The protagonist of this novel is a man who likes to think he has embraced his three scores years and ten. This embracing includes aspiring to be what was termed as a local artist in his now distant youth. As in ‘a local artist’ being an artist who fulfils a function in locality as other tradesmen do, as in a carpenter, or a plumber, or maybe a gardener, or an undertaker does. People in a locality want art to put on their walls, even if the walls are just in their mind or memory. And it is the job of local artist to provide that art.
This novel is constructed from the month-by-month notes made by the protagonist in his notebook throughout the year of 2023.
From these notes we learn very little about his domestic situation, or what other traumas might be going on in his life. If there is an ark to the story contained in this novel it is for you the reader to project onto its pages.
Some of the notes in this notebook are no more than ‘to-do-lists’ or instructions to himself how certain jobs are to be approached. These can be skimmed or skipped by the casual reader of this novel. Also, a local artist has a tendency to repeat himself on occasions.
Some of the notes in this notebook lend themselves to exist as spoken word, others don’t. Those that do have been spoken by the novelist, William E. Drummond.
As with previous novels by William E. Drummond it primarily exists in the public sphere as a spoken novel.
And...
Each page from a local artist’s notebook only exists in its spoken form on the date in the year that it was originally written.
As for the other works of a local artist, they might exist in their physical form elsewhere, as in on a wall under Spaghetti Junction or flowing in the waters of The Penkiln Burn.
If you want to find out if there is a page of notes for you to consume on this day of the year click HERE
To know when each of the pages will be posted on the Penkiln Burn website for 24 hours click HERE
Proofed by Penny Kiley
Spoken by Bill Drummond
Recorded by Kenny Atkin
Programmed by Gavin Bush