Tag Archives: Soho

Check Out “The Poet and the Flea”!!!

Postcard 1

Due to my upcoming trip to Cannes and London, my online graphic novel The Poet and the Flea is on hiatus this month.

But fear not — The Flea will return with page 25 on June 5th!

In the meantime, feel free to read and re-read the first 24 pages. :D

See you in June!

–G. E.

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Start from the beginning!

Cover

Title Page

Note

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

Page 4

Page 5

Page 6

Page 7

Page 8

Page 9

Page 10

For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on facebooktumblr and/or twitter.

***

Copyright 2013 by G. E. Gallas


Planning for Blake’s London: Final(ish) Plan!

Related Posts: Planning for London!Planning for Blake’s London!, and Trying to Figure Out London!

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Monday

  1. Arrive Heathrow at 5:05 p.m.
  2. Take the Heathrow Express, and then taxi to hotel.
  3. I think I may get to my hotel around 8 p.m. Hotel is near Russell Square. Check into hotel and get situated.
  4. Ask the concierge for a dinner recommendation near the hotel. Or…
  5. Simon of shipscooksstuff.wordpress.com has kindly offered to “show [me] some of Soho’s pubs and give [me] some background on [his] home city.” So sweet! Hopefully, we’ll meet up either Monday or Thursday.

Tuesday: Special Event Day!

  1. Before 10 a.m., explore Russell Square and surrounding neighborhood.
  2. 10 a.m.: David Bowie is at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Afterwards, explore the V&A. Ask information desk about the “…four of Blake’s ‘fresco’ paintings on display permanently” as well as Arts & Crafts/William Morris and other must-sees.
  3. Lunch: The Queen’s Arms and/or the V&A Cafe.
  4. After V&A, Tate Britain: The new Blake room will open on May 6th. Ask information desk about the Pre-Raphaelites. Perhaps take a 45-minutes free collection highlights tour at 11, 12, or 3. 
  5. Leave some time to relax and possibly nap in the late afternoon.
  6. 7:30 p.m.G. E. Gallas Invited to Speak to The Blake Society! at 17 South Molton Street.

Wednesday: Touring Around!

  1. If exhausted from Tuesday, sleep in a little bit.
  2. 10 a.m.: National GalleryNational Portrait Gallery, or return to a museum from the previous day.
  3. Lunch: Eat somewhere near/in museums.
  4.  1 p.m.: Harrods Vintage Bus Tour of London with Champagne Tea at Harrods – Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, The London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Downing Street, Trafalgar Square, Nelson’s Column, Hyde Park, the Houses of Parliament, The Royal Albert Hall, a cruise on the River Thames, and tea/scones at Harrods (until 6 p.m.).
  5. 7/7:30 p.m.: Jack the Ripper Tour (option #1option #2, or option #3).

Thursday: Blake’s London!

  1. My friend Elena may come up from Barcelona for the day to see me! 
  2. 10 a.m.: British Museum –  Department of Prints and DrawingsAncient EgyptAncient Greece, etc.
  3. Lunch: Tea and Tattle (41 Great Russell Street) or London Review Cake Shop (14 Bury Place).
  4. Blake historical sites: (a) St. James’s Church, (b) Royal Academy New Somerset House, (c) St. Mary’s Battersea, and (d) Bunhill Fields.
  5. Either National Portrait Gallery (open to 9 p.m.) or  pubs with Simon.

Friday

  • Depart: Back to San Francisco!

***

For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on facebooktumblr and/or twitter.

***

Copyright 2013 by G. E. Gallas


Package from The Blake Society, 2013

Related Posts: Package from The Blake Society and G. E. Gallas Invited to Speak to The Blake Society!

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Photos of The Blake Society’s Calendar of Events for 2013!

Blake Package 2013 1

Blake Package 2013 2

Blake Package 2013 3

Blake Package 2013 4

Blake Package 2013 5

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For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on facebooktumblr and/or twitter.

***

Copyright 2013 by G. E. Gallas


Trying to Figure Out London!

Related Posts: Planning for London! and Planning for Blake’s London!

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Firstly, I just wanted to thank all the awesome bloggers who have given me very helpful advice for this trip!

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Note: This post is really just for me to try to jot down and organize all the information/recommendations/advice I’ve received about London so far. AND MORE ADVICE IS MORE THAN WELCOMED!

***

Here, I’ve narrowed down the Blake historical sites to only the ones I want to see most:

  1. St. James’s Church: (10) Where Blake was baptized. The font still survives.
  2. Westminster Abbey: (10) Where Blake practiced drawing. Monument to Blake in the Abbey’s Poet’s Corner.Will probably end up here on a bus tour!
  3. Royal Academy, New Somerset House: (9) Where Blake studied and occasionally exhibited his work. Original building.
  4. 13 Hercules Buildings: (7) Where Blake produced the Songs of Experience. House demolished in 1918.
  5. 17 South Moulton Street: (10) Will be here on Tuesday!
  6. St. Mary’s, Battersea: (10) Where Blake married Kate. Original building.
  7. Bunhill Fields: (9) Where Blake is buried.

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Important: Buy an Oyster card!

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Harrods Vintage Bus Tour of London with Champagne Tea at Harrods

Okay, this might be really silly/crazy/touristy, but a tour in a vintage bus plus tea time? That just sounds so ridiculous (in a good way, I think)!

Won’t have time for this on Monday or Tuesday, so will have to do either Wednesday or Thursday.

Location: Starts at Harrods, 87-135 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge.

Time: Starts at 1 p.m, for 5 hours.

Price: £49

Includes: Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, The London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Downing Street, Trafalgar Square, Nelson’s Column, Hyde Park, the Houses of Parliament, The Royal Albert Hall, a cruise on the River Thames, and tea/scones at Harrods. 

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Jack the Ripper Tour

Might have time for this on Monday, or otherwise on Wednesday.

Option #1: Every night at 7 p.m. Outside exit 4 of Aldgate East Station. £9. 2 hours.

Option #2Every night at 7 p.m. Outside exit 4 of Aldgate East Station. £9. 2 hours.

Option #3: Every night at 7:30 p.m. Outside exit 3 of Aldgate East Station. £9. 1 hour, 45 minutes.

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Tate Britain

At the very top of my list!!!

Tentatively, I think I might go to the Tate and V&A on Tuesday, the bus tour and possibly Jack the Ripper on Wednesday, and then the British Museum and Blake historic sites on Thursday.

Location: Millbank.

Time: Open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Price: Free (except for special exhibitions).

Taking photos not allowed.

  • Need to find out more about the renovated Blake rooms!
  • Need to figure out what else I’d like to see at the Tate!

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Victoria and Albert Museum

Location: Cromwell Road.

Time: Open daily 10 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.

Price: Free (except for special exhibitions).

May take photos, unless otherwise noted.

  • Ask information desk about the “…four of Blake’s ‘fresco’ paintings on display permanently.”
  • David Bowie is£14.00 (+£1.40 booking fee per ticket). Already bought my ticket!! :D

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British Museum

Location: Great Russell Street.

Time: Open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Price: Free.

Photography permitted in most galleries.

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National Gallery

Not sure if I’ll have time for this.

Location: Trafalgar Square.

Time: Open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Price: Free.

Taking photos not allowed.

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National Portrait Gallery

Not sure if I’ll have time for this. May go if nothing else to do on Thursday evening.

Location: St.Martin’s Place.

Time: Open Sat.-Wed. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Thurs.-Fri. 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Price: Free (except for special exhibitions).

Taking photos not allowed.

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The Princess Louise

A restored Victorian pub. Recommended pint: Timothy Landlord’s.

Location: 208 High Holborn, Holborn. Between Covent Garden and the British Museum.

Time: 11:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

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Tea and Tattle

“Fresh leaf tea in a pot and bone china, scones with clotted cream and jam, finger sandwiches and tasty cakes… could anything be more British than afternoon tea in London.”

Location: 41 Great Russell Street (opposite the British Museum).

Time: 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

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The London Review Cake Shop

“…the traditional with a twist.”

Location: 14 Bury Place  Bloomsbury (near the British Museum).

Time: 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

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Coach and Horses, Soho

Very shabby, but landmark.

Location: 29 Greek Street, Soho

Time: 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.

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French House

Location: 49 Dean Street

Time: 12 to 11 p.m. (Food served until 4 p.m.)

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Seven Stars

Something quieter.

Location: 53-54 Carey Street (behind the Royal Courts of Justice, near some of the Blake sites around the Strand/Fleet Street).

Time: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

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The Angel

Something quieter.

Location: 61-62 St Giles High Street (a bit of a no-man’s-land between Covent Garden and Bloomsbury that’s central yet tourist-free).

Time: 12 to 11 p.m.

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The Queen’s Arms

Location: 30 Queen’s Gate Mews (near the V&A).

Time: 12 to 11 p.m.

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The Sherlock Holmes

Has a very authentic English feel. Fish & chips.

Location: 10-11 Northumberland Street

Time: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

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The Old Shades

Great fish & chips.

Location: 37 Whitehall (Trafalgar Square).

Time: 10/11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

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Lighthouse Fish Bar

Fish & chips of mammoth proportions.

Location: 8 Tooting Bec Road (1/2 block from Tooting Bec Tube Station).

Time: 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.

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Curry/Indian: Any suggestions?

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The Gay Hussar

Fabulous Hungarian food and a very interesting past illustrated by the political cartoons on its walls.

Location: 2 Greek Street, Soho.

Time: 12:15 to 2:30 p.m., 5:30 to 10:45 p.m.

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For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on facebooktumblr and/or twitter.

***

Copyright 2013 by G. E. Gallas


Check Out “The Poet and the Flea”!!!

---Silhouettes

Yesterday, I posted the 20th page of The Poet and the Flea… What!? Wow!!

The Flea premiered online November 28th, 2012 and has already received more than 10,000 views.

I have been honored to received a number of wonderful reviews thus far, such as those by Sarah Goode and Hannah Meiklejohn, as well as an incredible invitation to speak to The Blake Society in London this coming May.

Self-publishing The Flea online has been an incredible experience so far and I thank everyone for their enthusiasm and support!

Best wishes,

G. E.

***

FYI, to receive information about The Flea on your Facebook news feed, please “like” me at facebook.com/gegallas!

For those of you who have yet to check out The Flea (and for those who wish to read the first 20 pages over again), I’ve included links below. Enjoy!

***

Start from the beginning!

Cover

Title Page

Note

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

Page 4

Page 5

Page 6

Page 7

Page 8

Page 9

Page 10

For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on facebooktumblr and/or twitter.

***

Copyright 2013 by G. E. Gallas


Check Out “The Poet and the Flea”!!

---Silhouettes

Yesterday, I posted the 10th page of The Poet and the Flea – I can’t believe it! The Flea premiered online November 28th, 2012 and has already received almost 5,000 views. I’m so excited that everyone seems to be enjoying my graphic novel so far and I hope more and more people will begin to read it. :)

For those of you who have yet to check out The Flea (and for those who wish to read the first 10 pages over again), I’ve included links below. Enjoy!

***

In related news, I just discovered a very long and detailed review of the first 9 pages of The Poet and the Flea by Sarah Goode at University College Oxford on the British Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies’s website! Wow!!! Check it out here!

***

Start from the beginning!

Cover

Title Page

Note

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

Page 4

Page 5

Page 6

Page 7

Page 8

Page 9

Page 10

***

For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on tumblr and/or twitter.

***

Copyright 2013 by G. E. Gallas


Thank You!

Hey everyone:

I can’t believe that the online premiere of The Poet and the Flea (November 28th, 2012) has come and gone already. But there’s plenty more to come!

In case you missed the premiere, click here!

I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who participated in the premiere. It’s hard to believe that there were over 400 views from all over the world! Thank you especially for all your likes and comments — they mean a lot to me and make me want to write and illustrate all the more. :)  

That having been said, I would love to hear more of what you all think. Please don’t hesitate to leave any questions or comments. I will without fail respond to each and every one of you.

I also wanted to share some of the kind words posted by my friends on Facebook:

  •  Lindsay: “…this is amazing!!! I can’t wait for each new page! Amazing!!! ^_^”
  • Wes: “WANT MORE!”
  • Phuong: “It’s awesome so far! Can’t wait for more!! :)

Anyway, thanks again!

Best,

G. E.

***

For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on tumblr and/or twitter.

***

Copyright 2012 by G. E. Gallas


The Flea is coming… in 10 days!

Today marks 10 days until the premiere of my graphic novel The Poet and the Flea!

For those of you not yet familiar with The Poet and the Flea

Summary: The Poet and the Flea is a reimagining of the life of the poet-painter William Blake. Set in 1790, at the onset of The Industrial Revolution, William suffers from the death of his beloved younger brother, Robert.  Catherine (Kate) Blake attempts to comfort her husband, but cannot dispel his grief. During this spell of anxiety, William is visited by an ominous creature: The Ghost of the Flea. The Flea reveals an invested interest in William’s spiritual well-being — the result of an unorthodox wager. Will William triumph over The Flea’s sinister meddling? Or will he fall victim to The Flea’s corruption? 

William Blake was born November 28th, 1757. And this year will be the poet-painter’s 255th birthday! Thusly, I will be premiering the first five pages of my graphic novel on Wednesday, November 28th, 2012!

★ The Poet and the Flea will premiere on thepoetandtheflea.wordpress.com.

I hope you will all help me countdown these last few days and, when the time comes, celebrate Mr. Blake’s birthday with me!

Thank you!

–G. E.

***

For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on tumblr and/or twitter.

***

Copyright 2012 by G. E. Gallas


The Flea is coming… in 100 days!

Today marks 100 days until the premiere of my graphic novel The Poet and the Flea!

For those of you not yet familiar with The Poet and the Flea…

Summary: The Poet and the Flea is a reimagining of the life of the poet-painter William Blake. Set in 1790, at the onset of The Industrial Revolution, William suffers from the death of his beloved younger brother, Robert.  Catherine (Kate) Blake attempts to comfort her husband, but cannot dispel his grief. During this spell of anxiety, William is visited by an ominous creature: The Ghost of the Flea. The Flea reveals an invested interest in William’s spiritual well-being — the result of an unorthodox wager. Will William triumph over The Flea’s sinister meddling? Or  will he fall victim to The Flea’s corruption? 

William Blake was born November 28th, 1757. And this year will be the poet-painter’s 255th birthday! Thusly, I will be premiering the first five pages of my graphic novel on Wednesday, November 28th, 2012!

I hope you will all help me countdown the days and, when the time comes, celebrate Mr. Blake’s birthday with me!

Thank you!

–G. E.

***

Cross-posted at thepoetandtheflea.wordpress.com.

***

For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on tumblr and/or twitter.

***

Copyright 2012 by G. E. Gallas


Announcement: “The Poet and the Flea” Premiere!

The Flea is coming…!!!

Page 14, in progress.

I’ve been playing around with dates for the premiere of my upcoming graphic novel, The Poet and the Flea. And, although this date is later than I originally intended, I hit upon the perfect one.

For those of you not yet familiar with The Poet and the Flea…

Summary: The Poet and the Flea is a reimagining of the life of the poet-painter William Blake. Set in 1790, at the onset of The Industrial Revolution, William suffers from the death of his beloved younger brother, Robert.  Catherine (Kate) Blake attempts to comfort her husband, but cannot dispel his grief. During this spell of anxiety, William is visited by an ominous creature: The Ghost of the Flea. The Flea reveals an invested interest in William’s spiritual well-being — the result of an unorthodox wager . Will William triumph over The Flea’s sinister meddling? Or  will he fall victim to The Flea’s corruption?

Since William Blake is my protagonist, I thought what better date than his 255th birthday? 

William Blake was born November 28th, 1757. And this year will be the poet-painter’s 255th birthday!

Thusly, I have decided to premiere the first five pages of my graphic novel The Poet and the Flea on Wednesday, November 28th, 2012!

I realize that this date is a ways away, but I hope everyone will be patient and, when the time comes, celebrate Mr. Blake’s birthday with me!

Thank you!

–G. E.

***

Cross-posted at thepoetandtheflea.wordpress.com.

***

For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on tumblr and/or twitter.

***

Copyright 2012 by G. E. Gallas


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