The celebrated author Sir Terry Pratchett series, passed away in March 2015. Perhaps most famous for his Discworld series of some 40 volumes, he was a much-loved figure in the world of fantasy, and April 28th would have marked his 67th birthday. It is therefore fitting that in honour of his life and works, Fantasy Faire has declared that April 28th, 2015 will be Pratchett Day.

A whole series of events at the Faire’s LitFest in Sylvan of Spells will mark the occasion, and visitors to the Faire are encouraged to dress as their favourite Terry Pratchett characters – and even adopt their personas! For those seeking to commemorate Sir Terry a little more quietly, there will be copies of his trademark black fedora on offer for people to wear.

Events at the LitFest start at 10:00 SLT, and continue throughout the day, comprising:

10:00 – 11:00: Share your favourite Pratchett extract! Bring your favourite quotes or longer extracts to share with other Pratchett friends – and join the discussion. Moderated by Judi Newall.

Bring your favourite quotes or longer extracts to share with other Pratchett friends – and join the discussion. Moderated by Judi Newall. 12:00 – 13:00: Who is your favourite Terry Pratchett character? Come and talk about your favourite Pratchett character – Vetinari or Granny Weatherwax? Samuel Vimes or Nanny Ogg? Susan or Death? Or do you love a character who appeared in just one novel? Moderated by Judi Newall.

Come and talk about your favourite Pratchett character – Vetinari or Granny Weatherwax? Samuel Vimes or Nanny Ogg? Susan or Death? Or do you love a character who appeared in just one novel? Moderated by Judi Newall. 14:00 – 15:00: What is your favourite Terry Pratchett novel? A discussion for Terry Pratchett fans. Which is your favourite novel, and why? Come along and share your favourites! Moderated by Judi Newall.

A discussion for Terry Pratchett fans. Which is your favourite novel, and why? Come along and share your favourites! Moderated by Judi Newall. Note that unfortunately, the Poetry Slam originally planned as a part of the day’s events has been cancelled.

For those who do opt to dress as a Pratchett character or those on the look-out for Pratchett characters, there is an informal photo contest being run. Simply take a snap of yourself in your Pratchett costume while in the Fairelands – or take a shot of someone you see in the Fairelands in a Pratchett costume – and post it to the Fantasy Faire Flickr group (please indicate if it is a selfie or a shot of someone else, and include the fact it is a snap for the Pratchett Character Photo contest in the description).

The entries most in the spirit of Sir Terry’s writing and characters, as judged by the Faire team will be featured in the Fantasy Faire blog, and the overall winner, as selected by the Faire team, will receive a special prize.

There will also be additional events to commemorate Sir Terry as well:

Wednesday, 29th April, 10:00 – 11:00 Reaper Man Live Reading : Caledonia Skytower and Dubhna Rhiadra in a duet presentation of selected passages from Terry Pratchett’s 1991 Reaper Man, the 11th book in the Discworld series

: Caledonia Skytower and Dubhna Rhiadra in a duet presentation of selected passages from Terry Pratchett’s 1991 Reaper Man, the 11th book in the Discworld series Thursday, 30th April, 18:00 – 20:00 Good Omens Discussion: Aoife Lorefield leads a discussion on Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman’s book Good Omens.

Terry Pratchett would doubtless have loved Fantasy Faire, both for all that it represents, and for the way it becomes a melting pot, bring people from across the grid and around the world together in their love of all things fantasy and the power of imagination.

Certainly, he was not unfamiliar with Second Life; as many will remember, he came in-world in October 2009, when he gave a Q&A session, mostly about his (then) new book, Nation, but which also covered other topics as well – including his thoughts on Second Life, and whether he’d come back. At the time, he thought the graphics let the platform down – and I think that’s something we’d all agree upon. But would he feel the same today? With mesh, materials, improvements to the viewer’s rendering capabilities and more, the Second Life we see today as exemplified by Fantasy Faire, is quite unlike anything that could be achieved in 2009 – and I think Sir Terry would have loved explore the realms of the Fairelands.

Terry Pratchett, October 2009; by Gellan Gelnelg on Flickr

For those who missed Sir Terry’s in-world visit, Ciaran Laval has an abridged transcript of the event available on his website.

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