This was the planned itinerary for the convention. Keep an eye on the site for memoirs of what actually happened!
SATURDAY 12TH FEBRUARY
Download a PDF of the actual tour details here
10am: Meet outside Fulham Broadway Tube station (District Line, Wimbledon branch; click here for map) to begin a guided tour of Hoban's London with Richard Cooper. In 2003 Richard undertook a marathon tour of the capital, visiting 33 London Hoban landmarks from dawn to dusk. However, he comments, "This tour will be a lot more laid-back, and we'll make good use of the Underground (the favoured mode of transport of all Hoban characters). Stops will include the Victoria & Albert Museum, where Roswell Clark and Sarah Varley meet over a curious bowl in The Bat Tattoo; the National Gallery, where we'll be able to see paintings featured in novels such as Mr Rinyo-Clacton's Offer and Angelica's Grotto; the Science Museum, where we will inspect the Klein bottles that fascinated the characters in Amaryllis Night and Day; and the British Museum, housing the awesome Nineveh bas-reliefs of lion-hunts that inspired The Lion of Boaz-Jachin and Jachin-Boaz. Early birds may wish to join the tour at 9am outside Hammersmith Tube Station (District and Piccadilly Lines) for an exclusive 'timber treat' at Moss & Co, where Roswell Clark buys his lime in The Bat Tattoo. We will stop for lunch in Leicester Square where eateries include the Hoban-friendly Gaby's Deli, renowned for its hot salt-beef sandwiches, falafels and Rinyo-Clactonesque potato pancakes. Please bring a Hoban novel of your choice, warm waterproof clothing and a good pair of walking shoes!"
There should then be a couple of hours' free time before the main event of the weekend:
7pm: Meet at Nomad Books, 781 Fulham Road (nearest Tube is Parsons Green; fans of Angelica's Grotto might prefer to take the 14 bus; click here for map) - a beautiful independent bookshop which has kindly offered to host an evening of Hoban-related activities including an appearance by Russell Hoban himself, an authentic Punch and Judy show of the type that inspired Riddley Walker, with a chance to question London puppet-master Konrad Fredericks about his work, and the opportunity to buy signed Hoban novels.
NEWS JUST IN! We're delighted to announce that Russell Hoban will be making a personal gift to each and every participant in the Some-Poasyum - a signed copy of A Russell Hoban Omnibus. This 800-page hardback compendium from 1999, published by Indiana University Press, retails at up to 40USD or 27GBP, and contains The Lion of Boaz-Jachin and Jachin-Boaz, Turtle Diary, Pilgermann and Mr Rinyo-Clacton's Offer, as well as a number of rare and not-previously-released Hoban pieces. As summarised on definitive Hoban website The Head of Orpheus, the main contents are as follows: "For starters, along with the four classic Hoban novels with which Hoban fans are familiar, the Omnibus contains the never-before-published-in-book form Return of Manny Rat, the incomplete, fragmentary sequel to The Mouse and His Child which Mr. Hoban began but abandoned. The collection also contains a number of things never previously published in the US, like Mr Rinyo-Clacton's Offer, stories and essays from The Moment Under the Moment, and poems from The Last of the Wallendas."
