Discworld Monthly - Issue 276 - April 2020
↑≡1. Editorial
Welcome to issue 276 of Discworld Monthly. It's been quite a few years since Terry wrote "May you live in Interesting times" and at that time I'm not convinced I really understood what he was hinting at. Well now that we are living in very interesting times I'm beginning to understand what Terry meant.
Rachel and I both hope that you all manage to stay safe during these troubling times and hope we all make it out the other side unharmed. Peace and hugs (from a safe distance) to you all. May your hands be forever scrubbed clean.
It's not only COVID-19 that's affected this newsletter coming out. We were mentally and physically drained after Llamedos Holiday Camp so took some time to recover. From our perspective it appears everyone had a great time and are happy to announce that, providing the world has returned to some resemblance of normality by then, Llamedos will return from 4th - 7th March 2022.
The Irish Discworld Convention 2021 will take place from the 8th - 10th October 2021 at the Cork International Hotel. We loved the 2019 convention so much and plan to make the trip again in 2021. There may be a drink or two imbibed that weekend as it will coincide with a certain editor's 50th birthday.
Last issue I appear to have upset some people by including a readers' letter that some found so offensive they unsubscribed from the newsletter. It was never my intention to upset anyone but I will always defend my decision to include the letter. This month may cause some controversy as I received a few opposing responses - so some of those will appear in the readers' section. Remember we can only publish what we are sent. And the views of the letters don't necessarily represent our views.
We often get asked some extremely detailed questions about Terry's books and, for the times when we don't have an immediate answer, we often head over to the vast repository of information that is Colin Smythe's website - Colin was for many years Terry's agent and accumulated a huge amount of information about Terry's books, from which languages the books have been released in and in which format, details of print runs, publisher errors, ISBNs and a huge amount of other information, if you ever wanted to find out almost every aspect of the publishing history of Terry's books take a look at Colin's site. Be prepared to take a packed lunch as you might get lost in this particular area of LSpace.
You may have noticed that since issue 274 some changes have been made to the way we display affiliate links in the newsletter. We are still working out the best way to move forward and hope the improvements we have made this month will make life easier for you, our ever faithful reader, and for us the archivers of the news.
If you have something you'd like to chat with other fans about, why not send us a readers' letter, to info@discworldmonthly.co.uk
--
Jason Rincewind Anthony-Rowlands (Editor and Wizzard) info@discworldmonthly.co.uk
Rachel Anthony-Rowlands (Crocheting a Cover for the Planet) rachel@discworldmonthly.co.uk
Richard Massey (World's Biggest fan of the Unicorn)
If you want to make a small, purely optional, financial donation to the upkeep of the newsletter please use our Paypal account info@discworldmonthly.co.uk
We'd like to thank all those that have already helped, you really do make a difference.
↑≡1.1 Important Information
We have several places where you can get up to the minute news and information about all things Discworld from Discworld Monthly.
Facebook: Discworld Monthly Facebook Page
Twitter: @dwmoook
Instagram: Discworld Monthly on Instagram
And our website, discworldmonthly.co.uk which contains loads of information about the books, stage productions around the world, interesting articles, back issues and our merchandise shop.
↑≡1.2 Submissions
Want to make your opinions about the Discworld known to the world?
Have you been to see a play or a Discworld related event and want to write a review about it?
Then get writing! We are always on the lookout for exclusive articles and reviews to share with our readers so don't hesitate, email us today with the subject Article/Review at rachel@discworldmonthly.co.uk
If you are putting on a stage production or know of a stage production near you, please email us and let us know about that too.
We happily advertise all stage productions for free and we can help in other ways too. Email rachel@discworldmonthly.co.uk with the Subject line "Stage Production".
The deadline for submissions to issue 277 of Discworld Monthly is Tuesday 21st April 2020.
↑≡1.3 Merchandise
Discworld Monthly has an amazing (if we say so ourselves) range of mugs , badges , fridge magnets , keyrings , and window stickers for sale worldwide.
If you love the idea of The Watch series, we have our very own Vimes and Errol range available for your delight.
If you want something a bit more personal, you can always show your love for your favourite Discworld newsletter with a personalised Discworld Monthly mug.
↑≡2. News
2.1 The Watch - News.
It's been a while since we had any news from The Watch series.
Filming got closed down due to the 'rhona with just a few days left on shooting.
Rob Wikins gave us this exclusive quote
"In light of the current situation with Covid-19 we have suspended filming on the final few shooting days of The Watch. We will continue to review the situation and follow the latest advice from the World Health Organisation and the South African Government and Health department and safely wrap production as soon as we can,"
We also have some casting news.
Oook (also named as the Librarian) will be played by Matthew van Leeve
Alice Band will be played by Jane de Wet
And Urdo van Pew will be played by Joe Vaz.
Alice Band is a teacher at the Assassins guild and Urdo Van Pew is the president of the Thieves Guild. [At least they are in the book series, here we don't have enough information to say otherwise - Rachel]
↑≡2.2 Book Release News - The Ankh-Morpork Archives Vol 2
The Ankh-Morpork Archives Vol 2 will be released in October 2020.
Containing the interesting bits from the City Watch diary 1999, the Fool's Guild diary from 2001, The Reformed Vampyres Diary from 2003 and Lu Tze Year of Enlightenment, this volume is priced at 25GBP and has 240 pages with enlarged illustrations by Paul Kidby.
↑≡2.3 All the Discworld's a Stage - Volume TWO
We teased in earlier issues that three more of Stephen Brigg's adaptations would make it to the publication stage and we can finally blow the trumpets and start a drum roll as we have a publication date !
All the Discworld's a Stage : Vol 2 will be released on the 30th June 2020 published by Oberon Modern Playwrights. With 312 pages of script delight to entertain you and thrill you, whilst we haven't had it confirmed, we expect it to contain the scripts to Hogfather, The Shakespeare Codex and Lords and Ladies
View our affiliate links to order All the Discworld's a Stage: Volume 2↑≡2.4 The Pratchett Project - DEADLINE EXTENSION
**The Pratchett Project has extended their deadline to the 13th APRIL 2020**
The Pratchett Project Conference 2020 will be happening at Trinity College Dublin from the 17th-19th September 2020.
The project has put a call out for papers.
Trinity College Dublin launched the The Pratchett Project in 2018, when researchers from diverse fields of study came together to showcase the range of projects that were springing from the comprehensive collection of Terry Pratchett's work held by the Trinity College Library and celebrating Pratchett's connection with Trinity College Dublin. Since then, the project was bolstered by interest from the two other comprehensive collections, at Senate House Library in London and University of Liverpool. Yet more connections have been made with teams of researchers at Peter Pazmany Catholic University in Hungary, and more than sixty more universities around the world, working in fields ranging from English literature to theology, digital humanities to law, translation to anthropology.
The aim of this conference is to catalyse the formation of a new, interdisciplinary field of Pratchett Studies. This new field will allow researchers to collaborate with and learn from others working in different domains of knowledge, drawn together by a focus on Pratchett's life and/or work. As the first step, this inaugural conference will seek to identify commonalities of approach and opportunities for future research.
They are inviting proposals for papers of 20 minutes in duration. Topics may include but are not limited to:
- Novel methodologies for researching Pratchett's life and/or work
- Challenges facing Pratchett Studies today
- How Pratchett's life and/or work can be used to create new research topics
- What is unique about Pratchett's life and/or work that warrants research
- What the future of Pratchett Studies might look like
As dialogue and collaboration are essential aspects of this conference, there will be a discussion session after each paper.
Please send abstracts of no more than 300 words with a short biographical note to ThePratchettProject@gmail.com by 13th APRIL 2020
↑≡2.5 Other Book Releases
There are several other book releases on the radar currently for 2020.
In April a new academic look at Terry's books will be coming out.
Terry Pratchett's Ethical Worlds: Essays on Identity and Narrative in Discworld is edited by Kristin Noone and Emily Lavin Leveret
This collection of essays uses inventiveness and creation as a thematic core to combine normally disparate themes, such as science fiction studies, the effect of collaborative writing and shared authorship, steampunk aesthetics, productive modes of "ownership," intertextuality, neomedievalism and colonialism, adaptations into other media, linguistics and rhetorics, and coming of age as an act of free will.
Price 43.50GBP in the UK and 39.95USD in the US
---
In July we are really looking forward to Marc Burrow's Biography called The Magic of Terry Pratchett. Published by Pen and Sword, reports are showing its release date to be the 30th of July.
Not available to pre-order just yet but we do have a preorder link ready for when they flick the switch.
---
In August
The City Watch Journal is due out on the 6th August 2020, this beautiful journal is also part of the theme of City Watch items coming this year.
Priced at 16.99GBP, the journal is available to pre-order now.
View our affiliate links to order The City Watch JournalOn the 20th August,Terry Pratchett's Discworld City Watch Collector's Edition 2021 Calendar
Priced at 14.99GBP, the calendar is available to pre-order now.
View our affiliate links to order Discworld Calendar 2021A new collection of short stories by various authors will be published by Puffin books.
The Puffin Book of Funny Stories has stories and extracts from best-loved classic authors Joan Aiken, Terry Pratchett, Dick King-Smith, Rebecca Elliott, Humza Arshad, Henry White, Julian Clary, Sam Copeland and other contemporary writers.
ISBN-13: 978-0241434734
Price 7.99GBP in the UK in paperback, 3.99GBP on kindle
View our affiliate links to order Puffin Book of Funny Stories---
In September
The Time-Travelling Caveman and other stories
Available in 4 different formats from the 3rd September.
Standard hardback will be 15.99GBP
Slipcased deluxe edition will be 25GBP
Audio cd edition 6.99GBP.
Kindle 8.99GBP
View our affiliate links to order The Time-Travelling Caveman and other stories---
Illustrated Guards! Guards!
There is a trio of glorious illustrated editions due out on the 3rd September 2020
With each of the editions containing 12 full page colour illustrations and series of pencil drawings, these editions of Guards! Guards! follow the format of the illustrated Good Omens that were released last year.
View our affiliate links to order Illustrated Guards! Guards!↑≡3. DiscTrivia
This month, Jason is asking some of the questions from the Wyrdest Link quiz that took place at the Llamedos Holiday Camp..
| Q1. | In the Mr Bunnsy book, who is the bravest rat in Furry Bottom? |
| Q2. | What is the Lipwigzan command for "sit"? |
| Q3. | In what area did Leonard's genius tend to lack? |
| Q4. | Name Jason Ogg's youngest son? |
| Q5. | What wedding present did Albert give Mort and Ysabell? |
The answers as usual can be found at the end of this issue.
↑≡4. Review: Stephen Briggs' Dracula
Review by Carolanne Ellis-Brewer
Firstly, apologies this review is late – life tends to get in the way sometimes so am sending this now, as a promise to Mr Briggs!
Having never been to Abingdon, we were delighted with this lovely Oxfordshire town. We arrived for the evening to discover that the walk from the car park to the actual venue was through a thoroughly unspoilt older part of the town, very atmospheric, especially as the evening was misty and damp, as befits a performance of this particular play. The venue is part of a ruined abbey that has been turned into a theatre and performance complex, quite lovely in the lamplight.
The performance started differently from the original novel – we were taken to 1964 and the Williams Deacon Bank where a young woman was opening a safe deposit box. She was our starting point and introduction into the Victorian world as a flashback – the mixing of time zones was effective throughout the play, giving pause at times as the action was generally quite fast. The use of technology was excellent, the use of a screen above the stage announcing to the audience when and where we were. The first instance was taking us from 1964 to 1890, with Jonathan Harker off to Transylvania. The actor here was very good – enough sympathy with character, especially one off on an adventure that must have been exciting and scary!
The first scenes were a two person set up between Jonathan and Dracula in the Castle Dracula and the gradual journey from optimism into despair that Jonathan makes. Although this is a book I know well, there were suitable moments that still made me jump and by the time we get to Dracula's line 'oh what sweet music they make', the subject matter and the atmosphere had me slightly spooked! I loved the classic moments: the swirling cape, the note of menace, the wolves.
Both actors performed well and with ease. I was sad to see that, possibly through expediency of the plot, Jonathan was not part of the ongoing story but that did not stop my enjoyment of the play. Spooky (especially Dracula going down the wall of the castle) – I loved it!
Once the action moved to England, the surrounding abbey made a lovely Carfax and bedlam. Dr Jack Seward was certainly pale and interesting enough to suggest the cocaine addict that we know he was and Renfield was extremely nervy and mad enough for anyone. The scenes in Whitby were lit particularly well to suggest the coastal light that it has. The actors playing Lucy and Mina were great in these roles of Victorian maidenhood, the changes that Lucy goes through once she has attracted the attention of the vampire were played well and with feeling. Mina was suitably anxious, both about her fiancé and her friend – I found her performance very touching. Mr Swales was as Yorkshire as anyone can get!
I particularly loved the performance of the actor playing Van Helsing. He was intimidating and ruthless, but with a tenderness needed towards the young women. I felt his performance was a nice mix of Jungian and Freudian, although he did remind me of Freud at times. The performer playing Arthur I felt was realistic and heroic. The four main characters here (Arthur, Jack Seward, Mina and Van Helsing) worked nicely together but I missed Quincey!
The stage was used really well, given that it was not the biggest – and the backdrop was evocative of the Victorian era. Some of the minor characters (played manfully by the same members of the cast) were notable - the zookeeper was great! And Mr Bloxham, keeping to the spirit of the book, was funny and cockney enough (possibly too cockney!) .
The end took us back to 1964 and London – nicely giving the audience a chance to catch breath and relax. The music from the film was a good touch. All in all, a marvellous expencience, an enjoyable evening and cannot wait to visit Abingdon again.
↑≡5. Review: Llamedos Holiday Camp
Review by Kaos Butterfly
I have been to the main International Discworld Convention multiple times, it's always fantastic, so when I heard there was going to be a Welsh Discworld Convention I knew I was going to attend come hell or highwater!!
And then I heard it was going to be a Discworld Holiday Camp, well that sounded intriguing and fun, so I had high expectations of what the weekend would hold, not realising at the time that the whole event was being pulled together in a relatively short space of time (<6mths, most cons have 1-2yrs to organise) by a group of volunteers that all have day jobs.
Well, what can I say, I was not disappointed, I was overjoyed by everything the camp had to offer, the venue and staff were awesome, the food (which was all included in the ticket price) was fantastic, loads of choice, even for a picky eater like me; and the entertainment / events, oh yes, it was fabulous, it didn't necessarily run to time, or go as planned, but that just made the whole experience so much better, it was exactly what a Discworld Holiday Camp should be, imagine Rincewind (not Jason) running things at the camp at Hi De Hi, that's what you want as a Discworld fan.
Suffice it to say it was the best Discworld experience (outside reading the books) that I've ever had, I will definitely be doing the next one, I'm already planning my costume for 2022!!
Eternal thanks to Rwby, Rincewind and the Purple Coats for not just coming up with the crazy idea, but for making it a reality xx
Kaos Butterfly
And a second opinion from the lovely Jan Uzzell.
Wot I Did on My Holidays!
Didn't we have a lovely time the day we went to Llamedos Holiday Camp! Early March (6th to 9th in fact) , the family set off to Wildest Llamedos and stayed at a very Nice Holiday Camp run by the lovely Rwby and her Purple Coats.
Actually, we did! The hotel (The Best Western Diplomat in Llanelli) acting as the Holiday Camp was quirky and friendly, just what was needed and the staff were helpful and lovely. The rooms were fine, the food was good (and pretty plentiful) but the company … Oh! The people were the Stars of the Weekend!
From the Families we were all put in, to the Knobbly Knees contest, from Quizzes, Beauty Contest (and you'll never guess who won that!!) , past Dealers and Talent Shows – it was Epic!
We even had Fortune Tellers (end of pier style) and one of them was brave enough to give a reading to Granny Weatherwax (aka Elaine Rose Mein) , who was very gracious. We had Dr Hix from the Unseen University, who performed quite a few necessary rituals to revive Dai the Druid, We also had Rincewind as a Purple Coat, but it was hard work asking him anything! That Wizzard can run! We had Druids, a Virgin Sacrifice (and the Priestess from the Forest of Skund who was going to sacrifice him!)
I think my favourite thing may have been the Activities Book we were all given as part of the Welcome Goodie Bag, 'cos' what is a Holiday Camp without an activity book – there were pages to colour (and we were given pencils …coloured ones!) , there were jokes … well some of them were funny, there was a word-search, a quiz, a photo scavenger hunt and much, much more!
We had an absolute blast from the First Day to the, sadly too quick coming, Last Day and we can't wait to come back in 2022! Schmae Campers, Schmae!
↑≡6. Birthdays
Everyone has a birthday. If you know someone who would like a mention or if you would like your birthday included in the listings, send us an email the month before your birthday and we will add it to the list! Email rachel@discworldmonthly.co.uk Subject: Birthday
If we missed you because we didn't have a March issue our apologies! We do love you all!
Happy April Birthday Greetings to:Mark Dissington, Anne Mackenzie, Dmitriy AK Ark, Marcin Jaworowicz, Jan Uzzell, Alan Jakubus-Hughes, James May, Amber "Nudge" Grundy, Amy Kingston Anderson, Mandy Eldred-Tyler, Howard Legg, Grace Koscielna, Sue Gill, Pamela Keenan, Sephie James, Roger Hathaway, Pam Martin, Discworld Artist Stephen Player, Hanna Stewart, Chico Kidd, Louise Richardson, Chris Petticrew, Reb at The Discworld Emporium, Michelle Stevens, Kathryn Jones, Andrew Malloy, Su Eriksson, Elizabeth Lamming, Bill Barnett and, of course, to Sir Terry Pratchett who would have been 72.
↑≡7. Competition Result - Llamedos Holiday Camp Goodie Bag
The kind organisers of Llamedos Holiday camp gave us a Mystery Goodie bag containing all the nice stuff that they had available at their event that took place from the 6th-8th March in Llanelli, Wales.
In order to win this bag of niceness, we asked you to answer the following question;
Who has his Shed of Doom in Pant-y-girdl?
The answer we were looking for was: Evil Harry Dread
We had a great response to this competition and the randomly selected winner is: Sarah Nagle from Fleetwood in Lancashire
We'll get Sarah's prize in the post as soon as the lockdown allows us.
↑≡8. Readers' Letters
If you have any letters or comments, please email them to info@discworldmonthly.co.uk
We assume any correspondence is eligible for use in the newsletter unless otherwise stated, including the sender's email address. We may edit your letters by changing any swear words into shakespearean insults. It is vitally important that you don't pass off other people's work as your own. If you use information from other resources please let us know so we can give proper credit.
We make an editorial decision on what letters to include. Sometimes the opinions expressed in a letter are not the same as our own but we reserve the right to publish them nevertheless. You might not like the content of the letters we publish and we encourage you to write in your own constructive letters explaining your points of view. We will not shy away from you including letters that question our views and expect our readers to be able to accept that not everyone has the same point of view on all subjects.
* From: IBBoard (email address removed by request of author)
Like many Discworld fans, I've been eagerly waiting for news about The Watch. The idea of another TV show that takes its inspiration from the world that we all love seems like an opportunity that shouldn't be missed. And Sam Vimes and co are one of the iconic groups within the series.
And then the announcements started and I became so disappointed.
Not with the production. No. I'm still intrigued to see what they make of it. My disappointment is with a vocal (but hopefully small) group of fans who have reacted so badly to the entire series.
I understand the disappointment that it's "Inspired by NOT based on", as Rob Wilkins said (https://twitter.com/terryandrob/status/1199301665284935680) , and that we're not going to see a closer page-to-screen adaptation as we've seen before. But many of the more prominent responses on social media seem to take completely disproportionate stances with certain issues and "turns of phrase" that I didn't expect from a community that had read all of PTerry's social commentary.
A big part of The Watch saga includes a troll, a dwarf and a werewolf who started off with an innate distrust of each other due to species prejudices, but by the end have not only accepted each other but actively support each other as friends. One of the key plot-lines in that friendship is Angua supporting Cheery in "coming out". Some people are criticising the recasting of this as a non-binary "coming out", but to do that is to fail to appreciate the similarities of the two situations and that a TV show needs to appeal to more than just fans.
Both the traditional dwarf and the non-binary versions are about visibly being your true self in a society that doesn't accept anything but its own black-and-white interpretation, and a non-binary story is simpler to convey to the general public without the backstory required to explain how they might all look like men but they're not really but they don't like to reveal it and no it's not bad to be female but it is bad to show it and….
Some people also objected to a woman being cast as Lupine Wonse - a person who, while not formally a wizard, does dabble in the occult through the Elucidated Brethren of the Ebon Night. While it is true that men become wizards and women become witches in Discworld, the description of the Witches suggest that this is more of a traditional separation where witches focus on useful magic for the community, while wizards ponce about in their robes, and that Granny can do many things that sound more like Magic than more traditional witchcraft. And we obviously can't forget Esk, who attended UU and was canonically recorded as having "wizard magic".
And then there is an entire story about a group of women pretending to be men, and then doing a better job of it than the men would have done! (Monstrous Regiment)
Surely we've moved beyond the Century of the Fruitbat by now and can accept that a more balanced cast with more women and female-presenting interpretations of the characters is not in and of itself a bad thing.
Just because we've not heard of an overtly female version of Dibbler doesn't mean that there can't be (or hasn't been) one.
Pratchett also addressed "sticking to the old ways" in so many stories in terms of both its impact on society and how things eventually changed. The dwarves and trolls finally moved past the Battle of Koom Valley and started to put their animosity behind them; the Low King of Dwarves has accepted modern thinking and doesn't unerringly follow the advice of Deep-Downers; Angua, Otto and others have broken from their respective cultural traditions and are treading their own path; goblins are no longer merely a lesser slave species but are a part of a modern Ankh-Morpork; and even orcs have been shown to be different to the popular perception. In all of these cases, people had deeply entrenched world views, but by the end of the plot they realised that the world wasn't so divided after all and that changing and growing was better for everyone involved.
But it's not all just inside Discworld. What some people also seem to be overlooking is that it's hard to get creative works published by an organisation of any significant size. Yes, the creators of The Watch could have tried to pitch a purely original script to BBC America, but the chances that they'd succeed are slim because publishers want good returns, not risks. By basing it on Discworld then it gets (in theory) a core audience of fans who will watch it, it gets additional recognisability for non-fans who might have heard of Discworld but not read it and so will give it a go, and it gives it more weight when they try to syndicate it to other countries. Without the Discworld rights then it'd be starting from scratch with no recognisability, no pre-existing fan-base, and a harder fight to succeed.
And that doesn't even take into account the fact that a lot of the characters, locations and themes are already fleshed out and known, allowing them to focus on the plot rather than building character personalities. There's a reason why fan-authored fiction (fanfic) is popular, and part of it is because of this exact "existing world" situation. It lets the author focus on exploring the plot they want without worrying whether the reader is still following the story while they weave in some world building.
Am I saying that everything will be great with The Watch? No. Am I saying that I'm not even a little disappointed that it's not closer to the original material? No. And am I saying that everything would be perfect if we only ever got perfect adaptations or completely unique scripts? No (although a bit of originality is always appreciated) .
Am I saying that I'm going to give it a chance and see whether it's an interesting interpretation, a great show in its own right, or a general all-round flop? Yes, of course! I want to see how they tell their own version of the stories with a non-binary dwarf, with a more mixed and representative cast, and with the many things that you can emphasise and adapt when you move from written to visual media.
Hopefully these negative views have been so prominent because the nature of social media, like that of journalism, is that people like to be told what they already know. New things… well, new things aren't what they expect.
And finally, we should remember what Discworld Monthly's Rachel said in the "When? What? How? Huh?" article (https://discworldmonthly.co.uk/terrypratchett_thewatchseries.php) :
"They haven't [destroyed YOUR Discworld] . What is in the books is in the books and will always be the same every time you read one. No one is rewriting the books here. … It will never destroy the Discworld in your head unless YOU make it do that."
I'd like to think that the majority of Discworld fans are either eager to see the show, or are taking a calm and reasoned response that it isn't how they remembered the books and so they'll give it a miss.
* From: Details withheld (editor's choice)
I have unsubscribed from Discworld Monthly. I don't even know where to start listing the reasons why Nick Smith's "letter" never needed to see the light of day, but I've highlighted some of the more unnecessary content in case it's not clear.
[I've not included the highlights as the mostly correspond to the letter above - Jason]
The letter is trash, and you made an editorial decision to publish it, even commenting within.
I can't speak for Pterry, but this is the kind of garbage he detested.
Do better.
Jason replies: The only person that would have known how Terry would have felt about any particular subject was Terry. Anyone else's opinion is mere speculation and the arrogance to assume they know how Terry would have reacted is staggering. Please don't presume to tell me what Terry would have or wouldn't have thought of me including them.
* From: "Mrs Cake" janesmithy@btinternet.com
I was so excited to find out that Llamedos was happening so close to where I live. My dad bought me a weekend ticket and I travelled back home every night. I loved every day of the event, there were lots of things to take part in or just watch if you didn't want to take part.
I thought that having a family to join and compete for was very clever and allowed me to make new friends (de Magpyr!!!) .
As for the hotel, it was fantastic, the staff couldn't do enough for us and didn't even raise an eyebrow at the costumes we all had on. The food was outstanding, seriously A*. I can't wait for the next one.
Mrs Cake
↑≡9. Stage Productions
Of course, most if not all of the productions that would normally appear here have been cancelled or postponed due to COVID-19. We really hope that once the current situation has resolved itself the productions will be rescheduled and we can get our regular dose of Pratchett performances.
Whilst we would love to get to every event and play to write reviews and articles about them, we just don't have enough time, petrol and a wide enough spread of friends to borrow the couch for the night. But you, our wonderful readers do have the time, petrol and often don't need the couches as the event or play is on your doorstep!
We don't have English degrees here and you don't need one either to write something for Discworld Monthly!
PS. If you know of a play or event that we don't know about (shock horror) , email us. We like the surprise!
All submissions should be emailed to rachel@discworldmonthly.co.uk or info@discworldmonthly.co.uk
Don't forget to visit Pratchett Stage Productions for our most up-to-date list of stage productions.
↑≡10. Discworld Conventions and other Events
10.1 New and Updated Events
These events are new or have recently been updated. For our full list visit: Conventions and Other Events
[Updated: Germany] German Discworld Convention 2021
| Location: | Burg Ludwigstein, 37214 Witzenhausen, Germany |
| Dates: | 6th May - 9th May 2021 |
| Tickets: | tba |
| Website: | scheibenwelt-convention.de |
The Theme for the Convention will be Genoa
[Updated: Ireland] Irish Discworld Convention 2021
| Location: | Cork International Hotel, Cork Airport Business Park, Cork, County Cork, Ireland. T12 H516 |
| Dates: | 8th October - 11th October 2021 |
| Tickets: | tba |
| Website: | 2021.idwcon.org |
The Irish Discworld Convention will return in 2021.
[Updated: UK] Llamedos Holiday Camp 2022
| Location: | Llanelli, South Wales, UK |
| Dates: | 4th March - 6th March 2022 |
| Tickets: | tba |
| Website: | llamedosholidaycamp.com |
Schmae Campers, We'll be back in 2022 for all your Camp Needs, Rwby and the purple coats
↑≡11. Recurring Fan Meetings
By their very nature the listing of recurring fan meetings remains static. So we've moved the full listings to our website at Recurring Fan Meetings
The newsletter will only include any listings that are new or have changed within the last 30 days.
↑≡12. Small Ads
If you want to try to sell your unwanted / duplicate Discworld items to other fans (and its legal for you to do so) email us at info@discworldmonthly.co.uk with the subject "Ads" and a short description of what you have and how fans can contact you. Discworld Monthly only lists the ads and is not responsible for the contents, validity or reliability of the ads or the buyers and sellers.
Keith Kenny keith.e.kenny@gmail.com writes: I have a number of Clarecraft and Bernard Pearson Discworld pieces that I am looking to sell, the vast majority of the CC pieces come with box and tent card
Death DW05
Rincewind Bookend DW11
Death and Binky DW24
Death on Motorcycle DW44
Wizards Knob DW55
Death in Kitchen DW57
Death as Hogfather DW77
The Luggage Box DW84
Death and Granny Weatherwax Limited Edition DW90
You Bastard DW101
Scraps DW103
Greebo Vampire Snack DW104
Luggage Money Box
Procrastinator
Magrats Box
Dibblers Pie
3B plate
Ankh-Morpork crest - very rare item, about 2 feet square in size and beautifully made by the legend that is Bernard
Death head
I think there may be a couple of others tucked away in a cupboard somewhere, but if anyone is interested - ideally as a job lot but will consider individual offers - please email me on keith.e.kenny@gmail.com If you can collect from Norfolk, we have a 5ft high mirror-backed display cabinet with light to show them all off in too............
I can supply photos if required.
↑≡13. The End
This month's issue is brought to you by lockdowns, isolation, skype, zoom and messenger!
The deadline for submissions to issue 277 of Discworld Monthly is Tuesday 21st April 2020.
↑≡13.1 Supporting Discworld Monthly
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↑≡13.2 eBook Editions
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↑≡13.3 Contact Information
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↑≡13.4 Latest Book Information
This Discworld Monthly website a list of books on our website with the cover blurb and direct links to UK, US and Canadian Amazon websites.
Terry Pratchett books at Discworld Monthly
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↑≡13.5 Subscription Information
To subscribe to Discworld Monthly simply enter your email address in the form on the Discworld Monthly web page. Our web site contains all back issues and links to other Pratchett sites.
To unsubscribe please follow the instructions at the end of this email.
↑≡13.6 Trivia Answers
| Q1. | In the Mr Bunnsy book, who is the bravest rat in Furry Bottom? |
| A1. | Ratty Rupert |
| Q2. | What is the Lipwigzan command for "sit"? |
| A2. | Schlat! |
| Q3. | In what area did Leonard's genius tend to lack? |
| A3. | Naming things |
| Q4. | Name Jason Ogg's youngest son? |
| A4. | Pewsey Ogg |
| Q5. | What wedding present did Albert give Mort and Ysabell? |
| A5. | Silver toast rack |
13.7 Small Print
We make every effort we can to ensure the information in this newsletter is accurate and legal. All trademarks are recognized as the property of their respective owners, whoever they may be. Discworld (R) is a registered trademark of the Estate of Sir Terry Pratchett used under licence.
↑≡13.8 Thanks
Thanks for reading this issue of 'Discworld Monthly'. We hope you enjoyed it. If you have any comments, complaints or suggestions for the future of this newsletter please email the editor : info@discworldmonthly.co.uk
↑≡13.9 The Final Word...
*Rachel here*
We may not be perfect designers, or award winning journalists but we do our best to keep you all entertained and informed about all things Terry. We do have some ethics though. We like our news to be current, up to date and factual with a solid source. We don't like posting rumours but occasionally the source it comes from is 98 percent solid so we will tell you it's a rumour and confirm it when we have a 100 percent confirmation. Our own articles are written by us for us only. You won't find articles from other publications here unless it's a formal press release about an adaptation, book release or event or something we actually wrote for someone else unless they begged us to publish it (OK not begged but some of our lovely friends do ask us occasionally to boost something) . [NB I say we are not award winning but Discworld Monthly did win Website of the Month for Issue 3 back in a different century. It would be nice to win something much more recent, or even just get acknowledged #justsaying]
Whilst you keep reading it, we'll keep on writing it because we love Terry's books just as much as you do.
GNU Terry Pratchett...
Affiliate Links
- The Ankh-Morpork Archives Vol 2
- All the Discworld's a Stage: Volume 2
- The Magic of Terry Pratchett by Marc Burrows
- The City Watch Journal
- Discworld Calendar 2021
- Puffin Book of Funny Stories
- The Time-Travelling Caveman and other stories
- Illustrated Guards! Guards!