Here Comes Everybody

I’ve been invited to join the likes of, so far, Simon Armitage, Howard Marks, Cerys Matthews, Robin Williamson, Simon Day and Robin Ince at the Laugharne Weekend which takes place the weekend 13-15th April in Camarthenshire, on the estuary of the River Tâf.  I’m looking forward to making the long journey from Sydney – the day after the Pogues Australian (and a gig in Tokyo) tour – out to near-as-damn-it the Pembroke Coast.

Details are here:

Cerys Matthews joins line-up for Laugharne Weekend – Showbiz – Lifestyle – WalesOnline

and here:

BBC – Wales Arts: Line-up unveiled for Laugharne Weekend 2012

I was asked to write 500 words for Faber and Faber’s blog, The Thought Fox (http://www.thethoughtfox.co.uk/).  The brief from my editor was, ’perhaps if you have time (and inclination) you could write a little piece for our thoughtfox blog about the experience of being edited, and proofing, for the first time.’  As it turns out, my article has been included – well, appended – under the heading ‘Cultural Highlights: 2011 (Part 3)’, which over the past few weeks has included round-ups of the past year by Faber and Faber writers.  I had been wondering why the blog’s editor had referred to my article as ‘a little different’.

The memoir is coming out in the UK at the beginning of May.  I’m in the proofreading stage at the minute.  By way of illustration of this part of the process, here’s a bit from Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’:

‘How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe,’ Victor Frankenstein says about his creature, ‘or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form? I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath.’