Hell Launch in Houston: What Happened

 I can do no better than send you extracts from an email I sent to my publisher and others: 

Club night was amazing. Stefano [Cagol] came FROM VENICE (he had invited me to give the first ever Hell lecture, in the Dolomites on Zoom, last year). Ed came from Syracuse (yes, that Ed[ward Morris], from that lecture! [I gave one at Syracuse in February]). Paul [Miller aka DJ Spooky] was so great not only behind the decks but as an amazing host. 

We sold so many copies of Being Ecological! Many many! It was lovely to sign them.  There was a huge line. 

Lecture was also amazing. I’ve done dialogues many times and that was the BEST. Paul was very enthused about the book and he knows everyone. He wants to launch it in NYC. He got Cornel and Slavoj together at the New School last week. He wants to hook up with Columbia etc etc. If anyone can make it work in NYC it’s Spooky. 

So much lovely conversation. I have a thing about “I have a dream” [MLK] that is much more than even in the book now, I’m so happy with it. And I felt at home with the U of H Downtown students, many continuing ed, genuine, emotionally connected people, great students of all ages. There is now other stuff that isn’t in the book. I researched the original Greek in “But deliver us from evil”—it’s really really really powerful and nothing like what I was taught, ever. 

I was TERRIFIED. Not since my first big keynote in 2005 have I been terrified like that, with cotton mouth. I talked about it and made people laugh. I read Thomas Merton’s “Moral Theology of the Devil” at the start. I did a really heavy powerpoint like I haven’t done since Hyperobjects. Ed [Morris], an artist who had persuaded me strongly to do a presentation, was impressed. 

I handed out the 100 flyers for the book promotion at Brazos Bookstore! 

It was such an honor and a privilege to launch the book this way.