100th anniversary of the mythos

22 Wednesday Aug 2012

Posted by in Historical context, Odd scratchings

≈ Leave a comment

If we date the inception of the mythos to “Dagon” (written July 1917), then July 2017 will be the 100th anniversary. Five years to go. Time to start doing some tentative planning?

Some ideas:

* Publication of a fully searchable “Selected Letters” in digital form.

* Lovecraft research library, containing a copy of all the scholarship ever published on the man and his work.

* Major conference.

* Global online film festival, with major sponsorship for a competition for new animated films of Lovecraft’s work.

* Major publicity push to try to recover ‘lost’ letters and other items from attics, archives, personal effects etc.

* Publication of a complete Lovecraft Studies archive set, in digital form.

* Worldwide sugarcraft cake-decoration competition.

Discover

21 Tuesday Aug 2012

Posted by in Lovecraftian arts

≈ Leave a comment

I’ve discovered a magazine that’s not unlike the Popular Science magazine of Lovecraft’s day. Discover is full of interesting factoid-pumped ideas that are oven-cooked — ready for writers to take, blend, and adapt for use in fiction. I’m not sure we get the magazine over here in the UK (I’ve not noticed it, before now), but plenty of the content gets placed online for free at their website. Lots of articles that make you think “Lovecraft was right!” 🙂 Maybe they should have a whole themed issue on that topic.

Incidentally, the magazine is making an interesting move in response to the generally falling sales of magazines (digital editions are nowhere near making up the severe revenue shortfalls caused by: recession-hit consumers stopping spending on print mags; display-ad budget shrinkage; and competition from free online sources of news) — they’re quitting New York and moving to Waukesha‎, Wisconsin. Lucky Waukesha‎.

Added to the Open Lovecraft page

20 Monday Aug 2012

Posted by in Scholarly works

≈ Leave a comment

Added to the Open Lovecraft page, listing Lovecraft scholarship freely available online…

* Patricia MacCormack (2007), “Baroque Intensity: Lovecraft, Le Fanu and the Fold”, Irish Journal of Gothic and Horror Studies, No.2, March 2007.

* Leandro Antonio de Almeida (2005), “Reflexoes sobre aspectos da obra de H.P. Lovecraft”, Organon, Vol.19, No.38-39. (French analysis of “Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family” and “The Lurking Fear”).

Lovecraft’s 122nd birthday

20 Monday Aug 2012

Posted by in Lovecraftian arts

≈ 6 Comments

It’s Mr. H.P. Lovecraft’s 122nd birthday! So far, sugarcrafted cakes seem to be the art medium of choice. Chud has an excellent round-up of Lovecraft-themed cakes.

Above: sugarcraft by Cake Amsterdam.

Jason McKittrick has a limited edition statuette, available only today — a sea-worn Cthulhu, as if just dredged from the ocean.

A morning literary walk in Providence.

Facebook suggests there’ll be an informal gathering at the grave marker in Providence today.

I’ve made a free annotated version of Lovecraft’s “The History of the Necronomicon”.

There’s a birthday art show at a gallery in Seattle.

Also various film sceenings and parties in America and the UK.

Possibly more to come, once the Americans get their first coffee of the day in about six hours from now.