Animated Exeter

Sarah McIntyre and I had a good day in Exeter on Saturday.  I was commissioned about a year ago to write a story for the city's animation festival, Animated Exeter. I ended up with a magical adventure called The Exeter Riddles, and festival organiser Susannah Shaw has had it bound in a limited edition of 500, with illuminated capital letters by some local artists and one by Sarah M, whose cute gargoyle is also on the front cover.

So first we signed copies of The Exeter Riddles in Waterstones, which is just a stone's throw from the cathedral whose carvings inspired the story.  Then we headed over to the Phoenix Arts Centre for a two-hour event. I thought an author talk in an animation festival might seem a bit strange, but a comics event makes perfect sense; there are all sorts of connections between comics and animation. So after I'd talked a bit about the Riddles story things quickly morphed into a comics jam, with the whole audience joining in, telling us what to draw and then making comics of their own.

Meanwhile, Sarah (Reeve) and Sam had been out and about in the streets of Exeter, spotting some of the curious characters who had fallen into the present day through the city's fraying timelines - all part of the Timewinders street-game, which was loosely inspired by my story.  

Sadly we didn't have time to have a go at the game, or to hang around for the spectacular closing performance, but everyone I know who has been to events in the festival has had a great time, and it's been a great privilege to be involved with it.  Look out for Animated Exeter 2014!