WIRELESS
Listen again to the BBC's four-part adaptation, starring Anton Lesser and Carl Prekopp. The programme will be available worldwide for another three weeks.
Episode one: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007k0v6
Episode two: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007k134
Episode three: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007k1c1
Episode four: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007k1l2
3.2 FLASHBACK: THE WINCANTON WALK OF FAME
Somehow Wossname missed this one when it happened! We reported fully on the Wincanton Discworld street names back in 2009, but this was what happened a year later:
"Legendary author Sir Terry Pratchett OBE returned to the Somerset town of Wincanton to leave Hollywood style 'walk of fame' imprints at Taylor Wimpey's Kingwell Rise development... Treacle Mine Road and Peach Pie Street won the public vote but since then Taylor Wimpey has gained council approval to name all of the roads at the development after Discworld with additions including Hen And Chickens Field, Morpork Street and Kinklebury Street. Hundreds of Discworld fans, many in costume, descended on Kingwell Rise to see Sir Terry place his hands and signature into concrete at the development following other Discworld activities organised by the Discworld Emporium of Wincanton. Sir Terry Pratchett said: 'It is just great to return to Kingwell Rise a year on and actually see homes now built along Treacle Mine Road and Peach Pie Street – it certainly feels more real now – as opposed to fantasy fiction! I hope the new residents are enjoying their road names – I'd definitely pay good money to live on Hen And Chickens Field!'"
...and an iconograph of the imprints ceremony:
http://bit.ly/1dmIGQN
In addition to Treacle Mine Road and Peach Pie Street, Wincanton streets now include Hen and Chickens Field, Moon Pond Lane, Morpork Street and Kinklebury Street. Replica signs of all the named roads were auctioned in August 2009 and raised funds for the Alzheimer's Research Trust; builders Taylor Wimpey also made an independent donation to the Trust. – Ed.
http://bit.ly/1dmrdb4
https://www.streetcheck.co.uk/postcode/startingwith/ba9
3.3 DISCWORLD WEEKEND AT THE OXFORD STORY MUSEUM
This sounds wonderful. Wish we could all be there!
"The Story Museum are proud to announce the return of Discworld Weekend, a celebration of Sir Terry Prachett's phenomenally successful Discworld books. Taking place on the 23rd and 24th May 2015, this year's event is themed around the novel Mort, the story of a teenage boy who finds himself as Death's apprentice, with both disastrous and hilarious consequences. The weekend will see The Story Museum transform with a series of specially programmed events and installations including readings from Stephen Briggs (voice of the Discworld audiobooks), a talk from Discworld super-fan and convention regular Dr Pat Harkin, the chance to see Death and his horse Binky saddling up in our stables, a special MURDER A CURRY night with Terry's assistant Rob Wilkins as guest of honour, and an immersive trip through Death's own library and gardens.
"This year's event is especially poignant – on the 12th April the world received with great sadness the news that Sir Terry had died at home, with his cat sleeping on his bed, surrounded by his family. The loss of such a great writer was felt no less keenly by The Story Museum – Sir Terry had been a long term supporter and one of the 26 authors who offered his time and image for the museum's highly acclaimed '26 Characters' exhibition. As well a whole host of Discworld events and installations, visitors will also be able to enjoy The Museum’s regular attractions including Draw Me A Story, Time For Bed and Extreme Reading, all of which will be sprinkled with a touch of Discworld magic."
When: Saturday 23rd May – Sunday 24th May 2015
Venue: Story Museum, Rochester House, 42 Pembroke Street, Oxford OX1 1BP (phone +44 (0)1865 790050)
http://www.storymuseum.org.uk/whats-on/discworld-weekend/
3.4 TERRY PRATCHETT IS THE NEW MEDIA PLAYER
The newest version of VideoLAN's excellent VLC Media Player, updated from their WeatherWax version, has been named "Terry Pratchett" in honour of The Author:
"VLC 2.2.1 'Terry Pratchett' is a fixed version of 2.2.0 'WeatherWax' It fixes numerous crashes (FLAC, SPC), codec issues (VP9, Atrac3, AAC), regressions and several issues (Resume, MP4 chapters, MKV over network) and security issues.
http://www.videolan.org/
More about the VLC Media Player:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VLC_media_player
3.5 BUT DO THEY SERVE SCUMBLE?
The Broken Drum, Andy Wheeler's new micropub in Westwood Lane, Welling (see Editor's Letter in the March second edition) opened for business on Friday 17th April, and business there was indeed. Here be iconographs:
http://bit.ly/1JlFWNm
3.6 REVIEWS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
A review of A Blink of the Screen in Utah newspaper the Herald Extra:
"When Sir Terry Pratchett died recently, a significant cache of the world's much-needed laughter went with him. Fortunately, Sir Terry was nothing if not prolific so his legacy of high fantasy and sly humor remains to cheer and to bless future generations. His most recent, and perhaps last, book, 'A Blink of the Screen' collects short fiction from various anthologies and includes beloved characters from his Discworld series along with some new folks, interesting in their own right..."
http://bit.ly/1yIDuQH
A paean by Emily Ring in the Yakima Herald:
"Despite knowing that he had been suffering from early-onset Alzheimer's disease for almost a decade, I was sure he had years of life left in him. I was positive I would have a chance to meet him at one of the many conventions where he would be featured as an honored guest. I knew I could look forward to new books from him for many years to come. But I was wrong. One of my favorite authors, who shaped not only the 'what' but also the 'why' of who I am as a reader, is gone. Fortunately, he leaves behind a wealth of stories, spanning his entire career, in two new collections, 'Dragons at Crumbling Castle' and 'A Blink of the Screen.' Before I tell you more about these books, let me tell you this: I haven't read all of the stories in either collection yet. Not because I didn't want to, but because I'm saving some for later, rationing out the goodness the way you would nibble your last-ever bar of chocolate, eking out every last bit of sweetness.
"I'm still left with so much to say about them. First, the basics: 'Dragons at Crumbling Castle' is a book for children, while 'A Blink of the Screen' is for adults (as much as anything Pratchett ever wrote is 'for adults'). 'Dragons at Crumbling Castle' is composed of stories Pratchett wrote during the mid- to late-1960s for a local paper where he worked as a junior reporter. These are daffy, sly, delightful stories. They remind me strongly of Roald Dahl's works, with their clear-eyed sense of wonder, devoid of irony. This impression is bolstered by Mark Beech's exuberant illustrations, which look so much like those of Quentin Blake (Dahl's illustrator) that I keep flipping back to the cover of the book to see if I missed Blake's name somewhere.
"The stories in 'A Blink of the Screen' are plucked from almost five decades of work, and the ideas that spawned many of Pratchett's most famous works can be found here. It contains Pratchett's first commercially published short story, 'The Hades Business,' published in 1963 when he was 15. Reading this story is like hearing Paul McCartney's high school choir performance or seeing Picasso's childhood finger paintings. It's not exactly a masterpiece, but it's clever and unique and shows glimpses of who he would become as a writer..."
http://bit.ly/1G3ZUyD
An interesting op-ed on technology as seen in science fiction, by Georgina Voss in The Guardian:
"Ostensibly about the revival of the Ankh-Morpork postal system, 'Going Postal' acts as a spectacular and unexpectedly moving allegory around the freedoms, ownership, and control of information systems..."
http://bit.ly/1Hgj8j9
3.7 ORANGUTAN (AND LIBRARY) NEWS
Here be a piece by International League of Conservation Photographers Fellow Paul Hilton, "Orangutan Rescue in the Land of the Chainsaw"
"Logs lay on the floor as if some kind of super typhoon has ripped through the area. Orangutan nests dot the canopy. Chainsaws start to echo in the valley once again. Sadly I've come to associate the sounds of chainsaws with Sumatra. Every second motorbike we passed had a chainsaw strapped to the back of it. This last patch of pristine forest will be soon cleared to make way for more oil palms... A single dart flies through the air hitting the mother orangutan in the thigh. In less than 15 minutes the full effects of the tranquilizer should be felt and the orangutan will be sedated. My team will position themselves with the net under the orangutan and she should just fall into the net. The 15 minutes passed but the orangutan kept on moving away from our position. The team determined that the dart had hit a bone and not released the sedative. By now the rain had stopped but it was almost dark so we had to abandon the rescue. ' It would be far too dangerous for the orangutans and the team to proceed now,' said Panut. At first light we started the search for the mother and baby. But we never did find her again.
"Two months later, present day. I receive a phone call. It's Panut. ' Paul can you please get the next flight into Sumatra? We have a large male orangutan that needs rescuing.'... A fully mature cheek-padded male, Friday was not an easy rescue. He evaded the team for sometime before the rescue team vet was able to sedate him. 'There was a serious risk of injury when he finally fell from the canopy,' Panut explained. 'His body did hit a branch on the way down, but the team moved fast to get our specialised net in the right position to catch him 15 metres below. He was really lucky. Our vet checked his condition and after being trapped in such a small area of forest lacking food, he was found to be very underweight, and also had a bullet in his chest, which we removed on the scene. It's clear that had we not been able to conduct the rescue, his future was to die starving here, or make a run for it where he could have been shot at and killed... At dawn the following morning the team drove for more than one and a half hours through miles of uniform oil palms until they finally reached open forest,' Krisna said, describing the release back into the larger forested area of the Leuser Ecosystem. 'As soon as Panut lifted the door of the crate, Friday's massive hand emerged to hoist himself up the nearest tree. Within seconds he had scaled it and was looking down on the rescue team, shaking branches and vocalizing to drive us out of the forest'..."
http://bit.ly/1NfTX5y
...and also on the subject of apes, a USA court has granted a form of human rights to two chimpanzees:
"Previous cases in the United States have failed to produce such a result, but in December an Argentinian orangutan won her case (which was of course actually brought to the court by animal rights activists) and was moved from a zoo to a sanctuary. The U.S. case isn't quite at that point yet: The judge hasn't ruled that the two chimps, who live in a Stony Brook University lab, need to be released. The decision really only means that the chimps have the right to fight their detention in court. It's entirely possible that the judge will hear all sides of the case and rule that Stony Brook researchers have every right to keep using the chimps in their lab. While it's a little soon to start throwing open the doors of every zoo in the country, NhRP representatives are thrilled. 'This is a big step forward to getting what we are ultimately seeking: the right to bodily liberty for chimpanzees and other cognitively complex animals,' Natalie Prosin, the executive director of the NhRP, told Science Magazine. 'We got our foot in the door. And no matter what happens, that door can never be completely shut again'..."
http://wapo.st/1cX8YsK
...and speaking of apes, here is a worth-reading piece about the possible future of libraries (see what I did there?):
"Terry Pratchett imagined a labyrinthine library in Discworld overseen by an orangutan where students occasionally get lost and are forced to eat their own boots to survive. It may sound absurd, but this is perhaps the library that is most immediately relevant to today – with its endless shelves and connections to every library and every collection of books in the Multiverse... The emerging contours of the digital landscape may mean that the end of the library as a repository for books is inevitable. A few clicks are all it takes to access a library larger than the imagination can conceive. We have access to millions of books without ever having to leave our homes. Available through a dizzying amount of providers, times have never been better for voracious readers..."
http://bit.ly/1OrfXaB
...and on the subject of Librarians, here be a photo essay on (some of) the world's most beautiful libraries. Beware – technically worksafe, but may cause unbearable longing:
http://ht.ly/M8zfL
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04) DISCWORLD GAMES NEWS
Clacks is coming – just a little later than anticipated. The lads at Backspindle Games say, "Due to ongoing working with the Polish publisher we have put the release date back from August until October. Hence we have agreed to release at the Irish Discworld Convention. We feel this would be the very best place this year for the Discworld fan fraternity."
Pre-order will be available soon. Meanwhile, here be an image of the game's cover:
http://backspindlegames.com/clacks/
Some extracts from the Guards!Guards! blog:
"As stated in The Guardian about Sir Terry, 'above all, he was funny'. We at Backspindle cannot begin to thank him enough for letting us play a small part in spreading the magic of his books through our games. We have had gamers at Hogswatch being overheard laughing from some twenty five metres away when playing Guards! Guards! We have had scores of Convention delegates frantically running around grand hotels looking for magic spells and some even borrowing (erm..) our demo of Clacks to play in a bar till stupid o'clock in the morning, just cause they liked it. It's been a wonderful four years!
"In tribute to the late Sir Terry Pratchett many websites are adding the message 'GNU Terry Pratchett' into the html header 'X-Clacks-Overhead'. A plugin allows you to see when a website is using the header and read the message included. We are honoured that the message is also displayed visually in the semaphore style from our upcoming board game 'Clacks.'
"Sadly in March it was also confirmed that 2015 will be the last year we can publish Guards! Guards! A Discworld boardgame; so if you know anyone who has not got a copy, you may wish to let them know this.
"Happily in March we had both the box cover and board artwork for our new Discworld boardgame Clacks approved. Our Clacks illustrator, The Artful Nudger, a.k.a. Amber Grundy, has been working into the wee hours to meet our demands. Better known for her cute Dragon illustrations at Discworld Conventions, Amber previously worked with us and David 'Narcocynicalist' Hathway on the fantastic charity IDWCon werewolf card game.
"If you can't wait until later in the year for the release of Clacks perhaps you'd like to come along at play the latest demo with us at the UK Games Expo from 29 – 31 May in Birmingham. We are in the hall of Kings and have been known to occasionally lose at our games when challenged..."
http://www.guardsguards.com/blog/
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05) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS
5.1 NEW: WYRD SISTERS IN BARCELONA (MAY)
The amateur theatre company Grup de teatre de l'Espiga de Les Corts are presenting their special production of Wyrd Sisters – that's Bruixes, in the Catalan tongue – translated by Marta Armengol with permission, this month.
"We're an amateur theatre group in Barcelona," Marta writes, "and I doubt anyone's going to come all the way to Barcelona to see it, but... We'd just be dead chuffed to appear on your site... To our knowledge, this is the first time a Discworld play is translated and performed in Catalan."
When: 9th and 10th May 2015 (additional date in October TBA)
Venue: L'Espiga de Les Corts, Joan Gamper, 30, Barcelona (phone 93. 419. 44. 20)
Time: 6.30pm all performances
Tickets:
http://www.espigadelescorts.cat/ca/
5.2 NEW: MORT IN MANCHESTER (MAY)
The Didsbury Players will present their production of Mort next month in Didsbury.
When: 8th & 9th May 2015
Venue: East Didsbury Methodist Church, Parrs Wood Rd, East Didsbury M20 5QQ
Time: 8pm (doors open 7.30pm)
Tickets: £7 adults, £5 concessions. To buy online, go to www.didsburyplayers.co.uk/tickets
www.didsburyplayers.co.uk
5.3 NEW: WYRD SISTERS IN HAMPSHIRE (MAY)
The Phoenix Players will present their production of Wyrd Sisters next month.
When: Fri15, Sat 16 Fri 22, Sat 23
Venue: Phoenix Arts Centre, Station Road, Bordon, Hants GU35 OLR
Time: 7.30pm all performances
Tickets: £9, (Concessions/members £8)
Call 01420 472664 or email: info@phoenixarts.co.uk
Or to buy online, go to: https://kiosk.iristickets.co.uk/k?v=thephoenixtheatre
http://www.phoenixarts.co.uk/phoenix-players-wyrd-sisters
5.4 UPDATE: WYRD SISTERS IN EYNSFORD, KENT (MAY)
Riverside Players proudly present a new interpretation of Wyrd Sisters. Stephen Briggs' play has been specially adapted for this amateur production by the director, Rob Tizzard.
"This Production marks another first for Riverside Players, in the use of full stage background projection. An original musical accompaniment will be performed by a live band. A wondrous cast who relish bringing the many colourful characters to life. You may even spot the odd cat or orangutan, both beloved by the author. So please join us to celebrate the life of the great writer, with a couple of hours of comedic fun for all. We look forward to seeing you so book now as there will only be six performances of this show."
There will be collections for the RICE Centre during the shows.
When: 8th, 9th, 15th & 16th May 2015
Venue: Eynsford Village Hall, High Street, Eynsford, Kent DA4 0AA
Time: Friday 8th & 15th, 7.45pm; Saturday 9th & 16th, 3pm & 7.45pm
Tickets: Adult £11, Concessions £9 (under 16s, over 60s and students with NUS card), Family £35 (2 adults and 2 concessions); Group Discount: buy 10 tickets, get one of them free! Applies to Adult and Concession
tickets only. Discount will be applied at payment stage.
There is a Discount Code for buying advance tickets: 'ESME15' until 23rd April 2015
5.5 REMINDER: SMALL GODS IN ADELAIDE, FOURECKS (MAY)
Unseen Theatre brings their production of Small Gods to the Adelaide stage next month:
"Although this production was planned quite some time before Terry's passing, some may see it as fate, others as simply co-incidence, that we decided on this particular one of his works that is concerned with theological and philosophical issues. Whatever your beliefs, we hope that it is a fitting tribute to him. Small Gods has all the usual comedy, action, and drama that we have come to expect from one of the most insightful minds of our era. It will also make you think about....well...everything, long after you have left the theatre!
"RIP Sir Terry. We hope you are giving our favourite character a good run for his money! We at Unseen Theatre Company will be sure to keep your work alive on stage."
When: Preview Fri. May 15. Opening Night Sat. May 16. Season continues Wed to Sat until May 30.
Venue: Bakehouse Theatre, 255 Angas Street, Adelaide
Time: All shows at 8pm
Tickets: Adults $20; Concession $18; TREv $16; Groups (10+) $16; Preview all tickets $15; Companion Card accepted.
To book online, go to: www.bakehousetheatre.com
Tickets can also be purchased at the door on the night (subject to availability).
http://unseen.com.au/
5.6 REVIEW: WYRD SISTERS IN CHELMSFORD
By Michael Gray
"This must be one of the most theatrical of the Discworld canon, with its delicious mix of Shakespeare and pantomime.
So a fitting choice for CTW, in what has become a tribute to Pratchett, who died as rehearsals were beginning... CTW's production, directed by Mark Preston and Sally Ransom, deploys its best lighting effect right at the start, on the blasted heath – the soundscape here, and elsewhere, very effective. The set is open and flexible, with fold-out detail for, amongst other things, the copper for Iain Holding-Sutton's foul fiend..."
http://michaelgray.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/wyrd-sisters.html
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06) DISCWORLD ARTS AND CRAFTS NEWS
From the Discworld Emporium, the Cunning Artificers' latest goodies...
"Millennium Hand and Shrimp! Terry Pratchett was a master of the English Language, responsible for some of the most poignant and moving phrases known to literature, but sometimes, nothing is more eloquent than a hearty 'Buggrit...' our Official Discworld T-shirt features the unmistakeable catchphrase of Canting Crew favourite Foul Ole Ron. Distinctive odour not included. This supersoft graphic tee features a typographic design screen printed onto 100% ringspun cotton in indigo. Tailored style for a flattering fit with double-stitched seams. Please check your size carefully before ordering!"
Priced at £15.00, the Millennium Hand and Shrimp tee is available in the following girths:
Small: 36" chest, Medium: 40" chest, Large: 44" chest, X Large: 48" chest, XX Large: 50" Chest
For more info, and to order, go to: http://bit.ly/1dn2GCO
"Treat yourself to a sausage-inna-bun or two with an authentic bag of five half-dollars from the streets and pockets of Discworld's mercantile metropolis. Featuring the profile of Ankh-Morpork's esteemed tyrant Lord Havelock Vetinari, with Morporkia on the flip side, each coin has been hand-cast and individually worked to achieve a suitably distressed appearance with an antique patina. Now with a new-look bag from the Royal Bank of Ankh-Morpork! Lead-free petwer, each coin has a diameter or 29mm."
Priced at £10.00, the Ankh-Morpork Half-dollars bag is now in stock. For more info, and to order, go to:
http://bit.ly/1J614Y7
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07) DISCWORLD CONVENTION NEWS
7.1 NADWCON AT SASQUAN UPDATES
From NADWcon's chief Seamstress, Denise Connell:
"There is a lot of work going on behind the scenes regarding Discworld programing and events for Sasquan / Worldcon 2015 but much of it is a surprise, at least for now. But here is what I can tell you:
"Sasquan is making ribbons for DW fans to wear on their badges so they can find one another. These will be purple and will say, 'Ook'. (Traditionally, the Seamstress Guild makes up their own ribbons which have their motto: Nil Volupti sine lucre. The guild will give these out at the parties they're hosting at Sasquan.) In addition to all the great experiences offered by a Worldcon, Sasquan will be hosting Discworld programming, events, a Discworld exhibit, guild meetups, and our fabulous Seamstress Guild parties... One of the Guests of Honor for Sasquan is David Gerrold, who is also a Terry Pratchett fan. Mr Gerrold has recently started an informal group called Just Us. These are Discworld fans who perform random acts of kindness at conventions and other events. We'll have more on this movement and what it might mean at Sasquan next month. We hope to see you there."
http://bit.ly/1GpTUO6
7.2 NULLUS ANXIETAS V UPDATES
Already planning the next one (Nullus VI in 2017)...
https://twitter.com/NullusAnxietasV/status/588482911554379776
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08) DISCWORLD MEETING GROUPS: UPDATES AND REMINDERS
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."
*
The Broken Drummers, "London's Premier Unofficially Official Discworld Group" (motto "Nil percussio est"), meets next on Monday 4th May 2015. For more information, go to http://brokendrummers.org/ or email
BrokenDrummers@gmail.com or nicholls.helen@yahoo.co.uk
*
The Pratchett Partisans are a fan group who meet monthly at either Brisbane or Indooroopilly to "eat, drink and chat about all things Pratchett". For more info about their next meetup, go to www.meetup.com/Pratchett-Partisans/ 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
*
The Broken Vectis Drummers meet next on Thursday 7th May 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 1st May 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 4th May 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 4th May 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>
*
Western Drummers, also based in Sydney, next meet on Tuesday, 21st April at The Rowers, Nepean Rowing Club, Bruce Neal Drive, Penrith, New South Wales (6.30-7.30pm for food, 7.30pm for games, quizzes and chat).
For more information, contact Nanny Ogg – lewis_oz@bigpond.com – or visit their Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/westerndrummers
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09) ALZHEIMER'S NEWS
Since, after all, keeping the subject going was most of the point of Sir Pterry's activism...
9.1 PTERRY'S DONATION: WHERE THE MONEY WENT
Louise Serpell, Professor of Biochemistry at University of Sussex, write of how Sir Pterry's huge donation to Alzheimer's research has been used:
"Around the time of Pratchett's diagnosis there was a change in the attitudes towards Alzheimer's. People really began to discuss both how it felt to be suffering from and caring for someone with the disease. Along with this came awareness of the desperate need for more research funding to understand the disease better. Pratchett spoke openly about his symptoms and how they affected his life. He not only contributed himself, but also called for increased funding by governments and science funding agencies.
"In 2008, we applied for funding from Alzheimer's Research UK and were delighted to be funded to research the mechanisms that lead to the development of Alzheimer's disease. We later learned that the funding had been made possible by Pratchett's donation. We used the money to bring together an international research group to focus our research to understand how one of the proteins involved with Alzheimer's (Amyloid-beta) interacts with the membranes which surround cells. Pratchett's funding allowed us to recruit a number of young scientists to work on this difficult problem, bringing new expertise to the projects. These were exciting times; we worked hard with our collaborators and were able to show that different structures of Amyloid-beta were responsible for the effects on the brain tissues in Alzheimer's disease. Films and books show scientific research as an individual pursuit characterised by sudden 'aha!' moments. But it actually tends to consist of slow and painstaking work by many scientists working together making small steps towards better understanding... The funding made possible by Pratchett's donation shaped our work and, seven years on, has resulted in further successful funding from government grants and other charities. Without his generous contribution, we would not be at the stage that we are now.
"It was not just this direct funding that produced so much change. His fervent and determined campaigning initiated change far and wide. He backed the Alzheimer's society Dementia Friends campaign, famously being photographed holding a sign saying: IT'S POSSIBLE TO LIVE WELL WITH DEMENTIA AND WRITE BESTSELLERS LIKE WOT I DO... Pratchett's incredibly important legacy was to highlight the need for Alzheimer's research funding. This resulted in increased backing to charities such as the Alzheimer's Society and Alzheimer's Research UK which inevitably allow more researchers to search for the cause and the cure. His efforts also led to serious political changes, bringing dementia into the focus of UK and international governments. Indeed, the G8 promised to aim to develop a treatment or cure by 2025.
"So, as we mourn the death of Terry Pratchett as a much-loved writer, we should consider his wider legacy. In the shock of his diagnosis eight years ago, he could have retreated and kept his illness a secret, but instead he chose to go public and lend his voice to an important campaign. He worked tirelessly to raise the need for increased funding for Alzheimer's disease research and he highlighted the fact that dementia can strike anyone..."
http://bit.ly/1wViOUy
9.2 ALZHEIMER'S PREVENTION AWARENESS
An article on prevention awareness in The Guardian:
"One in six people over 80 have the condition, with impaired cognitive function (usually memory loss) and at least one other significant problem with language, spatial awareness or function. Treatments exist, but they often have little or no effect and, despite reports last week that US researchers have found a possible cause, there is still no cure. So the holy grail is prevention... The process of dementia may start 15-20 years before clinical symptoms become apparent. A study by Finnish researchers attempted to find out if there is a window of opportunity to intervene in people at increased risk of dementia because they have vascular risk factors (diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or existing heart disease or stroke) and unhealthy lifestyle factors. The study enrolled 2,654 people at risk, but not yet showing signs of dementia. Over two years, one group was offered nutritional advice, exercise, cognitive training and social activity, as well as management of vascular risk factors. Initial results are promising, with better cognitive functioning among those offered intervention than in the control group... Smoking makes no sense if you want to avoid dementia: smokers have a 45% higher risk of developing all types of dementia than non-smokers. And the more you smoke, the greater the risk. But if you quit, your risk starts to return to that of a non-smoker as soon as you give up...
http://bit.ly/1F5IzUv
9.3 HOSPITALS, DEMENTIA AND HEALTH
June Andrews, Professor of Dementia Studies at University of Stirling, writes about why hospitals are dangerous for people with dementia – and why it's up to families to help:
"Your local hospital might be prepared to welcome people with dementia but you can't be sure. Its management would be wise to do so, as up to 50% of patients, on top of their illness or injury, may be elderly and frail and affected by either dementia or delirium. Delirium is a reversible state of confusion caused by stress and infection. If staff work to reduce delirium, it almost certainly also helps reduce problems associated with dementia... But if old people with dementia can stay out of hospital, it's much better. Of course, some things can't be managed outside a hospital but for many, getting admitted is the top of a slippery slope. They may have been managing perfectly well at home, but during their hospital stay things happen that mean they never go home again. Dementia patients are twice as likely to suffer preventable complications such as pressure ulcers and pneumonia in hospital. Patients with dementia and a fractured hip tend not to be given as much pain relief as other patients with fractured hip. Uncontrolled pain in dementia gives rise to delirium that is often undiagnosed and untreated in hospitals. As a result, half of these patients who develop delirium die in six months. Patients with dementia may get missed by accident at mealtimes and have problems eating and drinking which are made worse in hospital. Some hospitals provide guidance but bad stories are more common...
"Logically families should take more responsibility for care of elderly relatives while in a hospital. Be there to help them eat, and to help them with washing, keeping them company and making sure that they swallow their medication. But hospital staff resist it. For political reasons the NHS has difficulty accepting a situation like this for fear of accusations that the system is failing. Just recommending help from families has in the past been misrepresented in the media or by politicians as an attack on the NHS. This is because we have been led to believe an unreal fantasy of what hospitals can do..."
http://bit.ly/18xVUHz
9.4 FUNDRAISING HUMOUR ANTHOLOGY WANTS YOU!
Also very much Alzheimer's related – authors and Pratchett fans Sorin Suciu and Laura May are seeking submissions for a new anthology of Pratchett-inspired short humour pieces:
"In memory of Sir Terry Pratchett, we are putting together an anthology of short stories to raise money for one of his favourite charities. If you are an author (or suspect you have the makings of one!) and are one of the millions of readers out there who has been touched in some way by the writings of Sir Terry, then read on. We have reached out to Alzheimer’s Research UK, offering to put together a fan tribute anthology on the theme of Memory. The book will be dedicated to Sir Terry Pratchett, with all proceedings going to the charity. They were thrilled and have offered their support."
The story should be between 3,000 and 8,000 words, should follow the theme of Memory, and can be in any genre, although, as the organisers say, "Humorous writing is preferred, given the nature of Sir Terry’s work".
Initial submissions should consist of a brief author biography, a short synopsis (no more than two lines) of the subject of the story, and a writing sample of "up to 500 words of your original published or unpublished work." All profits from the actual publication will go "towards Alzheimer’s Research UK", they say.
For full details, go to:
http://www.explaura.net/the-book/call-for-submissions/
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10) ROUNDWORLD TALES: THE COPPER EVERYONE LOVED
PC Andy Hocking, a Watchman, er, policeman in the Cornish town of Falmouth, died suddenly while off duty last month. PC Hocking was so well-loved and respected in the community that more than 6,000 people lined the streets to pay their respects. Does that call to mind someone in a more fictional world? Why yes, it does:
"Local traders said there had been an "unprecedented outpouring of grief" from all corners of the community for the 52-year old, who had policed the area for 23 years. 'Back and forth through the streets he would go – people liked to see a presence in the street and they liked to see a familiar face – they treated him like a friend, and he treated them like friends,' his wife Sally told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme... Mrs Hocking outlined how 'he had the right ingredients for the job – he was very fair with people, he was very engaging, he was interested and he would always listen – but he was also an interesting character himself'. The legacy of PC Hocking's character is evident throughout the town. Pictures of him hang on the wall of his favourite pub, taxi-drivers talk fondly of him, artists have captured his winning smile in photographs and drawings. One distinct caricature appeared on his wife's doorstep shortly after his death and now hangs proudly in her dining room alongside the numerous awards and commendations he received over the course of his career. Everyone who stops to talk about PC Hocking nods along with certainty when asked the question: 'Did you trust him?'..."
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cornwall-32401906
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11) AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE
Just a small sampling for now...
This is the effect Nation had on blogger The Manila Reader:
"To be honest, I didn't know what to expect when I got my hands on Nation a few days ago except that avid fans of Discworld highly recommend I read it FAST and read it NOW. Well now, Discworld, that's a body of work that would put the Holy Bible to shame for it's sheer moral purpose and ambition. It's also funnier, if maybe slightly more absurd than desert people worshiping a sky god who's morality and purpose in turn could only be described as suspicious.
Nation is also highly recommended by its author and claims it to be the best he'd ever written. Now that is a claim I'm not just going to accept. I mean, has he read Night Watch? So I came to Nation with all the baggage of Discworld on my back (har har, snigger snigger!)... The book was described as a coming of age story. But it is a grim and tragic coming of age story that is seldom seen in the YA genre...
I'd like to think that Terry Pratchett late in his career still [had] an ambition to change the world with a more urgent message. But if there is a commonality in both Discworld and Nation, it is the anger that cannot be quelled, the anger of Sam Vimes, Granny Weatherwax and from what I heard, even Tiffany Aching, and now even Mau, anger at the things that makes us suffer. An anger directed at the gods, and the world, at injustice, and most of all, at being helpless in the face of death. I still don't understand why they let it sit on the YA shelfs when adults should be the one reading this...
http://bit.ly/1DZjidD
Sophie Cleverly aka hapfairy tells how Thief of Time changed her life:
"I was eleven years old, and wandering the school hall for that miraculous event known in the school calendar as the Book Fair. There were endless things to choose from... there was also a book there that I didn’t recognise, and it stood out immediately. I picked it up. It was garish purple and orange, with shiny gold writing. And then there was the illustration – a nightmare vision of the apocalypse. Giant, spinning, smoking stone pillars. People in yellow robes. Death. A tiny skeletal rat with a scythe. It was the weirdest thing I’d ever seen, and I wanted it. So I bought the book (or more likely, begged my mum to buy it for me) and took it home. It was unlike anything I’d ever read before. I don’t think I really understood a lot of what was going on, but I got enough of it to know that I was in love... A lifelong Pratchett fan was born the day I picked up Thief of Time in the school hall...
If you’ve read other books in the series, you may be familiar with Susan. She’s Death’s granddaughter, the child of his adopted daughter, and as such she has inherited some of his powers (genetics are a strange business on the Disc) – stopping time, walking through walls, controlling people’s thoughts. Death tasks her with saving the world, a task she reluctantly takes on, aided (or more accurately, annoyed) by Quoth the Raven and Death of Rats. Oh, and she’s also a primary school teacher. This was the aspect of the book that I’ve always loved. I was never sure whether I wanted Susan to be my teacher or if I just wanted to be her. Her philosophy really spoke to me, both as a child and an adult. She’s a bit like a cross between Wednesday Addams and Miss Frizzle from The Magic School Bus. She transports her students to far-off lands without ever leaving the classroom, introduces them to Death’s horse and even has lectures from visiting retired bogeymen...
"This is an utterly brilliant book, and yet, strangely, it isn’t even in my top 10 Pratchett books. When you’re talking about this man, brilliant isn’t the limit. The limit is exceptional... without Thief of Time, I wouldn’t have discovered Terry Pratchett. And without Terry Pratchett, I wouldn’t have spent a good deal of my life buying, collecting and reading more than eighty (sorry, Rincewind) books by the same man. I wouldn’t have gone to Discworld conventions and met a ton of wonderful, bonkers people. I wouldn’t have laughed my way through Good Omens and cried at the simple, joyful beauty of a reunion in Monstrous Regiment. I wouldn’t have my favourite book of all time, A Hat Full of Sky. I wouldn’t have discovered the true love of writing, a love that led to my first book being published by HarperCollins this year. I wouldn’t have learned so much about humanity, about myself. I wouldn’t be the person I am today..."
http://hapfairy.tumblr.com/post/116017430400/how-thief-of-time-changed-my-life
Childledchaos also felt the Pratchett presence across many years:
"I was 16 when I read my first Discworld novel. It was such a notable experience that I wrote it in my diary at the time, and have kept that diary for 23 years... I suppose I shouldn’t say Terry Pratchett had a huge impact on my life, I should say that his novels (especially Discworld) have. But his genius shines through the words in novel after novel and it’s a huge loss to the world that he died far too soon. Sixty six years wasn’t long enough..."
http://childledchaos.me.uk/2015/04/19/remembering-terry-pratchett/
The blogger known as Pratchett Job offers a marvellously articulate and thorough review/analysis of Thief of Time:
"A clear head is needed to deal with a book that is part philosophical tract, part kung-fu epic (there are a few nods to The Matrix in the novel, a film released a few years before this book’s publication), part apocalyptic pageturner, part paean to chocolate and part subtle love story. I have chuckled to myself when I have tried to summarise Pratchett’s plots because they seem utterly barmy in the black and white of a computer document but make utter sense on the page. Thief of Time is no different. The world is set to end next Wednesday. The Auditors of Reality, the brilliantly cosmic and evil accountants of life, are planning to freeze time and make life more predictable and easier to explain... I feel Thief of Time is about what it means to be human. You could argue that is the role of all fiction – to bring us out of ourselves and experience other people, other ways of living – and it is something this novel does very well.
The story is populated by seemingly incomplete and isolated characters. First there is Susan, a human but insanely powerful, who leads a lonely life as a schoolteaching spinster, whose only enjoyment outside of outwitting her peers (Susan would never view them as such) is chocolate, so long as it is without nougat. As you saw above, Pratchett is juggling a lot of complex plots in this novel but does a great job sketching out Susan’s solitary existence... Lu Tze’s everyday cliche philosophy – with such homespun pieces of advice as “You’ve got to walk before you can run” – hides an interesting longrunning argument through the novel, that of form dictating content. Lu Tze talks of water and a jug and how when water enters a jug, its shape has changed. By forcing Myriad to physically *be* human, she learns what it actually means to do so... We are in familiar Pratchett territory here, where it is experience, it is relationships, it is emotion and everything that comes with it that makes us human. It works better here than in any other Pratchett novel because he has built a cast of diverse characters that experience a similar thing. Susan has no friends, no life and is living on autopilot. Myriad has no idea what is going on. Lobsang can’t find his place in the world and Jeremy realises his place is shut away. Their character arcs progress in different ways but the craft of the book means no-one is ignored or left behind. The readers see the invisible lines between the humans, the near-humans, the undead and the Auditors. You can see how logically one could become another..."
http://bit.ly/1JJ1O5z
Blogger Tealin agrees with the sentiments of last issue's editorial, it seems:
"It is, of course, a pity that he of all people was struck by a degenerative brain disease relatively early in life. For that matter it is a pity that he didn't live to 120 with all his faculties intact, but that's hardly something we can all expect. What we can all expect is that someday, sooner or later, we will die; when that day comes, we will be very lucky if we can look back as he could on a life so well lived. He was incredibly prolific, hugely popular and successful in his lifetime, maintained creative control and the highest standards of storytelling, touched millions of people, administered new ideas and old ideas with a spoonful of sugar, and used his powers for good. He saw the foibles of mankind starkly and still managed to be a humanist; Neil Gaiman talked about his anger but what impressed me most was his hope (that greatest of all treasures). It's just possible that by releasing his imagination into the world, a small percentage of people will be changed by and live up to that hope, and pass it on, incrementally bettering the human condition. It's hard to imagine a more gratifying legacy than that.
"We've had seven years to prepare for this day. He had seven years to prepare for it, too, and didn't waste a single one of them, adding advocacy to his writing regimen and no doubt putting his affairs well in order. That's a mercy, too; imagine if he'd had a heart attack in 2007 instead of an Alzheimer's diagnosis. And in the end he got to go at home, with family, and his cat, having seen a positively glorious first weekend of spring, rather than clinically in a foreign land as he was planning to do. We have lost a bright light, it's true. The world is a poorer place than it was a week ago. But it's an infinitely richer place than it was thirty years ago, thanks to him, and I'm more grateful for those thirty years than sad at the light burning out..."
http://tealin.dreamwidth.org/477652.html
...and for those of you who want a themed blog list, check out the "Terry Pratchett Blog Tour", which started on the 9th of April and is still ongoing:
"Today marks the beginning of a blog tour like no other. Authors, vloggers and bloggers stand united as they bid farewell to one of the greatest writers of this century.We say goodbye the only way we know how – by sharing our love of Terry Pratchett’s books across the internet. Everyone involved desperately wanted to be part of this tour and I truly believe we have created a fitting send off for such an influential writer..."
http://www.serendipityreviews.co.uk/2015/04/the-terry-pratchett-blog-tour.html
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12) IMAGES OF THE MONTH
Fantastic painting of The Author by comics artist Leeahd Goldberg. Heartily approved by Rhianna Pratchett:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CCxmb4UUgAAiQY5.jpg
More on London's Pratchett tribute wall:
Gallery: http://www.endoftheline.co/terry-pratchett-photo-appreciation/
Some artists have a muse. Paul Kidby has a minder! Here they are working on his Discworld Baron piece:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CDiMjiyWoAAbb8t.jpg
Discworld illustrator Marc Simonetti's beautiful Librarian tribute to Sir Pterry's passing:
http://bit.ly/1OlbZUr
Nullus Anxietas V photos:
https://www.flickr.com/groups/na5/
How the "Mona Ogg" came to be painted – Paul Kidby's visualisation of a young Leonard romancing a young Gytha:
http://bit.ly/1b5R7OZ
Illustrator Mark Barnes' amusing take on the mythical Pratchett versus Rowling "rivalry":
http://bit.ly/1Dt87IS
The cover of TSoD4, now available in Quirmian:
http://bit.ly/1DkNQS8
A lovely tribute from abend86:
http://abend86.deviantart.com/art/Farewell-Sir-Terry-Pratchett-519883824
Two Twoflowers and a Rincewind:
http://bit.ly/1JJnBKg
...and some fine photos of Friday, the magnificent male orangutan who was rescued from a danger area and released in a much safer one (see item 3.6 above):
http://bit.ly/1yBkrI0 and http://bit.ly/1OQ3ldB
and also http://bit.ly/1yBkHqv
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13) CLOSE
A few bits to finish...
For his adaptation of "Monstrous Regiment", Lifeline Theatre's Chris Hainsworth is among the nominees for the non-equity Joseph Jefferson Awards (recognizing excellence in nonunion Chicago theatre). The 42nd annual "Jeff Awards" ceremony will take place in Chicago on 8th June.
A reminder: do keep a regular eye on our mirror site/blog – http://wossname.dreamwidth.org – for occasional between-issues updates.
Another reminder: remember the Reddit thread that started the GNU Terry Pratchett movement, and the Sending Home tutorial? This is where they live:
http://www.reddit.com/r/discworld/comments/2yt9j6/gnu_terry_pratchett/
http://www.gnuterrypratchett.com/
And the show goes on. See you next month, well in time for the Glorious 25th!
– Annie Mac
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The End. If you have any questions or requests, write: wossname-owner (at) pearwood (dot) info
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Copyright (c) 2015 by Klatchian Foreign Legion
