I’ll be appearing at the Speculative Fiction Festival 2017 on Saturday 22 July at the NSW Writers’ Centre.
Get up close and personal with some of Australia’s finest spec fic authors this July, as Cat Sparks directs her second Speculative Fiction Festival. Alongside a genre-spanning program of panels, the popular kaffeekaltsches are back, giving attendees the opportunity to take part in intimate group chats with the likes of Sean Williams, Margo Lanagan, Garth Nix, Kaaron Warren, John Birmingham, Marlee Jane Ward and Angela Slatter.
Explore short fiction, genre-bending, and the influence of superheroes and legends. Hear from writers imagining future realities – from the ramifications of AI to the repercussions of climate change. Learn how to craft and sell stories from people who have done it successfully and gain direct advice from editors and publishers.
“Contemporary speculative fiction is a literature of ideas,” says Cat, and this is the perfect opportunity to engage with the ideas most relevant to spec fic writers today, alongside a community of peers both emerging and established. Join us for an unforgettable day of fantasy, speculation, and know-how, where professional authors share their secrets and new authors are forged.
These are my sessions.
12–1pm: Short, Sharp and Sweet
Short stories are gaining increasing critical respect, fuelled perhaps by accessibility online and via handheld devices. The panelists discuss their own writing and publishing experiences and offer advice on selling shorts, considering whether or not you should you write to market; the value of networking; critique groups and social media.
Julie Koh (chair), Marlee Jane Ward, Kaaron Warren, Sean Williams
2–3pm: Weird fiction – slipping through the genre cracks
Weird fiction is literature of the strange, toying with the subconscious, blending elements of supernatural, mythical, uncanny and scientific tropes. Is it a subgenre, a philosophical aesthetic or merely a marketing category?
Julie Koh, Jane Rawson, Rose Michael, Kaaron Warren (chair)
More details here.