A couple of weeks ago I attended the first M. R. James and the Modern Ghost Story one day conference in the atmospheric and aptly antiquarian setting of Leeds Library.
Highlights for me included meeting Will Ross, Mike Taylor, Jane Mainlley-Piddock and Helen Grant in real life, being introduced to the likes of Chris Rose and Prof. Aaron Worth, and chatting with BBC Ghost Story for Christmas originator Lawrence Gordon Clark. Here’s a picture to prove that happened:
I was there to deliver a paper on adapting James’ stories into comics. I spoke about comics and adaptation generally a bit and then focussed on the Ash Tree because, happily, I had a couple of pages which Alisdair Wood had drawn for an adaptation of that story. 
I’m very pleased to finally announce that Leah and I have adapted all eight stories of Ghost Stories of an Antiquary which will be published in a single volume by Self Made Hero in Autumn 2016.
Anyway, I intended to write a little report on the whole thing but I didn’t find the time, sadly. Now Will and Mike at A Podcast to the Curious have spared me the guilt by devoting a whole episode to the conference, including interviews with Helen Grant, Prof. Darryl Jones, Jane Mainlley-Piddock, and even me.
You can download it, or listen here: mrjamespodcast.com
Oh, and look at my weird sideways face here:
At Leeds Library with @johnreppion @jmainpidd @helengrantsays Mike and Will! #mezzotweet #mrjselfie pic.twitter.com/xCBPwRq4Aq
— M.R. James Podcast (@MRJamesPodcast) March 29, 2015