Wossname -- August 2018 -- Main issue

[News and reviews about the works of Sir Terry Pratchett]

Wossname
Newsletter of the Klatchian Foreign Legion
August 2018 (Volume 21, Issue 8, Post 1)

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WOSSNAME is a free publication offering news, reviews, and all the other 
stuff-that-fits pertaining to the works 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.
********************************************************************

Editor in Chief: Annie Mac
News Editor: Vera P
Newshounds: Mogg, Sir J of Croydon Below, the Shadow, Mss C, Alison not 
Aliss
Staff Writers: Asti, Pitt the Elder, Evil Steven Dread, Mrs Wynn-Jones
Staff Technomancer: Jason Parlevliet
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) QUOTES OF THE MONTH
02) EDITOR'S LETTER
03) ODDS AND SODS
04) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS
05) DISCWORLD MEETING GROUPS NEWS
06) AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE
07) ROUNDWORLD TALES: THE CHALK
08) IMAGES OF THE MONTH
09) CLOSE

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01) QUOTES OF THE MONTH

"It has been really exciting selecting some of my favourite paintings 
for the Discworld & Beyond exhibition. Visitors will be able to see many 
of their favourite Discworld illustrations up close and personal and 
celebrate the wonderful legacy of a great author who has inspired so 
many, including me!"
– Paul Kidby, on his travelling Discworld and Beyond exhibition

"...the way Sir Terry chose to notify people of his death in 2015 was 
the extraordinary tweet 'AT LAST, SIR TERRY, WE MUST WALK TOGETHER'. Of 
the thousands of comments this tweet received, one of the earliest was 
by an account in the name of the 'Death of Rats' (aka The Grim Squeaker) 
which went 'Squeak, squeak, squeak'. For reasons known only to 
themselves, Microsoft offers the option to 'translate this tweet' – 
sadly the link doesn't work. But I think we know what he was trying to say."
– blogger Reading Bug makes a point about multiversal communication

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02) LETTER FROM YOUR EDITOR

The Master inspires! Leonie Holmes, a composer and music educator in the 
Land of Fog (New Zealand, of course) has been nominated for a major 
award for her composition "Dance of the Wintersmith": "The nominated 
work, Dance of the Wintersmith for violin and piano, was inspired by 
Terry Pratchett's book of the same name and was written for Andrew Beer 
and Sarah Watkins. 'I'm really delighted that "Dance of the Wintersmith" 
has been nominated for the SOUNZ Contemporary Award. I was gifted with 
fantastic performers, who commissioned the work and then played it with 
such integrity. I'm also delighted that the comparatively intimate 
canvas of a duo has been recognised in this way, and has managed to 
communicate and touch listeners.' ... The SOUNZ Contemporary Award, 
celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, recognises New Zealand 
compositions demonstrating outstanding levels of creativity and 
inspiration and has been presented in collaboration with APRA AMCOS NZ 
since 1998..." 
(_http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU1808/S00252/2018-sounz-contemporary-award-finalists.htm_) 
The winner will be at the 2018 APRA Silver Scroll Awards in Auckland on 
4th October. Wossname is pulling for you, Ms Holmes!

Have you ever heard of tsundoku, "the art of buying books and never 
reading them" – which, it turns out, is not at all the same as buying 
books only for the purpose of displaying them? (Apparently this happens 
in real life. No, I don't understand it either.). Hands up, any of you 
who have yet to read The Shepherd's Crown: "Prof Andrew Gerstle teaches 
pre-modern Japanese texts at the University of London. He explained to 
the BBC the term might be older than you think – it can be found in 
print as early as 1879, meaning it was likely in use before that. The 
word 'doku' can be used as a verb to mean 'reading'. According to Prof 
Gerstle, the 'tsun' in 'tsundoku' originates in 'tsumu' – a word meaning 
'to pile up'. So when put together, 'tsundoku' has the meaning of buying 
reading material and piling it up. 'The phrase "tsundoku sensei" appears 
in text from 1879 according to the writer Mori Senzo,' Prof Gerstle 
explained. 'Which is likely to be satirical, about a teacher who has 
lots of books but doesn't read them.' While this might sound like 
tsundoku is being used as an insult, Prof Gerstle said the word does not 
carry any stigma in Japan... " (_https://www.bbc.com/news/world-44981013_)

Peculiar Productions, who are taking up the Discworld plays-producing 
baton in Cardiff from the marvellous but now defunct Monstrous 
Productions, are staging their debut production – The Truth – this 
coming weekend (see item 4.1 below). If you'd like to know more about 
the company and the cast, go to 
https://peculiarproductions.co.uk/tag/the-truth/ – and Wossname wishes 
the "Peculiars" every success with *all* their productions to come.

And now, on with the show...

– Annie Mac, Editor

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03) ODDS AND SODS

3.1 UPDATE: DISCWORLD AND BEYOND EXHIBIT

After Paul Kidby's Discworld and Beyond exhibit closes in Maidstone, it 
will move on to the Chapel Gallery in Ormskirk and then to the North 
Hertfordshire Museum. See the details below!

Currently...

When: now through 2nd September 2018
Venue: the Maidstone Museum, St. Faith's Street, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1LH
Time: Tuesday–Saturday 10am–5pm, Sunday 12pm–4pm
Tickets: £4 for adults, £2 for children and £10 per family ticket, 
available online at 
https://museum.maidstone.gov.uk/whats-on/events/paul-kidby-discworld-beyond/

https://museum.maidstone.gov.uk/

Next...

When: exact dates TBC
Venue: Chapel Gallery, St Helens Road, Ormskirk, Lancashire, L39 4QR 
(phone 01695 571 328, email chapel.gallery at westlancs.gov.uk)
Time: 10am–4.30pm Tuesdays–Saturdays (closed Monday, Sunday & all Bank 
Holidays)
Tickets: free admission; there is also disabled access.

https://www.paulkidby.com/event/discworld-beyond-5/

...and after that...

When: 15th December 2018–February 2019 (finishing date TBC)
Venue: North Hertfordshire Museum, Via Town Hall, Brand Street, Hitchin 
SG5 1JE (phone 01462 474554)
Times and Tickets info TBA

http://www.northhertsmuseum.org/contact-us/

"For further details contact Emma Mackinnon, Exhibitions & Collections 
Officer at St Barbe Museum, Lymington.
Emma.Mackinnon at stbarbe-museum.org.uk"

https://www.paulkidby.com/events/#upcoming-events

...and here be an article about the exhibit, by Charlie Harman for Kent 
Online:

"Visitors young and old will be wowed as Paul Kidby, best-known for his 
work on the Discworld novels, brings his magical masterpieces to 
Maidstone. His art bridges surrealism with a near-photographic quality, 
allowing walking luggage, dragons and even little blue men to not only 
be believable but to jump off the canvas... With a diverse range of 
media on show, fans of the Discworld series will particularly delight in 
concept designs for the series' more recent titles. Personal 
recollections from the artist – who designed the legendary fantasy 
author's cover from 2002 until his death from Alzheimer's three years 
ago – are sometimes sad but always fascinating insights into their joint 
creative process. The exhibition has everyone's favourite figures from 
the fictional universe, with Death, Cohen the Barbarian and a host of 
witches and wizards flooding the museum with colour and character. 
Included in the works are paintings from Kidby's own creation Charmed 
Realm, which focuses on British folklore with ethereal faeries and 
rambunctious gnomes. Though less well-known compared to Pratchett's 
world, they perfectly communicate Kidby's iconic style and are just as 
eye-catching. A large section highlights his work on the Tiffany Aching 
series, including the original drawing for the Wee Free Men front cover. 
Known for his incredible detail throughout grand pieces, his Discworld 
Massif piece is both the largest and most nostalgic painting on display. 
Kidby included 77 Pratchettian personages within one frame, and fans who 
know the supporting cast well could spend hours just combing through the 
one picture..."

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/whats-on/news/step-into-a-discworld-here-in-kent-187842/

3.2 PRATCHETT AND TOLKIEN: APPROACHES TO FANTASY

An interesting piece about the differences between the fantasy worlds of 
Pratchett and Tolkien, by smallgodsman Rowan Williams in New Statesman:

"Tolkien and Pratchett seem to stand at opposite ends of a literary 
spectrum; although Pratchett described Tolkien as being like Mount Fuji 
in Japanese prints, a ubiquitous background presence in all later 
'fantasy' writing, Middle Earth and Discworld are radically different 
creations. Pratchett's Discworld is funny, deflationary, bursting with 
self-consciousness and ironic ingenuity, stuffed full of puns, wordplays 
and parodies; Tolkien's Middle Earth is intensely serious, and its 
verbal ingenuity is bound up with the monumental labours of its creator 
in shaping not only a set of actual languages but a linguistic history 
and historical geography for most of them and their speakers. You could 
sum up the difference by saying that Pratchett is knowing – but for 
Tolkien, 'knowingness' would unmake his whole project. As he made clear, 
part of his ambition was to provide something like a mythology for 
England; and mythologies cannot be knowing in this way, conscious of 
their literary pedigree. A myth is not a fantasy and Tolkien would 
certainly not have seen himself as writing 'fantasy novels'..."

https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/2018/08/master-his-universe-warnings-jrr-tolkien-s-novels

3.3 DISCWORLD MERCH CORNER

* From the Discworld Emporium

Death's Study jigsaw puzzle!

This one's positively Death-ly! Not to mention moderately fiendish... 
"Cower, brief mortals, and take on the challenge of our exclusive 1000 
piece Discworld Jigsaw puzzle – it'll be the DEATH of you! See the 
Reaper Man's inner sanctum come to 'life' before your eyes in an 
astonishing illustration full of hidden details alluding to Terry 
Pratchett's endearing Grim Reaper! Even Grim Reapers needs a place to 
call home, and his private study is a place for the Reaper Man to 
contemplate matters of life and DEATH! Created in collaboration with 
illustrator David Wyatt, this Fiendishly Difficult Discworld jigsaw 
puzzle is full of wonderful details from Terry Pratchett's Death novels, 
including souvenirs from his adventures in the mortal realm. You'll spot 
a cast of fellow characters including Binky, Quoth and the Death of 
Rats, along with family portraits, familiar lifetimers and evidence of 
his fondness for fine Klatchian cuisine. And possibly a cat or two. 
Guaranteed to keep you dying from boredom during holidays and Hogswatch, 
this puzzle may be a skull-scratcher, but we promise it won't send you 
to an early grave! Each puzzle includes a fold out poster to make it 
easier to complete, and is presented in a splendid illustrated book box 
as befitting the shelves of the Ultimate Reality!"

Each Death's Study jigsaw puzzle measures 70 x 50cm (the puzzle box 
measures 20.5 x 25.6 x 6.3cm) and is priced at £19.50. For more 
information, and to order, go to 
https://www.discworldemporium.com/games-toys/491-death-s-study-jigsaw-puzzle

Also, an informative blog post about the creation of the Death's Study 
jigsaw puzzle (includes various concept sketches, and a time-lapse video 
near the bottom of the page):

"Last year the Emporium gang spent three months in the Unseen University 
Library – walking among its labyrinthine shelves, ducking the zip and 
sizzle of errant magic, breathing in the warm and bookish air – to bring 
you our vision of Discworld's premier seat of magical learning. Those 
who chose to own this image, as either the fiendishly difficult 1,000 
piece puzzle or pain-free art print, will hopefully realise how much 
care and attention went into creating this illustration. If the devil is 
in the detail, then there's surely a special circle of hell reserved for 
David Wyatt, the esteemed author of this incredible image. We were 
thrilled by the response (and by the creative nature of some of the 
death-threats from the less-experienced puzzlers among you), thus, we're 
very excited to reveal the next piece in our range of 
meticulously-intricate-illustrations-of-some-of-Discworld's-most-iconic-settings-with-lots-of-lovely-details-from-the-books! 
(catchy title, eh?). This time, we've been stalking the halls of Death's 
domain. After all, even anthropomorphic personifications need a place to 
call their own. In Death's house, his study provides sanctuary for the 
Reaper Man to reflect on life, the universe and fine Klatchian curries. 
But what does Death's study look like? For that matter, what does it 
feel like?... how do you draw a room belonging to an eternal, 
all-knowing, all-seeing entity… and more importantly, where does one put 
the sodding cat?..."

https://www.discworldemporium.com/blog/illustrating-death-s-study-n6

* From Discworld.com

Discworld temporary tattoos!

That's right, you don't have to be an unhygienically tattooed Feegle to 
wear the Discworld on your skin! Here be three temporary tattoos, based 
on the iconic artwork of Paul Kidby: "Simply rub on with water. Lasts 
1–5 days, skin safe and non-toxic." You can choose from three designs – 
Rob Anybody Mac Feegle ("Quicker than covering yourself in blue paint, 
and ever so slightly less conspicuous, this Rob Anybody temporary tattoo 
will look great on you, even if you're 'Wee'!"), the City Watch crest, 
or Great A'Tuin, each priced at £2.25, or order a pack of all three for £6:

Rob Anybody: 
https://discworld.com/products/temporary-tattoos/rob-anybody-temporary-tattoo/
City Watch crest: 
https://discworld.com/products/temporary-tattoos/city-watch-crest-temporary-tattoo/
Great A'Tuin: 
https://discworld.com/products/temporary-tattoos/great-atuin-temporary-tattoo/
Pack of three: 
https://discworld.com/products/temporary-tattoos/temporary-tattoo-3-pack/

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04) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS

Editor's note: as Wossname normally only comes out once every month, do 
check the Wossname blog for information on plays that might fall between 
issue dates! Go to https://wossname.dreamwidth.org/ for interim updates.

4.1 PLAYS IN AUGUST

* MORT IN WANGARATTA, FOURECKS (AUGUST)

Wangaratta Players Inc are presenting their production of Mort this week!

When: remaining shows 24th–26th August 2018
Venue: The Studio Door, 4D Evans Street, Wangaratta, VIC 3677
Time: evening shows (24th, 25th) 7.30pm; matinee (26th) 2pm
Tickets: AU$30, available from 
https://www.trybooking.com/book/event?eid=388592

https://www.facebook.com/Wangaratta-Players-Inc-181916281835284/

* THE TRUTH IN CARDIFF (AUGUST)

Peculiar Productions' first Discworld play, currently running in 
Llamedos, is The Truth!  "Peculiar Productions is a Cardiff-based 
multimedia production company. We aim to produce two large shows or 
projects a year, and we try to make one of those an adaptation of a work 
by beloved British fantasy-comedy author Sir Terry Pratchett. All our 
members are volunteers, and the proceeds of these large projects are 
donated to a chosen charity, which we announce alongside each production 
or project."

When: now through 25th August 2018
Venue: The Gate Arts Centre, Keppoch Street, Roath, Cardiff CF24 3JW
Time: 7.30pm all shows
Tickets: £9 (£7 concessions; £1.25 processing fee applies if paying 
online or via Paypal), already available online at 
https://peculiarproductions.co.uk/tickets/ or by cheque or bank transfer 
via email: info at peculiarproductions.co.uk. If using Paypal 
(_https://www.paypal.com/uk/signin_), payment should be made to 
info at peculiarproductions.co.uk – and "please ensure that you tell us 
which performance you are booking for by adding a note." Credit card and 
Paypal payments can also be made to http://peculiar_productions.fikket.com/

Proceeds from this debut production go to Cardiff Mind. If you're 
interested in helping out on stage or behind the arras for future 
productions, or would just like to know more about the Peculiar 
Productions team, go to https://peculiarproductions.co.uk/about/

4.2 PLAYS LATER IN 2018

* ERIC IN ADELAIDE (OCTOBER)

Unseen Theatre's ever-ongoing Discworld season (now in its 19th year, 
and rightly so!) returns in October with Eric! "An hilarious romp 
through space, time, history and the torture chambers of Hell. Eric has 
been described as 'the Discworld's only demonology hacker', but all he 
really wants is three wishes. That sounds simple enough, right? No, this 
is not your favourite fairytale from your childhood. Far from it. Well, 
maybe not that far……..just as far as the Discworld where demons, 
wizards, hell-hounds, hostile travel accessories, and more demons, 
thinly disguised as public servants with a penchant for excessive 
amounts of stationery and memos, are real..."

When: 5th–6th, 10th–13th and 18th–20th October 2018. Preview night is 
5th October; opening night is 6th October.
Venue: the Bakehouse Theatre, 255 Angas Street, Adelaide, South Australia
Time: 7.30pm all shows
Tickets: $22 Adult, $18 Concession, $16 Groups of 6+ (also Previews and 
Fringe Members), available from https://www.trybooking.com/413146 
("Members of the Media – please book your tickets for Opening Night with 
the usual code")

http://unseen.com.au/

* MEN AT ARMS IN BRISBANE, FOURECKS (OCTOBER/NOVEMBER)

It will be a bit of a wait, but the Brisbane Arts Centre's next 
Discworld production – Men at Arms – is already looking good! All props 
to Fourecks for keeping the Disc alive on stage: "Men at Arms is the 
15th novel in Sir Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, a comic fantasy 
universe with over 80 million books sold worldwide. Aficionados and 
newcomers to the Disc will love this adaptation, brought to life by the 
expertise of our Pratchett team."

When: 6th October through 3rd November 2018
Venue: Brisbane Arts Centre, 210 Petrie Terrace, Petrie Terrace (yes, 
the suburb and the road share a name), Brisbane, Queensland 4000
Time: 7.30pm Thursdays, 8pm Fridays and Saturdays, 6.30pm Sundays. 
"Doors close 5 minutes prior to performance. Late entry is not permitted."
Tickets: AU$34 ($28 concession or groups of 10 or more), available now 
online at http://bit.ly/2zHKO5a – and there will be Student Rush tickets 
priced at $15, available from the box office 15 minutes prior to curtain 
on the dates.

https://www.artstheatre.com.au/menatarms

* HOGFATHER IN ABINGDON (NOVEMBER)

The Studio Theatre Club's next Discworld production will be Hogfather! – 
or as they say it, "another of our world Premiere Terry Pratchett shows, 
dramatised by Terry's friend, Stephen Briggs". This is a change from the 
previously announced staging of The Science of Discworld: Judgement Day.

When: 14th–17th November 2018
Venue: the Unicorn Theatre, Medieval Abbey Buildings, Checker Walk, 
Abingdon, Oxon OX14 3JB
Time: 7.30pm all evening shows; 2.30pm matinee on Saturday 17th November
Tickets: £12, available online from 1st August by post (see 
_http://www.studiotheatreclub.com/ordering-tickets_) or online via 
http://www.wegottickets.com/StudioTheatre (note that there is a 10% 
booking charge). "If you're booking for one of the weekend performances 
(Friday or Saturday evening, Saturday matinee), please give a second and 
third choice, as these performances are expected to sell out really 
quickly. Orders by mail received before the box office opens will be 
left unopened until 1 August."

http://www.studiotheatreclub.com/whats-next

* GOING POSTAL IN BRISTOL (DECEMBER)

The Kelvin Players will be staging Going Postal in December 2018. Keep 
an eye on their website: "Moist von Lipwig was a con artist, a fraud and 
a man faced with a life choice: be hanged, or put Ankh-Morpork's ailing 
postal service back on its feet. It was a tough decision. With the help 
of a golem who has been at the bottom of hole in the ground for over two 
hundred years, a pin fanatic and Junior Postman Groat, he's got to see 
that the mail gets through. In taking on the evil chairman of the Grand 
Trunk Semaphore Company, and a midnight killer, he's also got to stay 
alive. Getting a date with Adora Bell Dearheart would be nice, too. In 
the mad world of the mail, can a criminal succeed where honest men have 
failed and died? Perhaps there's a shot at redemption for man who's 
prepared to push the envelope..."

When: 5th–8th and 12th–15th December 2018
Venue: Kelvin Studio, 253B Gloucester Road, Bishopston, Bristol BS7 8NY
Time: 7.30pm all shows
Tickets: TBA

http://www.kelvinplayers.co.uk/coming-soon

4.3 REVIEWS

* LORDS AND LADIES IN READING

By Sandra Carter in the Bucks Free Press:

"The plot was convoluted, the characters weird to those unfamiliar with 
the Discworld scene (my husband understood far more, being a fan of the 
books, while the guy sitting next to him had read all the books multiple 
times). But the cast performed all the whacky goings on at Lancre with 
such huge enthusiasm and evident delight that the audience was soon 
drawn into the wonderful world of wizards and elves, a gorilla librarian 
and coven of witches and rude mechanicals. Young and old were word 
perfect, slick with fast-paced action, energetic in bringing the story 
to life. The costumes and live music were excellent... Director Sarah 
Golding managed the large cast of 26 brilliantly, drawing the best out 
of each one. Rachel Manley portrayed a lovely queen-to-be for Kieran 
McPhillips's funny king, while her maid (Pippa Dadd) raised smiles 
throughout. The two old witches, Helen Sharman and Diane Alexander, 
created lots of humour, while the band of artisans led by Tom Curtis as 
blacksmith were hilarious. It's amazing what talent our local am-dram 
groups possess and the quality of enjoyable entertainment they put on..."

http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/16397755.review-terry-pratchett-masterpiece-brought-to-life/

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05) DISCWORLD MEETING GROUPS NEWS

The Sir Terry Pratchett Book Club at Waterstones Leeds meets on the 
first Tuesday of each month at 6pm in the Cafe W coffee shop (in 
Waterstones), to discuss a Pratchett book. "Everyone is welcome, even if 
you have not read the book. There is no need to register – just come along."

The next meeting of the Sir Terry Pratchett Book Club will be on Tuesday 
4th September at 6pm at Waterstones, 93-97 Albion Street, Leeds LS1 5JS. 
(phone 0113 244 4588). The September book under discussion will be Lords 
and Ladies.

*

The Broken Drummers, "London's Premier Unofficially Official Discworld 
Group" (motto "Nil percussio est"), will be meeting a week earlier than 
usual, on Monday 3rd September from 7pm at the Monkey Puzzle, 30 
Southwick Street, London, W2 1JQ. "We welcome anyone and everyone who 
enjoys Sir Terry's works, or quite likes them or wants to find out more. 
We have had many visitors from overseas who have enjoyed themselves and 
made new friends. The discussions do not only concern the works of Sir 
Terry Pratchett but wander and meander through other genres and authors 
and also leaping to TV and Film production. We also find time for a quiz."

The Drummers have a wonderfully entertaining 
August-which-took-place-in-July meet report, in a new style:

"Between holidays, day-trips, horrendous commutes and commuters, 
imaginary trains, real trains that Public Transport staff refuse to 
admit exist, train loos without any toilet paper, cycle races shutting 
down most of central London, the culture shock of the recently returned 
to London after several years living in For'n Parts and the complete 
absence/failure of air-con on Public Transport in 30+ degree heat, it 
was clear from very early on that everyone had valiantly fought their 
own battles with Cruel and Unusual Geography in recent days and the 
Public Transport that erratically attempted to cross it. Hence the 
inaugural faculty meeting of The Broken Drummers' Department of Cruel 
and Unusual Geography was convened. Some sort of shared trauma support 
seemed to be in order... We were further disturbed by the appearance of 
Professor Evans' alleged veggie-burger, which didn't actually contain a 
veggie-burger, but instead appeared to contain the squashed head of 
Cthulhu in an alarmingly bright pink bap. The Monkey Puzzle clearly have 
a new chef, who could well benefit from some Dried Frog Pills. In order 
to recover from the trauma of our respective journeys, public transport 
designed by B.S. Johnson and inexplicably coloured baps, we gave up on 
ordering alcohol by the glass and switched to ordering by the jug. Large 
jugs of Pimms to be precise, which went down very well indeed. Professor 
Taylor was moved to comment that she was glad that Professor Evans, who 
was doing the pouring at the time, had such a lovely pair of jugs..."

To read the entire report in its beautiful new document form – 
definitely worth it! – go to https://bit.ly/2w2XwrD [NB: You have to be 
signed in to Facebook to see it. Thanks to Mss CS for the info – Ed.]

For more information, email BrokenDrummers at gmail.com or 
nicholls.helen at yahoo.co.uk or join their Facebook group at 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/55107511411/permalink/10156634038566412/

*

Canberra, Australia's Discworld fan group is 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 from 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."

*

For Facebook users in Fourecks: The Victorian Discworld Klatch is "a 
social group for fans of Discworld and Terry Pratchett... run by a 
dedicated team who meet monthly and organise events monthly." "If you'd 
like to join our events please ask to join the Klatch."

https://www.facebook.com/groups/VictorianDiscworldKlatch

*

"The Gathering of the Loonies (Wincanton chapter)" is a public Facebook 
meeting group: "This group, by request of Jo in Bear will continue to be 
used for future unofficial (not run by the Emporium) fan Gatherings in 
Wincanton. Look here for information."

https://www.facebook.com/groups/373578522834654/

*

The Pratchett Partisans are a fan group who meet monthly at either 
Brisbane or Indooroopilly to "eat, drink and chat about all things 
Pratchett. We hold events such as Discworld dinners, games afternoons, 
Discworld photo scavenger hunts. We also attend opening night at 
Brisbane Arts Theatre's Discworld plays." The Partisans currently have 
about 200 members who meet at least twice a month, usually in Brisbane.

For more info about their next meetup, join up at 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/pratchettpartisans/ or contact Ula 
directly at uwilmott at yahoo.com.au

*

The City of Small Gods is a group for fans in Adelaide and South 
Australia: "We have an established Terry Pratchett & Discworld fan group 
in Adelaide called The City of Small Gods, which is open to anyone who 
would like to come – you don't have to live in Adelaide or even South 
Australia, or even be a Discworld fan, but that's mostly where our 
events will be held, and we do like discussing Pratchett's works. Our 
(semi-) regular meetings are generally held on the last Thursday of the 
month at the Caledonian, 219 O'Connell St North Adelaide. We have dinner 
at 6.30pm followed by games until 9pm. The games are usually shorter 
games like Pairs, Sushi Go, or Tiny Epic Defenders, with the occasional 
Werewolf session, as these are the best sort of games that work in a pub 
setting. Every few months, we have a full day's worth of board games at 
La Scala Cafe, 169 Unley Rd, Unley in the function room starting at 
10am. In addition, we will occasionally have other events to go and see 
plays by Unseen Theatre Company, book discussions, craft, chain maille 
or costuming workshops or other fun social activities."

The next CoSG events will be the Monthly Dinner at Seven Stars Hotel, 
187 Angas Street, Adelaide (08) 8223 6879/(08) 8224 0003.

The CoSG also have another identity. Here's the skinny:

Round World Events SA Inc is a not-for-profit incorporated association 
whose aim is to run fun social Pratchett-themed events for people in 
South Australia. Our first major event was the Unseen University 
Convivium held in July 2012. We have also run three successful and 
booked out Science Fiction and Fantasy themed quiz nights named Quiz 
Long And Prosper, in 2013, 2014 and 2015! The association will run some 
events under the City of Small Gods banner, but you do not have to be a 
Round World Events SA member to be part of City of Small Gods. However, 
we are always on the look out for new members for Round World Events SA 
to help us organise future events! Membership is $20 a year (for 
Adelaide locals) or $5 a year (for those not quite so close) and has the 
following benefits:

A shiny membership certificate all of your very own
Discounted entry price to some of the events we run
A warm, fuzzy feeling deep down in your chest (no, not quite that deep)
For more information, or to join as a member, please email 
RoundWorldEventsSA at gmail.com

www.cityofsmallgods.org.au

*

The Broken Vectis Drummers meet next on Thursday 6th September 
(probably) from 7.30pm at The Castle pub in Newport, Isle of Wight. For 
more info and any queries, contact broken_vectis_drummers at yahoo.co.uk

*

The Wincanton Omnian Temperance Society (WOTS) next meets on Friday 7th 
September (possibly) 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. 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 3rd 
September (possibly) at 6.30pm in Sydney at 3 Wise Monkeys, 555 George 
Street, Sydney 2000. For more information, contact Sue (aka Granny 
Weatherwax): kenworthys at yahoo.co.uk

*

The Treacle Mining Corporation, formerly known as Perth Drummers, meet 
next on Monday 3rd September (possibly) 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 at gmail.com>

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

06) AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE

Blogger Filip Magnus considers Small Gods:

"Some of the Pratchett books I most appreciate start ever-so-slow, only 
to explode in a storm of brilliant humour, ideas worth contemplation, 
and so much more. Moving Pictures was one such book, and Small Gods is 
another. Regardless of the time it took me to get into it, once I did, I 
devoured it with reckless abandon. My favourite part of the book has to 
be the bit in Ephebe, where thousands of toga-wearing, wine-drinking 
philosophers have a lark on each other's expense, argue, even come to 
blows. I showed my uncle (a philosophy professor) a good few pages about 
the philosophers' stance on gods, and we shared a good laugh, too! I 
have to bow down to Sir Terry once again. His sharp skewering of 
organised religion was both thought-provoking and funny to no end. And 
Even as my smile fades, the ideas take root, and they flourish..."

https://filip-magnus-writes.blog/2018/08/15/small-gods-a-discworld-review/

Blogger Lit Alley muses on Good Omens:

"I enjoy reading Good Omens, written by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, 
about the end of the world. I would say 'enjoyed' but I have read it in 
the past and plan to read it again in the future. It is a funny book, I 
particularly enjoy the thought of the demon Crowley admonishing his 
house plants with the threat of hell in order to make them grow but it 
is also deadly serious in parts, demonstrating an excellent 
understanding of human nature. I do have some problems with the book, 
however, notably with the pop-culture references, characters and the 
climax. My first problem is more of a personal one. I do not like pop 
culture references. I think they're very tacky, can date a book and even 
hamper it from aging well. They also take me out of an otherwise 
skilfully created narrative and drop me right back in the real world. 
There aren't a lot of them in Good Omens but there are enough that I 
noticed them and found them distracting. The novel would be vastly 
improved with the removal of the Star Wars references... In Good Omens 
Crowley and Aziraphale are my favourite characters but they seem to 
disappear around the middle of the book and reappear at the end. This is 
where my problems with the characters start. I feel there are just too 
many of them who aren't quite fleshed out well enough or have enough of 
an impact on the plot to justify their existence in the story. This is 
especially glaring in a novel by Pratchett and Gaiman and my attention 
wavers a bit at these points..."

https://litalley.wordpress.com/2018/08/14/good-omens-a-review/

Blogger Thomas Ricken35's Pratchett-inspired "laws of the library" is 
interesting:

"In tribute to Alberto Manguel and the late, great Terry Pratchett, here 
is my humorous attempt to do something a bit scientific and funny, 
hopefully at the same time. Ladies, gentlemen and book lovers, I give 
you the Laws of Thermodynamics – Rewritten for Libraries

B = The Number of Books Currently Owned
S = The Number of Shelves Available in Which to House Them

The First Law of Book Thermodynamics – In all cases,  B is greater than 
S (B >S)
The Second Law of Book Thermodynamics – In an isolated system (houses 
and libraries), S always tends towards zero
The Third Law of Book Thermodynamics – S probably can't be increased 
without damaging the building
The Fourth Law of Book Thermodynamics – B can reach zero, but why on 
earth would you want it to?
There is also a rumoured Fifth Law of Book Thermodynamics which is:
'S is greater than B (S > B) if, and only if, the reader enters the next 
life, or as it is sometimes known, the Great Celestial Library in the 
Sky (GCLITS)..."

https://listfulofhorrors.wordpress.com/2018/08/14/the-laws-of-the-library/

Blogger Jessica A. at the Danville Public Library recommends Guards! 
Guards! for Pratchett newbies:

"Pratchett's Discworld series can be split into various sub-series, 
which is why every single Discworld fan will have a different opinion on 
where new readers should start the series. As the first book featuring 
the City Watch, Guards! Guards! is often cited as a good starting point. 
Here we meet Captain Vimes of the Night Watch for the first time, 
begrudgingly trying to become sober so he can solve this ruddy dragon 
problem, because no one, not even a dragon, goes and destroys half the 
City and gets away with it. The rest of the Night Watch is made up of 
two rank and file men and one new recruit: a six and a half foot tall 
dwarf (he was adopted by dwarves) who takes thing very seriously and 
very literally. Vimes consults the indomitable Lady Sybil Ramkin who 
raises swamp dragons. If you enjoy tales of dragons and heirs to the 
throne, detective stories, political intrigue, or humorous fantasy, then 
you will find something to enjoy in this book..."

https://danvillelibrary.wordpress.com/2018/08/07/book-review-guards-guards-by-terry-pratchett/

Blogger Madame Writer's spoilery review of Hogfather:

"The plot makes no sense, many questions are left unanswered, and no one 
is sure who is who or what is what. But that, of course, is the 
brilliance of Pratchett. I loved this book, both for the unique humor 
and the intriguing world... The characters are, by far, the best part of 
this book. Susan is understandable, grounded, and yet quirky. I like her 
mostly because she brings sense to the nonsensical world. She is logical 
while also open-minded to understanding the magical side of Discworld. 
In fact, I think she is my favorite protagonist is the Discworld series 
(at least, of the books I've read). Not only is she Death's 
granddaughter, giving her ties to the mystical parts of the world, but 
she is also trying to live a normal life as a nanny to two ordinary 
children, giving us a glimpse into the more human elements of the world. 
In a sense, she is a go-between for us, the readers. Death himself is a 
personal favorite character of mine, and he is especially hilarious in 
this book. Most of the books only feature a rare glimpse of him, but in 
this one he is much more front and center. .."

https://madamewriterblog.com/2018/08/06/book-review-the-hogfather-by-terry-pratchett/

Here's one well worth an action replay – blogger Simon Hackett's 
excellent and iconograph-laden remembrance of Sir Pterry receiving his 
honorary degree from the University of South Australia:

"I was fortunate to be a member of a group that visited Sir Terry 
Pratchett at his home, to present him with his tenth honorary doctorate 
(and his first from Australia). The degree, from the University of South 
Australia (UniSA), was bestowed by the Vice-Chancellor and President of 
UniSA, Professor David Lloyd. He was accompanied by Nigel Relph (UniSA 
Deputy Vice-Chancellor, International and Advancement). Also present 
today was friend (and fellow EV enthusiast) Robert Llewellyn. Sir Terry 
finds it harder to travel long distances these days, so David and Nigel 
clocked up the air miles instead, bringing the degree ceremony to him. 
The award ceremony was recorded, along with an oration from Sir Terry 
(delivered in conjunction with his business manager, Rob Wilkins). Those 
recordings will be played at the UniSA graduate ceremony that will be 
held later this year. Sir Terry's home is full of wonderful books and 
artefacts. It feels, appropriately, like a little corner of Discworld..."

https://simonhackett.com/2014/05/28/doctor-sir-terry-pratchett

Blogger Reading Bug's review of Mort:

"One of the things readers of the Discworld novels know is that Sir 
Terry was a bit of a philosopher. He had important insights into the way 
the world works, and shared them with us through the medium of humour. 
'Mort' includes plenty of examples of this, because there are few more 
serious or profound issues to meditate on than death itself (or indeed, 
Death himself)...  Sir Terry's insights range across all of life's big 
issues, and most of the small ones... Pratchett's 'and they all lived 
happily ever after' endings can sometimes feel a bit forced, but the 
resolution to this clash is well managed, and well, they all live 
happily ever after. If Death can't adjust reality just a tweak to make 
matters right, then who can? The old universe (in which the Princess 
dies) becomes a wedding present which will expand into another universe 
once the current one dies. Which I thought was rather neat..."

https://readingbug2016.wordpress.com/2018/07/26/mort-by-terry-pratchett-1987/

...and of Equal Rites:

"'Equal Rites' is different in kind. It introduces the extraordinary, 
imperious Granny Weatherwax -'I'm not a lady, I'm a witch'. This is 
going to sound like hyperbole, but if Terry Pratchett had not written 
about any other character his place in the pantheon of great writers 
would have been secured by his portrait of Granny Weatherwax. She is 
funny and kind and clever and wise and respected and seems almost a real 
person. Pratchett's theory of magic – that a large part of it is in the 
head of the person on whom the magic is being performed – 'headology' – 
is cleverer than any system of runes mana or potions you find in other 
fantasy series... The ending of the novel is one of its weaker features 
– there is never any real sense of peril or doubt that Esk and Simon 
will escape unharmed from the Dungeon Dimensions – but who reads 
Pratchett novels for their plot..."

https://readingbug2016.wordpress.com/2018/07/23/equal-rites-by-terry-pratchett-1987/

Blogger Pages Below the Vaulted Sky is participating in the Pratchett 
readathon (as mentioned last month in this section) and has started at 
the beginning of the Discworld series:

"There are two things I learned from reading this book: 1) I can see why 
people say that the first couple of books in the series can be skipped. 
2) I liked the film adaption (part one, at least) better than the book. 
Yes, go ahead and pelt me with all your rotten vegetables, but at least 
the movie had the charm of Sean Astin and a powerhouse cast of Jeremy 
Irons, Tim Curry, and Christopher Lee... But here's the thing: there's 
something oddly comforting about how underwhelming this book is. It 
shows that even legends like Terry Pratchett have to start from 
somewhere. They all have their rough foundation from which they have to 
improve on, because people aren't born from the womb oozing genius 
talent–it's a product of a lot of hard work and a willingness to learn. ..."

https://pagesbelowvaultedsky.wordpress.com/2018/07/23/review-the-colour-of-magic-discworld-1-the-readathon-commences/

Blogger Didi Oviatt, also doing the Pratchett readathon, had a very 
different – and awestruck! – reaction to tCoM. In fact, I would say that 
she *gets* it as most of us who started way back at the beginning of its 
publishing history did, without any later works to hold it up to:

"This book is so utterly unique that it's borderline genius… but in a 
wonky way. I'm almost embarrassed to admit that it's taken my entire 33 
years of life to actually get started on reading the late legendary 
Terry Pratchett. When I agreed to jump into a Discworld review a month 
group, I was secretly excited to have an excuse to read such a HUGE 
series. I think that's why I've always put it off, because honestly who 
has the time for the kind of commitment? Being the 'blame it on someone 
else' type of human I am… I saw this very excuse as an opportunity. I'm 
also excited that you don't necessarily need to read all of the 
Discworld books in order either, so that if I need to skip a month I 
totally can... From cover to cover the story is lighthearted fun, and 
the humor is fresh. The setting is most definitely one of a find. It's 
like this medley of typical fantasy references that have been blended 
and flipped into far fetched places and random events. There's magic, 
awkwardness, fun chaos, witty banter, and even close calls that leave 
your head spinning. I'm so excited to keep on a trucking along with the 
Discworld series! I've heard that the books only get better and better 
which has my curiosity running in circles!

https://didioviatt.wordpress.com/2018/07/23/read-a-thon-terry-pratchett-review-1-the-color-magic-discworld-book-1/

...and readathon instigator The Bookworm Drinketh is of an opinion in 
between:

"This book is so nostalgic to me! Sadly, I almost rated it a 3.5 though 
just because it's only the first novel.. but that world building!! No 
one can build a world as intricate as Sir Terry Pratchett. He came up 
with EVERYTHING! The lay of the land from what the world is built on 
(The Great Turtle A'Tuin and a Disc held up by 4 Elephants), the 
Directions (Hubward, Rimward, Turnwise and Widdershins), and the way the 
seasons work… I'll let you figure that one out yourselves…. mind. Blown. 
I think that I probably love this book more having read the whole series 
before in my life and, going back, seeing how much foreshadowing and 
build up there is for the rest of the series (anyone who DIDN'T like 
this book, remember that it gets SO MUCH BETTER! This is just the 
prequel to so much.)..."

https://thebookwormdrinketh.com/2018/07/23/terry-pratchett-read-a-thon-book-1-the-colour-of-magic/

Blogger Clyde Umney returns with a delighted discovery (that he had 
never read Witches Abroad):

"Witches Abroad was the 12th Discworld book, which means that coming to 
it late means going back to a Discworld where the Watch is still a bit 
of a joke, where Tiffany Aching has yet to emerge, and where so many of 
the social changes with regard to the less human creatures of the Disc 
had yet to occur. What it also meant was returning to a time when Terry 
Pratchett wasn't quite using the series to explore profound truths like 
he would later. (It would hit that landmark in a big way in the next 
book, Small Gods.) That's not to say that Pratchett had nothing to say 
here; Witches Abroad is fascinated by the power of stories in our lives, 
from urban legends to fairy tales, and how we so often use the power of 
stories to override sense and logic, throwing our lives and passion 
after a plot line that always works on paper. That's rich fare, and if 
Pratchett would revisit it to some degree more effectively and 
powerfully in Hogfather, that doesn't detract from the great ideas he's 
tossing around here. But none of that really has any impact on just how 
much fun reading Witches Abroad is... And as always, it's written in 
classic Pratchett style, with nary a sentence passing without a joke, a 
great aside, or a clever bit of phrasing. And why play a scene normally 
when you can pack the book with silliness, including what it's like when 
animals become people, the divide between magic and just messing with 
people's heads, a few surprisingly racy double entendres, and what it 
means to be 'foreign'..."

https://clydeumney.wordpress.com/2018/07/24/witches-abroad-by-terry-pratchett/

Blogger Talking About Games on Raising Steam:

"First and foremost, Pratchett has a unique way with words. He can tell 
a story by switching which character he is following at any paragraph. 
Provided you get through his frequent wordplay, he writes well enough to 
limit confusion, even through the narrator switching who he is 
following. His writing uses lots of humorous elements. These include 
puns, rhyming, alliteration, funny sounding words, unique character 
names, and pretty much any sort of wordplay that tickles his fancy. 
There are some real gems of the sort in his books. Even so, some of the 
wordplay does fall a little flat from time to time, but it is rarely 
disruptive as he uses it throughout the books I have read... Even though 
the book can be funny, there is a fair amount of insight concerning the 
creation of locomotion, social changes, and yes even racial relations. 
Since this book takes place in a medieval fantasy world, race is handled 
metaphorically by humans, dwarfs, goblins, trolls, and the occasional 
gnome. I am also surprised at how well Pratchett describes how trains 
work and impact the world around it. In a lot of ways, it feels like I 
traveled back in time to see how people reacted to seeing a train for 
the first time. I could even see the thought process of how Moist 
figured out what kind of help needed to be hired so a train system could 
work in a realistic fashion. It is clear that Terry Pratchett did his 
homework..."

https://talkingaboutgames.blog/2018/07/17/book-review-raising-steam-by-terry-pratchett/

Blogger Casandra aka Queen of Backlogs considers Cheery Littlebottom's 
feminism:

"It took me a long time to understand Cheery's insistence on expressing 
her femininity. Why, I thought, take that risk? It didn't help that her 
first attempts at expressing it are the butt of the joke. While the 
characters never explicitly ridicule her for it, it's clear from the 
text that they *think* she looks ridiculous and are just being nice by 
not laughing in her face. But such is the strength of Cheery's 
conviction that she keeps going and as she finds her own style the jokes 
disappear. It's important to note that while the narration might have 
laughed at her, the fact remains that her colleagues didn't. They 
consistently take her side, they lend her lipsticks, they give her 
pointers, most of all they give her the space to find herself. With 
their support Cheery becomes one of the front runners of the Dwarfish 
feminist movement. Slowly more feminine dwarfs show themselves, though 
they still face conservative opposition. Many moderate dwarfs consider 
them radicals, rocking the boat too much, pushing for too much too 
quickly. The further they push, the harsher the opposition grows. 
Nothing like people trying to claim a space for themselves to really 
bring out the bigots. The Fifth Elephant, Thud! and Raising Steam all 
have plots revolving around conservative dwarfs attempting to stage a 
coup against their more progressive government. With the acceptance of 
female dwarfs becoming one of the big fighting points after the Low King 
welcomes the openly feminine Cheery at the end of The Fifth Elephant. 
While it's satisfying to see these alt-right dwarfs be defeated time and 
again, even though in a depressingly realistic way they never truly 
disappear, what really resonated with me was Cheery's personal 
journey... I've progressed a lot in my understanding of feminism since I 
first read these novels. Re-reading all of the Discworld novels in order 
last year, I was struck by a difference between this fight for women's 
rights and the one so often portrayed in media. Many empowering tales of 
women focus on women breaking into male spaces. If there's one token 
chick in an all male action team, you can bet that she's Not Like The 
Other Girls. The female dwarfs on the other hand are already fully 
present in male spaces. Their fight is to be allowed to express 
femininity..."

https://casandara.wordpress.com/2018/07/22/the-radical-femininity-of-cheery-littlebottom/

...as does blogger The Mad Scientist's Lab:

"Terry Pratchett's Discworld universe is a kooky, mischievous place 
known for its love of wackiness and word-play. Beneath this layer lies a 
witty political commentary. From folklore to religion to activism to 
gender, Pratchett leaves no stone unturned, parodying each of these 
popular elements of society and many more to the delight of his readers. 
In Feet of Clay, his commentary on gender, amongst many other topics, is 
particularly visible. Even better, it makes itself known through an 
exploration of supernatural gender in the guise of Corporal Cheri 
Littlebottom... Because the way that dwarves present their gender is 
uniform, all dwarves are assumed to be male. Here, we see Butler and 
Wittig's argument that 'to be "sexed" is always a way of becoming 
particular and relative, and males within this system participate in the 
form of the universal person.' (Butler, 154) In order to mark herself as 
a gendered being, Cheri has to distance herself from the anonymity of 
masculinity, Cheri embodies that way in which the female gender is 
invented as an alternate from the male, rather than some sort of innate 
truth..."

https://themadscientistslab.wordpress.com/2018/07/22/feet-of-clay-masks-of-paint-monstrous-gender-part-ii/

And finally... I try to include less than enthusiastic reviews here – 
not always just the adoring ones – but sometimes one comes across a blog 
reviewer whose thought processes are so disconnected from any reasonable 
reality that mocking them feels like the right thing to do. So let me 
say here that blogger Reading Rampant is an idiot. Worse yet, it appears 
to be a generally articulate and educated idiot (worst kind, in my 
opinion). But as this particular idiot appears to be one of the only 
readers in the entire multiverse who passionately dislikes Good Omens 
for reasons other than some sort of fundamentalist religion left-ear 
staring – and calls it a "Mary Sue book", proving that it has no idea 
what the term Mary Sue means – I'm including this review. Oh, and for 
the record, I forced myself to read many of its other reviews, in case 
this one was a bizarre one-off. It's not; among other brain-breakers, it 
complains that the Patrick Melrose novels (a thinly disguised personal 
memoir of addiction, in case any of you weren't familiar with it) are 
lacking in plot! Dearie dearie me:

"All you need to know about this book is said in the afterward[sic] by 
Terry Pratchett: '…one day [Neil] sent me about six pages of a short 
story and said he didn't know how it continued, and I didn't either, and 
about a year later I took it out of the drawer and did see what happened 
next, even if I couldn't see how it all ended yet, and we wrote it 
together and that was Good Omens.' Good Omens started out as a short 
story. It has a really, really cool concept and…well that's about it. A 
good concept is all you need for a short story. For a novel, you need 
considerably more in the way of character relationships and sub-plots to 
keep the story from stagnating. Yes, this book has them, but nothing 
unexpected happens. Reading the first chapter, I could tell how the book 
was going to turn out, and I was entirely right. That's about the worst 
thing that can be said about a book..."

https://readingrampant.wordpress.com/2018/08/02/good-omens-by-neil-gaiman-and-terry-pratchett/

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

07) ROUNDWORLD TALES: CHALK... AND *THE* CHALK

Chalk is a commonplace mineral, yet it is found in very few places on 
Roundworld.

Composed mainly of calcite, an ionic salt best known as calcium 
carbonate (CaCO3), chalk was formed from the shells of microscopic 
plankton (coccoliths) that drift to the sea floor to become a 
sub-oceanic ooze, which in its turn becomes compressed over the course 
of more than ninety million years – in other words, land under wave! 
Small amounts of soil and clay get mixed in, but the most notable 
"contaminant" in chalk is, yes, flint... perfect for the growing of a 
witch. And some of that flint gathered around echinoids (sea urchins), 
which during the long millennia silicified – exchanged each of their 
component molecules for one of the surrounding flint – to form... yes, 
shepherd's crowns (you won't be surprised to learn that The Author did 
his homework). As continents shifted and mountain ranges grew, some of 
the chalk layers, with their close-held treasures, rose above sea level 
and formed – yes, downlands, like The Chalk.

Chalk is more resistant to weathering (erosion) but eventually it does 
erode, giving birth to typical downland features: the rolling hills and 
gentle valleys of Tiffany Aching's steading. And when the downs meet the 
sea, the exposed chalk becomes a dazzlingly white cliffscape. Everyone 
knows of the White Cliffs of Dover, but take a look at these cliffs in 
Germany 
(_https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/Kreidefelsen_Ruegen.jpg/800px-Kreidefelsen_Ruegen.jpg_) 
and Denmark 
(_https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2d/M%C3%B8ns_Klint_7.jpg/800px-M%C3%B8ns_Klint_7.jpg_) 
– rather a familiar look!

The Chalk Group is the name geologists give to the vast chalk deposits 
beneath southern England and parts of France, Germany and Denmark, which 
are all part of the same "stratigraphic unit" that was laid down during 
the late Cretaceous era. This vast bed of chalk encompasses landmarks 
including the White Cliffs of Dover, the Champagne region of France, 
Jasmund National Park in Germany and Møns Klint in Denmark. Some of the 
world's highest chalk cliffs can be found at Jasmund National Park – the 
Königsstuhl (King's Chair) is 118 metres high and Møns Klint measures 
120 metres from cliff-tops to the sea; also, the surrounding area 
includes one of the highest points in Denmark, the 143-metre 
Aborrebjerg. Although there are other chalk deposits around Roundworld, 
such as the Austin Chalk in the Gulf Coast region of the United States, 
most of the world's chalk cliffs are found in Britain and mainland 
Europe, and downland is rather quintessentially English (or Discworldian).

Some chalk facts: chalk is used for making lime, cement, and fertiliser. 
Whiting, a form of finely ground, purified chalk, is used as a filler, 
extender, or pigment in ceramics, putty, cosmetics, crayons, plastics, 
rubber, paper, paints, and linoleum. The top countries known for 
exporting chalk are France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, China, 
Spain, Greece, Saudi Arabia, Australia – and finally, in tenth place, 
the UK.

A note for any blackboard monitors out there: blackboard chalk was 
originally made of mineral chalk, but in modern times it's more likely 
to be made of gypsum (calcium sulphate) because gypsum-based blackboard 
chalk costs less to produce; coloured chalks, like the ones we use to 
draw on pavements are almost always made of gypsum, while proper 
calcium-based chalk is now sold as "dustless chalk". So when we consider 
where the young Sam Vimes grew up (in Cockbill Street, one of the 
poorest area of Ankh-Morpork), the chances are overwhelming that the 
chalk he erased every day was *not* the same stuff Tiffany's homeland is 
made of!

Sources: various Wikipedia pages
https://www.britannica.com/science/chalk
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/top-10-chalk-exporting-countries.html
http://all-geo.org/erratics/2011/05/chalk-is-weird/

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

08) IMAGES OF THE MONTH

A perfect Malicia Grim, from Riverwalk Theatre's recent production of 
TAMAHER:
https://bit.ly/2NWmr6J

...and the TAMAHER cast:
https://bit.ly/2AjVoQF

A preview iconograph from Unseen Theatre's forthcoming production of Eric:
http://unseen.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/IMG_1580-cropped1200.jpg

Paul Kidby's new masterpiece, for the cover of the Terry Pratchett: 
HisWorld exhibition companion book:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DjwfWvqXoAA8G31.jpg

...and one of my favourite photos of Sir Pterry. By Simon Hackett, this 
was taken when The Author received his University of South Australia 
degree. Note the dignified robes and the corks-trimmed academician's 
hat: https://simonhackett.com/img_1680/

An exquisite photo for World Orangutan Day, from Melbourne Zoo:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dk6i16qX4AA8vP5.jpg

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09) CLOSE

There was a World Orangutan Day very recently – although every day needs 
to be one such, for the sake of this threatened species of Librarians! – 
and Jane Goodall, better known for her amazing work with chimpanzees, 
wrote an orangutan-centric piece: 
http://news.janegoodall.org/2016/08/19/orangutans-humans-forest-losing-forest/

And that's it for August. Take care, and we'll see you next month!

– Annie Mac

This issue can be viewed on the clacks at 
https://wossname.dreamwidth.org/66237.html

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