Crash Landing with five of my favourite novels

I’ve been podcasted! Many thanks to Steve Aryan for having me on the ever awesome Crash Landing over at Geek Syndicate. Steve and I talked about the five novels I’d want to have with me if I was stranded on an alien planet. Some of the books I chose are SFnal, some are magical, oneContinue reading “Crash Landing with five of my favourite novels”

on time and relative dimensions in place

So a week or so ago, we were fortunate to welcome Justin Hopper to The FuseBox to read from his new book, ‘The Old Weird Albion’, and then – as part of an open, round table conversation – talk about how its understanding of the past can help us look forward into the future. MemoriesContinue reading “on time and relative dimensions in place”

on the outskirts of infinity

It’s been a couple of weeks since I had the deep pleasure of seeing Dominic Harman‘s stunning cover for Crashing Heaven for the first time. Here it is: First of all, I spent a lot of time just looking at it and being thrilled. Crashing Heaven’s set on a giant orbital habitat called Station –Continue reading “on the outskirts of infinity”

A walk with Zali Krishna

Zali and I went for a walk the other day. We started at Thamesmead, then moved down the Thames past City Airport. Halfway through, we stopped and dug random quotes out of some books we had with us. I took several pictures. Here’s some of them, plus the quotes we found: ‘You will never knowContinue reading “A walk with Zali Krishna”

Running by the missile silos

I’ve been spending a lot of time in Newbury lately. I usually stay in the same hotel, just by Greenham Common. I end each working day by running through the woods to the old airbase. Every time, I pass the empty nuclear missile silos. They fascinate me. They’re brutal pieces of architecture. I assume theyContinue reading “Running by the missile silos”

Who Were We?

I spent last night at the British Council’s wonderful ‘Who Were We?’ event at the BFI. They were unveiling their film collection, which has just gone online here.  It was a wonderful evening, for many different reasons. First of all, it was the end of a rather wonderful process I helped begin back in 2009.Continue reading “Who Were We?”

A poem for Kenneth Rexroth

Yes, there is always poetry lending meaning from language to us, this world. Yes, there is art and here is the world, and us; here before each poem, then after changed and unchanged. I think of lava, how Kenneth Rexroth described it – here and no more. Burning into stone as if fluid vision canContinue reading “A poem for Kenneth Rexroth”

Enclosing Wild Orchids

For today’s post, allumination brings you – Iain Sinclair live! He’s reading from ‘Hackney, that Rose-Red Empire’ at the British Library, with musical and spoken word accompaniment from John Harle. Together, they create a rather wonderful aural collage; and, although my little N95 made them look rather blocky, it caught words and music pretty well.Continue reading “Enclosing Wild Orchids”

William Blake understood as a West London Shopping Mall

On Sunday, I went to the William Blake 1809 exhibition at Tate Britain, reviewed here in The Guardian. It’s absolutely fascinating; it restages his first and only public display of prints and paintings, and sets them in a context which helps explain their abysmal critical reception. I wanted to do a video review of it,Continue reading “William Blake understood as a West London Shopping Mall”

A gig, a story, an interview and the apocalypse…

First of all, Happy New Year all! An enjoyable and productive 2009 to all. Secondly, a gig, a story and an interview. Graan are ringing in the New Year at A Music Club this Thursday 8th January – as ever, I’ll be adding spoken word to the heavy sounds, jah? Sehr gut. Also, my shortContinue reading “A gig, a story, an interview and the apocalypse…”