“Night Startled by the Lark” (1820) by William Blake
The other day, I got in touch with The Blake Society (www.blakesociety.org) hoping to bring their attention to The Poet and the Flea and to ask them about next year’s Blake Society Tithe Grant.
To my surprise and delight, The Blake Society had already heard of my graphic novel and had made an announcement on their December newsletter as well as their Facebook page.
I think it’s really wonderful that The Blake Society seems to keep tabs on as many Blake-related projects as possible. They have a great website with many resources, including a full biography of William Blake and links to other useful sites.
If only I were in London, I would have joined this society long ago. But San Francisco is so far away and I’m unaware of any local societies here (although according to The Blake Society, there was a William Blake society in Palo Alto around 1940 
).
***
Excerpt from The Blake Society December newsletter:
BLAKE IN THE WORLD OF GRAPHIC NOVELS
A new graphic novel is being published in installments on the web. The Poet and the Flea is written and illustrated by G. E. Gallas and a new page appears every Wednesday. Gallas is inspired by Blake as ‘the junction between Dante Alighieri and Allen Ginsberg’.
***
Excerpt from The Black Society on Facebook:
The Poet and the Flea is a new online graphic novel by G. E. Gallas which re-imagines the life of Blake. A new page is added every Wednesday; today we reach page 7, when William tells Kate about seeing a tree full of angels.
***
For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on tumblr and/or twitter.
***
Copyright 2012 by G. E. Gallas
December 14th, 2012 at 3:00 pm
Gee, I thought the Muggletonians had finally evaporated.
December 14th, 2012 at 6:09 pm
Ha ha ha, very funny! But I think your original conjecture is correct. As I’ve mentioned a number of times on this blog, I am in fact a Jewish atheist.
I don’t know about the rest of The Blake Society though. –G. E.
December 14th, 2012 at 3:16 pm
Have you thought of perhaps starting a Blake Society in San Francisco? Everything starts from somewhere.
(this suggestion is not altruistic. I’m hoping to lay claim to planting the idea in your head in twenty years time when the society is gigantic)
December 14th, 2012 at 5:53 pm
I’m not sure if I have the time or skills to make a Blake Society of my own. But perhaps I could make a Blake group through MeetUp.com or recruit some help through Craigslist? Ha ha ha, I don’t know.
But thanks for the suggestions! –G. E.
December 17th, 2012 at 6:34 am
I just remembered something. Back in 2006 I attended a Blake exhibition in the Tate and the guide told us that Blake would eat a steak late every night so that he could have nightmares. You probably already know this, but if you didn’t it’s the kind of byte you can use.
December 17th, 2012 at 11:34 am
Oh, wow — I didn’t know that! That’s a juicy tidbit (pun intended). See, that’s why I really need to go to London and do some Blake research!
Thanks a bunch for the information!! –G. E.
December 14th, 2012 at 4:21 pm
I adore William Blake’s work too. I don’t think you have to worry about the distance too much; they already knew who you were, and what you were up to. I’m intrigued, i’ll have a look at your graphic novel. All the best, Russell.
December 14th, 2012 at 6:04 pm
Hey Russell: Thank you so much for following and for your encouragement! I love your drawing style and am excited to have found you blog.
I’m hoping “The Flea” will go to print, either through a small press publisher or self-published. You really think they would sell like hot-cakes!? Wow, I’m so excited you think that!!! Best regards, G. E.
December 14th, 2012 at 4:29 pm
Good job! Will you go to print when your novel is finished? They would sell like hot-cakes!
December 14th, 2012 at 6:32 pm
Great news! How exciting!
December 14th, 2012 at 6:57 pm
Thank you so much! –G. E.
December 14th, 2012 at 10:10 pm
Cool! Congrats on the good press~~
December 14th, 2012 at 10:15 pm
Thank you so much! It’s really amazing how supportive everyone’s been so far.
–G. E.
December 16th, 2012 at 2:20 am
Very impressive work, my dear, and I lived in London for a few years. The word “erm…” springs to mind. Not quite how you’d expect from the Dickens era. Tremendous cultural scene (at the Lyric I saw an amazng take on Kafka’s Metamorphosis) but expensive. Indeed.
December 16th, 2012 at 10:35 am
Thank you very much! I’ve lived in Manhattan, Tokyo, and San Francisco, so I’m used to expensive cities I guess.
Though from watching HGTV’s “Selling London,” London does seem the most expensive! But that’s what you get for access to all that culture!! –G. E.
December 17th, 2012 at 7:29 am
Congratulations! It’s always very encouraging to receive credit for your work, especially when it’s well deserved. Keep the creativity coming!
December 17th, 2012 at 11:35 am
Thank you so much for your kind words! Everything feels like it’s coming together, little by little.
Best regards, G. E.
December 21st, 2012 at 2:32 pm
[...] “Correspondence with The Blake Society.” [...]
March 12th, 2013 at 12:05 pm
[...] Posts: Correspondence with The Blake Society and G. E. Gallas Invited to Speak to The Blake [...]