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Interview

Lisa Wood p2

Lisa Wood talks about directing the Thought Bubble Festival, and mentions some of her favorite books...

READERSVOICE.COM: What are some of the things you have to make sure are nailed down when organising each festival?

LISA WOOD: Where to begin; there is so much with an event on this scale. Guest co-ordination is key; it is imperative guests know where they have to be and at what time; that they know how to get to a venue, or whether they need to be escorted.
Crowd management is also very important when dealing with thousands of people. We need to make sure our forms of communication e.g. website and brochures, are clear and concise. We will have around 60 volunteers working on the festival this year; their hard work and professionalism is key to how the event is run. They each are given a responsibility, and we need to make sure they understand their role and feel confident in the task.

RV: How do you arrange appearances and who are some of the artists and writers this year?

LW: Year on year the guest list has comprised the top established and up and coming talent. I always sneak some of my favourites in there, too. We keep our ear to the ground; if professionals have expressed an interest in visiting the UK we may approach them, but usually we draw up a wish list, year on year, of the guests that will bring the most to our event. We have some incredible names lined up for this year — a few I can’t announce yet. The ones we are very excited to confirm are Tim Sales and Adam Hughes. Our line up is bigger than ever this year. I simply don’t have space for the list here but there are some real gems. Check thoughtbubblefestival.com.

RV: Can you list a few books you’ve really enjoyed over the years, whether novels or non-fiction, and maybe say why you liked them?

LW: Absolutely, books are actually my favourite things ever! I own hundreds! Domo may be my favourite. I love Otomo, his graphic work flows seamlessly, and Domo above all else manages to capture the tension and excitement of the paranormal with a very sinister tone.
Saying this, Akira has a very special place in my heart. I love Dan Clowes, most recently Wilson, but my favorite of his has to be Like A Velvet Glove Cast in Iron, just surreal abstract perversion at its best.
I love Bendis and Miller’s Daredevil runs. I grew up reading the Elektra run; to this day I still love it. Bone is wonderful.
I read A God Somewhere recently which is great. Junji Ito is great; I love all his stories especially Uzumaki.
I adore Lovecraft, Robert E Howard, Phillip Pullman. Dylan Dog is great.
Classic X men stories like Inferno and From the Ashes.
Preacher is wonderful. Really enjoying The Walking Dead, too. House of Leaves is a wonderfully spooky retelling of the haunted house novel. In Cold Blood is a great book. I tend to like books which deal with the darker side of human nature. I read so much there are are far too many to mention.

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-copyright Simon Sandall.