If you live in Manchester, a very special month of Events kicks off this weekend hosted by our friends at the legendary – Lass O’Gowrie…

There’s more info at www.lassfest.co.uk, and summaries at http://www.lassfest.co.uk/literature.phphttp://www.lassfest.co.uk/CUlture1.php and http://www.lassfest.co.uk/Film.php but DEFINITE highlights include the following….

VWORP 4 (July 3rd) – our annual Doctor Who convention on featuring appearances from Katy Manning, Donald Tosh, Bob BakerPaul TamsDonald Tosh, Dez SkinnMartin Geraghty,Adrian Salmon and the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre performing an exclusive set of their Doctor Who material.



WARRIORCON (July 2nd) – a celebration of 30 years of the legendary Warrior Magazine, hosted by Dez Skinn and a host of special guests including David Jackson and John Ridgway.

IDEALCON (July 23rd) – A dedicated mini-con exploring the worlds of cult BBC3 sitcom – Ideal. Expect live commentaries, Q&As, rare footage, stand-up and more. Hosted by Peter Slater with very special guests, including *maybe* Johnny Vegas (“Moz”), Graham Duff (writer, producer and ‘Brian’), Seymour Mace (‘Steve Dawson’), Ryan Pope (‘Psycho Paul’), Ben Wheatley (Director; Series 6) and Mick Miller (‘Keith’). All guests appear subject to work commitments!


PUB FICTION
– a week-long series of events connecting authors with their audiences.  These sessions are intended as intimate and relaxed opportunities for people to meet some of the North’s best and brightest authors.  You’ll be treated to readings, multi-media presentations and Q&A’s in one of Manchester’s cosiest pubs!   Kicking off this unique pub-lit-fest on Monday, July 18th is horror supremo Ramsey Campbell recipient of more awards than any other writer in the field, including the Grand Master Award of the World Horror Convention, the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Horror Writers Association and the Living Legend Award of the International Horror Guild.

Ramsey is followed by John Reppion on July 19th.  One half of the celebrated Moore-Reppion comics writing partnership, John will be presenting a talk on different incarnations of the cities of Liverpool and Manchester, real and imagined, in his own writing, the work of others and beyond. Wednesday, July 20th sees horror writer Tom Fletcher (whose debut The Leaping came out to critical acclaim in 2010), reading from his new novel – The Thing on the Shore.

Tom is followed by Manchester-based writer and Nightjar Press founder, Nicholas Royle , reading from his acclaimed body of works on Thursday, July 21st.  Pub Fiction then takes a jump back into the world of comic on Friday, 22nd July with an audience with Al Ewing – a veteran of 2000AD and one of the great prospects of British small-press comics, before climaxing with a superb pair of double bills on the Saturday and Sunday.

Bryan Talbot kicks things off on Saturday, 23rd July with a discussion of his graphic novels Grandville and Grandville Mon Amour and the venerable and on-going tradition of anthropomorphic characters in illustration and comics from which they have emerged.   He’s followed by Salford’s own Stephen Gallagher, who promises us an autobiographical journey from the old Piccadilly Radio/Granada days via Doctor Who to his most recent Hollywood stint, illustrated with a few clips with luck.  And last, but not least we have Paul Magrs and George Mann, two of Manchester’s brightest and most creative sci-fi, fantasy and comedy writers discussing their work and sharing a few readings on Sunday, 24th July.

 

There’s classic horror double bill screenings later in the month.  Saturday, July 23rd sees NIGHT OF THE DEMON and VAMPIRE CIRCUS followed by CAT PEOPLE and SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN! on Sunday July 24th.


We also have a 16mm screening of Assault on Precinct 13 on Friday, 1st July and a rare showing of an off-air recording of Star Wars from 1982, complete with Granada adverts on July 16th as part of our In da 80’s retro gaming weekender taking place on the weekend the 16th – 17th July. Expect a fulsome celebration of 80’s video games and culture, replete with Commodore, Spectrums, Beebs, Megadrives, classic coin-ops, obscure consoles and platforms, competitions, industry pro’s from back in the day, live coding, burlesque, comedy and more (see http://inda80s.cgeu.info).

Come along and show your support for the Manchester Fantasy Genre!

 

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