Derek Johnston

Have you ever wanted to do a course with me?

Wanted to explore women's writing in the long-eighteenth century?

Over a year, all online, costing a mere $55 dollars!!!!!

Now's your chance!

regencyfictionwriters.org/academe/12-b...

YouTube video by Romancing the Gothic Author Showcase: C M Rosens - The Punch and Judy Man of Hangman's Walk

This week's Saturday Romancing the Gothic blast from the past!

We were joined by author CM Rosens to read her story 'The Punch and Judy Man of Hangman's Walk'

It actually freaked me right out!

youtu.be/uIDg-UkEAUE

Just sharing this cartoon made by Niels again.
Shieldwalls are awesome.
Regularly check in with loved ones to make sure they're perhaps in need of a shieldwall.

www.facebook.com/CouldBeWorse...

YouTube video by Romancing the Gothic Hugh Walpole: Wild Excursions into the Macabre with John Hartley

If you missed last week's absolutely fantastic talk by John Hartley on Hugh Walpole, catch it here!

youtu.be/2_elR9E53lc

Early 20th century pulp Gothic!

Love this track … and also how I’ve heard it turn up in film and TV, particularly trailers, for productions set everywhen from the 1920s to 1960s. I guess great music always is in fashion, and always gives the right mood!

Infographic reads 'How People Celebrate Halloween in England' and includes illustrations for various statistics, such as the percentage of people carving pumpkins, dressing up or holding parties.

@nfsengland.bsky.social's released their first tranche of results at The Folklore Society HQ on Monday. Here are some of their findings about how people celebrate Halloween in England. Happy Halloween, however and wherever you're celebrating! 👻🎃🐈‍⬛ Image illustration: Jonny Ford

Babylon 5 Books is Closing Forever Last chance ever to order B5 Books. Worldwide flat rate shipping for unlimited books is $45; USA is $9. We now offer ebooks and hardcovers.

Jaclyn at b5books.com got so many last minute orders before the store closes down that the system crashed. So it will be held open one more day to make up the difference so folks can get in under the wire.

hālig-waras, pl.m.n: holy people, saints. (HA-lih-WA-rahs / ˈhaː-lɪj-ˌwa-ras)
#OldEnglish #WOTD

If you're not willing to let Halloween go... why not join us tomorrow for some Gothic!

Saturday 1st November at 4 and 9pm GMT

“Girl’s Best Friend”: Tracing the Animal Companion in Haunting Ground and Fran Bow

4 - www.tickettailor.com/events/roman...

9 - www.tickettailor.com/events/roman...

Senior Producer - Table Top Roleplaying Games - Balbriggan, County Dublin - Indeed.com Cubicle 7 Entertainment

Job opening if you fancy being my boss...

ie.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=5...

🎶 On the last day of Spook Week / Pietersender brought to me 🎶

Here’s the entire playlist of talks I’ve done for Romancing the Gothic, which stretches from the bleak horror of Skinamarink to the gothic world of Madonna (where New York is a haunted house…)

m.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

BERGCAST - Episode 39 - The Blu Ray Xperiment - with Steve Rogers and Simon Guerrier Andy and Jon meet with Steve Rogers from Hammer to discuss the work involved getting the first two Quatermass films out in those stunnin...

It's Halloween! @mrgeetsromo.bsky.social and I stagger painfully through post war London before ramming the gates at Hammer's secret base to uncover what monstrous conspiracies it took to get the first two Quatermass film classics out on Blu Ray/UHD. With Steve Rogers and @0tralala.bsky.social.

Recommendations We have an ever-evolving list of gothic media recommendations for you to look through, both classical and contemporary. Let us know if you think we should add anything extra to these lists, we&#821…

Pumpkins on every corner, maybe a skeleton, if you're lucky. But something's wrong. It's Halloween, but you don't FEEL it. But then, tears of joy in your eyes, you remember makingitwyrd have rec lists with all kinds of spooky media. Halloween is saved! 👻👻👻
makingitwyrd.wordpress.com/recommendati...

I'm relaunching my little imprint with a new website, new social media presence, and a new varied slate of projects - follow the official bluesky account at @spectacularoptical.bsky.social - books, films, screenings + more!

a man in a fur coat is riding a bike in front of a group of people with the word what written on the bottom Alt: a man in a fur coat is riding a bike in front of a group of people with the word what written on the bottom

Did you know that some towns have community thrift stores that fund their food pantry?

And those thrift stores are not only sustainable shopping options but also frequently filled with still-tagged clothes or homewares or holiday decorations for ridiculously cheap prices that FUND FOOD PANTRIES?

Have agreed to speak to UTV for an online piece about Halloween. Will any of my “no, it’s not pagan”, and “no, that’s American” joy-destruction make it through?
Impact!

Aha! I open up Nicholas Rogers’ Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night and he has an answer: a tenth century Irish Gaelic text called Tochmarc Emire places Samhain at summer’s end. Not exact date-matching, then.

🎶 On the fourth day of Spook Week / Pietersender brought to me 🎶

It’s time (oho!) for Time! Even I think my reading of Back To The Future as a terrifyingly Sisyphean loop of despair is pretty wild…

youtu.be/LDRBetlbf34

Something I don’t think I’ve found yet but historians and folklorists might be able to clear up: when does the association between Halloween and Samhain begin? How do we even know when these ancient Celtic festivals were held?

grislīc, adj: grim, horrible; inspiring terror, horror or awe. (GRIZZ-leech / ˈgrɪz-liːtʃ)
#OldEnglish #WOTD

Finished watching “Leonard and Hungry Paul” last night: gentle, funny, melancholy, hopeful, gorgeous, small-scale. I enjoy my big dramas, spectacle, adventure, but more like this, please!

🎶 On the third day of Spook Week / Pietersender brought to me 🎶

HAAAUNTINGS AT SEEEAAA! From Jaws all the way down the abyssal horror of Underwater, we explore the depths of pelagic peril. And some fish.

youtu.be/dekXtlyW5i8

Medieval manuscript illustration of people being tormented in hell, including two people being eaten by the two heads of a long-necked creature and a woman having her hair combed by a demon while other demons hang off of her playing musical instruments.

cwic-sūsl, f/n.n: living torment, eternal punishment; hell. (KWITCH-soo-zull / ˈkwɪtʃ-ˌsuː-zəl)
Image: Apocalypse; Belgium, c. 1313; @labnf.bsky.social Français 13096, f. 86v.
#OldEnglish #WOTD

Delve deeper into iconic horror and gothic film and literature

This spooky season, why not delve deeper into the dark and twisted tales we create to scare one another?

What do these stories tell us about human nature and societies past and present?

From gothic Brontës to horrifying comics, explore more here...

www.uwp.co.uk/halloween/

I just heard Worf saying “Today is a good day to buy!”

Our books are 20% off until midnight on Friday. Discounts this big don't come along very often - if you've never read our enormous tomes, now's the time!

‘Change course now’: humanity has missed 1.5C climate target, says UN head Exclusive: ‘Devastating consequences’ now inevitable but emissions cuts still vital, says António Guterres in sole interview before Cop30

Overshooting 1.5°C wasn't 'inevitable.'

We've been pushed by fossil fuel giants & governments that pander to them.

Every delay, every oil field, every broken promise made this crisis worse.

Keir Starmer, will you promise to leave Rosebank undeveloped?

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

The Age of Uncertainty Professor JK Galbraith presents a series on the history of economics.

All 13 full-length episodes of JK Galbraith's 1977 history of economics, The Age of Uncertainty, are available on BBCiPlayer for the best part of the next year - remarkable.

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...

Samhain Stories from the Sound Archive | EPISODE 1

Introducing our new series on spooky stories from the archives, and our first episode is on GHOSTS 👻

We've taken a deep dive into hours of oral history recordings to hear from voices past about the ghosts of Ulster.

#Halloween #Samhain