In the week that mother-of-three Claire Allen (36) from Rhondda, South Wales found the image of Jesus on a Marmite jar lid, we ask – are these the end times?
The evidence is strong. With hundreds of millions of users, Twitter still can’t figure out how to make money. Book publishers are following the suicidal example of their newspaper cousins and flirting with the idea of giving it all away for free online. And the US Department of Homeland Security is retaining 40 science fiction writers to help it dream up even more nightmarish scenarios of death and destruction.
If those aren’t imminent portents of the rapture, we’d like to know what is.
Attempting to forestall the day of reckoning, our panel tonight includes an international selection of eschatologists, otherwise known as… leading Florida lawyer and Litopia Daily’s newshound, Donna Ballman… from England’s West country writer and Litopia stalwart Dave Bartram… from the heart of Scotland, it’s the vivacious Eve Harvey who you know and love from Litopia Daily’s Eve’s salmagundi Club… and tonight’s ultra-special guest – award-winning children’s author and expert media commentator on the children’s and young adult publishing market, from London, it’s Graham Marks!
Topics covered (and links) from tonight’s show include:
- Publishers rush to hurl themselves lemming-like off the fatal cliff of free content – are free e-books going to finally crush the life out of publishing?
- 21st century boys: a danger to themselves and to others? Or just badly misunderstood?
- The Department of Homeland Security retains science fiction writers
- Musicians man the barricades, Les Misérables style – should authors do the same?
This week’s titles from the Commissioning Meeting are:
“David Lannarck, Midget”
By George S. Harney“The Dope on Mars”
By Jack Sharkey , 1931-“The Ducks and Frogs, A Tale of the Bogs
By Alonzo Hartwell , 1805-1873“A District Messenger Boy and a Necktie Party”
By James Otis, 1848-1912
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Picture by Monty Propps
Easy way: just click the PLAY button under each show. 
Simply fill in the form under each show and bingo! You’re a critic!
Litopia receives no public funding. For the price of a latté a month, you can keep us going. 
Litopia is the winner
of the first Golden Twits Award for excellence in social media. 
