Cthulhu Cymraeg launch day

There's a launch event for the horror anthology Cthulhu Cymraeg taking place at Swansea Library, from 10am on Saturday, April 26th.  Here's the timetable - I'm looking forward to it, plus the chance to catch up with old friends.

10.05 - The Shadow from Wild Wales : HP Lovecraft, Arthur Machen and Wales

H P Lovecraft is one of the key figures in modern horror. After a short introduction to his life in New England and New York and his work, this talk will look in particular at the Welsh author of decadent 

and mystical horror Arthur Machen, often cited as one of the main influences on HPL. How did Lovecraft find out about Machen, “a Titan” as he called him, and how did it influence his own stories, 

including The Call of Cthulhu itself? How has Wales featured in later mythos works? Is Wales, as some have claimed, the location of the dread Necronomicon? Illustrated talk by Machen expert Gwilym Games.

10.50 - The Spawning of Cthulhu Cymraeg

This panel, featuring the editor Mark Howard Jones, publisher Steve Upham and many authors from the anthology, will discuss how the book was born and the twisted gestation of the stories within it. There will also be a chance to buy copies!

11.25 – Author Readings

12.00 - Lunch

12.30 – Author Readings

1.10 - The Call of Lovecraft – Lovecraft in the 21st century

What is the strange and growing attraction Lovecraft exerts on readers and writers? Countless writers have written Lovecraftian books and stories and his impact extends to inspiring films, comics, games, 

television and even religious and occult movements. After years of neglect and dismissal of Lovecraft as a pulp writer he is now regarded by publishers as a classic author, and academic work on Lovecraft is becoming common. Why is this and where is modern mythos fiction going? How are we to judge the quality of Lovecraft’s own work and his followers? What are we to make of Lovecraft’s racism in a more tolerant age? Why do the works of the atheist Lovecraft inspire religious ideas? Discussing these and other questions the audience might throw at them is a panel featuring Rhys Hughes, Mark Howard Jones, Gwilym Games and others.

2.00 - The Technicolor out of the Screen

There have been rather a lot of Lovecraft-inspired films and adaptations of Lovecraft’s stories. Many of them are hideous abominations which test the sanity of any who might see them. In this mind-blasting survey Gwilym Games and author John Llewellyn Probert, will be reanimating some highlights of Lovecraftian cinema before your very EYES in a devastating montage of film clips and commentary. Watch if you dare!

2.50 Break

3.00 The Call of Cthulhu (Film)

Amongst other elements of tentacular terror there will be a rare chance to watch this silent classic! Trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKb0_rfZEsU

3.50 The END

Adjourn to The No Sign Wine Bar for drinks after the event, where there will be a further chance to talk to authors.