‘We live in Gothic times’, said Angela Carter. Gothic narratives are one powerful way of facing oppressive darkness. But the fantastic mode in general can also reveal utopian possibilities, new worlds beyond the darkness. We are living through a bleak period; OGOM has always been fascinated by the dialectic between shadows and illumination in fabulous narratives and we hope, despite the current crisis, to keep on exploring those pathways and sharing our research – here on this website and on OGOM Twitter (where we have started the #GothicSpring hashtag), and other media.
Unfortunately, as with everyone else, we have had to postpone some activities. The Dark Side of the Fae symposium, where Sam was due to talk on Fairy Lepidoptera, has sadly been cancelled but the event will happen at a later date. Our popular Gothic Tours of St Albans are cancelled for the time being – but they’ll be back. And, despite everything, we are still planning a major OGOM Conference for next spring – we are still working on the details, but start dreaming of Gothic fairies! We are hoping to participate in the nationwide Being Human – New Worlds Festival in November. And we are also working on further OGOM publications.
We at OGOM – Sam, Bill, Kaja, and Daisy – hope you are safe and well during these dreadful times and hope that a new life will blossom soon from out of these days of gloom.
