Devin Tupper is a writer of drama, fiction, and non-fiction. He is currently a PhD student on University College London’s Creative Critical Writing programme, examining question of contemporary authorship through a Gothic, creative-critical practice. The winner of the 2020 Lovecraft Theatre Festival’s New Writing competition, he is also a writer member and workshop-leader at The New Works Playhouse, an online theatre group making theatre more accessible through pay-what-you-can schemes, workshops, table-reads, and online productions for new writers and performers.
From ‘In Conversation with the Author’
Write? Like, writing? Ohhh – like practicing my cursive. No. My hands are pretty small. And I only write my cursive when I’m told to. I much prefer to read.
Loads! I really like Sherlock Holmes, The Lost World. Though sometimes I don’t completely understand them. But they just end so well. Oh, and I love fantasy books. I really like them because one time, after I swam really well, my parents bought me 4 books. 4! And they were all a part of the same series. I was set! I just finished the last one.
The Dragonlance Chronicles – Gods, monsters, magic, the works! It was just so good. Especially because the heroes don’t really win? You know? Like in Sherlock Holmes, you know he’s always going to solve the case. Or like in Lord of the Rings, they’re just cutting down orcs left and right, right? But in these books, you’ve got no idea how things are going to turn out. I mean, in the first book they come across some orcish bandits and they just run for it! Sure, they try to fight a bit but they know they are no match.
You mean make stories? I mean, I do that already…What? I think they’d rather me practice my cursive, but I get really bored with that. I just told you I get bored with homework. I like to play with my toys. Right now, G-Gundam and the T-Rex from Jurassic Park are on the Millennium Falcon trying to convince Han that Chewbacca needs rescuing, but he’s confident that Chewy is OK and can get himself out of it.
Yeah, sure, I guess. The Christmas Carol guy? He played with action figures?
I don’t know about that, but it all has to make sense as to why everyone is doing what they’re doing. I mean, the T-Rex just really likes to eat people. That’s just their nature. And G-Gundam, he never really wants to hurt people. He used to, until he learned it was wrong, and Han, he just wants to have faith in Chewy. And obviously the Millennium Falcon is the fastest ship in the galaxy. So, of course they’ll come together.
Well, no. I don’t do homework this way. Who?
Oh! Well, the galaxy has LOADS of bad guys in it. And they need to be stopped. So, really, why didn’t they get together sooner?