Finally, I emerged from illness and found that Spring was upon us! It's been a relatively quiet and peaceful month. I've been working on two specific projects: an article on Raymond Williams and performance, and a chapter on thirties' British drama for a Cambridge Companion book. Normally I have a dozen projects on the go at any one time, so it has been rather nice to focus on just two projects. I've also taken some time out over the past few days to think about future plans - there are so many projects I want to begin. I just have to clear the decks first.
Speaking of taking time out, the past three weeks we've been on Easter holiday break. It's been rather wonderful to plan my own schedules and fill my days with concentrated writing. We spent the first weekend with my folks celebrating my dad's 65th birthday. We had a proper party and ate a lot of cake. Our wonderful nephew wandered about entertaining everyone! The Easter weekend was spent in Edinburgh with the other side of the family, and we had a great few days celebrating, playing football in the park and laughing with our nieces. I am pleased to report that D won the brother-v-brother FIFA PS4 competition. There was a lot of pride at stake! We travelled up to Edinburgh in the new car - the heated seats are a bonus when you reach Berwick!
Term starts back up on Monday and we have three and a bit weeks of teaching left before the summer break arrives. It is always an odd term as it is mostly about assessments, performances and essay writing. Hoping to be able to support the students through this rather anxious period. There is lots to look forward to after that, including holiday (Australia-bound - we've booked everything now), Springsteen gig, work trips (to France, Russia and...Aberystwyth), new writing projects and marking...lots and lots of marking.
Spent lunchtime today outside with Dostoevsky overlooking the Trent and the fields of horse and dogs. The sun was really quite warm. I love this time of year - it feels exciting, new and full of potential.
Have a great weekend friends!
CSW
Saturday, 9 April 2016
Friday, 26 February 2016
Getting Ill
It is a well-known fact that I am almost never ill. The Wardens tend to sail through winter without so much as a sniffle. But this week has thrown all that. I've spent a not so jolly week fighting a rather yucky virus and am still snuggled under my blanket as I type. It means that everything has been rather knocked off course which is somewhat frustrating for me - I am a schedule/planner type person.
So, what else have we been up to? Well, D started his new job which involves a lot more commuting too and from London. But so far, so good. I headed up to Edinburgh to give a talk at my alma mater. It was a rather peculiar experience actually (being back at a research series I used to attend), but the talk went well and I had a super chat with a really sparky bunch of PhD students. The whole weekend was rather derailed as the Edinburgh clan was all sick. But it did mean I stayed over with Granny which was just lovely. And I got to potter around the city, eat at Valvona and Crolla, have coffee with one of the world's most wonderful ladies and work along the seafront.
After a rather chaotic January, the aim has been a quiet February of taking stock and re-energising. As it happens my body appears to have forced me to stop for a while! All the January projects are now signed off (so expect many pages of proofs to arrive in my inbox soon!) and the new Spring projects have begun. Unusually for me I am really just focusing on two main projects until we head off to Australia - an article for a journal that I am editing (don't worry, I promise to get someone to properly peer review it!) and a book chapter on Drama in the 1930s. Both involve me going back to the theatre of the between-wars period, and I'm really enjoying getting reacquainted with Auden/Isherwood and the vibrant energies of the Workers' Theatre Movement. On top of these, I seem to have rather a backlog of administrative bits and pieces - hundreds of forms to fill in etc. It is one of the perils of starting at a new institution - you have to catch up first!
We are about half way through the Spring term now, but we have a short break next week for Enhancement Week (reading week by any other name), then two more teaching weeks before a three week Easter break. It is rather nice to be entering this fragmented phase.
Apart from work things (and getting ill) I have largely been spending time watching the Six Nations, reading Dostoevsky (which I am really into now!) and spring cleaning. At this time of year I like to have a proper clear out and I'm about halfway through this task now. I've been reading a lot about the benefits of minimalism (something that is very close to my heart) and systems (something I am just exploring) and have been inspired by both.
Anyways, Friday evening has arrived and I'm looking forward to a peaceful evening of cheering on Wales and eating hummus. Hoping that the next time I write a post I won't have a cough anymore.
Wishing you a beautiful, fun-filled weekend
CSW
So, what else have we been up to? Well, D started his new job which involves a lot more commuting too and from London. But so far, so good. I headed up to Edinburgh to give a talk at my alma mater. It was a rather peculiar experience actually (being back at a research series I used to attend), but the talk went well and I had a super chat with a really sparky bunch of PhD students. The whole weekend was rather derailed as the Edinburgh clan was all sick. But it did mean I stayed over with Granny which was just lovely. And I got to potter around the city, eat at Valvona and Crolla, have coffee with one of the world's most wonderful ladies and work along the seafront.
After a rather chaotic January, the aim has been a quiet February of taking stock and re-energising. As it happens my body appears to have forced me to stop for a while! All the January projects are now signed off (so expect many pages of proofs to arrive in my inbox soon!) and the new Spring projects have begun. Unusually for me I am really just focusing on two main projects until we head off to Australia - an article for a journal that I am editing (don't worry, I promise to get someone to properly peer review it!) and a book chapter on Drama in the 1930s. Both involve me going back to the theatre of the between-wars period, and I'm really enjoying getting reacquainted with Auden/Isherwood and the vibrant energies of the Workers' Theatre Movement. On top of these, I seem to have rather a backlog of administrative bits and pieces - hundreds of forms to fill in etc. It is one of the perils of starting at a new institution - you have to catch up first!
We are about half way through the Spring term now, but we have a short break next week for Enhancement Week (reading week by any other name), then two more teaching weeks before a three week Easter break. It is rather nice to be entering this fragmented phase.
Apart from work things (and getting ill) I have largely been spending time watching the Six Nations, reading Dostoevsky (which I am really into now!) and spring cleaning. At this time of year I like to have a proper clear out and I'm about halfway through this task now. I've been reading a lot about the benefits of minimalism (something that is very close to my heart) and systems (something I am just exploring) and have been inspired by both.
Anyways, Friday evening has arrived and I'm looking forward to a peaceful evening of cheering on Wales and eating hummus. Hoping that the next time I write a post I won't have a cough anymore.
Wishing you a beautiful, fun-filled weekend
CSW
Friday, 29 January 2016
Australia-bound but working first
I was buying my coffee from my friendly local independent cafe yesterday and we both reflected on January as a month that has just flown by! So, what have the Wardens been up to?
Well, to be honest, from my perspective, it has been a pretty work-oriented month. After submitting the Book on the 5th, I went on to submit the next project on the 18th. This is an co-edited collection entitled Performance and Professional Wrestling. Even though it has only just been submitted, it already has its own Amazon page! According to Amazon we are looking at a mid-July release date...Amazon is the fount of all knowledge about this sort of stuff, right? And then just this week I submitted a book chapter for a collection called Literature: an introduction to theory and analysis. The chapter is simply called 'Performance' and tries to explain this very tricky concept in 4500 words. Phew! And today I've been working on my paper for my talk in Edinburgh next week and I've returned to a journal article on Raymond Williams that I need to write by April. So, there is a lot going on. I knew these few months were going to be busy with work and I have June in my head as a month which will be quieter and give me a chance to catch my breath and think about the next steps.
So, anything else? Well, D has been looking at cars as our lease is up. If you know D then you'll know that he takes things like this very seriously. And (the big news) we booked a wonderful holiday to Australia. Ever since I was a Neighbours-obsessed teenager I've wanted to go to Australia. We have an amazing trip planned involving diving, horses and koalas. Cannot wait! Other than that our January has been pretty quiet with just books, swimming, yoga and the occasional film (including the really super Star Wars) to interrupt. This means I am getting a lot done right now and, when I'm not teaching, days are really pretty focused and full.
Anyways, a peaceful weekend ahead and then a big trip up north next week. Looking forward to going back to my alma mater - only hope I can be half as entertaining and sparky as most of the visiting speakers I enjoyed during my time in Edinburgh!
CSW
Well, to be honest, from my perspective, it has been a pretty work-oriented month. After submitting the Book on the 5th, I went on to submit the next project on the 18th. This is an co-edited collection entitled Performance and Professional Wrestling. Even though it has only just been submitted, it already has its own Amazon page! According to Amazon we are looking at a mid-July release date...Amazon is the fount of all knowledge about this sort of stuff, right? And then just this week I submitted a book chapter for a collection called Literature: an introduction to theory and analysis. The chapter is simply called 'Performance' and tries to explain this very tricky concept in 4500 words. Phew! And today I've been working on my paper for my talk in Edinburgh next week and I've returned to a journal article on Raymond Williams that I need to write by April. So, there is a lot going on. I knew these few months were going to be busy with work and I have June in my head as a month which will be quieter and give me a chance to catch my breath and think about the next steps.
So, anything else? Well, D has been looking at cars as our lease is up. If you know D then you'll know that he takes things like this very seriously. And (the big news) we booked a wonderful holiday to Australia. Ever since I was a Neighbours-obsessed teenager I've wanted to go to Australia. We have an amazing trip planned involving diving, horses and koalas. Cannot wait! Other than that our January has been pretty quiet with just books, swimming, yoga and the occasional film (including the really super Star Wars) to interrupt. This means I am getting a lot done right now and, when I'm not teaching, days are really pretty focused and full.
Anyways, a peaceful weekend ahead and then a big trip up north next week. Looking forward to going back to my alma mater - only hope I can be half as entertaining and sparky as most of the visiting speakers I enjoyed during my time in Edinburgh!
CSW
Friday, 8 January 2016
Welcome to 2016
The end of 2015 came and went and I can't believe it is actually 2016. So what has happened since my last post?
Well, I taught my first term at De Montfort and all went well. It's all taken a bit of getting used to but I've enjoyed getting to know the new students and spending time with my new colleagues. The commute to Leicester is easier than the commute to Lincoln! I've found a local indie coffee shop and a terrific veggie Indian restaurant. So all is well.
I had a great trip to the Modernist Studies Association Conference in Boston. At the last minute D realised he could get the time off to come with me. It was lovely to explore a new city with him, as well as spend time at an amazing conference. We went to see the Bruins play hockey and the Celtics play basketball, walked the Freedom Trail and visited some beautiful Revolutionary battlefields. On our final day we had a rather wonderful experience of listening to the Boston Phil play a concert of Wagner's music at Harvard University. All in all, it was a pretty special time and I managed to eat lobster every day which made this fish fan very happy indeed. If you want to see exactly what we got up to then click on the photos tab above.
We've enjoyed gigs (Steve Hackett at De Montfort Hall, and Whitesnake/Def Leppard in Nottingham), films and books. The cultural highlight of these months has been 'Breaking Bad'. So, I had decided not to watch join D in watching this series the first time round. I was a little worried about the ethics of a show that, I thought, would celebrate the drug industry. Actually I was entirely wrong about it and, once I'd got past the bath tub scene in series 1 (you know the one!), I really enjoyed it. I have become a bit of a Bryan Cranston fan - he is astonishing in this series! And I have done lots of swimming, HIIT and yoga. I've also been exploring new ways of eating which has been really fun - lots of veggies!
I didn't finish at university until the 21st which is very late by university standards. Then off we went to Cardiff, Edinburgh and Aberdeen for Christmas and New Year. A good time had by all. We spent some lovely days with the family, including our fab nieces and nephews. On the 5th January, after some final faffing about with citation admin, I finally submitted the new book to Palgrave MacMillan. 'Migrating Modernist Performance: British theatrical travels through Russia' will be out later this year.
The next few months see a lot of new deadlines coming my way - chapters, articles and projects. Teaching will carry on apace too. I also have talks booked in Nottingham and Edinburgh and, come May, Rennes. We are already starting to think about our summer adventures which, for me, will include a trip to Russia. Life is pretty busy and full until June when things slow down a bit. I have booked a couple of weeks of deep thinking so I can decide on new research directions and potential future projects. I've realise that for the past few years I have just rattled on without really taking any time out to think about things. I'm planning on changing that this summer.
Anyways, I hope that 2016 treats you all well wherever you are in this beautiful world.
CSW
Well, I taught my first term at De Montfort and all went well. It's all taken a bit of getting used to but I've enjoyed getting to know the new students and spending time with my new colleagues. The commute to Leicester is easier than the commute to Lincoln! I've found a local indie coffee shop and a terrific veggie Indian restaurant. So all is well.
I had a great trip to the Modernist Studies Association Conference in Boston. At the last minute D realised he could get the time off to come with me. It was lovely to explore a new city with him, as well as spend time at an amazing conference. We went to see the Bruins play hockey and the Celtics play basketball, walked the Freedom Trail and visited some beautiful Revolutionary battlefields. On our final day we had a rather wonderful experience of listening to the Boston Phil play a concert of Wagner's music at Harvard University. All in all, it was a pretty special time and I managed to eat lobster every day which made this fish fan very happy indeed. If you want to see exactly what we got up to then click on the photos tab above.
We've enjoyed gigs (Steve Hackett at De Montfort Hall, and Whitesnake/Def Leppard in Nottingham), films and books. The cultural highlight of these months has been 'Breaking Bad'. So, I had decided not to watch join D in watching this series the first time round. I was a little worried about the ethics of a show that, I thought, would celebrate the drug industry. Actually I was entirely wrong about it and, once I'd got past the bath tub scene in series 1 (you know the one!), I really enjoyed it. I have become a bit of a Bryan Cranston fan - he is astonishing in this series! And I have done lots of swimming, HIIT and yoga. I've also been exploring new ways of eating which has been really fun - lots of veggies!
I didn't finish at university until the 21st which is very late by university standards. Then off we went to Cardiff, Edinburgh and Aberdeen for Christmas and New Year. A good time had by all. We spent some lovely days with the family, including our fab nieces and nephews. On the 5th January, after some final faffing about with citation admin, I finally submitted the new book to Palgrave MacMillan. 'Migrating Modernist Performance: British theatrical travels through Russia' will be out later this year.
The next few months see a lot of new deadlines coming my way - chapters, articles and projects. Teaching will carry on apace too. I also have talks booked in Nottingham and Edinburgh and, come May, Rennes. We are already starting to think about our summer adventures which, for me, will include a trip to Russia. Life is pretty busy and full until June when things slow down a bit. I have booked a couple of weeks of deep thinking so I can decide on new research directions and potential future projects. I've realise that for the past few years I have just rattled on without really taking any time out to think about things. I'm planning on changing that this summer.
Anyways, I hope that 2016 treats you all well wherever you are in this beautiful world.
CSW
Friday, 30 October 2015
Two months into the new job!
Afternoon friends!
On the 1st September I joined the drama department at De Montfort University as Senior Lecturer (VC2020) and very jolly it is too. My new colleagues are very friendly and welcoming, and I have enjoyed getting to know a bunch of new students. Funnily enough, the transition between institutions has been considerably more anxiety-filled than I could have imagined. I guess you always just want to do well when you go somewhere new!
I'm enjoying dividing my time between Nottingham and Leicester, and have sourced decent independent coffee and a delicious veggie Indian restaurant. These are clearly the most important things! My train trip is shorter than when I worked at Lincoln - it's just half an hour on the London train. I've been to the Curve Theatre and De Montfort Hall, so I feel as though I am properly getting into Leicester cultural life. I really love the vibrancy of these two Midlands cities. They both have such a beautiful collection of diverse cultures, nationalities, languages and belief systems. It is all rather exciting actually.
So, what else is happening? Well I am just busy writing. I have a million projects to complete by next April, including, of course, the Book. The latter is progressing well; I just have chapter 4 to complete. Looking forward to getting it all sent off although I'm enjoying the writing process. Outside of work we've been watching some films, enjoying a Steve Hackett gig and finishing the beautiful 'Show Me a Hero' (the HBO series). A few weeks ago I decided that we needed a break away from everything and so we took ourselves up to North Yorkshire and spent the most lovely couple of days at Flamingo Land (with me screaming my head off on the rollercoasters), eating delicious sandwiches at Helmsley, staying in a cosy pub (with a lovely dog called Arthur) and visiting Castle Howard and Riveaulx Abbey. It was a very short trip but I felt enormously refreshed afterwards. It really chilled me out and I returned with renewed vigour. We should do this more often!
November is approaching - a month of birthdays, chilly weather, preparing for December and, this year, heading off to Boston for the Modernist Studies Association Conference. I really can't wait for the latter. It is going to be so cool - lots of lovely people and great, fascinating work in store.
Hope everyone is doing great
CSW
On the 1st September I joined the drama department at De Montfort University as Senior Lecturer (VC2020) and very jolly it is too. My new colleagues are very friendly and welcoming, and I have enjoyed getting to know a bunch of new students. Funnily enough, the transition between institutions has been considerably more anxiety-filled than I could have imagined. I guess you always just want to do well when you go somewhere new!
I'm enjoying dividing my time between Nottingham and Leicester, and have sourced decent independent coffee and a delicious veggie Indian restaurant. These are clearly the most important things! My train trip is shorter than when I worked at Lincoln - it's just half an hour on the London train. I've been to the Curve Theatre and De Montfort Hall, so I feel as though I am properly getting into Leicester cultural life. I really love the vibrancy of these two Midlands cities. They both have such a beautiful collection of diverse cultures, nationalities, languages and belief systems. It is all rather exciting actually.
So, what else is happening? Well I am just busy writing. I have a million projects to complete by next April, including, of course, the Book. The latter is progressing well; I just have chapter 4 to complete. Looking forward to getting it all sent off although I'm enjoying the writing process. Outside of work we've been watching some films, enjoying a Steve Hackett gig and finishing the beautiful 'Show Me a Hero' (the HBO series). A few weeks ago I decided that we needed a break away from everything and so we took ourselves up to North Yorkshire and spent the most lovely couple of days at Flamingo Land (with me screaming my head off on the rollercoasters), eating delicious sandwiches at Helmsley, staying in a cosy pub (with a lovely dog called Arthur) and visiting Castle Howard and Riveaulx Abbey. It was a very short trip but I felt enormously refreshed afterwards. It really chilled me out and I returned with renewed vigour. We should do this more often!
November is approaching - a month of birthdays, chilly weather, preparing for December and, this year, heading off to Boston for the Modernist Studies Association Conference. I really can't wait for the latter. It is going to be so cool - lots of lovely people and great, fascinating work in store.
Hope everyone is doing great
CSW
Thursday, 27 August 2015
Summer adventures
And with that, summer is nearly over!
It has been a great couple of months full of adventures. First up was a month of writing - suddenly I feel as if the book is starting to come together. I just have chapter 4 to finish, although chapter 2 continues to drive me a bit crazy! Migrating Modernist Performance: British Theatrical Travels through Russia will be out with Palgrave MacMillan next year. I've also been working on the new Professional Wrestling and Performance edited collection for Routledge which, all being well, will also come out next year. I have a million other projects on the go at the moment and one of tonight's major jobs is to work out how on earth it is all going to get done!
As usual for the Wardens, the second half of the summer was taken up with an exciting trip. This year we went back to America (2nd of 3 Stateside trips for me this year!), starting in LA, driving up the coast to Santa Barbara, Big Sur, Carmel Valley, San Francisco, Sonora and finally back for a couple of days in New York before flying home. It was an amazing trip, full of new experiences, including bathing at Esalen at 2am, seeing the final ever Rush gig, visiting Yosemite, flying under the Golden Gate Bridge in a helicopter (yes, I know, right?), landing on Alcatraz, riding on a stagecoach, watching the Mets, getting tickets for On the Town (my first on-Broadway musical) and seeing enormous trees, swimming in incredible oceans, dragging D round loads of art galleries, eating at awesome restaurants, wandering amongst amazing architecture and indulging in way too much ice-cream.
Here are a couple of my favourite photos (typically, D has hundreds and will probably be a bit grumpy about the ones I've chosen to put up here!)
It has been a great couple of months full of adventures. First up was a month of writing - suddenly I feel as if the book is starting to come together. I just have chapter 4 to finish, although chapter 2 continues to drive me a bit crazy! Migrating Modernist Performance: British Theatrical Travels through Russia will be out with Palgrave MacMillan next year. I've also been working on the new Professional Wrestling and Performance edited collection for Routledge which, all being well, will also come out next year. I have a million other projects on the go at the moment and one of tonight's major jobs is to work out how on earth it is all going to get done!
As usual for the Wardens, the second half of the summer was taken up with an exciting trip. This year we went back to America (2nd of 3 Stateside trips for me this year!), starting in LA, driving up the coast to Santa Barbara, Big Sur, Carmel Valley, San Francisco, Sonora and finally back for a couple of days in New York before flying home. It was an amazing trip, full of new experiences, including bathing at Esalen at 2am, seeing the final ever Rush gig, visiting Yosemite, flying under the Golden Gate Bridge in a helicopter (yes, I know, right?), landing on Alcatraz, riding on a stagecoach, watching the Mets, getting tickets for On the Town (my first on-Broadway musical) and seeing enormous trees, swimming in incredible oceans, dragging D round loads of art galleries, eating at awesome restaurants, wandering amongst amazing architecture and indulging in way too much ice-cream.
Here are a couple of my favourite photos (typically, D has hundreds and will probably be a bit grumpy about the ones I've chosen to put up here!)
Yosemite Valley looking down!
Me looking rather wistful at the Big Sur
'Welcome to the Rock' from the helicopter
'Welcome to the Rock' as we arrived
The amazing nighttime sky in Sonora. This was the view from our house!
New York - memorial to 9/11
We travelled on four planes (Le Compagnie x2, Delta, JetBlue) and all left on time (just about) and were great. We stayed in seven different places, mostly Air BnB which I recommend to everyone as a brilliant, cost-effective and exciting way of travelling. We walked so far that D has to throw away his £10 walking shoes. I read two books: The Artisan Soul by Erwin McManus (great and pretty inspiring) and H is for Hawk by Helen McDonald (which I loved).
All in all, a great summer. And now it is back to it. There is a lot going on in the family right now (including the birth of our new wee niece!) but I am also back to writing and sorting before term begins.
And the big news is...*drum roll*...next Tuesday I will be starting a new job at De Montfort University, Leicester. I'm enjoyed my time in Lincoln but I'm definitely ready for a new start, and am looking forward to meeting the students and hanging our with my new colleagues.
Hope everyone is doing great!
CSW
Thursday, 4 June 2015
Settled in Nottingham
So, welcome back to blogging! We have been in Nottingham now for three months and it has gone by in a lovely blur. The apartment we finally found is fantastic - close to the centre of town, overlooking the Trent, with a pool on site. I feel very settled here (even though there are still a few boxes to unpack).
There have been lots of exciting events, opportunities and trips over the past few months. Here is just a taster of what has been going on in the lives of the Wardens:
1) I went to New Orleans! I presented a paper on British holiday camp pro-wrestling at the Popular Culture Association Conference. I had the best time. The conference was good if a bit wacky - Martin Sheen gave a talk so it was also pretty showbiz. I met a lot of super nice people, including contributors to the forthcoming edited book, Performance and Pro-Wrestling (Routledge 2016). New Orleans is an amazing place! I ate some incredible food (gumbos, crawfish, jambalayas) and listened to some cool jazz, including at the legendary Preservation Hall. I visited galleries, took a walking tour and wandered my way round the amazing cemeteries. It was a great trip and I felt quite sad to come back to the UK.
2) I've given papers in Oxford (Avant-Gardes Now! conference) and Manchester (Raymond Williams Now! Conference) - everything is 'now'! - and have played around in some archives.
3) I've watched some cool indie wrestling in Sheffield (ICW - well worth catching them)
4) The end of term has come and gone. I saw some great performances - very exciting, vibrant and risky (in the best possible sense of that word). All the marking is now done (phew!) and the admin is signed off. This is always a pretty terrific feeling.
5) We went to Copenhagen! D and I fancied a proper holiday so we took ourselves off the the Danish capital where I spent five days prancing around castles, wandering through art galleries (sense the theme!?) and pretending to be Birgitte Nyborg. Ever sense I watched Borgen I've wanted to visit Copenhagen - Birgitte is a bit of a hero. It was as lovely as I had hoped. We stayed in this great little apartment in Vesterbro - Air BnB wins again.
And, on top of all this, I've been sorting out the house (everyone will be pleased to now we now have sofas), doing lots of writing in an attempt to finish the first draft of the book by September, attending way too many meetings, reading lots of great books (including Jessie Burton's The Miniaturist which you need to read if you haven't) and catching up with new series of Treme and the first series of Daredevil which is a bit scary than I thought it would be given it's from the Marvel franchise.
There are some exciting things coming up, one of which I'll be able to share in a few weeks (cryptic!). D and I will be off to America at some stage and I am trying to chain myself to the desk for a while to get writing done. Fortunately I absolutely love working at home!
Hope everyone is doing well.
CSW
There have been lots of exciting events, opportunities and trips over the past few months. Here is just a taster of what has been going on in the lives of the Wardens:
1) I went to New Orleans! I presented a paper on British holiday camp pro-wrestling at the Popular Culture Association Conference. I had the best time. The conference was good if a bit wacky - Martin Sheen gave a talk so it was also pretty showbiz. I met a lot of super nice people, including contributors to the forthcoming edited book, Performance and Pro-Wrestling (Routledge 2016). New Orleans is an amazing place! I ate some incredible food (gumbos, crawfish, jambalayas) and listened to some cool jazz, including at the legendary Preservation Hall. I visited galleries, took a walking tour and wandered my way round the amazing cemeteries. It was a great trip and I felt quite sad to come back to the UK.
2) I've given papers in Oxford (Avant-Gardes Now! conference) and Manchester (Raymond Williams Now! Conference) - everything is 'now'! - and have played around in some archives.
3) I've watched some cool indie wrestling in Sheffield (ICW - well worth catching them)
4) The end of term has come and gone. I saw some great performances - very exciting, vibrant and risky (in the best possible sense of that word). All the marking is now done (phew!) and the admin is signed off. This is always a pretty terrific feeling.
5) We went to Copenhagen! D and I fancied a proper holiday so we took ourselves off the the Danish capital where I spent five days prancing around castles, wandering through art galleries (sense the theme!?) and pretending to be Birgitte Nyborg. Ever sense I watched Borgen I've wanted to visit Copenhagen - Birgitte is a bit of a hero. It was as lovely as I had hoped. We stayed in this great little apartment in Vesterbro - Air BnB wins again.
And, on top of all this, I've been sorting out the house (everyone will be pleased to now we now have sofas), doing lots of writing in an attempt to finish the first draft of the book by September, attending way too many meetings, reading lots of great books (including Jessie Burton's The Miniaturist which you need to read if you haven't) and catching up with new series of Treme and the first series of Daredevil which is a bit scary than I thought it would be given it's from the Marvel franchise.
There are some exciting things coming up, one of which I'll be able to share in a few weeks (cryptic!). D and I will be off to America at some stage and I am trying to chain myself to the desk for a while to get writing done. Fortunately I absolutely love working at home!
Hope everyone is doing well.
CSW
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)