Upcoming: STORM by Tim Minchin (Orion)

On October 16th, Orion will publish STORM, an illustrated book of beat-poetry by comedian, musician, actor Tim Minchin. I don’t have a lot of experience with Minchin’s work, but I’ve seen some clips of his music and comedy, as well as a couple of appearances on UK panel shows (QI in particular stood out). This book, therefore, is of quite some interest. Here’s the press release description of where the idea or seed of STORM came from…

STORM is an illustrated book born from the hit YouTube animation of Tim Minchin’s sublime beat-poem of the same name. With over three million views STORM has won support from high-profile experts in science and scepticism, becoming an anthem for critical thinking worldwide…

In the confines of a London dinner party, comedian Tim wages a verbal and intellectual battle with a hippy named Storm, the fifth guest at the table. While Storm herself may not be converted, audiences have been won over by Tim’s wordplay and the timely message of the piece in a society where science is attacked as the enemy of belief.

The YouTube animation was nominated for an Animated Short Film BAFTA. Tim Minchin had the following to say about the publishing deal:

“I’m so glad this poem has been made into a book: now I can literally hit people over the head with my opinions.”

STORM will come with a foreward by Neil Gaiman, a new introduction by Tim Minchin, and illustrations by D.C. Turner.