Book List: Family Reading In an hour long show looking at titles aimed at different ages of young readers, Alex Fitch talks to three female authors about their work. Graphic designer Lotta Nieminen talks about her first picture book, Walk This World, which depicts various cities and locations around the world, in a highly stylised rectilinear fashion; YA author Sally Gardner discusses her Carnegie Medal winning dystopian novel Maggot Moon and new illustrated fantasy title Tinder; and debut novelist Fayette Fox explores the background of her coming of age novel The Deception Artist, whose young narrator may be in contact with a visitor from the future… Includes readings from Tinder and The Deception Artist performed by Robert Madge and Fayette Fox. Originally broadcast 23/01/14 as a Clear Spot on Resonance 104.4 FM (London) Covers of books by Sally Gardner, Fayette Fox and Lotta Niemenen For more info about this podcast and a variety of other formats you can download / stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.org Links: Info about Walk This World at www.bigpicturepress.net Info about Sally Garner on the Orion Books website Maggot Moon website Info about Fayette Fox on the Myriad Editions website Recommended events: Battle of the Eyes at Orbital Comics Battle Of The Eyes formed in 1986 as an art gang of three: Savage Pencil (Edwin Pouncey), Chris Long and Andy Dog. Taking inspiration from 60?s US chrome culture, early underground comix and psychotronic cinema, BOTE welded together to produce Nyak-Nyak!, a fold-out art comic that was initially free with copies of Wiseblood’s 12? single Motorslug. Although Dog departed soon after, Long (aka Eyeball) and Savage Pencil carried on to publish three other titles: Bug F**k, Disposal Bag (with Gary Panter) and Corpsemeat 2 -the latter’s main story written by Alan Moore. Other projects included skateboard designs for Slam City Skates, and T-shirts and bags for Rough Trade. When Long and Pouncey reunited in 2010, Battle Of The Eyes returned with a new creative agenda. Collaborative, large-scale paintings shunned the form and dialogue of the early comix in favour of a more nuanced and painterly approach to communicate Long and Pouncey’s visual ideas. Improvisation plays a great part, as does a passion for paint manipulation and clashing colours. Their work taps into the unknown, allowing forms to appear unexpectedly beneath the layers of paint and ink. After Planet Of The Jackanapes (2012) – an exhibition of their early works from this period shown at Norwich Castle – BOTE has been working in the studio to produce a body of work that ripples with wit and imagination. The forthcoming exhibition also marks the partnership’s return to publishing with the first issue of The Battle Of The Eyes Bulletin. Long and Pouncey will be live drawing at Orbital Comics from 23rd Jan – 25th Jan and then exhibting the results until 14th Feb 2014 in the Orbital Gallery More info at www.orbitalcomics.com/battle-of-the-eyes Orbital Comics, 8 Great Newport Street, London WC2H &JA Just So Happens Launch party Fumio Obata is a comic book author and visual artist who makes absolutely stunning work and who we here at Gosh! are huge fans of. His comics are a visual mish-mash of manga and Bande Dessinée styles, with the frequent theme of cultural differences, and his zines were the insider tip-off at Thought Bubble 2012. Jonathan Cape have snapped him up quickly for his UK debut graphic novel, Just So Happens. If this tickles your fancy, you should probably make it down to the launch party for Just So Happens, taking place on Friday, the 7th of February, from 7pm until 9pm. There will be booze as usual, as well as Fumio himself signing copies. More info: http://www.goshlondon.com/2014/01/fumio-obatas-just-so-happens-launch-party-at-gosh/ Gosh!, 1 Berwick Street, London W1F 0D