by Cora Buhlert The Art of Wrapping Modern art has long broken out of the confines of painting and sculpture and introduced new forms such as installations or happenings. And so the West German town o...

Last Saturday was the 2026 Toyplosion, billed as Germany's and Europe's biggest retro toy convention, now in its fourth year. As in previous years, the 2026 Toyplosion took place at the Europahalle in the Ruhrgebiet city of Castrop-Rauxel. For me, this was the third Toyplosion. I missed the first one, because both my parents were sick at the time, but I attended the 2024 and 2025 editions. You can see my comments about the previous Toyplosions here. Toyplosion is a great con and a must for toy collectors, so of course I was going to attend this year as well.

Helllooo! Today something special for you thanks to Luna Press Publishing I am sharing the cover for Tade Thompson’s excellent new historical fantasy epic Antara coming out 23rd March 2027. We may ...

In 2022 my country entered a new era of cruelty. It will take more than one election to get the old, tolerant Sweden back, writes Swedish journalist Martin Gelin

In 2022 my country entered a new era of cruelty. It will take more than one election to get the old, tolerant Sweden back, writes Swedish journalist Martin Gelin

For our September 2026 episode of Starship Alexandria Emma puts forward the book Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner for Adrian’s consideration.  Other talking points:  Unspoiler warnings  Deniable wizbiz  Period writing styles  The straitjacket of expectations  Burning Bedfordshire  Lit and genre    Media Mentions:  Memoirs of a Survivor, novel by Doris Lessing (and our patrons-only discussion)  Writers referred to in general: Charles Dickens, Victor Hugo, Mervyn Peake, Jerome K Jerome, PG Wodehouse  Next month we look at the graphic novel Helen of Wyndhorn by King, Evely, Lopes and Cowles  This month’s patron episode is the novel A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge  Emma’s music recommendation: Washing Machine Heart by Mitski   Emma’s latest writing is included in Creative Futures (Beyond and Within) which was recently shortlisted for a BSFA Award  Adrian’s most recent book is Engines of Reason   If you'd like to support the show, and get an additional monthly patrons-only episode, you can become a patron at   You can buy our official t-shirts and mugs at     Follow us at:  Emma: @emmanewman@bsky.social and   Adrian: @aptshadow.bsky.social and  

It's the first September weekend, which means that Dragon Con, a huge multimedia convention, took place in Atlanta, Georgia. This also means that the winners of the 2026 Dragon Awards were announced this weekend. But before we get to the Dragons, I want to link to my latest article at Galactic Journey, where I discuss the protests against paragraph 218 of the (West) German Criminal Code, which restricts abortion. The debate erupted in the summer of 1971, when (West) German or Austrian 374 women told the magazine Stern…