Hello from out here on the Thames Delta, where I am searching for encouraging words for my American readers, but am largely engaged in building mud huts and fashioning farming equipment for old Albion's forthcoming dark age.

(Actually, I'm writing a comics script, a tv show and a film treatment, but the above sounds much more rugged.)

I had some planned travel get cancelled, so I'm pretty much indoors and on lockdown until March, by the looks of it.  Aside from one thing, which I'm waiting for them to announce, as I signed the piece of paper in December.

It's 3pm. The temperature is loitering with intent at around zero celsius, the light is cold pale gold, the ground is painted with frost and the foghorns are lowing in the river. Not so bad. I have to be quick today, because if I don't get a draft of this outline done then a director is going to eat me, so let's see what I've got to show you today:

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Hey, look - the transcript of my talk with Robin Sloan in the Bay Area last month.

RS: One thing that is interesting, and maybe distinct, about your varied output is, I think there are folks who work in different domains and they often have different fans in those different domains. I have the sense that might be the case for you, but you also have a lot of readers that have been reading you for a long time, and will read whatever you put out.

WE: Oh, I met a guy in L.A. last night who said, “I’ve been reading your newsletters for ten years. This is the first time I’ve actually spent money on one of your stories.” [laughter]

RS: How many newsletter subscribers in the audience? [cheering] Awww yeah, yes!

WE: If you could all just leave a buck by the door . . .

RS: I have this thought, actually, often. You’re sort of a dark impresario of whatever . . . no, no it’s true! It’s a skill—

WE: If that ends up on the back cover of my next book . . .

(Once again, I have to thank the magnificent Robin Sloan for doing that, and all the people who arranged and organised it.)

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FIRST LOOK AT THE WILD STORM PAGES

As a matter of curiosity - I wrote the first six issues last year, and will be writing the next six this spring.

My friend Arden Leigh has just released the first episode of PEACE TALKS: "Peace Talks! A talk show dedicated to improving peaceful communication."  This one is about "discussing trauma, trigger states, nonviolent communication," so this weekend feels like a good time to put this out in the world. Also, give it a watch because it's my friend Arden, who makes my stays in LA bearable.

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NEW DIAMANDA GALAS ALBUMS!

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Molly Crabapple writes a fine piece for the Guardian: "We have four years to write a better story."

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Saddened to learn that the fine comics artist John Watkiss has died, at the age of 55. I'd always hoped to work with him one day, and write something worthy of his beautiful, classical comics style.  55!  A great shame.

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I'm planning to go to this event at Second Home in London on 26 January. Say hello if you see me there.

All of the above are available as digital books on Amazon all over the world.

DEAD PIG COLLECTOR also comes as an audiobook.

I was ready for some easy reading, so I picked up Michael Wood's IN SEARCH OF THE FIRST CIVILIZATIONS.  Michael Wood is an easy, conversational and eagerly engaged writer, and I've been letting him take me on a gentle, light tour of five thousand years' worth of our planet's city-creating societies.  The book is informative, very well observed, charming, and only occasionally sinister.  It was, honestly, quite calming, and it taught me a bunch of new things.

Also, this week of all weeks felt like a good time to read about the rise and collapse of giant, incredible civilisations.

IN SEARCH OF THE FIRST CIVILIZATIONS, Michael Wood (UK) (US)

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I understand there's been some confusion online as to whether it's ever right to punch a Nazi in the face.  There is a compelling argument that all speech is equal and we should trust to the discourse to reveal these ideas for what they are and confidently expect them to be denounced and crushed out by the mechanisms of democracy and freedom.

All I can tell you is, from my perspective as an old English socialist and cultural liberal who is probably way to the woolly left from most of you and actually has a medal for services to free speech -- yes, it is always correct to punch Nazis. They lost the right to not be punched in the face when they started spouting genocidal ideologies that in living memory killed millions upon millions of people. And anyone who stands up and respectfully applauds their perfect right to say these things should probably also be punched, because they are clearly surplus to human requirements. Nazis do not need a hug. Nazis do not need to be indulged. Their world doesn't get better until you've been removed from it. Your false equivalences mean nothing. Their agenda is always, always, extermination. Nazis need a punch in the face.

(And the argument that such assaults allow Nazis to get more attention doesn't work so well when they were already going live on a national television network, because this is where we are now. This is how normalised their presence in our culture is.) 

Glad we got that cleared up.

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Okay.  I'm out.  Kieron Gillen messaged me after last week's letter to tell me I'd gone "Peak End Times," so hopefully this one was a little brighter.  No promises about next week, mind. But today I need to get back to work. You guys can take the rest of the day off, though. Grab rest when you can. Take care of you first and everybody else next. Hold on tight.  Here we go.

- W