Every year I love going to Melbourne’s annual speculative fiction convention. If you’ve never been, it’s where you can go and listen to authors on panels, meet like-minded fans and attend writing workshops (as well as fancy dress and karaoke!). This year, Continuum is at the Jasper Hotel from 7-10 June. You can buy tickets here – only $180 for first timers!
I’ll be on a number of panels at Continuum including:
- Internally Created Hierarchies – Friday at 5:00 pm
Before we celebrate the “open-mindedness” of speculative fiction, we might want to take a long, hard look at some of the hierarchies that crop up within the fandom. Male-created fiction > female/non-binary fic? Hard sci-fi > soft? Fan fiction < “original” fiction? Everyone > furries? Where do these ideas come from, and how do we break free from them? - We Do This Stuff So You Can Write About It – The Return – Friday at 8:30 pm
Back by popular demand! What’s it really like to be a paramedic or a wildlife rescuer or an astronaut?* People with unusual jobs or hobbies are invited to come talk about them and answer questions, so writers (and the simply curious) know more about what they’re like and what pitfalls to avoid when writing about them. *OK, we probably won’t get an actual astronaut – but we can dream! - What If It Sucks? Monday at 10:00 am
Whether it’s sending your first draft to beta readers, submitting to anthologies or writing that sequel – how to push past the fear of putting work out into the world.
I’ll also be co-hosting the Ditmar awards with Devin Jeyathurai on Saturday afternoon. I may be presenting the awards dressed as a Space Viking, so y’all probably want to come along.
Other unofficial places you might find me – bidding on broken figurines at the fan fund auction, dancing around the maskobalo and KARAOKE! Can’t wait.
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