February passed in a blur of editing, and it ain’t over yet – I’m stealing a few minutes to post this before I get back to turning Regeneration from a decent draft into a manuscript fit for publication. (Someday I must write something wry and witty about the paradox of struggling to generate as many words as possible during the writing, only to then delete as many words as possible during the editing. When I have time and wit to spare.)

Finishing isn’t the only reason I’ve been looking forward to March. A number of cool things are happening this month:

The Women of the World (WOW) Festival runs 1-8 March 2015 at the Southbank Centre. I’m on the provocatively titled panel discussion Hollywood, Sci-Fi, Computer Games & Rape next Saturday, 7th March from 12-1pm, along with Joanna Bourke, Professor of History at Birkbeck College; Laurel Sills, editor of Holdfast Magazine; and David Moore of Abaddon Books. We’ll be chaired by Helen Lewis, deputy editor of the New Statesman, and will be discussing why so many plotlines across so many platforms revolve around cruelty and sexual violence against women. It’s a difficult, emotive and necessary topic; I’m very honoured to have been asked to participate. The entire festival is wonderful, so get yourself a ticket (Day Pass is only £20 and gets you into everything all day long except the Stand Alone events).

Next up is an event that isn’t public, but I’m so pleased about it I’m going to mention it anyway: on 17th March I’ll be giving a talk to students who are reading Gemsigns as part of “London in the Literature of the Fantastic”. The course is being taught by Anthony Keen at the University of Notre Dame’s London Undergraduate Program. They’ll also be reading E. Nesbit, The Phoenix and the Carpet; P.L. Travers, Mary Poppins; John Wyndham, The Day of the Triffids; Neil Gaiman, Neverwhere; Kate Griffin, A Madness of Angels; Paul Cornell, London Falling; Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie, The Wicked and the Divine; and watching Doctor Who: The Web of Fear.

On 24th March I’ll be at the North London Lit Fest, in conversation with Farah Mendlesohn and Aliette de Bodard. When Farah contacted me about this she said we’d be talking about migrations and crossing boundaries, so come for what I imagine will be a wide-ranging discussion!

And finally, on 26th March I’ll be popping along to the HOLDFAST Anthology launch party. Laurel and Lucy have done an excellent job with the magazine in its first year, and I’m looking forward to celebrating their latest milestone. There will be wine and books and readings and wine. It’s a fitting start to spring.