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Joshua Johnson – The Whilby Seance

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These notes were started back when I was living in Scarborough, a stones throw away

from Whitby. I was beginning to develop my own routines based on local stories and

was trying to move away from relying on other peoples material. I was reading

increasingly bizarre routines based on Jack the Ripper, London and abroad in

America. And these were great. But I wanted something personal to me. At the same

time my mum was running a book group and the book chosen to start the new season

was Dracula. She invited me along as she knew I loved the book and had a reasonable

knowledge of vampire literature and of Stoker. The book group went well. The group

had all enjoyed what I had to say and I was invited to give a talk on Bram Stoker at

another book group. Following this I did a talk at the Uni as well.

It got me thinking that Whitby, vampires and Bram Stoker offered me an excellent

theme for a night of bizarre entertainment. I had been reading different books on

themed seances; the Jack the Ripper séance, Houdini, Buddy Holly, etc. This seemed

like something I could reasonably do that wasn’t too distant from my present location.

This coupled with the popularity for anything vaguely connected to vampires it

seemed like a winner. I started making a few notes of local ghost stories of Whitby.

These notes kept growing, the notes hear are a fraction of what I originally set down.

But as I kept going I realised I didn’t have the experience to present a séance. I didn’t

have the experience or the skills. I still doubt that I will for a good many years. I have

now done two informally, one amongst purely friends and then one with friends of

friends. They both went well and were enjoyable evenings, but I knew that I wouldn’t

do another for a good many years. I am carrying on building my skills through

psychic parties and performing reading. I’ve also moved further away from Whitby

making the plans even less likely. However I still have all these notes which I’d rather

not see go to waste. This year marks 100 years since Stoker’s death, so there are great

opportunities for people to exploit this anniversary. Dan Baines vampire fairy has

also made me want to do something with these notes, even if it is just to give them

away. Possibly someone else can get some use out of my rambling notes.

These notes give background on Whitby, Stoker and vampires, along with some of

my thoughts on how an evening could be presented held in Whitby. Two of the

sections that I am more comfortable with being published openly have been

submitted for the Mystic Menagerie. The rest I give freely to you here.