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Launching Sally Heathcote, Suffragette
May is going to be a busy month!Sally‘s official publication date is 1st May, but orders can be placed now. On 2nd May there’s a London launch event in the Conference Centre at the British Library, when we three co-creators will be interviewed by Rachel Cooke from the The Observer (book tickets here). The event begins with a screening of the documentary Graphic Novel Man: The Comics of Bryan Talbot (see the trailer here).
An excerpt from Sally and an interview are scheduled for 4th May in The Observer.
These are some others events lined up in May:
Thursday 8th May
A northeast signing and talk by the creators will be at Waterstone’s, The Bridges, Sunderland at 6pm. Tickets £3 (redeemable against the cost of the book purchased on the night).
12th-23rd May
Sally Heathcote, Suffragette: Remembering Female Suffrage
This exhibition presents artwork from Sally Heathcote, Suffragette by Mary Talbot, Kate Charlesworth and Bryan Talbot.
Accompanying the art will be a collection of artefacts and extracts from the BBC TV series, Shoulder to Shoulder. These representations of Edwardian female activism produced in the early 1970s explore how the first wave was re-remembered at the time of second wave.
The exhibition takes place in the Peltz Gallery, Birkbeck, in the School of Arts, Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PD.
Saturday 17th May
We’ll be signing at Gosh! from 2pm to 3pm. That’s 1 Berwick Street, London W1F 0DR.
In the evening we’ll be in the Cartoon Museum for Shoulder to Shoulder: Sally Heathcote Suffragette. This is an illustrated talk starting at 6.30pm. Free but ticketed (book here)
Sunday 18th May
Bryan and I will be introducing Sally at the Norfolk & Norwich Literary Festival at 4.45pm (details here)Meanwhile, here are some advance reviews and a directors’ commentary that Kate and I put together for the Forbidden Planet blog:
Page 45 review
Forbidden Planet review
Directors’ Commentary
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Sally Heathcote, Suffragette is on her way!
My advance copy of Sally Heathcote, Suffragette has arrived. “It’s girl!” I felt like shouting. But I’ve settled down now. The release date is 1st May 2014, though it can be pre-ordered here.A sample of Sally artwork is included in an exciting exhibition at the British Library called Comics Unmasked: Art and Anarchy in the UK. It’s curated by Paul Gravett and it will be in the PACCAR Gallery from 2nd May – 19th August 2014.
There will also be a mini-exhibition of artwork from 12 -16th May 2014 at the Peltz Gallery in Birkbeck College, London. This exhibition is in conjunction with an academic conference marking the 40th anniversary of the BBC mini-series ‘Shoulder to Shoulder’. You can watch a clip here:
The conference on Shoulder-to-Shoulder: Female Suffrage, Second-Wave Feminism and Feminist TV Drama in the 1970s will take place on 15 – 16th May 2014 at Birkbeck. It brings together some of the original participants to celebrate this key TV text. I’ll be participating in a panel discussion on ‘Waves of Amnesia and Awakening’ which explores how the women’s movement is being remembered today, as well as how early TV work has almost been lost. If you’re interested in attending, you’ll need to check out Birkbeck’s event calendar.
On the 17th May 2014 (the day after the conference) all three Sally co-creators – Kate, Bryan and myself – will be signing at Gosh! from 2-3pm. Then in the evening we’ll be doing a presentation as part of the Cartoon Museum’s Museums at Night event. Shoulder to Shoulder with Sally Heathcote, Suffragette takes place from 6.30-7.30pm. Details to follow.
Rounding off a busy long weekend, Bryan and I will be off to Norwich on Sunday 18th May, to appear at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival. Details of that to follow too.
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My Best of Year choices for 2013
FPI have been running a December best-of-year series on their blog for some years now. This time around, they had so many submissions that it’s running over into January! Contributors are asked to pick three favourites from comics/graphic novels, books, television and film and say a little about them. They’re also invited to reflect on the past year more personally and to look to the creative year ahead. Take a look at my contribution, posted here today.
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Brainstorm! The Art of Bryan Talbot
The Brainstorm! exhibition at the Wildman Gallery in Kendal is open until 10th November 2013. It’s one of the best curated exhibitions I’ve seen. Go along if you can. Meanwhile, here’s a photographic tour of the exhibition.If you can make it to the gallery, you will also be able to have a sneak preview of a Bryan Talbot documentary by Digital Story Engine. The exclusive video presentation, which includes an introduction by legendary science-fiction author Michael Moorcock, offers fans their first glimpse of the extensive celebration of Bryan’s work to be released in 2014!
Curated by Sharon Tait. Photographs by Paul Atherton, Dianne Barry and Kate Charlesworth.Reviews:
Helen Perkins at Cumbria Live.
Viv Walker at Kendal College. -
A weekend at the Lakes International Comic Art Festival
What an amazing weekend it was over in Kendal! Not even the rain could dampen our spirits. What were the high points for me? It’s hard to say. It was wonderful to catch up with Trina Robbins and Steve Leialoha. It was a great pleasure to spend time with Joe Sacco and Amalie. Great getting to know José Muñoz and Fiorella, who we even got to take home with us afterwards! There were so many stimulating talks and presentations – I just wish I could have attended more of them, but there were so many lovely people to talk to as well.I particularly enjoyed doing the Sally Heathcote, Suffragette presentation with Bryan and Kate. The audience in the library did too, I think! It’s the first time we’ve talked about Sally publicly, as a creative team.Overall, just hanging out with so many comics creators and enthusiasts for a weekend was a delight. Thanks to the people of Kendal! Hurrah for the organisers of the Lakes International Comic Art Festival and all its sponsors!
Here’s some pre-festival coverage in The Guardian. Laura Sneddon gives women writers and artists more-than-equal billing, which is, to say the least, unusual! The BBC news website for England also gave the festival some great coverage on the day it began.Photographs by courtesy of Kate Charlesworth and Dianne Barry.
Dan Franklin and Posy Simmonds seemed to enjoy the desserts Kate Charlesworth finally met Dan Franklin, our publisher for Sally Heathcote, Suffragette -
The Independent on Sunday
One sunny afternoon at the Edinburgh Book Festival, the delightful Laura Sneddon and I were in conversation outside the author’s yurt. Her write-up of the interview is now in the Independent newspaper here. -
The Lakes International Comic Art Festival
18-20th October 2013
Kendal, Cumbria
Bryan and I are founder patrons of this European-style comics festival, along with acclaimed artist Sean Phillips. It’s the first of its kind in Britain and we’re really excited about it! Check it out here:
www.comicartfestival.comSaturday 19th October
This is My Life – The Art of Memoir
I will be in a panel discussion with other graphic memoir creators: Al Davison (The Spiral Cage), Katie Green (Lighter than my Shadow) and Nye Wright (Things to Do in a Retirement Home Trailer Park). Chaired by Nicola Streeten (Billy, Me and You)
Brewery Arts Centre, Screen Two. 2pm. £7.
this-is-my-life-the-art-of-memoirMaking History: Sally Heathcote, Suffragette
I will also be presenting our forthcoming new graphic novel, Sally Heathcote, Suffragette, with co-creators Bryan Talbot and Kate Charlesworth. Chaired by Dr Mel Gibson.
Kendal Library. 4.30pm. Free entry but ticketed.
family-zone-events-and-guests -
Wildman Gallery, Kendal
4th October – 10th November 2013Brainstorm! The Art of Bryan Talbot
In conjunction with the Lakes International Comic Art Festival in Kendal, there is an exhibition of Bryan’s lifetime of work at the Wildman Gallery. It includes about eight pages each from the two books we’ve collaborated on: Dotter of her Father’s Eyes and Sally Heathcote, Suffragette.
www.comicartfestival.com/familyexhibitions (scroll down) -
Beamish Museum
Suffragette Celebration WeekendAt this heritage museum in County Durham, this weekend was part of the June activities commemorating the centenary of Emily Wilding Davison’s tragic death on Derby Day in Epsom. I took part by presenting, for the first time ever, a 30-minute illustrated talk of the just-completed new book Sally Heathcote, Suffragette.
www.beamish.org.uk/suffragette-celebration-weekend
You can read more about Sally Heathcote, Suffragette here.
The Brainstorm! exhibition at the Wildman Gallery in Kendal is open until 10th November 2013. It’s one of the best curated exhibitions I’ve seen. Go along if you can. Meanwhile, here’s a photographic tour of the exhibition.
One sunny afternoon at the Edinburgh Book Festival, the delightful Laura Sneddon and I were in conversation outside the author’s yurt. Her write-up of the interview is now in the Independent newspaper 
