January-February projects and ideas

[leila johnston]

Quick one this month*, things are on top of me somewhat.

EVENTS

This is the last newsletter you'll get before The Event, an idea born on these VERY NEWSLETTERS a few months ago, if you recall. I've put together TWO consecutive sessions themed around THE APOCALYPSE on the Sunday afternoons Feb 12th and Feb 19th, in the basement of The Albany pub in London. There will be talks, music, geiger counters, quizzes and survival packs. There will be survival technologists, experts on cults, history and astrobiology. There will cultural commentators, live excerpts from a dinosaur musical, jellybeans, books, stickers, and a panel discussion about zombies. Seriously: it's the first thing I've organised on my own, on this scale, and I've really pulled the stops out -- as have all the other people I've roped into it. It would be nice if it would sell out.

Yes. Given the exceptional caliber of the speakers, and the fact that all the ticket money is going back into covering their travel, I'd like to have sold a few more tickets. If you think you'd like to come, you can find out more and buy tickets at thisistheevent.com. If you want to tell people about it, well, even better. To give you a sense of how smart the audience are going to be: Kate Russell from the telly (BBC Click) is among those coming to the first one, and Jamillah Knowles from Radio 5's BBC Outriders will be attending the second one. 

But that's not all. Sara and I have our fourth storytelling analysis event Storywarp scheduled for NEXT WEEK. We are both so overwhelmed at the moment that we'll have to see if we can actually make that happen. But keep an eye on storywarp.com for news.

I'm also speaking at Helen Arney's domestic science night on Tuesday 28th of Feb, probably about apocalypses. I sadly missed the last one because I was ill (seems to be happening more and more, thanks London... thanks public transport).

ARTICLES

This month I had a really good conversation about the future and the past of things with Chris "antimega" Heathcote, a very clever chap who works at an agency called Dentsu in London. It went up on Imperica here: http://www.imperica.com/in-conversation-with/the-future-of-the-future -- we talked about whether things in advertising are becoming more collaborative, and why we're so attached to a nostalgic technological past.

...I got some nice press about The Event, particularly this piece on Scout London

If I get time before the 12th or 19th, I'll be doing some guest blogging about apocalypii. Let me know if you want me to do something for your site!

-- and I'm in the process of putting together four articles for Wired UK over the next couple of weeks. So expect to see them appear in the mag at some point in the next 3-4 years.

OTHER

There are a few secret audio projects in process. You'll just have to check in next time to find out what's happening there. I still really really want to do a documentary this year, more than anything else really.

I'm writing a new book, with my friend Tim who wrote Extreme Acts of Kindness with me. At the moment I have so little time to think about it, it consists of him sending me stuff, me reading it three days later and texting him some jokes. Still, it's good to be busy, and it's making us laugh, which is all that matters.

Must do my taxes. See you next time.

Leila

*It'll be better after February. Not that I haven't enjoyed spending the last five years making millions of things with almost nothing to show for it (honestly, I have! But, you know...) -- but after this is all over, I think I'll take a few months out to see what life is like as a consumer. 

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