P.E. > Status Update

One day to go :) I can hardly wait!

What is on the programme for the 31st P.E ? Are there any events or guest visitors you want to see?

Nice question Jan, thanks for asking :)

For this year's edition, I will meet three friends, one coming from Vendée, one working at the board-game stand, and another one traditionally working as a volunteer in the bookstore! I hope I will chance on literary YouTuber and Goodread user Margorito too! :)

Otherwise, I'm truly curious about session 5 of the short films competition, featuring an adaptation of one of PKD's short stories titled "The Gun", one of the first I read from him a long time ago!

I'm intrigued and drawn towards Léa Murawiec's art exhibition – the artist behind this year's daring and dashing poster,

I have a mind visiting the new area set in Ateliers de Bitche outside the main venue,

Same goes for Belgian artist Miel Vandepitte's "Vestiges du Futur" exhibition, and the displays from CNRS and the local University :)

Annnd, I am so elated at the prospect of immersing myself in the ephemeral bookstore, a gathering of the collections of 6 local bookstores, with a few novelties to boot: I am looking out for the thematic anthology of short stories, the second volume of Mitsuo, the latest book by Becky Chambers, There is no Antimemetics Division and a couple of novels recommended by literary YT channels... I am no longer living in the vicinity of the libraries in the city center and it shows, haha :) I might as well reap a lasting harvest while I am at it, right? ;)

After a severe succession of shifts at work following the departure of seasonal colleagues, I am positively craving events concerning topics I am genuinely curious about, while meeting friends I do not see that often anymore! I am looking forward to it.

If demonstrations around the venue get heated—or the police response—, I stacked some masks, serum, a scarf and a fan in my bag, just in case...

P.E. wrote: "Nice question Jan, thanks for asking :)

For this year's edition, I will meet three friends, one coming from Vendée, one working at the board-game stand, and another one traditionally working as a ..."
Sounds great, I hope the day went well, I read an article today about two friends who are going to start playing a board game that they estimate will take them thirty years to complete - both of them are fairly young so they are not worried about Death stopping play!

The day went mostly well, thanks Jan! The short-film contest had many fascinating ideas to offer, I really enjoyed 5 on 6 of them :)
As for the bookstore, it has been moved to a more spacious area this year, allowing more books to be displayed, giving more space for book signing... I ended up buying 4 books and 3 art books/comics :)

The atmosphere was friendly and the exhibitions intriguing, thought-provoking, artistically daring for some! Small caveat: since 2022, the era following Covid, year after year, the main venue proves a little too cramped for this many visitors 😅 Cinema sessions are all the rage, to the point they are rapidly fully booked and I have only been able to attend the short film session thanks to a fluke of luck and genial front desk receptionists :)

Tell me more about the thirty-year long board game session? *_*

It sounds a varied event that offers a lot.

Yes, the 30 year game...it is a board game that aims to recreate the north-african campaign in WWII which as far as I remember lasted a fair bit less than thirty years 😂. It seems as though the game is quite heavy on imagining the logistics of the war. Their initial estimate was that it would take them fifty years to play the game which is quite scary as it would rule out a lot of older people from ever thinking of playing!

Wow... Why is so much time needed? Is it a uchronian version when war is still raging in Northern Africa in the mid-seventies??...

P.E. wrote: "Wow... Why is so much time needed? Is it a uchronian version when war is still raging in Northern Africa in the mid-seventies??..."

I do not know, and I do not know. The article says that the game comes with five rule books which does not suggest nimble game play 😃

Oof... That's what I call dedication 😶 This board game might be a jot unwieldy for a demonstration during a 4-day festival 😅

On the other hand it had a very big map