March 2014 First Sunday and Other News

Dear Friends

First Sunday this Sunday and it’s a rather novel event.

Rather than our usual communal dérive loiterers are invite to help further the work of one of my favourite walkers Phil Smith aka Mythogeography  I think it’s really important to acknowledge influences and say thanks to folk who inspire us so I really hope you will take part. Here’s the instructions direct from the crabman himself, please utilise them whenever and wherever you want on 2nd February

  "I am writing a chapter for an academic book on ‘zombies’ to be published by   Springer Press. My chapter is based on a very simple ‘tactic’ that I devised for Wrights & Sites’ ‘A Mis-Guide To Anywhere’ in 2006 and which I have used myself many times and given as an exercise for classes of students and others. In my chapter I want to write about the experiences people have when using this ‘tactic’. If you are interested, I would ask you to take a walk on your own (where and at what time of day is up to you) for at least half an hour. I would like you to walk ‘as’ the last human survivor of a zombie apocalypse. Everyone is now a member of the living dead other than you. I don’t want you to act out this role (fleeing the zombies, etc.) but rather simply to walk and see and experience the world through the eyes and feelings of a survivor in that fiction. When you return from this walk I would like you to write and send me an account of how you experienced your walk, and how you experienced the terrain you walked through. I would then use your reflections and those of others in writing my chapter. I might quote from your reflections in the chapter. If I did any such quotation would be an anonymous one, so I would not use your name in the chapter in any way. As a piece of academic research, and I am conducting this in my role as an Associate Professor (Reader) at Plymouth University (School of Humanities and Performing Arts), you are free at any time during the research to withdraw your participation. Should you decide to withdraw then any contribution you had made up till then would not be used after that. Thank you, again! If you decide to participate, please send any reflections on your walk to me at: mytho.smith@btopenworld.com"

Find out more about mythogeography here http://www.mythogeography.com/  and counter tourism also comes highly recommended http://www.countertourism.net/

After doffing our proverbial caps on Sunday there will be an extra, bonus, loiter for those who want to be sociable on Monday night 3rd February. Meeting in the Bullshead Pub, opposite Piccadilly Railway Station at 6.15. We’ll be setting off on a wander at 6.30 probably exploring more of Mr Smiths tactics or perhaps doing something else because noone should be followed slavishly.

If you want to loiter longer in March I’m also involved in several events for Manchester Histories Festival, the programme is due to be posted online on February 28th so please check here for details: http://www.manchesterhistoriesfestival.org.uk/

28th February is also important to me for some none-psychogeographical reasons. I’m organising a gig at the Castle Oldham Street for one of my favourite musicians, Chris Mills and the Distant Stars with the excellent Quiet Loner and Phil Davies andtheninjasmokebombs completing a superb nights entertainment. Advance tickets have sold out but there will be some available on the door, first come, first served, from 7pm.

Finally 28th February is the deadline for letters objecting to the Stopping Up Order for Library walk, one of Manchester’s most beautiful places that the council consider to be “an accident”. This is about our fundamental right to roam the city, its about our heritage, civic amenities, spaces of beauty and imagination, protecting public space and discussing what consultation really means. Mostly, for me, its about being able to walk free from suspicion and fear through those sensuos curves. Enough letters mean we will trigger a Government Inquiry and potentially stop this nonsense so please write if you can. More details here: http://friendsoflibrarywalk.wordpress.com/ 

I look forward to seeing you on the street

Love and rainbows
Morag xx