At Phoenix this morning, for the fortnightly meeting of Creative Coffee Leicester. The main attraction this morning is our speaker, Tim Grayson. Tim is an English Symbolist poet English
Symbolist poet, playwright and Cultural Ambassador for Leicester City
(as appointed by Leicester City Council in 2009). He works for Tudor Rose
Publishing and lectures on a visiting basis in poetry and creative writing
at the University of Leicester. Tim is also a regular panellist on
BBC Radio Leicester, Patron of the Royal Society of Literature, Chair of the
Leicestershire Order of Chivalry, co-founder of the Brothellian Movement,
British host of international literary show "The Poetry Brothel" (others in Chicago,
Barcelona, New York, Athens, New Orleans & Vietnam) and has been published
in literary journals on both sides of the Atlantic. In November 2012, the
University of Leicester named Tim one of "the most
significant and influential writers of [his] generation."
I sit through Tim's talk beside Becky Wilson, whom I've met at Creative Coffee three or four times now. Becky is a card-carrying geek - quite literally, as you can see from the photo below. Her card says, Becky Wilson, Social Media Geek.
I decide to find out just how much of a geek she is by saying that I find this the name of this morning's speaker especially interesting as it's a mashup of Tim Drake (the third Robin, sidekick to Batman - now Red Robin, leader of the Teen Titans in DC Comics' New 52 continuity) and Dick Grayson (the first Robin, now Nightwing). I've barely started saying this when Becky finishes it for me. By George, I think she's got it! I experience a lightbulb moment and ask Becky, "What do you think of the idea of holding an international ComicCon in Leicester in 2017?"
It's Red Nose Day and the Justice League put in an appearance on Charles Street to help raise money for Comic Relief. DC Comics recently rebooted their whole line, giving some well-known characters a well-deserved makeover. I don't really think that this is what they had in mind though! And where are the other members of the League? Green Lantern and Aquaman were on a break at Caffe Nero (just water for Aquaman, obviously) while Cyborg was visiting the Apple Store in Highcross, looking for a Pink Lady. That last one is quite a good joke if you're a fan of the DC Universe by the way. Well, Harry got it anyway!
