It’s another of those posts where I tell you what I’m up to and how to get involved. This weekend I’ll be at Readercon, “the Conference on Imaginative Literature.” Readercon doesn’t have an art show, but I’ll be doing my other usual con activities: readings, panels, and taking shifts in the dealers room at the Broad Universe table. I’ll be participating on the following panels:
• The Purposes of Memorable Insults in Sci-Fi and Fantasy (My interest in this topic is primarily one of world-building, and secondarily character-building. Thirdly, of course, snappy insults can simply be fun! See my post Of Vandals and Villains for some examples of how insults reveal culture in the history of English, and Not Quite There for some insults that amuse me.)
• Cartography and the Imagination (I’ve been on similar panels at other conventions in the past and I always love this stuff! You can see all my previous posts tagged for maps here, but especially Mapping the Fantastic for how I organize my thoughts on the use of maps in spec fic, and Cartography for my overview of the topic.)
The other thing that’s up is quite literal: my solo show “Poems and Prints” is now up at Gorse Mill Gallery in Needham. Roughly 30 of my relief block prints are paired with the poems they illustrate — in some cases famous poems by the likes of Shakespeare, Poe, de la Mare, and nursery rhymes, and in other cases my own poems. Given that poetry is so rich in powerful imagery, it’s not surprising that art and poetry should have such a close relationship, and given my own love of poetry, it’s only natural that I should be influenced and inspired by it when thinking of ideas for block prints. I have done shows before with the theme of “stories,” but this is the first time I’ve focussed explicitly on poetry, and the first time I’ve actually paired the source literature with each piece.
When I’ve done solo shows in the past I’ve very seldom held a reception because an introvert like me can’t believe that many people would actually come, and what’s the point anyway if you don’t particularly relish small-talk chit-chat? However, for this exhibit I’m determined to push myself and I’m actually offering three (count them, 3) special events. If you’re local, please consider yourself cordially invited to any or all of the following:
August 3 at 4:00 - Reception
August 14 at 3:30 - Poetry Workshop
August 26 at 3:30 - Printmaking Demo and Workshop
I’m really hoping to reach some new folks with this show, and share the joys of block printing and poetry: two great tastes that taste great together.
[Pictures: Views of “Poems and Prints” on display at Gorse Mill Gallery, photos by AEGNydam, 2025;
Poster for the show, including Nevermore, rubber block print by AEGNydam (Image at NydamPrints.com).]
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