I’m in full withdrawal mode, still captivated and bewitched by the magic of a weekend in the company of steampunks at the Weekend at the Asylum, Lincoln, UK. The event was named as a Convivial…a perfect description and organised by two extraordinary people. ..Lady Elsie and Thadeus Tinker and their hardworking team of stalwart volunteers.
As you enter the doors to the main hall, a big sign says ‘Steampunks , Be Splendid!’ And they are truly splendid in every meaning of the word. Never have I enjoyed the company of such a generous-spirited, warm, friendly group of people…utterly bonkers in the best possible way. Their all inclusive ethos meant a hospitable welcome to people of all ages, ethnicity and gender choices. It was a full-on celebration of the individuality, creativity and basic decency of human beings. The underlying theme was fun…warm-hearted, jolly good fun with the echoes of fair play and chivalry of an earlier age. Where else would you get hard fought, though gentlemanly duels of biscuit dunking!
A packed but not ungainly program of diverse events was spread across the attractive Lincoln Castle site, the Lawns main building, the castle dungeons and grounds. The Bazaar Eclectica in the dungeons held a glittering, seductive treasure trove of must have steampunk and gothic items such as beautiful jewellery, fascinating devices and glamorous clothes…I avoided it like the plague, being so broke!
But it didn’t matter if you didn’t wear Victorian garb or come festooned with wondrous mechanisms that flashed and whirred in their clockwork and steampowered magnificence. Everyone was treated with such friendliness. But I bet those in civvies left planning their look for the next event.
As a guest author, I actually had an entourage …the hard working and lovely team of Michele and Andrew Brenton from my publishers Endaxi Press. We also invited two of my friends Darren Demondaz and Hayley Exhayle to play my characters Cyrus Darian and his exquisite Lady during the book’s official launch. As beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside, professional goth models, Hayley and Darren were wonderful, helping us all through the weekend. A pair of gothically black diamonds!
Cyrus Darian and the Technomicron was duly launched in a happy celebration of bubbly, sausage rolls and an invasion of wonderfully attired sky pirates! Led by Emilia Etherheart aka Eve Weaver of Addiction Designs, their wicked kidnap of the Lady was foiled by a ransom of a bottle of champagne.
It felt daunting when I saw our Endaxi table placed inbetween established steampunk stalwarts, the marvelous Robert Rankin and Pax Britannia author Jonathan Green. Also nearby was another well known steampunk author , Toby Frost.Though best known as a dark fantasy author, I am a newbie to the world of steampunk fiction…I hope Cyrus Darian will be as warmly welcomed by this wonderful community as I was at this stupendous event.
Also enjoying the celebration were my good friends , talented author and ever glam Sam Stone , another enthusiastic convert to all things steampunk along with her daughter Linzi. Sam’s partner, David J Howe of Telos Publishing , was in good spirits , presenting his first works of fiction for many years, a collection of his own short stories and scripts called ‘Talespinning.’
Those of us of a certain age were awestruck at the presence of one of their childhood heroes as guest of honour….no less than Wilf Lunn himself, the man who entertained us on telly with his wierd , wonderful and working contraptions long before the term ‘steampunk’ was dreamt up. He was delightful, I am cherishing his signed prints of eccentric mechanisms.
Other guests of honour were the excellent Robert Rankin and Frazier Hines, actor, author and thoroughly entertaining speaker.
On Saturday night, we danced the night away at the Empire Ball, though more energetic Convivial members went to pogo away to live bands at the other evening event. Among the performers at the Ball was Robert Rankin’s delightful and talented wife, Rachel who is a world champion steel drums player. Who knew Lady Gaga’s music could sound so good played on a steel drum?
One enduring memory of the evening was of four fine gentlemen dancing, the floor to themselves, resplendant in their Victorian finery, top hats and canes, lost in the energy of Teenage Kicks. It summed up the whole eccentric, joyous , creative ethos behind steampunk. Well done, sirs, you were indeed splendid!
Sunday passed by in a happy blur, with more wine and sausage rolls at the launch of Hateful Heart, the latest in Sam Stone’s superb Vampire Gene series. Sam enthralled us with a reading from her new book. David proved he was no slouch in the writing department by reading extracts from his rivetting new collection.
Then with a bitter-sweet atmosphere of celebration of the fun we all had and mourning it was all over, the event reluctantly finished with prize givings and a speech by Thadeus Tinker. He said there were many symptoms of Asylum-itis..including an aching of the face muscles from so much smiling and laughter. An overwhelming need to plan the next Asylum even before this was one was over.
I have definitely caught a bad case of Asylum-itis… I am already counting the days until the next one! And my face did ache from an overdose of smiling.
Steampunks…..you are all truly splendid and in the crass modern vernacular…you rock !!!
