Last year, I was rushing to get my cli-fi book In Ark: A Promise of Survival into print format, to make sure that there would be actual paper copies available for sale at my book launch on November 8th, 2014.
Lisa Devaney doing SLAM Poetry at #InArk Book Launch
Today I’m reflecting on the evening and the experience for a Throwback Thursday #tbt moment.
Up against a pressing deadline, I bumped into some unexpected challenges and was stressing out about whether I’d actually have a print book to launch. With the help of a fantastic team, especially illustrator Aidana WillowRaven, I was able to pull it all off and debut my book at Victoria Park Books.
Oh what an evening it was to be. Despite being cursed a bit by severe rain, plenty of friends and family came out to celebrate. We had delicious futuristic food from Namo, bubbly and wine from Bottle Appostle and incredibly yummy cake from Amandine Cafe. All sourced from the local shops in East London’s Victoria Park Village, it was a community affair.
On the turntables, DJ Tunesmith aka Joan Smith played a host of deep house classics with an apocolyptic mood. I entertained my guests with some SLAM poetry, all performed in costume depicting the kinds of protective clothes that I imagine people might wear in the future. Needing to shield fragile skin from the harsh impact of environmental Change, my characters, I speculate, will have to adorn themselves in light coloured clothing that covers their entire bodies.
If you haven’t got your copy yet, or read my first book about a woman called Mya who gets abducted by an eco-survivalist cult in the year 2044, don’t miss out. Those who have read it tell me it is a page-turner that made them contemplate the impact of climate change on future generations.
Shown here is a collection of photos from the night that a friend took.
DJ Tunesmith aka Joan Smith at #InArk Book Launch
Lisa Devaney doing SLAM poetry at #InArk Book Launch
