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The person books built' 46th Australian National Science Fiction Convention Rydges Melbourne Hotel, Australia. 8-11th June 2007 |
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Proposed panelsSpecial Events* indicates that the panel is full or has been settled, so no new panelists are required Updated 27 May 2007 A second life, why would I want one? # Second Life, World of Warcraft, Everquest... what's the attraction of these
burgeoning virtual worlds? What do people do there? Who's making a living from
them and in them? What does this mean for real-world economics, human
relationships and our very notion of what is real? A tag-team, create-your-own-space-opera session * Audience suggestions for a space opera. Narrated by Paul Kidd and illustrated
by Craig Hilton. Wacky & zany fun. Alternative histories, recent releases and what’s hot Such as Harry Turtledove, Mary Gentle, Tim Powers, Kim Newman Anime Awaiting details Approaching the craft * Just how do you get from flash of inspiration to finished novel? The paths
can be many and strange. Are we just the 51st state? * Is there such a thing as a distinctive Australian voice in speculative
fiction? And if so, what in tarnation is it?! Awards — not worth the gilded plastic they’re stamped from * It’s a thrill to get one, or to appear in a year’s best, but isn’t it all
just a non-representative wank? Digital rights Dave Cake, Dave Freer Fandoms in Europe and Australia: Getting Up and Getting Down Ang Rosin, Juliette Woods, Damien Warman (M) Fantastika! Russian SF & fantasy movies Terry Frost Fantasy’s dark cousin * Dark fantasy, that’s where the really innovative stuff in the genre is going
on. Great debate – Mainstream media is killing science fiction Ian Nichols, Rose Michael, Dave Freer, Jack Dann (m) Grumpy old fans * Old fans talk about the fandom of today and what’s wrong with it. In the
style of the TV show Grumpy Old Men. Harry Potter – hero or zero? * Is JK Rowling’s creation the gold standard of YA fiction, or just another
hack-written burnt offering? Inspirational journeys * Fans and writers talk about the stories they read in their early years that
gave them their sense of wonder, and how those tales inspired their own work in
the field. I hate my cover! What sells and what does not. What is 'commercial art'? Is fantasy really about good verus evil? * Tansy Roberts, Glenda Larke, Pamela Freeman, Richard Harland Lay down your mystical amulet and grab hold of this! Medieval battle, like life, was nasty, brutish and short. Learn what it was
really like to lift a bloody big sword. Looking for the hook? * Do authors consciously look for a hook to catch the reader? Can you have too
many hooks? Authors and readers discuss. Making a business from comics Awaiting details. Manga awaiting details New players in the sandbox The last couple of years has seen a resurgence in small or independent
presses. Hear the people behind these new ventures talk about their plans for
the market, their editorial policy, the problems they’ve encountered and the
solutions they’ve discovered. No jetpacks, just a trandem... They travelled in time, flew to the Moon and fought giant kittens. Could The
Goodies be the greatest unsung SF show of all time? Orc Liberation Front * Are the Orcs a racist stereotype? Otaku-Rama, Cool Japanese & Korean Madness Anime, film, TV, Japanese pop culture in general. Korean genre films. Science Fiction & Fantasy in the School Curriculum * Where & what is it? Should we be excited or disappointed. Slippage on the Liminal * True horror is found in those moments of spooky hesitation, where the
familiar slips into something else. Subvert the dominant paradigm * Alternatives to epic Europe-derived fantasy can still be found. Which are the
best and what can they teach us about breathing new life into the genre? Teen angst Why cant kids be happy? Abuse, death, family separations, poverty, isolation
and alienation. Why cant teenage YA characters have normal, fulfilling lives? Themed or unthemed... what's the better type of anthology? Are themed collections just gimmicks? Does a theme expand or limit a writer's
outuput? Is "Australian" a theme? Authors, editors and readers discuss the
relative merits of each approach, reflect on their experiences and show off some
famous examples. The lure of the apocalypse * Whether it’s the Rapture you’re after or something darker, there’s just
something so nice about contemplating the ‘end times’. Why? The YA format — shh, don’t tell the parents * Just what can you get away with in a YA novel, what is still ‘taboo’, and
should we be concerned? They maybe ripped, torn, and frayed but we will never let them go The books we'll never sell, loan or give away. Which ones are they? Why are
they so precious? What happens when someone takes a precious and does not return
it? What are the big clichés of fantasy? * What are the big clichés of fantasy? Do you avoid them, use them or exploit
them? What’s coming up What movies are people looking forward to seeing soon? Trailers & teasers
shown. Where are the new dangerous visions? Have SF and fantasy gone safe and sound to avoid alienating the mainstream
audience? Where are the risky, edgy, works in the fields of politics, sexuality,
racism and real-world issues? Where the futurists got it wrong Aaah, the 21st century at last. But where’s my personal rocket pack, and why
doesn’t my mobile work in Hall’s Gap? Why is there a bimbo on my cover? * How many clichés can you fit on a book cover? Prizes for the highest number
of most obvious clichés on a book cover brought to the panel. Wild Palms A Brian De Palma TV series made in the 1980s set in 2007. Its reaction to
Reagonomics in the 80s is a powerful message in post 9-11 America. Bizarre and
studied madness. World building 101 * Ready to create new worlds? Great! But are you sure you’ve thought of
everything? Writing for the screen Why it’s so different to writing for print? Zombie flesh eaters ate my baby! The many forms of zombiism. Are they just misunderstood souls with a penchant
for long pig?
Panellists are not required for these items. Updated 25 May 2007 Anthology of Interest and Dark Carnival short film collection * Brilliance on a budget! Shorts on a shoestring! Barnard's Star Productions
proudly presents some of the best and most imaginative of recent Australian-made
science fiction short films for your viewing enjoyment and critique! A talk with Isobelle Carmody * # Richard Harland talks with Isobelle Carmody about writing, fantasy and
fiction for young readers. Plus anything else under the sun. A couple of
readings are strongly predicted, and a cat's tail and ears are almost
guaranteed! Blacksmithing * "Of the four elements, air, earth, water and fire, man stole only one form
the gods: fire. And with it man forged his will upon the world." Where did the
wood cutter get his axe? The carpenter or stone-mason his hammer and chisels?
The farmer his hoe and plough? The soldier his armour and sword? The butcher and
cook their knives? Eating ancient food: historical foodways for writers, readers, fans and chocolate lovers * # Presentation – half-panel length. How can food hold societies together and
split them asunder? Why should writers pay attention to it? Gillian illustrates
her talk with anecdotes about butchers, suicidal ancient Roman gourmands, and a
sample of medieval viagra. Fiddlin’ with history * Are alternative histories just parody, or are there some deeper literary or
other purposes to them? History of imaginative fiction for YA/children * Presentation – half-panel length. How to create a comic strip * # Presentation. Craig Hilton takes you from an idea, a blank sheet of paper.
and a fat texta to a finished strip. How to promote your book * # Presentation – half-panel length. So, you have sold your idea to the
publisher and the book's in print. But its not over yet! There are thousands of
new titles out there, so how do you make yours rise above the competition and
generate some real sales? I wish I’d thought of that! * Presentation – half-panel length. Just how difficult is it to be creative, to
come up with something shockingly new? This is not a "seven-step plan", but it
just might fan an ember or two out there. Keeping it Real * # A talk focused on good characterisation. The latter is often criticised in
speculative fiction, which seems to favour world building over character
building. But in many ways, world building is only another sort of
characterisation, and without good characters, there is no deep connection with
a reader. Megatokyo Q&A * # Fred Gallagher discusses his creation Megatokyo. Outland – "Max has a shameful secret... he's a science fiction fan..." * Come see the Ditmar-nominated short film Outland. A gay comedy of geek shame,
it's played at film festivals around the world and now screens at Convergence,
followed by a Q&A with the film makers. Outland stars Adam Richard, Wes Snelling,
Scott Brennan, Narrelle Harris and Anthony Menchetti. Potential food preservation technologies for future space missions * # Presentation – half-panel length. Source material courtesy of Pablo Juliano. Smart Foods * # Presentation – half-panel length. Awaiting details. Sudden death mastermind * George is back with a quiz of Magnus Magnusson proportions. Audience
participation is most definitely required. The revenge of the past: Ghosts, Zombies and other Aesthetics of Horror * # Presentation – half-panel length. General understanding of the nature of
"Horror" as a genre is muddy at best and there is a growing tendency to discuss
it in terms of mere physical threat -- violence, serial killers, lunatics,
torture. Yet if the current popularity of ghost stories and zombie epics proves
anything, it is that the above naturalistic "thriller" tropes are not the whole
story. In fact, maybe they're not the story at all. It rather depends on what
you mean by "horror", and Robert Hood flings himself into that particular
morass, examining just how relevant the immaterial can be in a materialistic
society.
Updated 27 May 2007 "A Mankind Witch" – Dave Freer Reading – humour. A pagan relic has been stolen. Princess Signy stands accused of magical murder and theft. Cair, captured and enslaved by the Norse, does not believe in this superstious claptrap. But he will rescue her, if he has to take on Grendel himself. Pyramid Power – Eric Flint & Dave Freer Reading – humour. "My Kingdom for a Norse." The alien Krim battle humanity in a world of Norse myth... with Thor on a 12-point plan, and the midgard serpent wrestling with anorexia. Mytholgy, misadventure and bad puns. "The Man Who Lost His Shadow" – Isobelle Carmody Reading. From Dreaming Down-Under (edited by Jack Dann and Janeen Webb). "The Dove Game" – Isobelle Carmody Reading. From Gathering the Bones (edited by Jack Dann, Ramsey Campbell, and Dennis Etchison). "Nigella and the Clockwork Man" – George Ivanoff Reading – horror. From Shadow Plays (edited by Elise Bunter). "Doof Doof Doof" – Paul Haines Reading – fantasy/horror. From Doorways For The Dispossessed, Prime Books 2006. Aurealis-nominated horror short story, following the pitfalls of Wolf in his romantic pursuit of Red Riding Hood, while attempting to deal with his nemesis the Three Little Pigs. It sure ain't kosher. Rated R. "Sasha" – Joel Shepherd Reading – fantasy. From Sasha volume I of A Trial of Blood and Steel by Joel Shepherd. A sneak preview of this soon to be released exciting new epic from Hachette in July 2007. "xxx" – Jack Dann * # Reading – xxx. Awaiting details. "Melded Child" – Jane Routley * # Reading – xxx. Awaiting details. Melded Child which is the sequel to The Three Sisters. "A Guided Tour in the Kingdom of the Dead" – Richard Harland Reading–fantasy/horror. The Egyptians were the greatest navigators of the land that lies on the other side of death. The starting-point for this short story, to be published in Dreaming Again (edited by Jack Dann), was a painted map in an ancient tomb chamber in the Valley of the Kings. "JUGGERNAUT" – Richard Harland Reading–fantasy YA. An episode from Richard's latest novel, JUGGERNAUT. It's New Weird, it's Victoriana, it's industrial-fantastical, it's an alternative history springing from the nearly-true time when Napoleon constructed a tunnel under the Channel to invade England. One thing's for sure, this reading will be VERY dramatic. "Son et Lumiere" - Ian Nichols * # Reading. Complete short story from Andromeda Spaceways In-flight Magazine (2007). Does a person choose to live without joy, without all the things which give him pleasure, which make him what he is, or to die as a whole person? The choice is light, then dark, or dwindling grey for much longer. How much is colour worth to you? Music? Taste? How much? Updated 24 May 2007 Kitsune Press Friday 8pm Paul Kidd launches KITSUNE PRESS, his new print-on-demand publishing effort. His novels Lilith, Dreamscape, Petal Storm, Mus of Kebridge and Neu Europa will all be hot off the press. http://kitsunepress.purehubris.com Food and drinkies provided! Fortify yourself for the night's panels! Fannish Auction Saturday 12pm Items on auction will be sold by individuals or by the Fan Funds: GUFF, DUFF, FFANZ and NAFF. Justin Ackroyd as auctioneer. Creativity - the Improbable Aircraft – Mark Shirefs & Jack Dann Saturday 4pm A discussion about creativity as it applies to science fiction and fantasy in film and novels. A screening of the Academy-Award nominated film THE MYSTERIOUS GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORATIONS OF JASPER MORELLO from Mark Shirefs, a reading from Jack Dann's bestseller THE MEMORY CATHEDRAL. Mark and Jack will also be discussing their exciting new projects. Plenty of giveaways. Dark Space – Marianne de Pierres & The Darkness Within – Jason Nahrung Saturday 7pm Hachette Livre Australia invites you to celebrate the launch of two exciting new books. Refreshments will be provided. Ditmar Awards Presentation Ceremony Saturday 8pm The Australian SF (‘Ditmar’) Awards recognise excellence in Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror by Australians for work published or released during 2006. ASFF Business Meeting Sunday 10am Concerned parties Orb issue #7 launch & The Liminal pre-movie cocktails Sunday 7pm Orb speculative fiction magazine is back, and The Liminal has arrived.
Celebrate the launch of the starship issue #7 with its spaceworthy authors and
artists, along with the cast and crew of the new film, over complementary drinks
and nibbles. The Liminal — twenty tentacles, a bucket of slime and a Handycam... * Sunday 8pmOver a year in the making, using all the resources of Bunnings, Spotlight and
eBay at her command, Claire McKenna is proud to bring you in glorious colour,
the first-time screening of a man, a squid-girl, and technology gone wrong. Author book signings Authors, including the Guests of Honour will be signing books and other items at special sessions throughout the convention. Check daily program sheets for details. Dealers Room Booksellers and traders selling a wide variety of SF&F-related merchandise, book and other media. Pick up some great bargains and stuff not commonly available. Display - Isobelle Carmody's book cover artwork Follows the journey from the designer's concept to draft through to the final book cover. Megatokyo on Show A display of Fred Gallagher's artwork
Contact the programmer Please direct all emails to Jamie Reuel email: convergence at natcon dot org dot au
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