I could sleep in the most haunted house ever and whatever remnant of a person hanging around there from the next world will leave me alone, in fact very probably studiously ignore me. I’m whatever … Read More
Charlie Brown and the War on Terror
There’s a Peanuts cartoon that basically boils down to ‘Everyone has a best day ever’ – ‘What if you’ve already had yours?’ We kind of know that Charlie Brown, though only a kid and only … Read More
Lucy and the Fury Of Common Sense
Lucy is probably the most contemporary character in Peanuts. Normally this would mean that she represents contemporary thought and values. And she does. Just not particularly positive thought. In the Peanuts world there’s no happy … Read More
An Abridged Edit/or…
I was going to try and articulate what a contemporary editor does in this essay but quickly realised how pointless and probably very boring that would be. Instead (and perhaps inevitably) I will focus on … Read More
This Curated Face
We’re all natural editors, particularly those of the generations that grew up in around here (Northern Ireland) in the 1970s/1980s. We avoided certain people or certain streets in certain areas, editing ourselves out of our … Read More
Scarred Essay 6: The Doctor Is In.
I’m worried about a little boy who sits in front of me at school. He cries every day. This afternoon I tried to help him. I whacked him one on the arm…There’s nothing like a … Read More
Scarred Essay 5: The Van Pelts: A Study in Disappointment: Linus
We all need to hide our scars. On June 01st 1954 history of a sort was made. In the Peanuts strip (above) of that day we see a tiny Linus holding tightly to a blanket. … Read More
Started Out Oliver, ended up Fagin…
There’s nothing so great, or for some so annoying as having a line of a song continually in your head. On this occasion the song in question being The Wrong Road by The Go-Betweens, those … Read More
Goodbye and Hello to all that…
Well, 2020 has been an experience and undoubtedly a trial for everyone. Our world suddenly contracted and became much more dangerous. It has definitely become more Abridged. Intimacy is always the first casualty of a … Read More
Abridged Ecologies: Under the Microscope 2020/2021
Thanks to the ongoing support of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, we are going to be doing some self-reflective research this year, using this period of uncertainty as a positive opportunity to examine the … Read More