Program participants* * Thursday* * Friday* * Saturday* * Sunday* * Monday
The Portrayal of Science and Scientists on SF TV
Scientists on TV and in movies are often stereotypes, or are portrayed with no real understanding of science or what real scientists do. But there are exceptions -- for example Scully, in early seasons of the X-Files, was a reasonable scientist.
Andrew Adams, Genevieve Dazzo, Therese Littleton, David Stewart
The Plague After Next: How Are We Going to Die?
We've seen HIV, SARS and now Avian Flu. Global pandemics are a stable of SF disaster, but how realistic is the fiction, and how worrying are the facts?
Greg Bear, Colin Gavaghan, Alma Alexander, Frank Wu
Reading
Reading
YAFA Initiation
Introduction to Young Adult Fun Activities, hair adjustment, and some fun and free stuff. A chance to check out YAFA.
Reading
Fangorn Talks about His Art
Cover art from Chris Baker has many moods -- silly for Robert Asprin, fantastic for Brian Jacques, dramatic for David Gemmell. He's also created conceptual art for films such as War of the Worlds.
Human Psychology and Long Distance Spaceflight
Mike Rennie considers the potential psychological effects of long distance space flight, and looks at some of the research undertaken by the space agencies and even the British Antarctic Survey!
British Worldcon Orientation for SF Professionals
Not been to a Worldcon before? Or an SF convention before? Or a British SF convention before? Our crack team of experts shows you how to have a good time.
Pat Cadigan, Gay Haldeman, Harry Harrison, David Hartwell
Hubble Update
Inge Heyer talks about the Hubble Space Telescope.
Reading
The Family Business: So Maybe It's In the Genes?
Why do some families produce more than one writer? What's it like? Can you share worlds?
Anne McCaffrey, Todd McCaffrey, Sean McMullen, Adam Stemple, Jane Yolen
Reading
Autographing
Scott Edelman, Elizabeth Hand, Eldon Thompson
Nitro Ice Cream (YAFA)
John, Kathi, Emma and Simone make nitrogen ice cream, and we learn odd uses for this chemical.
Emma King, Kathi D. Overton, John Pomeranz, Simoné Vanzyl
Reading
Reading
Fan Room Opening Ceremony
The Plokta Cabal (and friends) explain the concept of a viral convention, introduce the Antler Awards, encourage you to participate in everything, and generally set you up for the weekend.
Revisiting Favourite Childhood TV as Adults
What were your favourite shows as a child? Why did you enjoy them? When you saw them as an adult, what changed for you?
Margaret Austin, Chris Barkley, Nicki Lynch, Laurie Mann, John Pomeranz
Post Colonialism and Cargo Cults
Is it a gift from the gods or just a military supply run? Portrayal of indigenous people has notalways been fair or free of cultural bias. Words like "primitive" and "backward" may notbe used anymore, but what expectations does the writer bring to these settings?
Karin Lowachee, Geoff Ryman, Harry Turtledove, Elizabeth Wein
Book Group: Robert Sheckley's The 10th Victim
The 10th Victimis one of Robert Sheckley's most provocative books. Elements from the novel have been reused in SF ever since its publication, and it was the basis for the motion picture The Tenth Victim with Marcello Mastroianni and Ursula Andress.
Fem-Bots and Faeries
Although we no longer live with the nipple shortage of the 1950s, fantasy art remains unreconstructed. Why hasn't feminism affected SF and fantasy art -- or has it?
Judith Clute, Paul F. Cockburn, Karen Haber, Madeleine E. Robins, Jannie Shea, Delphyne Woods
What's New from Del Rey Books
Come meet the editors from Del Rey and hear about New books from your favourite authors.
So, Private Spaceflight Is Here
SpaceShip 1 has won the X-Prize and Branson is buying a batch of the next model. We've been talking about what happens when we hit this point in programme items at cons for the last 20 years, so what do we think now that it's happened?
Simon Bisson, Paul Chafe, Dan DeLong, Aleta Jackson, Mary Turzillo
Fandom 101 -- Enjoying a British Worldcon
Not been to a Worldcon before? Or a con before? Or a British con before? Our crack team of experts shows you how to have a good time.
Liz Batty, Gay Haldeman, Sue Mason, Chris O'Shea, Spike Parsons
The Limits of Open-Source Knowledge
Wikis are touted as a huge success, but are they useless for practical work? What happens to data integrity in a world where people can effectively vote on the documented value of pi?
John Bray, Andy Sawyer, Alison Scott, Renee Sieber, Amy Sisson, Karen Traviss
The Origin of Life: Facts and Speculation
Tino Warinowski discusses current speculations from the scientific community concerning the origin of life and the potential for life in other parts of the solar system.
Reading
The Past, Present and Future of Christian Fantasy
With D. J. Taylor's Shadowmancer, Gene Wolfe's The Wizard Knight, and the Left Behindsequence, Christian fantasy is back on the agenda. What does it have to offer the largely secular world of the fantastic?
Paul Cornell, Ronald Oakes, Jessica Rydill, Graham Sleight
Board Games for the 21st Century
A look at some superb board games that you will not find outside the hobby stores. If your knowledge of board games is limited to Riskor Monopoly, then you are in for a real treat! Discussion will include co- operative games Lord of the Ringsand Shadows Over Camelot.
Autographing
Juraj "Mad" Maxon, Janet McNaughton, Chris Roberson, Amy Thomson
Lego Train (YAFA)
We have a selection of train bases, upon which your WAR TRAINZ can be built and battled, while people talk about the future scientific side of Trains.
Bazooka, Carolyn Dougherty, James Shields, Simoné Vanzyl
A Solar System of 50,000,000,000,000,000 People
Klaus Æ Mogensen's vision, based on rigourous science, of humanity's future in the Solar System.
Reading
Reading
The Matter of Britain in British Music
An investigation into the Matter of Britain as portrayed in British music, from Purcell to Birtwistle -- and beyond.
Reading
The Philosophy of Science Fiction (YAFA)
"What is Science Fiction?" is a big enough question. So what is the philosophy of SF?
Geneva Melzack, Justina Robson
Role-Playing Game Design Theory
How has the model for an enjoyable RPG evolved? An introduction to the models popular in the internet independent RPG community will be followed by discussion.
What's New From Eos
Come meet the editors from Eos and hear about New books from your favourite authors.
Privacy or Paranoia?
How justified are concerns about ID cards, RFID and the like? Are social and communitarian interests being undermined in the name of freedom?
Roz Kaveney, Mike Scott, Renee Sieber, Karen Traviss, Britt-Louise Viklund
The Next Astronomy Missions
Dave Clements talks about Herschel, Planck and ASTRO- F.
Hans Christian Andersen & the Dark Side of Fairy Tale
Fairy tales really aren't very nice; they encode the fears and prejudices of adult society. By the time you leave this panel you might have doubts about the red shoes you wanted so much.
John Clute, Edward James, Faye Ringel, Jo Walton
Science Commons
Scientific research has long been very much like the open source model. Can it be kept that way? Discussion of the SC project and related work.
Colin Gavaghan, Julian Headlong, Amy Sisson, Eric M. Van, Juliette Woods
Reading
Wearable Art: Jewelry and Fabric Arts
Fabulous painted scarves, silver rocket pins, brocade dresses, necklaces of exotic stones. How is it done and where do they get the materials?
Autographing
Robert Buettner, Alastair Reynolds, Kathryn Sullivan
Paul Cornell Reads Some Doctor Who (YAFA)
Paul is the author of numerous Doctor Who books and audio plays, and is a script writer on the New Doctor Whoseries. His episodes include "Father's Day."
Opening Ceremonies
And so it begins, with some solemn ritual, and the introduction of the Guests of Honour. The Committee welcomes everyone to the 63rd Worldcon!
Gail Dana, Greg Pickersgill, Christopher Priest, Lars-Olov Strandberg, Jane Yolen, Vince Docherty, Colin Harris
Reading
Reading
Cartoon Capers (YAFA)
One hour of insanity. A look at some of the weirder cartoons current, homemade and old.
Reading
Reading
Asexuality is the New Gay, but Is that Also the Default of Science Fiction?
In the middle of the sex scene do you find yourself wanting to get back to the technical description of the star drive?
Paul F. Cockburn, Jim Grimsley, Joe Haldeman, Geoff Ryman
What's New From Bantam Spectra
Come meet the editors from Banta/Spectra and hear about New books from your favourite authors.
The Art of the Reviewer
Our Panelists discuss the potential pitfalls of reviewing, as well as the skills needed to write a good book review.
Elizabeth Hand, Mark Kelly, Paul Witcover, Gary K. Wolfe
Physics and Astrophysics Year in Review
What's been happening in astronomy and astrophysics this past year? A lot! Come and hear about some of it.
UK: Media SF vs. "The Two Cultures"
The divide between the cultures of the sciences and the arts are often discussed in the UK. While SF is sometimes invited out of the gutter to dine with the literary establishment, its media cousin does not. Despite this, the only shows on UK radio and TV discussing the human soul were Melvyn Bragg (UK TV's champion of the intellectual) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Is it time for media SF to be taken more seriously in the UK?
Martin Easterbrook, Roz Kaveney, John Medany, Dave O'Neill
Reading
Into the Navel of Fandom and Other Scary Journeys
Why record, remember and reminisce? How does it seem when we do look back? Featuring the memories participants personally think should notbe lost -- and experiences which should be forgotten.
Geneva Melzack, Greg Pickersgill, Joe Siclari, Lars-Olov Strandberg, Suzanne Tompkins, Damien Warman
Can It be Fine Art if It's Science Fiction?
Many galleries and fine art markets insist that SF art cannot be fine art. Should this or can this be changed, and if so, how?
The Wombat, Sally Mayer, Klaus Æ Mogensen, Martina Pilcerova
It May be Art, But is It Science?
The science in science fiction art -- where does artistic license begin and end?
Fangorn, Judith Clute, Les Edwards, Dominic Harman
Reading
How to Participate in and Moderate a Panel
Veteran Panelists discuss the tricks of the trade for being an effective panel member or moderator, and offer words of wisdom on things to avoid while serving on a panel.
Janice Gelb, Ellen Klages, John Scalzi
The Real Middle Ages
Since the time of William Morris, much fantasy has been set in a pre-industrial world of warriors and castles. Why do writers love the Middle Ages? What do the authors leave out, or get wrong?
Ellen Asher, Edward James, Conor Kostick, Kari Maund, Sean McMullen, Faye Ringel
Use Your Presentation to Tell a Story
A costume is only part of a masquerade entry. The presentation is the other part, and you can take and hold the attention of the audience and judges by telling them a story.
Miki Dennis, Maggie Percival, Dave Weingart
Autographing
James Barclay, Chaz Brenchley, Diana L. Paxson, James Swallow
Create Your Own Car (YAFA)
Paint a car, and use foam to alter its looks. Is it a Batmobile or a Delorean? Continues all weekend.
Shelly Coleman, Dave Elder, Anne Stokes
Reading
Reading
Introduction to SF Fandom in Japan
In preparation for the 2007 Worldcon in Yokohama, we present an introduction to Japanese fandom -- past, present, and future!
Hiroaki Inoue, Mari Kotani, Peggy Rae Sapienza, Takayuki Tatsumi
Terraforming Starts At Home
Before trying to engineer the environments of other worlds, should we try to see if we can handle this one's first? Could we actively intervene in Earth's environment? If we could, should we? Or have we already?
Tom Easton, Rich Lynch, Geneva Melzack, Andrea Novin
Xena, Buffy, Hex: Is Lesbianism in Genre TV Progressive?
Lesbian subtext in Xenacontributed to its popularity, and subsequent genre TV portrayed more open lesbianism. Does it matter if these shows give us positive role models, or merely titillate?
Jane Carnall, Elaine Nicol, Steve Rogerson, Stuart Vandal
Room 101 with the Guests of Honour
According to George Orwell, Room 101 contains "the worst thing in the world," the thing you most hate and fear. Our guests will provide some pet hates and argue why they deserve a place there; the devil's advocate will try to argue them out
Bridget Bradshaw, Greg Pickersgill, Christopher Priest, Connie Willis
The Digital Divide
Are we building a web-enabled society that disenfranchises those unable or unwilling to adopt the online lifestyle? Governments justify the push for e- services on the basis of cost savings, but along with privacy considerations, what are the implications?
Christopher Rowe, Don Sakers, Renee Sieber, Maureen Kincaid Speller, Nicholas Whyte
The Alge-Bread-ist
If you cut a sandwich in half, do you have one sandwich or two? Third Row Fandom contemplate the great philosophical questions of our time, and make a tasty snack.
Tom Anderson, Liz Batty, Niall Harrison, Andrew Hogg, Alex Ingram
Ceilidh Made Easy
Interested in going native, or just looking for some exercise? This is a class in Scottish dance for beginners.
What is the Future of the Developing World?
Should the West stay out of it? Is Development Politics irretrievably contaminated by the past? Or is the free market the answer?
John-Henri Holmberg, Grant Kruger, Lawrence Person, Karl Schroeder
Mark Protection Committee Meeting
This committee manages the WSFS service marks like "Worldcon" and "Hugo Award" and consists of members elected by the Business Meeting and appointed by Worldcon committees. This meeting is open to all convention members.
How Do You Get to a Book Cover
Artists and art directors from different countries/industries discuss the differences in their markets. What unconscious cultural preferences exist? What makes a good book cover?
Didi Chanoch, Simon R Green, John Picacio, Karen Traviss
You Can't Copyright My DNA, Can You?
Genome, appearance, personality -- what happens when you CC licence them? Can you assert moral rights over your DNA?
Andrew Adams, Carolina Gómez Lagerlöf, Ken MacLeod, John Meaney, Richard Morgan, Alastair Reynolds
SF Fandom: Telling the Story
How we tell the stories and how that preserves or distorts fan history, particularly in the UK/Europe. Includes libraries, archives, histories, fanzines, trip reports, art, photos, films and onwards.
Chaz Boston Baden, Bill Burns, Tony Keen, Patrick McMurray, Andy Sawyer
A Fair Ballot
Fandom has for years used the Australian ballot, which solves the problems in First Past the Post systems at the expense of greater complexity. Now the real world seems to be catching on.
Paul Dormer, Fran Dowd, Parris McBride, Kevin Standlee
Enough of Medievalism Already!
Other historic periods can offer the writer a fresh canvas.
Sally Mayer, Marcus Rowland, Delia Sherman
GamerZReception
Cast and crew of the New movie GamerZwill be present to mark its premiere. The reception is open to anyone with tickets to the GamerZpremiere.
Ceilidh
Come dance to the traditional sounds of the Eden Ceilidh Band.
The Future of RPG and Computer Games
Computer and role-playing games have been an important part of SF and fandom for 25 years. What does the future hold for computer games and RPGs, especially as they relate to each other?
David Cake, Bill Fawcett, David Lohkamp, Klaus Æ Mogensen
All Politics are Local
How does a writer's personal and cultural politics shape what shows up on the page/screen? How might the politics demanded or suggested by editors affect SF? Panelists discuss the many faces of politics in their everyday lives.
Tore Audun Høie, John-Henri Holmberg, Kimmo Lehtonen, Takayuki Tatsumi
Film Premiere: GamerZ
Interaction is proud to host the premiere showing of GamerZ, a New comedy movie from Scotland -- an engaging love triangle with a strong twist fantasy. Tickets will be available from the Info Desk. Please see the Thursday Newsletter for further details.
Sexual Just A Minute
Spicing up the venerable BBC Radio panel game. Our Panelists talk unprepared about sleazy subjects for one minute without deviation, hesitation or repetition -- well, pick any two of three.
Fran Dowd, Flick, Doug Spencer
The Military: Making it Authentic
Does it matter if we don't get the equipment right? Is there a military ethic that we have a duty to get right? What matters to readers in uniform?
Simon Bradshaw, Paul Chafe, Richard Morgan, Karen Traviss, Scott Westerfeld
Reading
Living in Old Structures: Church, State, Academia
What's it like to live and/or work in some of the world's oldest hierarchies? Fans from the Church, the Civil Service, the military and academia discuss.
Simon Bradshaw, Claire Brialey, Guy Consolmagno SJ, Lilian Edwards
SF Trivia For Chocolate Quiz
Mark & Priscilla ask SF trivia questions. Audience members answer, hoping to win chocolate.
Open Filk
Reading
Open Filk
Open Filk
Disgusting Ideas in SF
One reader's neat idea is another's yuck factor. What's yours?
Fiona McIntosh, Amy Thomson, Diane Turnshek
I'm Sorry I Haven't an SFing Clue
Those famous opening notes tip you off immediately, this is the antidote to panel items... Remarkably well-preserved jazz trumpeter Tony Keen is the chair, and scoring duties are the responsibility of the lovely Cardboard Buffy.
Ben Jeapes, Tony Keen, Ken MacLeod, John Meaney, Christopher Priest
After Dark
A selection of sensitive fannish faces discuss the burning issues of the day -- a Zeitgeist item; we can't tell you what the topics will be at the time of going to press. They'll keep going as long as there's an audience and an argument.
WSFS Preliminary Business Meeting
This Meeting is where you can participate in the process of making and changing the official rules for the Hugo Awards and the selection of future Worldcons. Every member of Worldcon can propose, debate, and vote on changes to the governing documents of WSFS. Today's meeting is where we hear reports from committees, consider changes to the Standing Rules, and go through an initial round of setting debate times for amendments to the WSFS Constitution, and also where you can make nominations to the WSFS Mark Protection Committee. If there are items of business you want discussed at the main meetings later in the convention, make sure you attend today's meeting to keep the business from being dismissed from the agenda.
Blake's 7: Is Story More Important than Special Effects?
The release of a 30-year-old show on DVD attracts New fans: why? New shows with a massive SFX budget fail before the first season is out: why? It certainly isn't the latest special effects that give Blake's 7 its staying power -- what is it?
Ben Jeapes, Judith Proctor, John Campbell Rees, Steve Rogerson
The Future Around the Corner (SFF)
Mike Cosgrave (M)
Paul Billinger:
- Near Future Visions: Robson, Morgan, Levy
Dr Nick Hubble(Kingston University):
- Future Memories of the Suburbs
Andy Sawyer(Liverpool University):
- Learning to be British through the Future of 2000
AD
You've Plugged Whatinto It?
Hardware Hacking is an increasingly popular pastime. Also the advent of computer control has revolutionised many hobbies, e.g. amateur astrophotography.
Cory Doctorow, Martin Hoare, Jordin Kare
Drug-crazed, Mutant Sci Fi Fans Invade Glasgow: SF in the Tabloids
Just what do we look like to the outside world? Why is it they think we are all trekkies when there isn't a uniform to be seen.
John Brunner Retrospective
Without a doubt, the most distressing event of the 1995 Worldcon was the death of John Brunner. Our distinguished Panelists will pay tribute to his work, considering the legacy he left for science fiction.
Brian Aldiss OBE, Joe Haldeman, Christopher Priest, Robert Silverberg
Reading
When is Genocide Justified?
Genocide is remarkably common in SF, often promoted by apparently nice liberal people. Why?
Paul McAuley, Michael Swanwick, Karen Traviss
Care and Feeding of a GoH
So you've decided to run a con, and you've invited a guest. What should you do to make them happy? Conrunners and their guests exchange tips and horror stories.
Toni Jerrman, Sue Mason, Parris McBride, Spike Parsons
DDR Workshop
Dance Dance Revolution/ Dancing Stage Euromix is that rarest of things; a video game that's good for you. Alison Scott, lifelong video game junkie and couch potato, helps you get off your arses and get dancing. Regular clothes are fine.
Pseudo-Hard SF
Fiction that looks superficially like science-oriented SF, but on closer examination is little more than a hackneyed rehash of Frankensteinor some such. Michael Crichton has a lot to answer for!
Ellen Asher, Jonathan Cowie, John Douglas, Ian McDonald, Geoff Ryman
Reading
From the Glens to the Stars
Scottish writers prepare to take SF by the horns and ride it through the cosmos, and nary a kilt or a haggis in sight. Discussion of genre pitfalls and potentials from the Scottish perspective.
Michael Cobley, Gary Gibson, Richard Morgan, Neil Williamson
Kaffeeklatsch
Les Edwards, Peter F. Hamilton, Tanya Huff, Madeleine E. Robins
Autographing
Laura Anne Gilman, Walter Hunt, Rebecca Moesta
Career Guidance: How to Get into the Trade (YAFA)
Why teens should start writing now. How to break into the business and avoid scams and ripoffs. Our esteemed panel offers an insight into becoming a writer.
Nick Gifford, Robin Hobb, Ken MacLeod, Diane Turnshek
Reading
Reading
Game Design: You've Read It, Could You Play It?
Just how would you turn a book or comic into a playable game -- board, role-playing or computer game?
David Cake, William King, Gordon Lamont, Joe Pearce, Marcus Rowland
The Pros and Cons of Blogging Science
What can happen when an apparently off-the-record remark by a scientist at a fannish gathering gets reported online? When nothing is unattributable any more, will researchers dare to risk mixing with bloggers at events such as conventions?
Anna Croft, Colin Gavaghan, Oliver Morton, Dave O'Neill, Renee Sieber
Visions of a Small Island (SFF)
Paul Kincaid (M)
Dr Neil Hook(University of Wales, Glamorgan):
- Visions of Wales seen through Thursday Next
Jeana Jorgensen(Indiana University):
- Militant Protestants and Gun-Toting Vampires: one
anime view of Britain
The High Frontiersmen
Is it inevitable that space will become the next battleground for geopolitics?
Keith DeCandido, Ken MacLeod, Ian McDonald, Nicholas Whyte
Why Write for Children & Young Adults?
A recent advertisement for a Canadian first novel award included the sentence "if you have previously written children's books, you are still eligible." With that kind of attitude, why do we bother?
Julie Bertagna, Oisin McGann, Janet McNaughton, Sharyn November, Scott Westerfeld, Jane Yolen
Has SF Lost its Faith in Social Science?
With increased discussion of politics and economic systems in SF, are SF authors beginning to treat the social sciences with the same rigour as the hard sciences? Or do they continue to make stuff up, expecting the reader will demand less from the "soft" sciences?
Ginjer Buchanan, Jo Fletcher, Laura Frankos, Charles Stross
Reading
Character vs. Science in Hard SF
It is sometimes said that in hard SF, the science is a character too. What does this mean, and can or should it be reconciled with a traditional understanding of character?
Greg Bear, Patrick J. Gyger, James P. Hogan, Justina Robson, Stanley Schmidt
Slideshow: A Look at Many Worldcons
Guest of Honour Lars-Olov Strandberg has taken photos at every British and European Worldcon since 1965, and a number of American ones too. He's going to show some of the slides; a small panel of experts will help him identify the guilty.
Bill Burns, Rich Lynch, Andrew I. Porter, Lars-Olov Strandberg, Kees van Toorn
Fanzine Production Workshop 1: Cover and Design
Fanzines are cool, but if you've never pubbed your ish, it can be daunting. Our workshops are designed to get you producing your own fanzines Right Here In The Fan Room -- and the first is on cover and design.
Jae Leslie Adams, Pat Virzi, Pete Young
Digital Dreams
Digital techniques, the art of the airbrush, and other ways to paint the fantastic.
Allison Hershey, John Picacio, Martina Pilcerova
Reading:
Robert Sheckley
Promoting New Writers
How it's done, the best way forward, and what writers can do for themselves.
Carolyn Caughey, Lillian Cauldwell, Jetse de Vries, Shelly Shapiro, Sheila Williams
Racial Characteristics and Other Forms of Determinism in Fantasy: How Can We
Ever Get Away from It? How do you avoid racial stereotyping when you construct an alien species? Is it ok to simply move the stereotyping to a different trait? Are strong, fierce women who hop onto horses hours after giving birth just as bad? And can we use stereotypes creatively?
Sarah Ash, Lillian Stewart Carl, Gregory Frost, Maureen Kincaid Speller, Jo Walton
My First Masquerade: What Happens at a Masquerade
What is the process from the time an entrant checks in at the masquerade desk or office until they leave stage.
Sandra Manning, John O'Halloran, Teddy
Kaffeeklatsch
James Barclay, Frank Borsch, Paul Cornell, Chris Roberson
Autographing
Jay Lake, Todd McCaffrey, Irene Radford, Elizabeth Wein
Rebel Training Camp and Missions (YAFA)
Everyone is dressed as a rebel trooper, drilled, and set to tasks.
Art in Space: Slideshow by David A. Hardy
Hardy captures massive starscapes on a canvas that can fit on your wall. Enjoy a slideshow full of launching starships, dying suns and spinning planets, including paintings from his Hugo-nominated book Futures.
Reading
The Immortal in Written and Media SF, The HighlanderMeets This Immortal
Immortal characters are a staple of SF and Fantasy. How do the written and media genres cope with characters who look at the world without our cultural assumptions?
Ginjer Buchanan, Tanya Huff, Fiona McIntosh, Elaine Nicol, John Scalzi
Introduction to Japanese Science Fiction
An overview of the genre past and present. Come see the Seiun Award presentation.
Mari Kotani, Reiko Noda, Peggy Rae Sapienza, Hicaru Tanaka, Takayuki Tatsumi
It's How You Say It (SFF)
Andy Sawyer (M)
Dr Dianne Newell(University of Vancouver):
- Judith Merril in Japan
Amelia H Beamer(University of Michigan):
- Genre Evolution Project
Ria Cheyne(Royal Holloway):
- Alien Languages in Science Fiction
Moving in Time as Well as in Space: the Fractured Narrative & the Causal World
Priest's novel The Affirmation, presents a story in pieces which readers have to reconstruct like a puzzle. This may be a valid way for a writer to depict extreme experiences -- but what are the pitfalls? Do films like Mementorepresent a "mainstreaming" of this approach?
Claire Brialey, Fiona Patton, Alastair Reynolds, Steph Swainston
What's Hot and What's Not
An overview of favourite recent fiction and the material that missed the nominations. What works are winning the more specialised awards? What is cool but defies categorisation?
Paul Billinger, Charles N. Brown, Ellen Datlow, Donna Hanson, Paul Kincaid
What's New in Astronomy and Cosmology
Recent developments on our understanding of deep space and the structure of the universe.
Dave Clements, Guy Consolmagno SJ, Inge Heyer, Diane Turnshek
Reading
XCOR Private Rocket Company
Talk by Aleta Jackson and Dan DeLong on XCOR's work on commercial private space flight.
Worldcon Box Game: Time Travel in Practice
We send superfluous technology and fannish goodies back to Loncon II, and the 1965 Worldcon sends Interaction a time capsule. Fans representing the '60s and the '00s explain their choices; a survivor from the '80s moderates.
Zara Baxter, Sandra Bond, Andrew Ducker, Rog Peyton, Peter Weston
Belly Dancing
A practical workshop, participants only. Great exercise, drives men wild with lust*, what's notto like? *NB Your Mileage May Vary.
The Return of the Queen: Writing Feminism in a Medieval World
The "real" Middle Ages is notknown for fostering feminism. Apart from the upper aristocracy, few women had any power or freedom of action, and that power was limited by the rules of male society. What are the effects of introducing feminism to medieval setting?
Lillian Stewart Carl, Ellen Kushner, Julianne Lee, Diana L. Paxson, Madeleine E. Robins
Reading
Clones, Children or Countless Lives
If everyone lives forever, or is endlessly reincarnated, where do we put them? And can anyone reproduce in any other way?
Simon Bradshaw, Cory Doctorow, Anne K. Gay, Richard Morgan, Eric M. Van
Book Group: Jane Yolen's The Devil's Arithmetic
Come join the discussion of Jane Yolen's novel about a contemporary Jewish girl who finds herself shifted in time and place to the era of the Nazi Holocaust. Hannah learns what it means to be a hero. She experiences the horrors of the past, then acts as a witness to her contemporaries, telling a powerful story that isn't an easy one for civilisation. And so the narrator begins, "I'm tired of remembering..."
Kaffeeklatsch
Kevin J. Anderson& Rebecca Moesta, Jay Caselberg, James Swallow, Ian Watson
Autographing
Trudi Canavan, Michael Cobley, Hal Duncan
Extreme Art (YAFA)
We nail you to a wall, colour by GOB art, decorate our own t-shirts, and generally have fun with spray paint.
Max, Oisin McGann, Anne Stokes
Reading
Reading
Creating a Character for the Screen or the Page
Comparing media characters like Buffy, Spock or Londo with written favourites like Miles Vorkosigan, Honour Harrington, Winston Smith or Zee Zee.
David Gerrold, George R.R. Martin, Lauren McLaughlin, Craig Miller
How Do You Research Things That Don't Exist?
What are the "rules" of vampires or fairies? How do you justify departure from the rules?
Mark Chadbourn, Laura Anne Gilman, Beth Hilgartner, Charles Stross, Martha Wells
You Killed Off the Old People: Depicting Older People in SF
Will there be pensioners in outer space? Will longevity treatments rule the future? What might a world without grandparents be like? Does it matter if we forget how to grow old?
Brian Aldiss OBE, Elizabeth Hand, Tanya Huff, Geoff Ryman, John Scalzi
Fantasy for Children (SFF)
Fatima Ahad (M)
Dr Irma Hirsjärvi(Jyväskylä University):
- Young People Reading Fantasy
Stefan Ekman(Lund University):
- Forces of nature in Susan Cooper's The Dark Is
Risingsequence
Jessica Yates:
- Catherine Fisher and Annie Dalton: contemporary UK
children's fantasy writers
The BSFA 'Best of British Science Fiction' Contenders
Panel to consider the contenders for the British Science Fiction Association poll on the best of British SF, as well as a great British SF author to join the BSFA's New Order of Merit.
Stephen Baxter, Paul Billinger, Paul Kincaid, Maureen Kincaid Speller
Fantastic Cities
A celebration of all the many wild, wonderful, vibrant, dangerous and exciting cities of fantasy literature.
Jeffrey Ford, Ian R. Macleod, China Miéville, Michael Swanwick, Claire Weaver
The Ethics and Effects of Colonisation
Life on a colony is likely to be dangerous, deprived, lonely and years from medical and social support. The first generation might be happy with this, but will subsequent generations feel the same way? Do we risk recreating Pitcairn Island on Phobos? Also, what are the risks of having unaccountable groups with the resources and energy budgets needed for spaceflight? Do we risk terrorism by meteor strike (imagine The Moon Is A Harsh Mistressfrom the Earth's point of view)?
Ken MacLeod, Farah Mendlesohn, David Moles, Dave O'Neill, Karen Traviss
Reading
Doctor WhoRetrospective: The Best Years
What were the best years of Doctor Who? It goes beyond the important matter of "who made the best Doctor?" Which years had the best scripts, the best major story arcs, the best free-standing episodes?
Chris Barkley, Paul F. Cockburn, Paul Cornell, Kathryn Sullivan, Nicholas Whyte
Growing Old by Accident: How Do *We* End Up as the Establishment?
Once we knew how to make fandom better -- or take it over. And then we find we've gone from young turks to old farts. Are we destined to repeat fan history even if we're uninterested in it?
Randy Byers, David Cake, Andrew Hogg, Greg Pickersgill, Mark Plummer
Aesthetics of SF
How do we write the sense of wonder?
John Clute, Ian McDonald, Robert Silverberg, Ian Watson
The Chesleys: Past, Present and Future
The Chesley Awards are internationally respected as the most prestigious in the fantastic arts. They acknowledge the best sculptures, book and magazine covers, game designs and art direction that the field has to offer.
Reading
Conrunning Fans Separated by a Common Language
Conrunners all have their own lingoes, histories, and strong points of view. How can they communicate with each other, let alone the people attending the cons?
Janice Gelb, Toni Jerrman, Mike Scott, Theresa R. Smith
Mandolin Workshop
Mandolin for all skill levels in ensemble and solo filk settings; audience participation encouraged but notmandatory.
A Commonwealth of Science Fiction
A chance to hear about the work coming out of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and other areas of the Commonwealth
Cecilia Dart-Thornton, Russell Farr, Jo Fletcher, Rowena Lindquist (Cory Daniells), Antonio Ruffini, Allan Weiss
Kaffeeklatsch
Juliet E McKenna, Suzanne Tompkins& Damien Warman& Juliette Woods, Harry Turtledove, Jane Yolen
Autographing
Terry Pratchett Reading on the Floor (YAFA)
Terry Pratchett reads his favourite book.
The Science of Aliens
A landmark New touring exhibition from the Science Museum, London, incorporates content developed by Big Wave Productions for the Channel 4 TV series Extraterrestrial. Development teams discuss the use of science fiction and imagined worlds to engage the public in science.
Reading
Reading
Handling the Media
You've just received a phone call: a local TV station wants a quote from a "Sci-fi" author. What do you do when the BBC ask you to talk about UFO belief? How do you cope when your lovingly crafted genre novel hits the big time?
Make a Cyclotron with Your Microwave Oven (YAFA)
Emma and Simone show us things.
How Mediocre Movies Can Become Good TV Shows
What do Stargate SG-1and Buffy the Vampire Slayer have in common? They were both mediocre movies that became good TV shows. Poor TV shows get remade as good ones e.g. Battlestar Galactica. How can this happen?
Jim Mann, Cindy (Huckle) Mohareb, James Swallow
When Novices Win: Masquerade Tips
Worldcon masquerade winners ("Arctic Circle" at Noreascon 4, "Return of the Hunt" at Intersection) discuss entering a masquerade as worldcon novices, along with tips and pitfalls to watch for along the way.
Susan de Guardiola, Janet Johnston, Maggie Percival, Mike Percival, Kate Waterous
What's New from Voyager/HarperCollins
Come meet the editor of Voyager Books and hear about New books from your favourite authors.
Joy Chamberlain, Emma Coode, Jane Johnson
The Second Golden Age of Children's Fantasy (1970-1990) (SFF)
What inspired such a wealth of fantasy writing for young people in this period? What gives these stories lasting appeal for writers, critics and children now?
Charles Butler (M), Stefan Ekman, Conor Kostick, Janet McNaughton, Maureen Kincaid Speller, Francis Spufford
Eurocon Business Meeting
Annual business meeting of the European Science Fiction Society, including presentations by Eurocon 2007 bid committees.
Not Letting Research Get in the Way of Your Imagination
How to bluff your science in a convincing fashion.
Tina Beychok, Brenda Cooper, Gail Dana, Peter F. Hamilton, James P. Hogan, Ian R. Macleod
How Have Worlds Changed?
In the 1960s, Larry Niven found himself writing a New version of Mars every time another space probe changed the understanding of the planet. What are the latest developments in our understanding of the planets that will affect the way we write about them?
Duncan Lunan, Paul McAuley, Oliver Morton, Tino Warinowski
Reading
Guest of Honour Speech: Jane Yolen
Our Guest of Honour Jane Yolen talks about growing up in a family of liars... er, storytellers and how that sort of heritage can influence a person's outlook on life and choice of career.
SF on British TV Since the First Doctor
What impact did Doctor Whohave on British TV? Did it help or impede the creation and acceptance of other later SF shows? Can we predict the legacy of its current incarnation?
Judith Proctor, Steve Rogerson, Gary Russell, Rob Shearman
Fannish Reading
Why read fanzines anyway? Some of our favourite readers read some of our favourite fanzine articles.
Things I Wish I'd Known
Artists in discussion on things they didn't know when they started out, but wish they had.
Robert Hole, Jr., Sally Mayer, Oisin McGann, Frank Wu
Reading
Mining Other Cultures
What stories, characters and landscapes can non- European folk traditions offer the SF/F writer?
Jonathan Clements, Jeana Jorgensen, Katya Reimann, Frank Roger, Takayuki Tatsumi
The Agent-Client Relationship
Literary agent Joshua Bilmes discusses the business from an agent's perspective.
Kaffeeklatsch
David Moles, Stanley Schmidt, Lars-Olov Strandberg(in Swedish), Robert Vogel
Autographing
Capture the Flag (YAFA)
Based on computer games like Doom, we bring this violent sport to life, with two teams and two forts and many blow up weapons.
Reading
Reading
Update on the Dune Series
Frank Herbert may have left us but his Dune lives on. Find out about the Dune 7 duology being written, based on an outline by FH, as well as other works.
Reading
Paganism in Glasgow
The thriving pagan community has at least eight moots currently running in Glasgow. Come hear about this diversity, and how some local pagans interact with the land and spirits of this green place.
Five Horror Books You Shouldn't Read (YAFA)
Kim Newman and James Lovegrove talk to us about a selection of books that will give you nightmares.
Comics Now
People doing comics today comment on the state of the industry.
Dan Abnett, Tony Lee, Liam Sharp, Bryan Talbot
The Dead God in SF and Fantasy
"God is dead," proclaimed Nietzsche. Philip K. Dick put the corpse in a spaceship circling Alpha Centauri, and Philip Pullman killed Him off in volume 3. Can gods be killed? And if so, why?
Stephen Baxter, Carol Berg, Guy Consolmagno SJ, Ben Jeapes, Paul Park
The Developing World in Space: Through Poverty to the Stars
China has a manned space programme; India is openly musing about following suit. Are the New superpowers recapitulating the space-race?
Aleta Jackson, Ken MacLeod, Geoff Ryman, Amy Thomson
Questioning Camelot (SFF)
Edward James (M)
Dr Kari Maund:
- The Myths of Avalon: Celtic realities and Arthurian
fantasie
Dr Faye Ringel(United States Coast Guard Academy):
- When Knighthood Was in Flour
What's Real & What's Not: Christopher Priest & Reality
You can't trust anyone, especially the narrator in a Priest novel. Many of them make up stories to shape their lives or those of others. Should the reader try to sort out what is real, or is that a dead end? And is Priest a storyteller who tells us notto believe in stories?
Andrew M Butler, Paul Kincaid, James Lovegrove, Graham Sleight
History of Anime, Part 1: Early Anime
Jonathan Clements looks at the earliest anime, from wartime propaganda to Astro Boy, the first science fiction cartoon in Japan, and the earliest days of colour TV.
Creating the Matte Paintings for I, Robot(Slideshow)
Enjoy a slide presentation by David Mattingly of the paintings he created for use in the movie I, Robot.
Reading
Exploring the Planets
Panel on current and forthcoming planetary missions
Geoffrey Landis, Oliver Morton, Alastair Reynolds, Prof. David Southwood
Greg Pickersgill GoH Experience
Part talk, part interview, all Greg.
Catherine Pickersgill, Greg Pickersgill, Peter Weston
SF Music Quiz
A light-hearted quiz to test how well you know your SF television and movie themes.
Christine Davidson, Michael Davidson
What's New from Hodder Headline?
Come meet the editor of Hodder Headline and hear about New books from your favourite authors.
Reading
Presentation of Prometheus Awards
The Prometheus Awards are sponsored by the Libertarian Futurist Society. Two awards are given: for best libertarian novel of the year and a Hall of Fame award for classic libertarian fiction.
Just How Different are Arts & Sciences Research?
The subjects might be very different, but aren't the research methods fairly similar? Scientists often give unscripted talks at conferences, while arts papers are often read verbatim. In what other ways are these two academic cultures and research approaches different, and how are the differences reflected in the published papers and repositories? Which discipline yields ideas more useful to the SF author?
Dave Clements, Greer Gilman, Tony Keen, Farah Mendlesohn, Liz Williams
Filk Concert: Lynn Gold
Not all California Love Songs and Road Kill, Lynn sings of the chic of geek and puts the fun in unusual.
Kaffeeklatsch
David D. Levine, George R.R. Martin, Richard Morgan, Karl Schroeder
Autographing
Esther Friesner, Robert Silverberg, Tricia Sullivan
5 Anime Films You Shouldn't Watch (YAFA)
Mari and Dragon recommend five anime films that will turn you into a fan forever.
David 'Dragon' Cotteril, Mari Kotani
Reading
Presentation of Sidewise Awards
The Sidewise Awards for Alternate History were first announced in summer 1996 to honour the best "genre" publications of the year. Two awards are given: short form and long form.
Filk Concert: TBA
The first of our slots for musicians discovered at the convention -- show up and find out who we've tracked down!
Fanzine (YAFA)
Over the weekend we will be producing a fanzine, and this is our kick-off meeting. Any task that takes your fancy -- photo journalist, commentary, artwork, interviews, reports on programmes -- is welcome.
James Bacon, Grant Kruger, Geneva Melzack, James Shields
Harper Collins Pre-launch of Alan Lee's The Lord of the Rings Sketchbook
In conjunction with Harper Collins, Alan Lee 's The Lord of the Rings Sketchbookwill be available for sale and signing. Come early to purchase a book to be signed.
Reading
Reading
Presentation of Golden Duck Awards
The Golden Duck cash awards honour excellence in children's science fiction literature in the categories of Picture Book, Middle Grades (Eleanor Cameron Award), and Young Adult (Hal Clement Award).
Filk Concert: Gwen Knighton
Gwen is a Scottish Harp Society of America National Journeyman Champion and a "distant sister" member of Three Weird Sisters since her 2004 move to the UK. Her song writing is extraordinary.
Secret History Of Ansible
A talk by Dave Langford, multiple Hugo winner for fanwriting and his fanzine Ansible.
The World We are Making Now 1: People
Children being born now will be running the world in 50 years time. What kinds of people are we making now?
Jon Courtenay Grimwood, Robert Hole, Jr., Caroline Mullan, Ruth Nestvold, Liam Proven
Radical Retellings: of Fairytale, of Well Known Fantasies, of Other Genres
Is the only way to make fantasy interesting these days to retell and rework it?
Andy Duncan, Gregory Frost, Merrie Haskell, Christine Mains, Jane Yolen
Breadth of Character (SFF)
Faye Ringel (M)
Dr Sylvia Kelso(James Cook University):
- The Green Knight's Progeny: Medieval and Modern
Romance(s)
Dr Peter G Christensen(Cardinal Stritch University):
- John Dee in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and the
Historical Novel
Albrecht Fritzsche:
- James Bond and the Borders of Fantasy
The Sting: SFWA, Atlanta Nights and Publish America
Disgusted by Publish America's claim to be selective and concerned about quality, a group of SFWA authors concocted the worst novel imaginable. This monstrosity was submitted to Publish America who enthusiastically offered to publish it. Gotcha!
Darlene Marshall, Robin Hobb, John Jarrold, Steve Saffel
Is Genius Gendered?
One lone genius and an attractive assistant (fill in the genders) save the world. Our panel gives media and literary SF examples, and discuss how changing the gender might change other things.
Cory Doctorow, Sean McMullen, Connie Willis
Current State of SF on TV: Picking from the Potentials
Which of the New SF/fantasy series do the fans like?
Lillian Cauldwell, Martin Easterbrook, Scott Edelman, Nicki Lynch, Rebecca Moesta, Eric M. Van
James Tiptree Jr. Book Group: Not Before Sundown
Discussion of Johanna Sinisalo's Not Before Sundown? (released in US as Troll: A Love Story). In modern Finland, a man hides a troll in his apartment and struggles with problems of attraction and possession.
Translation: Controlling the Text
How do we select a text for translation? What are the technical issues when translating SF? What is lost? Are some texts inappropriate for translation? Does translation intensify or dilute artefacts of the originating culture?
Frank Borsch, Gail Dana, John-Henri Holmberg, Alain Nevant, Terry Pratchett
Realistic Swordfighting 101
Mark Hillyard and Alastair Stewart explain the tradition of western martial arts, and demonstrate the skilful and pragmatic swordsmanship of the Elizabethan age.
Mark Hillyard, Alastair Stewart
Reading
A Matter of Faith: How SF Television Treats Religion
The panel discusses how religion and spirituality is treated in science fiction television. Has it evolved since the original Star Trek??
Louise Burfleet, David D. Levine, Rita Medany, Judith Proctor
Worldcon Financial Responsibility
Worldcons, when they bid and are selected, take on various formal and informal financial responsibilities. They are expected to: spend their income on the Worldcon and its members; attain solvency; provide financial reports to future Worldcon business meetings; operate with a certain level of openness; disburse their surplus to benefit the Worldcon community, including reimbursing volunteers. If they subscribe to the Pass-Along Funds agreement, they are expected to quickly pass an amount equal to half of their surplus to future Worldcons. notall Worldcons have lived up to these expectations. What financial information should we expect a Worldcon to provide? What should we expect a Worldcon to do with a surplus? What should we do when it can't or won't meet our expectations?
Kent Bloom, Craig Miller, Mark Olson, Kevin Standlee
Filk Concert: Gary Ehrlich
"Gorgeous" Gary, a denizen of the swamps near the capital of the US, is a techie and a folkie and a fine songwriter of "songs to shock and delight."
Kaffeeklatsch
Ian McDonald, Christopher Rowe, Prof. David Southwood, Karen Traviss
Autographing
Keith BrookeAKA Nick Gifford, Jo Fletcher, Graham Joyce, Conor Kostick, Stan Nicholls, Robert Rankin
How to Mosh, Slam Dance and Stage Dive (YAFA)
Tutorial in rock dancing ... huzzaahh!
Reading
Filk Concert: Phil Allcock
Master of the rapier-like wit -- well, more like one of those poison daggers, really -- and notafraid to use it. Phil is one of UK fandom's funniest songwriters. His songs are funny, too.
Race, Migration and Refugees
A lot of SF is about discovering frontiers. What happens when you have no choice? What happens when you are "invaded" by the under dogs? What does SF have to say about a desperate and mobile world.
Fiona Avery, Jon Courtenay Grimwood, Karin Lowachee, Ian McDonald, Elizabeth Wein
Writing for Comics
Comics writers gather and discuss their art, as well as unique aspects associated with the comics business. What are the techniques and challenges, and is it very different from writing books, short stories or screenplays?
Dan Abnett, Tony Lee, Steve Saffel, Bryan Talbot
Quiz: Call My Bluff--SF Theory
Panel game in which one team offers three definitions of an SF theory term and the opposing team has to guess which is the true definition and which are bluffs.
Ginjer Buchanan, John Clute, Esther Friesner, David Hartwell, Roz Kaveney, Christopher Priest, Gary K. Wolfe
Huygens on Titan
Talk by member of the Open University Huygens team.
The Cult of Personality
So what do you do when your autograph line goes twice around the block?
Terry Brooks, Anne McCaffrey, Terry Pratchett
Whatever Happened to the Class of '95?
At the Novacon after Intersection, over 20 fanzines were distributed, including many New titles. A look at what happened to the editors, what provoked the surge -- and whether it might happen this year.
Michael Abbott, Bridget Bradshaw, Claire Brialey, Jerry Kaufman, Christina Lake
Whiskey, Whisky, Bourbon and Rye
Explore the delights of the grain.
Jeffrey Ford, Richard Morgan, Steph Swainston
Filk Concert: Blind Lemming Chiffon
A multitalented instrumentalist and writer of many classic filks under a variety of names, you won't want to miss this one.
Chesley Awards Ceremony
The Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists sponsors the Chesley Awards to recognize individual works and achievements in the community. This will be the first time the Chesley Ceremony has been held outside the US.
Filk Concert: David Weingart
Unabashed Long Islander, aspiring beach bum, and tech guru, Dave serves up a classically rock influenced guitar and song writing style that both inspires and delights.
In Memoriam
A look back at people from the SF&F community who have died since Noreascon 4.
John Douglas, Mark Kelly, Rich Lynch, Laurie Mann
Pro-Am Technobabble
O'Neill and Cray present an authors vs. fans special of their long-running panel game for the hard-SF geek. Can you tell your warp coil from your wormhole generator -- and more importantly, can you tell your glamourous assistant what the difference is?
Stephen Baxter, Simon Bisson, Paul Cray, Dave O'Neill, Liam Proven, Charles Stross, Liz Williams
The Uplift War: Foundation and Empire
In the UK, lots of female fans (and some blokes) like to get dressed up of a Saturday night, bolstered by events such as Cleavage Night at <plokta.con>. In the US, you're likely to be accused of Betraying the Sisterhood. What's going on?
Jae Leslie Adams, Giulia De Cesare, Flick, Donna Hanson, Mari Kotani
Challenges For New Writers
Interruptions, interruptions, interruptions -- how can New writers stay focussed? Are websites, blogs, and Newsgroups helping or hindering New writers? What about writers workshops? When do you know you're established and no longer New?
Jay Caselberg, David D. Levine, David Marusek, Bridget McKenna, Martha Wells
Reductio ad Absurdum presents Lucas Back in Anger
Lucas Back In Angeris Reductio Ad Absurdum's latest epic production. Following on the huge success of their previous shows, which include The Matrix: Remaindered, A Fistful of Hobbitsand Dune, or The Sand of Music, Phil Raines and Ian Sorensen present their spectacular version of the complete Star Wars saga -- all six movies in 60 minutes. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll kiss an hour goodbye!
Digital Law: Computer Crime
How many ways can you get into trouble with your PC? Can you take an AI to court?
Lilian Edwards, Britt-Louise Viklund
Dr. Lambshead's Surgery and Consultation
An interactive participatory presentation by expert and highly qualified contributors to The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide to Eccentric & Discredited Diseases.
Jay Caselberg, Mark Roberts, Liz Williams
Space Pirate Night
Splice the main brace! Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Blog! Pirate Night is back, and this time we're Space Pirates! Parrots! Tattoos! Pieces of Eight! ARRRR! Costumes encouraged. (Go to Chaos Costuming room and make one!)
Undead and Kicking: the Death of Horror Has Been Much Exaggerated
What's happening in horror? A quick visit to the horror section of any bookstore chain reveals four bays of books by only 8-10 writers. Is there more to horror than Stephen King and Richard Laymon?
Chaz Brenchley, Christopher Cevasco, Mark Chadbourn, Stephen Jones
Reading
Chesley Reception
The Chesleys are the annual peer awards whereby the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists (ASFA) recognizes individual works and achievements. Come enjoy a reception with the artists after the awards ceremony.
The Aesthetics of Horror Fiction
How do we write fear?
Chaz Brenchley, Stephen Jones, Freda Warrington, Andrew Wilson
Fan Fiction
Can fan fiction writers go on to write real books? Fan authors and real authors debate the point.
Tanya Brown, Jane Carnall, Robin Hobb, Roz Kaveney, Juliette Woods
Open Filk
Reading
Open Filk
Open Filk
Reading
Fan Funds - O - Rama
It's the Fan Funds Auction! Rare, strange, and interesting artefacts from around the globe are auctioned in our inimitable way. We hope to offer you books, art, fanzines, ephemera, curios, and New this year -- Tuckerisations! Monies raised support the fan funds and other fannish causes.
Bridget Bradshaw, Claire Brialey, Jerry Kaufman, Alison Scott, Suzanne Tompkins, Damien Warman, Juliette Woods
Fannish Pictionary
This time, the artist asks the questions and the rest of you draw the answers. Can you tell what it is yet?
Spooky Midnight Storytelling
It's midnight, it's spooky. Join our round robin storytelling session. notfor the faint of heart or ladies of a nervous disposition.
Diana Pharaoh Francis, Alison Scott, Jo Walton
Yoga
Wake up and stretch. Beginners welcome.
WSFS Business Meeting
This Meeting is open to all Worldcon members, all of whom are eligible to vote. Today's meeting will debate and vote on amendments to the WSFS Constitution. The elections for the WSFS Mark Protection Committee are scheduled for this meeting.
SFWA Meeting
The regional meeting of the Science Fiction Writer's Association.
What's New from Macmillan/Tor UK?
Come meet the editors from Macmillan/Tor UK and hear about New books from your favourite authors.
Stefanie Bierwerth, Peter Lavery
The View From Over There (SFF)
Maureen Kincaid Speller (M)
Dr Allan Weiss(York University):
- The Image of the British Empire in Early Canadian
Science Fiction
Dr Michelle Reid(University of Reading):
- Is Postcolonial Science Fiction a Matter of
Perspective?
British Landscape and the Fantastic
Where we live informs the stories we tell. How is the British landscape unique, how has it changed, and how has it influenced British SF writers?
Sarah Ash, Susanna Clarke, Peter F. Hamilton, Elizabeth Hand, Deborah J. Miller
Fractured: Is British Politics tooBroken to Stay Together?
UK politics and race, class, geography, and changing political alignments.
James Lovegrove, Ian McDonald, Ian R. Macleod, Nicholas Whyte
New British Space Opera (and Other Space Faring Cultures)
Twenty years ago, did you predict that British SF was on the verge of a long-term boom in producing large- scale exuberant space opera? You were laughed at, weren't you? And here we are, in 2005...
David Hartwell, John Meaney, Alastair Reynolds, Justina Robson
Reading
The New Doctor Who
The latest incarnation of Doctor Whohas excited fans old and New and is already scheduled for more series and specials. What does this Doctor Whoget right and wrong? What about Eccleston, Tennant, and Piper?
Paul Cornell, Gary Russell, Rob Shearman
Fan Computer Art
The dawn of the computer age has opened up the world of fan art to people who can't actually draw. Aided by superfluous technology, our Panelists talk about the process of turning ideas into finished artwork.
Feorag NicBhride, Alison Scott, Pete Young
Belly Dancing: Tribal Fusion Techniques
Our second round of Belly dancing; a slightly different style. Once again, suitable for beginners.
Design A Solar System
A number of linked workshops chaired by G. David Nordley, exploring the New knowledge arising from recent discoveries of extra-solar planets.
John Bray, Jack Cohen, G. David Nordley
Reading
BSFA Award Book Group: Discussion of River of Gods
Join in the discussion of Ian McDonald's River of Gods, which received the British Science Fiction Association's Best Novel Award at this year's Eastercon.
Kaffeeklatsch
Robert Buettner, Jonathan Clements, Roy Gray, Juraj "Mad" Maxon
Autographing
Terry Brooks, Diana Pharaoh Francis, Katherine Kurtz
Tolkien (YAFA)
Does Tolkien's misogynistic British Christian writing still have relevance to kids today?
Mark Chadbourn, Gregory Frost, Mary Kay Kare, George R.R. Martin, Maura McHugh
Reading
Reading
Reading
The SF Britain Doesn't See (SFF)
Andrew May (M)
Alain le Bussy:
- French SF and Fandom
Jim Walker:
- Urdu Science Fiction - Where is It?
Dr Dale Knickerbocker(East Carolina University):
- The Secular Apocalyptic Fantasies of Javier Negrete
Future Art Media
Envisioning (and critiqueing) possible future art forms like asteroid sculpting, ultrasonic cantatas, body fungus, computer-simulated dance, sonic sculptures, and zero-gravity couture. What's likely to be next, and do we really want it?
The Greatest Editors Now and Then
Great magazine editors have identifiable personalities: the Campbell-era Astoundingor the Dozois-era Asimov'scouldn't be mistaken for anything else. But what about book editors? What makes a great editor?
Brian Aldiss OBE, Gail Dana, Andrew I. Porter, Stanley Schmidt, Peter Weston, Sheila Williams
Byzantium at our Borders in the 21st century: the Future of Europe.
Would we have needed a different past to have a different future? What would be the consequences if "recognition of Europe's Christian heritage" is inserted into the constitution.
Keith Brooke, Jon Courtenay Grimwood, Patrick J. Gyger, Harry Turtledove, Nicholas Whyte
Reading
Harry Potter Has Put Children's Fantasy Back Fifty Years
Children love Harry Potter. But his universe is quaint, relies on gimmicks and is, "a little derivative" in its plots. Has its success been a good thing? Does New material, by the likes of Steve Augarde, Cornelia Funk, and K. A. Applegate, match up to the classics of the past?
Julie Bertagna, Sharyn November, Graham Sleight, Elizabeth Wein, Jane Yolen
I have Seen the Digital Future and It is Full of Fans
Once we were the proud and lonely few. But here in 2005, SF tropes are everywhere, and the interactions of the internet -- blogs, livejournals and so on -- feel like fanzines reinvented for the digital age. Except these days, everyone seems to be doing it. Are we no longer special?
Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Charles Stross
What is the Zeitgeist
What's hot? This item will tackle a burning fannish issue. Watch the Newsletter for details.
What's New from Transworld
Come meet the editor of Transworld Publishers and hear about New books from your favourite authors.
The Path to Glory
So you can draw. What will it take to become a successful professional artist? What does it take to break? Pros share their stories.
David A. Hardy, Oisin McGann, John Picacio, Frank Wu
Rainbow Over the Future: Complex Families, Queer Neighbours
In the West, gay marriage is often seen as opening the door to polygamy. How much of this do we see in SF? Heinlein paved the way, and writers such as Bradley and Delany turned it into a highway. But what does the future look like for family life?
Barrett Brick, Lynn Gold, Ellen Klages, Geoff Ryman, Andrew Trembley
From Spider-man to Justice League: A Look at Recent Comic Dramatizations
Comics sales aren't what they were 20 years ago, but in other media, comics characters are doing very well indeed. Recent superhero movies such as X-Men, Spider-man, and Batman Beginsare the best such films ever. Recent animated series, including the current Justice Leagueare also excellent. How are comics universes portrayed in film and on TV?
Scott Edelman, Tom Galloway, Simon R Green, Steve Nagy, Chris Roberson
Fit to be Tied In! Tie in Books and Why Authors Write Them
Is there fun or just money to be had when you are offered the chance to write a book related to a movie or TV show? Did you fall in love then pitch the book or was it pitched to you? What are the joys of working in a shared universe?
Kevin J. Anderson, Keith DeCandido, Marc Gascoigne, Elizabeth Hand, James Swallow, Karen Traviss
Kaffeeklatsch
Jay Lake, Franz Miklis, Greg Pickersgill, Lars-Olov Strandberg(in English)
Autographing
Dan Abnett, Ellen Datlow, Jeffrey Ford, Alma Alexander, Tanya Huff, Karl Schroeder
Water Pistols at Dawn (YAFA)
Let's get wet.
Film: Appleseed
Post-apocalypse, Olympus is the only refuge from anarchy. Soldiers Deunan and her cybernetic lover, discovering this refuge is notas perfect as it seems, are dragged into a violent debate over the nature of humanity.
Reading
The Other Hard Sciences: SF and Biology
Where can you find quality hard SF that focuses on biology? Which authors are writing it and what do they get right and wrong? What are some of the worst biological mistakes in SF?
Greg Bear, Therese Littleton, Sam Scheiner
Not the Hugo Award Panel
What should win the Hugo Award in the fiction categories? Panelists discuss what they think should win and what the actual vote might be.
Lou Anders, Charles N. Brown, Ginjer Buchanan, Niall Harrison, Gordon Van Gelder
The Down Sides of Fantasy (SFF)
Veronica Schanoes (M)
Christine Mains(University of Calgary):
- Adultery: Sin/Crime in Arthurian Fantasy
Cecilia Dart-Thornton:
- The Kind, the Cruel and the Seductive: the strange
world of British folklore
Dr Kim Selling(University of Nagoya):
- Fairylands Forlorn: sublime madness and romantic
loss in British fantasy
Romance in SF and Fantasy
Since Tolkien and Mary Shelley, romance has been a part of SF, adding plot and depth of character. What SF writers effectively use romance? When does romance turn a novel from SF to Romance?
Darlene Marshall, Graham Joyce, Roz Kaveney, Ken MacLeod, Delia Sherman
Science Denial
From creationism to rejection of global warming, there is a rising tide of world-views that deprecate or explicitly reject the scientific consensus. Why the rise of such beliefs, and is it appropriate for SF to engage with them?
Guy Consolmagno SJ, Jonathan Cowie, Paul McAuley, Petrea Mitchell
Hobbits, Orcs & Homo Floresiensis: Build Realistic Creatures
Hobbits were fantasy creatures until recent claims of the discovery of Homo Floresiensis, an extinct metre-tall hominid. How do the creations of authors stack up against realistic biology and anthropology?
Jack Cohen, Dougal Dixon, China Miéville, Michael Swanwick
Reading
How Do We Reinvent Time Travel?
The genre seems to have run out steam, no one even wants to subvert it anymore. What can we do?
Stephen Baxter, Harry Harrison, Kim Stanley Robinson, Connie Willis
Making a Good End of It: Buffyand Angel
Both Buffyand Angeltook rather different turns in their final years. Buffy returned from the dead and teamed up with Spike; Angel took over Wolfram & Hart (and teamed up with Spike). Did they do the right thing?
Margaret Austin, Laura Anne Gilman, Simon R Green, Rebecca Moesta, Marcus Rowland
How to Vote with Your Gonads
Have the fan funds become a beauty parade, as suggested by Ted White? We offer you an introduction to the fan funds. Come along and, well, vote with your gonads.
James Bacon, Suzanne Tompkins, Tobes Valois, Damien Warman, Juliette Woods
New Writers & the Campbell
What is the John W. Campbell Best New Writer Award and what has it meant to these finalists and winners? Learn where these writers started and where they've gone since.
Jay Lake, David Moles, Chris Roberson, Stanley Schmidt, Steph Swainston
Reading
Disseminating Filk
Fanzines, APAs, bootleg tapes, concert/circle cassettes and CDs. How can filk songs and/or performances be distributed to those who weren't there? Should they be?
Chris Malme, Bill Sutton, Annie Walker
Can Art Change the World?
Looking at the intersection of politics and art, at what point does an artist create a work "with teeth"? Is science fiction and fantasy art just only escapism -- by definition?
Fangorn, Lisa Konrad, Feorag NicBhride, Frank Wu
Feminism as Setting
Feminism is no longer the story, instead it's the setting -- what has this meant for feminist writers?
Trudi Canavan, Anne K. Gay, Jon Courtenay Grimwood, Mari Kotani, Justine Larbalestier, Ruth Nestvold
Kaffeeklatsch
Chaz Brenchley, Brenda Cooper, Todd McCaffrey, Bryan Talbot
Guests of Honour Autograph Session
Christopher Priest, Jane Yolen
Donnie Darko: The Greatest Teen Movie Ever? (YAFA)
We look at clips and discuss this very interesting and often weird SF movie that strikes a chord with so many.
Paul Billinger, Claire Brialey, Stef Lancaster, Maura McHugh, Kim Newman
Reading
Reading
Mapping your World: Creating the Back Story
You've made the map of your fantasy world, invented a language or three, chronicled its thousand-year history, and given it a plausible postal system. Is there a danger that you'll write a book about the scenery, notthe story?
Susanna Clarke, Esther Friesner, Katherine Kurtz, Anne McCaffrey, Stan Nicholls
Remembering Jack Chalker
Jack Chalker, who passed away in February, was both a pro and a fan. He was heavily involved in fandom and a tireless SF historian. He also wrote over 60 novels, often focusing on the effects of physical transformation. Jack founded Mirage Press, was a founder of the Baltimore Science Fiction Society, and almost never missed a Worldcon.
Barry Newton, Michael J. Walsh, Eva Whitley, Eleanor Wood
Reading
The Matter of Britain Revisited (SFF)
Naomi Novik (M)
Dr Alice Jenkins(University of Glasgow):
- Returning Kings: The Matter of Britain in Second
World War American fantasy pulps
Steve Sneyd:
- The Goodbye Knights: Veiled American explorations of
declining futures in Arthurian SF Poetry
It's OK, it's Lurve: Sex in Children's and YA Books
Is it ok? How to justify it? When and why we cringe.
Ben Jeapes, Oisin McGann, Janet McNaughton, Sharyn November, Terry Pratchett
Social Science and Social Satire, the Work of Robert Sheckley
In many of his stories, Sheckley speculates about alternative (and usually sinister) social orders but always with an absurdist touch. He looks at world problems with irony and hope.
Dennis Danvers, Scott Edelman, Connie Willis
Alternative Americas
Not all American visions of America were capitalist. notall Americas are the US. What other plausible Americas can we imagine?
Pat Cadigan, Andy Duncan, Ken MacLeod, Farah Mendlesohn, Patrick Nielsen Hayden
Reading
Alan Lee Interview
Alan Lee will be interviewed by Jane Johnson, the woman responsible for bringing his signature look to the works of Tolkien. These art and Tolkien lovers will have lots of stories to explore.
British Fandom and the Spheres of Influence
Have the influences on British fandom been predominantly internal or external -- or do the Brits export fannish influence? Has the Internet changed anything? Do fans from overseas have different views?
Sandra Bond, Lilian Edwards, Tony Keen, Murray Moore, Juliette Woods
Literary Team's Book Group: Black Juice
This is a group discussion for the literary programme team's favourite book of the year: Margo Lanagan's fantastical short story collection Black Juice.
Our Starships Drive on the Other Side
What is different about creating a genre series in the US, UK, Europe and Australia? What are the cultural, business and technical issues?
Sean McMullen, Rita Medany, James Swallow, Stuart Vandal
Grey Eminences: Pulling Agents Out of the Shadows
So you've written a book, and now you have to sell it. Your first stop is to find an agent. Why? What can they offer? Does it matter if they are SF/fantasy specialists?
Joshua Bilmes, Ian Irvine, John Jarrold, Mary Turzillo, Claire Weaver
Writing SF, When You Aren't White or Christian
So much of SF/fantasy contains an implicit assumption about the shared culture of the readership. Many fantasies, for example, are thinly disguised reworkings of Pilgrim's Progress; much SF assumes you are American. Does it matter?
Kimmo Lehtonen, Antonio Ruffini, Robert Silverberg, Takayuki Tatsumi
Inhabiting Existing Universes: Writing Fan Fiction
What's better than reading and writing in familiar universes that we love? Fan fiction ranges widely in quality, style, and erotic content. Enjoy the good and avoid the junk, but watch out for Mary Sue!
Jane Carnall, Laura Anne Gilman, Joseph Stockman, Kathryn Sullivan
Clarke Award Book Group: Discussion of Iron Council
The Arthur C. Clarke Award is given to the best SF novel which received its first British publication during the previous calendar year. Come and discuss the latest winner, China Miéville's Iron Council.
Kaffeeklatsch
Hal Duncan, Geoffrey Landis, Jessica Rydill
Autographing
Peter F. Hamilton, James P. Hogan, Justina Robson, Charles Stross, Scott Westerfeld, Liz Williams
Books Based on Other Media (YAFA)
Can a related book bring you the same pleasure as the movie? Are tie-in books a good introduction to the wider world of literary SF?
Paul Cornell, Rebecca Moesta, Karen Traviss
Reading
Building a Future World and Blowing it Up. The Pleasures of Destruction
Is there anything better than watching a world you've constructed word by word, blow up in super nova or a nuclear war?
Keith Brooke, Jay Caselberg, Gary Gibson, Martin Sketchley
What Made a Creative Media Genius in the 20th Century?
The panel considers factors that contributed to the creative genius of writers & producers such as Roddenberry, JMS, Whedon and Adams. What distinguishes their work? Who will be remembered in 20 years?
Margaret Austin, Eddie Cochrane, Lilian Edwards, Craig Miller
Reading
John Clute and Gary K. Wolfe in Conversation (SFF)
Listen in as science fiction and fantasy critics Gary K. Wolfe and John Clute discuss a variety of topics. There is no telling where the conversation could lead!
Eurocon Business Meeting
Annual business meeting of the European Science Fiction Society continues, with voting on 2007 Eurocon site, New board members, and ESFS awards.
History of Anime, Part 2: Robots and Ninja
Jonathan Clements examines TV anime of the 1970s and 1980s, including giant robots, the creation of the ninja myth, and theme songs you'll want to salute.
Mars 3-D
Learn about anaglyphs and stereo pairs, and see the latest images from Mars come to life in glorious stereo. [For full value from this presentation, you will need vision in both eyes and normal colour perception.]
Reading
The Alchemical Life of Robert Sheckley
Gail Dana and Robin Munro discuss Robert Sheckley's life and work.
Alpha and Beta Fandom Ten Years On
So You Fancy Yourself as an Alpha? Alpha fans take the credit, Beta fans do the hard graft. Or do they? Michael Abbott tests if our two teams have Got What it Takes.
Fanzine Production Workshop 2: Writing an Article
OK, so the best designed fanzine in the world is no good without material. We show you how to shape that roughly-hewn anecdote into a masterful jewel of fan writing.
Randy Byers, Steve Davies, Christina Lake
How a Comic is Put Together
Dan Abnett discusses the in's and out's of producing comic books and graphic novels. Come hear about the process from an experienced writer of comics and novels.
Military vs. Civil Authority: Do You Trust Adama or Roslyn?
The conflict between military and civilian authority can be seen in the world around us, and sometimes it is portrayed in SF. The panel examines this conflict, a key element in the New Battlestar Galactica.
Melanie Fletcher, Christina Hansen, David D. Levine, Jim Mann, Chris Roberson
The Greatest Queer SF
What are the best queer works of science fiction? A celebration of queer themes, queer characters and queer authors in the SF genre.
Paul F. Cockburn, Hal Duncan, Jim Grimsley, Jed Hartman, Tanya Huff
Trouble in Tri-D
The unique challenges faced by 3D artists.
Chantal Delessert, Allison Hershey, Juraj "Mad" Maxon, Sally Mayer
Kaffeeklatsch
Sarah Ash, Harry Harrison, David Langford, Ian R. Macleod
Autographing
Brian Aldiss OBE, Kevin J. Anderson, Stephen Baxter, Jack Cohen, Kim Stanley Robinson
Space Oddity (YAFA)
Our panel of experts bring along items and images to show and talk about.
Robert Buettner, Inge Heyer, Aleta Jackson, Jordin Kare, Emma King
Reading
Edwardian SF
H. G. Wells wasn't the only Edwardian writing SF. Come along and hear about some of the others.
Reading
Reading
The Green Children of Woolpit
Who were the two green-skinned children that legend says appeared in the Sussex village of Woolpit nearly nine centuries ago? Duncan Lunan explores a remarkable answer to this ancient mystery.
Harry Potter Reading (YAFA)
Far fetched fictionalist, Robert Rankin, reads some excerpts from J K Rowling's works, followed by a discussion.
Trilogy Middle Book Problem
Dave Langford once said that the middle volume of a trilogy advances the plot about as far as the average glacier gets beteween breakfast and elevenses. Why, and what's a writer to do?
James Barclay, Terry Brooks, Juliet E McKenna, Katya Reimann, Chris Roberson
A History of British Comics
Dan Dare, The Trigan Empire, TV 21, 2000AD, Warrior-- there is much good stuff to discuss.
Graham Bleathman, Alan Grant, Bryan Talbot, Paul Treadaway
Alien Anatomy
How to paint and draw fictional beings and make them look real.
Dougal Dixon, David Mattingly, John Picacio, Martina Pilcerova, Frank Wu
Art, Media and Speculative Fiction (SFF)
Sydney Duncan (M)
Dr Gail-Nina Anderson(University of Sunderland):
- Arthurian Subjects in Victorian Art
Dr Antony Keen(Open University):
- Cartagia in Babylon 5and his historical
antecedents
Dr Sue Short(Birkbeck College):
- The British Dystopian Imagination
What's New from Orbit/TimeWarner
Come meet the editors from Orbit/TimeWarner and hear about New books from your favourite authors.
The Art of the Anthology
Is there more to the anthology than compiling stories?
David Hartwell, Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Sheila Williams, Andrew Wilson, Jane Yolen
After September 11th, are Vampires Still Scary?
In a world where every suitcase might carry a bomb; when you can poison a city with a couple of vials of virus -- why are we still writing about vampires?
Ellen Datlow, Jeffrey Ford, Tom Hunter, Kim Newman, Liz Williams
What It Means to be a Concept Artist for a Movie
Movie-makers turn to artists to help them create a "look" for a movie. The artist's work can aid in set design, costuming, and lighting. What is it like to bridge the distance between the canvas and the movie screen?
Guest of Honour Interview: Lars-Olov Strandberg
Editor and publisher John-Henri Holmberg interviews Lars-Olov Strandberg. Together they discuss 50 years of fandom.
John-Henri Holmberg, Lars-Olov Strandberg
International Battle of the Biscuits
Oreos, Tim Tams or Jaffa Cakes? Religious idealists take a stand and put international biscuits to the test.
On Augmented Reality
An Augmented Reality (AR) system generates a composite world for the user -- a real scene merged with an information-rich virtual scene, ideally becoming an indistinguishable whole. What is the current state of the technology and what are its ramifications?
Reading
"The Long Tail": Economics of a Post-Scarcity World
Does the internet makes it possible to keep infinite back catalogues of publications and exploit them in an economically efficient way? (Inspired by Chris Anderson's blog & article in Wired.)
Carolina Gómez Lagerlöf, Ken MacLeod, Oliver Morton, Mike Scott, Francis Spufford
Reading
Filk Concert: Kathleen Sloan
The "Catalog Queen" from Colorado USA, Kathleen is fun, funny, and as charming as is legal under EU guidelines. A longtime favourite of ours, we suspect she'll become one of yours as well.
Kaffeeklatsch
Joe Haldeman, David A. Hardy, Christopher Priest, Charles Stross
Autographing
Andy Duncan, George R.R. Martin, Paul McAuley, Ian McDonald, Steph Swainston, Michael Swanwick
Discussion of Harry Potter (YAFA)
A discussion of the Harry Potter books and movies.
Conor Kostick, Janet McNaughton, Sharyn November
Titan and the Imagination: Huygens and Cassini
Professor David Southwood, Director of Science for the European Space Agency, discusses the Huygens and Cassini missions.
Reading
Supervolcanoes
Does Revelations describe an Assisted Super Volcano eruption? Wilson takes a realistic look at how long it would take for a Yellowstone Class Super Volcano to stop going "shussh," and how "assisting" the eruption improves the situation.
Reading
Filk Concert: TBA
Saturday's first surprise slot -- who will it be?
Comics are for Girls, too(YAFA)
No they're not. Our panel gives their opinions along with examples of good comics for everyone and girls too.
Mari Kotani, Maura McHugh, Rebecca Moesta
Reading
Climate and Human Change
Jonathan Cowie takes a wider look at the social and economic impact of climate change.
Reading
Filk Concert: TBA
Saturday's second surprise slot -- the suspense is killing us.
Interzone: the Good, the Bad and the Brass Bra'd
Since 1982, Interzone, has helped many of today's most prominent writers into print. It's time to look back and celebrate 23 years, and look forward too.
John Clute, Jetse de Vries, David Mathew, David Pringle, Liz Williams
Are Tie-in Novels Worthwhile or Do They Stop People From Reading Real Novels?
Are there parts of the genre that tie-in novels tickle yet other books just can't reach? What makes a really good tie-in novel? What are the joys of working in a shared universe?
William King, Jaime Levine, Rebecca Moesta, Stan Nicholls, Dave O'Neill
It Can't be Fantasy -- I Like It!
What makes certain apparently generic fantasies stand head and shoulders above the others? What about the fantasies that aren't marketed as such by mainstream publishers?
Laura Anne Gilman, Katherine Kurtz, Darren Nash, Jessica Rydill
Ideas, Fiction and Reality (SFF)
Nick Hubble (M)
Paul Kincaid(independent scholar):
- What happens in The Separation?
Dr Alvin C Kibel(MIT):
- A Function for Thought Experiments
Dr Joan Gordon(Nassau Community College):
- Being and Becoming in Sheri S Tepper's Six Moon
Dance
Guide to the Hitchhiker's Guide
Radio? Books? TV? Movie? Come explore what is available in these different interpretations of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Flick, Robert Newman, John Campbell Rees, Doug Spencer
Why Should We Mind? SF/Fantasy & Consciousness
From telepathy to life-after-death, the Singularity and uploaded consciousness, and into the psychotropic, the mind fascinates SF writers.
Kelly Link, Alastair Reynolds, Justina Robson, Ian Watson, Connie Willis
Jules Verne: First Hard SF Writer?
Jules Verne died in 1905, one hundred years ago. Was he the first "hard SF" writer, and how well has his future tech stood up to the test of time?
Brian Aldiss OBE, Dan DeLong, Alain Nevant, G. David Nordley, Lars-Olov Strandberg
Reading
Prof. David Southwood Interview
Special guest Prof. David Southwood is interviewed by Stephen Baxter.
Stephen Baxter, Prof. David Southwood
Your Life as a Fan
Chat show hosted by Greg Pickersgill, who talks to some prime suspects about the role of SF in their life and career.
Malcolm Edwards, John Jarrold, Rog Peyton, Greg Pickersgill, Christopher Priest
Geek Eye for the Technophobe Guy
Wary of Wi-fi? Prevaricating on a PDA? If you think Bluetooth is something your dentist might diagnose, this panel is for you! Our panel of experts will take a tech-resistant fan and rebuild him/her into a walking Singularity...
Michael Abbott, Tanya Brown, Steve Davies, Andrew Ducker
The Dummies Guide to Manga
Manga can overwhelm the Newbie with its barrage of images and unknown terrm. Subjects range from romance to samurai to giant robots to naughty schoolgirls to massive computers with geopolitical ambitions. Where do you start?
Reading
Silken Blades and Long Blonde Hair
Is there toomuch homoeroticism in fantasy for real homosexuality? There are lots of really lovely gay scenes in fantasy and slash fiction, but how is the reality of being gay presented?
Barrett Brick, Roz Kaveney, Ellen Kushner, China Miéville
The Magazines are Dead: Long Live the Magazines
Do you read the fiction magazines? How many of you have a subscription for a magazine that you haven't read for a year? What are magazines for? Are the stories any good? Does it matter if they are online or not?
Ellen Datlow, Gavin Grant, Niall Harrison, Jed Hartman, Gordon Van Gelder
Filk Concert: Dave Luckett
Dave is an SF author and longtime filker from Australia -- we're honoured to have him on stage after long plane flights and much bheer...
Kaffeeklatsch
Simon R Green, Robin Munro, Kim Stanley Robinson, Tricia Sullivan
Autographing
Lillian Stewart Carl, Paul Cornell, Robin Hobb, Karin Lowachee, Karen Traviss
Roller Blade Quidditch (YAFA)
er... Roller Blade Quidditch. Or skate boards, roller skates, and even unicycles.
Reading
Reading
Filk Concert: Faye Ringel
When notin her secret identity as Professor of Humanities at the US Coast Guard Academy, Faye is a purveyor of everything from medieval ballads and bawdy songs to jazz, blues, and folk.
Zombie Masquerade Prep (YAFA)
Get made up as a zombie, as in Shaun of the Dead.
Quiz: Just a Minute
Panel game in which our contestants have to speak uninterrupted for sixty seconds on a given topic without hesitation, repetition or deviation.
Pat Cadigan, Andy Duncan, Sydney Duncan, George R.R. Martin, Sean McMullen, John Meaney, Ian Watson, Connie Willis
Video: SFX in Space
Video contrasts 1950s movies, especially Destination Moon, with the reality of the Apollo landings -- quite accurately, but notnecessarily seriously.
Growth of the Slipstream
Our Panelists look at the fiction that slips between traditional genre boundaries, and ask why this kind of fiction appeals to SF readers.
Hal Duncan, Colin Greenland, Elizabeth Hand, Kelly Link, Mark Rich, Delia Sherman
Science Meets Mythology: Stargate'sBalancing Act
The backstory of Stargate SG-1is rooted in pseudo- science -- ancient space travelers are the basis for human mythology. Yet often more attention is paid to basic science than your typical SF TV show. How does it mix gods, history and spaceships and still make sense?
Keith DeCandido, Ben Jeapes, Juliet E McKenna, Kathryn Sullivan
Beyond Movies and TV: SF in Other Media
Notice the way speculative ideas are being used in commercials? In print ads? Do mundanes comprehend the Accuview ads?
Andrew Adams, Roy Gray, Geneva Melzack, Jody Lynn Nye, James Swallow
Doctor WhoEpisode 8: "Father's Day"
Rose travels back to 1987, to witness the day her father died. This episode first aired May 2005.
Fannish Currency: Whuffie, Egoboo and Chocolate
Fandom has for a long time had a potlatch economy, where you give things away in the expectation of egoboo, or fannish kudos. How does this translate to the Internet Age?
Cory Doctorow, Christina Lake, Mike Scott, Suzanne Tompkins
How To Survive In Your Native Land
What's it like to be a fannish fan at a modern Worldcon? Are there frontiers to cross? Martin Easterbrook acts as the John Peel of fandom -- he's seen it all but remains enthusiastic about the New stuff.
Martin Easterbrook, Martin Hoare, Grant Kruger, Kees van Toorn
The Drugged Out Worlds of SF and Fantasy
It's notjust Philip K. Dick... much SF and fantasy presents experiences which are the result of consciousness-alteration. What books can be read this way? Do they depict the negative and positive consequences responsibly? [Interaction does not endorse the use of Can-D or Chew-Z.]
Andrew M Butler, Steph Swainston, Gordon Van Gelder, Lucy Zinkiewicz
Filk Concert: Chris Malme
Chris is known as "Minstrel" for a reason -- this UK singer/songwriter's work can be both funny and poignant and is always full of wonder.
Filk Concert: Valerie Housden
As Valerie has been lending her vocal and directing talents to UK choir the n'Early Music Consort (yes, you read that right), it's a treat to have her back on stage for a solo concert.
Game Design: Realism vs. Playability
Playability means a game is easy to understand, and more quickly. Realism adds depth and believability but makes the game longer. How do you find a balance?
David Cake, Gordon Lamont, Marcus Rowland
Is Blogging Helping or Hurting Your Career?
Is your blog taking over your life -- or your writing? Are you talking toomuch about writing and not actually writing, or is your blog helping you to write better?
Michael Cobley, Eileen Gunn, Benjamin Rosenbaum, John Scalzi, Martha Wells
The Alternative Class of 87
Conspiracy '87 had a notable effect on British fandom. Panelists look back to their first British Worldcon, what they did there and how it affected what they've been doing since.
Steven Cain, Jim de Liscard, Spike Parsons, Mark Plummer
A Con Every Weekend: Wouldn't It Be Great?
Question & Answer session featuring representatives from upcoming conventions.
Masquerade
The masquerade is one of the highlights of a Worldcon, a theatrical presentation where you will see fandom's best costumers briefly bring to life scenes from science fiction and fantasy.
Tall Technical Tales
By popular demand, the return of True Stories from the Lab.
Dave Clements, Nigel Furlong, Martin Hoare, Jordin Kare
So You're Going to Japan
We're all looking forward to Nippon in 2007, but none of us has any idea what to expect. Our panel gives us a clue.
Allen Baum, Patrick McMurray, Peggy Rae Sapienza
The Gripes of Wrath
Just like any other gripe session, except that this one is for a convention that never happened. Bring some gripes you wish you'd heard and the gripes you never want to hear. If we haven't kept the Kraken in the Clyde well-fed this weekend, now's the time we want to hear about it.
Martin Easterbrook, Chris O'Shea, Catherine Pickersgill
Reading - New Scottish Writing
Michael Cobley, Neil Williamson, Andrew Wilson
Film: GamerZ
A New comedy movie from Scotland -- an engaging love triangle with a strong twist of fantasy.
Reading
SF Before 1960: No Sex... and Who Cleaned the Toilets?
What has changed in science fiction since the 1960s and why?
Fred Lerner, John Meaney, Richard Morgan
The Strange Case of the SF Book Seller
The myths and legends of the science fiction book selling trade, as told by mythical and legendary book sellers from around the globe.
Brian Ameringen, Rog Peyton, Mark Plummer, Michael J. Walsh
Open Filk
Reading
Open Filk
Open Filk
Quiz Gunfight
A fast and furious one-on-one quiz: a series of duals between two entrants, with SF and fan questions. Turn up and have a go; last fan standing wins a prize.
Shotokan Karate Workshop for Beginners
Participate in light, controlled, and *safe* physical activity. If you have never tried karate but would like to learn more, this workshop is for you. Loose- fitting clothing suggested. More advanced practitioners also welcome.
WSFS Business Meeting
This Meeting is open to all Worldcon members, all of whom are eligible to vote. Today's meeting will debate and vote on amendments to the WSFS Constitution. This meeting will deal with business notresolved at yesterday's meeting. If all business was resolved at yesterday's meeting, today's meeting will be cancelled; watch the convention Newsletter for updates.
Is the American Empire on the Verge of Collapse?
A convergence of factors -- peak oil, imperialism in the Mideast, the growing dominance of Pacific Rim economies, the competition from a (more-or-less) united European Union, and the rejection in America of intellectualism and science -- suggest that the US balances on the precipice of collapse.
Ken MacLeod, Lawrence Person, Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Nicholas Whyte
Stretching the View (SFF)
Edward James (M)
Knud Larn(independent scholar):
- Hans Christian Anderson
Dr Andrew May:
- Parsifalas proto-SF
ASFA Meeting
The annual meeting of the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists.
AI: the Aliens We Make?
Aliens and AI are both Other, but where one comes from Out There, the other lives Down Here. Are they really the same thing -- and either way, what difference does it make?
Cory Doctorow, David Gerrold, Ian McDonald, Charles Stross, Tricia Sullivan
Where Next and How To Get There?
Space probes:TNG! What are the next tempting targets and what are the forthcoming technologies that will let us explore them? Will we explore the asteroids with swarms of smart gravel?
Janet Johnston, Jordin Kare, Geoffrey Landis, Tino Warinowski
Reading
The Aesthetics of Fantasy: Writing the Fantastic
How do writers create a sense of the fantastic? What techniques work? What styles and voices bring reality crashing around the reader's ear?
Susanna Clarke, Greer Gilman, Jay Lake, Farah Mendlesohn, China Miéville, Ruth Nestvold
The Enduring Popularity of Doctor Who
What makes Doctor Whoso popular, such that old fans continue to watch and New fans discover it every year? Writers from the series reflect on its enduring popularity and the elements that made it an iconic show today.
Paul Cornell, Paul Oldroyd, Gary Russell, Rob Shearman
Design a Solar System 2
The second of three linked workshops chaired by G. David Nordley, exploring the New knowledge arising from recent discoveries of extra-solar planets and in our own solar system.
John Bray, Jack Cohen, G. David Nordley
Reading
Travel to Other Planets: Non-English Language Conventions
What's it like for Anglo-American authors going to cons outside the English speaking world? Culture Shock! But who is more shocked, the visitors or the visited? What happens if there is no bar culture?
Jonathan Clements, Ralan Conley, Klaus Æ Mogensen, Greg Pickersgill, Christopher Priest, Lars-Olov Strandberg
Kaffeeklatsch
Lillian Stewart Carl, Cecilia Dart-Thornton, Alan Grant, Elizabeth Wein
Let Loose the Grumpy Old Ladies (YAFA)
A selection of fun ladies play traditional games.
Reading
Reading
Dune Reading (YAFA)
Kevin J Anderson reads some Dune, and engages in conversation about the Dune phenomenon.
Have the Tolkienistas Misread Tolkien?
A lot of fantasy that is apparently derivative of Tolkien is searching for an object of power to make everything right. Whereas the entire point of Lord of the Ringsis that if anyone has the object of power then everything is wrong.
Esther Friesner, Robin Hobb, Chris Roberson, Justina Robson
Is LostSF or Paranoid Realism?
(Warning: spoilers) Is Lostspeculative or just a paranoid delusion? Is it truth or fantasy? What about Hurley, Locke, Walt and Claire?
Tom Galloway, Joe Haldeman, David D. Levine, Laurie Mann, Priscilla Olson
Myth, History and Fantasy (SFF)
TBA (M)
Tania Scott(University College Dublin):
- Pegana and Ireland: The fantastic realms of Lord
Dunsany
Dr Mike Cosgrave(University College, Cork):
- The Unionist Mistake? Home Rule and Empire: 1886-
1930
Dr Michael Johnson(Buffalo State College):
- What's the bear doing in C S Lewis's That Hideous
Strength?
Reading
The 1950s, 50 Years On
The 1950s saw the Golden Era of Science Fiction film and the blossoming of writers such as Asimov, Sturgeon, Dick, Farmer, Walter M. Miller and Poul Anderson. What do we think of them now?
Gail Dana, Irma Hirsjärvi, Justine Larbalestier, Greg Pickersgill, Mark Rich
Lost and Found: Children's Books We Miss
A chance to rediscover all those life-shaping children's books that you and everyone else, publishers included, had forgotten up 'til now.
Greer Gilman, Janet McNaughton, Terry Pratchett, Francis Spufford
Reading
Keith BrookeAKA Nick Gifford
Where is the Heart of the Genre?
Is short fiction still the engine that drives SF or is the most exciting writing taking place at novel length?
Lou Anders, Harry Harrison, Paul Kincaid, Ian R. Macleod, Stanley Schmidt
Fannish Etiquette: A Primer
How should fans behave? Why don't they? Our panel muses on basic human etiquette, and wonders why it's passed so many fans by completely.
Simon Bradshaw, Susan de Guardiola, Janice Gelb, Lucy Zinkiewicz
Fanzine Production Workshop 3: Getting it Together
You've got a design, you've got material, but you've got to get it all together. Our panel help you master editing, collation, mailing list management and all those little extras. Or you could just put it online.
Jae Leslie Adams, Bill Burns, Jerry Kaufman, Mark Plummer, Suzanne Tompkins
Website Design: Going Global
The Web has opened a whole New market for artists, and a whole New set of problems and dangers. What are the pros and cons of having your own website, and how do you make yours effective?
James Stanley Daugherty, Sally Mayer, Franz Miklis, Frank Wu
The Best New Feminist SF
Our panel considers the most recent generation of feminist SF writers. What issues are contemporary feminist authors concerned with? Who is worth reading?
Judith Clute, Sarah Micklem, Liz Williams
The SF Fan's Introduction to Literary Criticism
Interested in the critical study of SF but never formally studied literary theory? Find yourself getting lost in jargon? Some friendly critics are here to give you a helping hand.
Andrew M Butler, Joan Gordon, Colin Greenland, Graham Joyce
Virtual and Physical Activism
Beginning with the fax machine and continuing with listserves, wikis, blogs, texting and now podcasting, there are many ways that activists can connect and agitate. What are the innovations, the future, and the unanticipated consequences of online activism?
Michael Cobley, Ian Irvine, Geneva Melzack, Renee Sieber, Maureen Kincaid Speller
Kaffeeklatsch
Charles N. Brown, Laura Anne Gilman, Stan Nicholls
Autographing
David A. Hardy, James Lovegrove, Jody Lynn Nye, Katya Reimann, Connie Willis
Patronising Youth: Your Chance to Speak Up (YAFA)
Editors and authors discuss the fine line between patronising and entertaining, and reveal what age group "young adult" is actually aimed at. Youfs will be encouraged to share opinions.
Jo Fletcher, Maura McHugh, Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Irene Radford
Old Pharts Photo Session
Current and former Worldcon chairs are invited to have their pictures taken. Others are invited to take the pictures.
Reading
Masquerade Post-Mortem
What went right, what went wrong? Round table discussion between this year's team and representatives from next year's Worldcon masquerade organizers.
Does Family Make our Hero Boring?
Have you ever noticed the number of orphans and "onlies" in SF/F, and the absent husbands and wives? Does being married with children mean an end to the Quest?
Pat Cadigan, David Gerrold, Sean McMullen, Tricia Sullivan
The British Boffin: An SF Stereotype Dissected
For every Bond, there has to be a Q. Who were the Boffins, where did they go, and are they coming back? Francis Spufford, author of the acclaimed Backroom Boys, talks to Ken MacLeod, Stephen Baxter, and others.
Liz Batty, Stephen Baxter, Ken MacLeod, Francis Spufford
Old Masters and New Voices (SFF)
Veronica Schanoes (M)
Dr Sandra Singer(University of Guelph):
- So Long Been Dreaming: how does the subaltern speak?
Geetha B(Birla Institute of Science and Technology):
- Thematic Concerns in Arthur C Clarke
A Final Look at Farscape
Browder & Black are going back to Stargate. Is Farscapefinally finished? Let's look at the four wonderful seasons that we did have, and discuss possibilities for the future.
Christina Hansen, Rebecca Moesta, Cindy (Huckle) Mohareb, Priscilla Olson
Superheroes, Vigilantes & Police Officers with Big Guns
The relationship between comics characters, law enforcement, and justice.
Fiona Avery, Alan Grant, Richard Morgan
Speculative Evolution of Dinosaurs
What would have evolved if dinosaurs hadn't died out?
Michael Brett-Surman, Neil Clark, Dougal Dixon, Sam Scheiner, Frank Wu
Reading
Genre Killing Ideas
"The Singularity is this enormous turd that Vernor Vinge crapped into the punchbowl of SF writing, and now nobody wanting to take a drink can ignore it." [Charlie Stross] What other ideas have had the same effect on the genre?
Ian McDonald, Alastair Reynolds, Karl Schroeder, Charles Stross
Fanzine Reviews in the Bath
Fanzines have always been great for reading in the bath. Our slightly damp experts review the latest crop. Bring a rubber duck and a loofah.
Art vs. Love: Balancing a Creative Career & Relationships
Is art a jealous mistress?
James Stanley Daugherty, Joe Haldeman, David Mattingly
Perry Rhodan: The World's Longest Running SF Series
After 44 years this German science fiction serial is still vastly popular. What is the secret of this audacious space explorer's longevity?
Frank Borsch, Klaus N. Frick, Kees van Toorn, Robert Vogel
Reading
Creative Commons 101. A Primer for the Interested
Talk by Cory Doctorow
Kaffeeklatsch
Brian Aldiss OBE, Ellen Datlow, Geneva Melzack, Delia Sherman
Autographing
Trip to Glasgow Science Centre (YAFA)
Our resident science nuts, Emma King and Simoné Vanzyl, take a group to the Science Centre across the Clyde. [Two hour item. Charges of £2.50 per youth apply.]
Roving on the Red Planet
Talk by Geoff Landis on science and the Mars Rover.
Reading
Reading
Masquerade Show and Tell
You went ooohhh! and aaahhh! over masquerade entries last night. Here's a chance to see some of them close up, photograph the detail work, and hear their creators explain their techniques.
Giulia De Cesare, Kevin Roche, Andrew Trembley
The World We are Making Now 2: Places
What we're building now -- technology, agriculture, and transport infrastructure -- will support or hamper our living fifty years hence.
Ian McDonald, Caroline Mullan, Joe Raftery, Kim Stanley Robinson, Yvonne Rowse, Renee Sieber
Collecting Miniature Knights
George RR Martin talks about his hobby. Does this connect to his past as a chess club maven? Inquiring minds...
Geography, Landscape and Nature (SFF)
Dr Antony Keen (M)
Noga Applebaum(Roehampton University):
- Only God Can Make a Tree
Elizabeth Billinger(University of Reading):
- notWaving But Drowning: Living on an Island
Maureen Kincaid Speller(University of Kent at
Canterbury):
- Landscape and Presence in the Novels of Alan Garner
As It Happens, We Are Rocket Scientists.
What do rocket scientists really get up to? And does being one get you a table in a busy restaurant?
Paul Chafe, Inge Heyer, Jordin Kare, Geoffrey Landis
Re-examining Lucas' Vision: Star Wars in Its Various Forms
The Star Warssaga is complete. Lucas tried to do something different with this media franchise: the books, comics, Clone Wars cartoons, and games were part of the canon. Some provided valuable background to the films, filled in key events, and were even referenced in the films. How well did this work?
Kevin J. Anderson, Craig Miller, Chris Roberson, James Swallow, Eldon Thompson
Subverted Elves, Hard Assed Fairies with Attitude, and Dragons Taking Tea
Are sweet Princesses, pretty little Faeries and vicious Dragons notrelevant to modern society or did we just get bored of them? What do the New fantasists have to offer? Is there any resonance with fantasy before the 18th and 19th century sanitised Faerie?
P. C. Hodgell, Juliet E McKenna, Terry Pratchett, Jo Walton
Reading
Collaborating Magic
Looking at how teams of writers, artists, and filmmakers create magic together.
Allison Hershey, Tom Hunter, Alan Lee
How To Be A Content Provider
Some fans just seem to have reputations that precede them. They don't write themselves, but somehow their exploits appear in fanzines all the time. We've got four of them here, so we hope you're taking notes.
Noel Collyer, Flick, Anders Holmstrom, Tobes Valois
Making the Hugos
Peter Weston tells us the story and shows us the process behind the manufacture of our most prized rockets.
Anarchy vs. Technology
Is our world toocomplex to survive the sort of drastic "flattening down" of society visualised by libertarians or anarchists? Who will make the microchips and insulin after the Revolution? Will Magic sustain us?
Ken MacLeod, Dave O'Neill, Charles Walther, Liz Williams, Juliette Woods
Circling the Wagons: the Benefits & Costs of Being in a Larger Publishing House
Not all SF imprints stand alone; many are parts of larger publishing houses with diverse interest. On one hand there may be more money and resources, but on the other hand there is more competition.
Ginjer Buchanan, David Hartwell, Justina Robson, Eleanor Wood
Waiting for the Fantastic: What is Known but Never Stated
In some stories, the strange things hide in the spaces between pages. Why do we like this, and how do we write it?
John Clute, Graham Joyce, Kelly Link, Graham Sleight
Kaffeeklatsch
Elizabeth Hand, Amy Thomson, Tino Warinowski, Sheila Williams
Autographing
Jay Caselberg, Anne McCaffrey, Benjamin Rosenbaum, Bryan Talbot, Paul Witcover
Reading
Reading
Sorting SF After 200 Years
Deciding what is "SF" isn't getting any easier; neither is trying to create sub-genres. And how do we define all those terms we "know" but can't explain?
John Clute, David Langford, Darren Nash, Peter Nicholls
What's New from Gollancz/Orion Publishing
Come meet the editors from Gollancz/Orion Publishing and hear about New books from your favourite authors.
Stephen Baxter, Jo Fletcher, Robert Rankin, Geoff Ryman, Simon Spanton
Science Fiction and Other Archives (SFF)
How can we best preserve our primary texts and criticism for use and appreciation now and in the future? How can we manage them -- and make them accessible?
Dana Hayward, Mary Hemmings, Dianne Newell, Andy Sawyer (M), Amy Sisson
The Mason-Dixon Line Redrawn: America Divided?
Recent election maps show the US largely divided into urban Democrat states and rural Republican ones. What kinds of stories do the two Americas want to hear -- and should we be telling them?
Andy Duncan, Harry Harrison, Paul Kincaid, Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Kim Stanley Robinson
History of Anime, Part 3: Girls and Guns
In the final part of his lecture series, Jonathan Clements looks at the impact of video cassettes, digital animation and the corrupting influence of anime's success abroad.
Frank Kelly Freas Remembered
For over 50 years, Kelly gave us sparkling, colourful paintings -- spaceships and impish Martians, pixies and sultry spacebabes. Sadly we lost Kelly in January. Come celebrate the life and art of one of SF's most beloved artists!
Jane Frank, Joe Siclari, Frank Wu
Reading
An Encounter with Chris Priest
"The Matter of a Briton: Forty Years on the Atlantic Shore" -- A presentation by our GOH Christopher Priest.
Great Fans of History
Panelists debate whether fandom depends on a few movers and shakers or whether the key ages and movements would have happened anyway (again and again). Are there plausible alternate fan histories?
Doug Bell, Sandra Bond, Rich Lynch, Alison Scott, Mike Scott
Runaround
For those of you of a certain age, this is the fannish version of the famous TV quiz. Robert Newman asks the questions, the audience RUN AROUND!!
Electron Dreams
Artist Dominic Harman is interviewed by Stan Nicholls, author of the Quicksilver Trilogy.
Reading
When I Were A Lad, We Used To Dream of 64K
Techno-nostalgia is increasingly popular. In these days of PDAs and gigHertz processors, why do so many of us have fond memories of the Good Old Days?
Simon Bisson, Simon Bradshaw, John Dowd, Terry Pratchett, Francis Spufford
Is The Future Non-Western?
A future dominated by Pacific Rim economies and Indian outsourcing has been a popular theme in SF since the cyberpunk wave and before. Is the world now moving in this direction, and if so what path will it take? Will this affect SF writing?
Mari Kotani, Glenda Larke (Noramly), Klaus Æ Mogensen, Cristina Pulido Ulvang, Liz Williams
Chapter and Verse
Fannish original music is sometime inspired by books and stories. Authors will read works that have inspired songs, songwriters will perform the resulting composition, and everyone will discuss how they relate to one another.
Mary Crowell, Colin Greenland, Valerie Housden, Tanya Huff, Chris Malme, Kate Soley-Barton, Brenda Sutton
Kaffeeklatsch
Robin Hobb, Conor Kostick, Michael Swanwick, Connie Willis
Autographing
Susanna Clarke, Stanley Schmidt, Harry Turtledove
Attack Helm's Deep (YAFA)
Cardboard castles and water pistols.
Doctor WhoEpisode 6: "Dalek"
View and discuss -- exterminate later. This episode first aired April 2005.
Reading
Reading
Reading
Big Bangs (YAFA)
Emma King blows stuff up. All in the name of research and science, you know. BANG!
Jane Yolen's Impact on Children's Fantasy
As an author, editor and advocate, the impact of Jane Yolen on children's fantasy is immeasurable -- but we're going to try to measure it. How have Yolen's stories affected you?
Sharyn November, Priscilla Olson, Adam Stemple
In Another Media: Script Writing
Scripts aren't just "filmed books," they are a whole different way of writing. How do you approach writing a script? Should you try a movie or episode of a current TV show? Adapt a book or write something original?
Paul Cornell, David Gerrold, Craig Miller, Eldon Thompson
What Did the New Wave Do For You?
The New Wave has come to dominate SF histories of the 1960s and 1970s. Did it bring New techniques and introduce sex into SF? Was it the progenitor of the New Weird? What isits legacy?
Brian Aldiss OBE, Colin Greenland, John Jarrold
The Making Of Britain (SFF)
Farah Mendlesohn (M)
Steph Swainston(author):
- The North-South Divide in Fiction
Stephen Baxter(author):
- The Industrial Landscape of Great Britain and
British SF
Eurocon Awards: European Perspectives on Writing SF & Fantasy
Following the Eurocon Awards presentation, our panel will discuss European writers and what distinguishes their literature from F/SF written in English.
Stefan Ekman, Al Fritzsche, Natasha Hull, W.J. Maryson, Glenn Petersen
Get Out of My Ghetto!
"The mainstream is ready to try cohabitation. Now it's F/SF that's acting coy." [M. John Harrison]. A number of mainstream writers have tried SF recently, why do we get so prissy?
Chris Barkley, Christopher Priest, Geoff Ryman, Simon Spanton
Looking at the Whole Picture: Jackson's Lord of the Rings
So now that we've had nearly two years to consider the whole cinematic trilogy, what do we think? Is it holding up over time? And what about The Hobbit??
Lillian Stewart Carl, Christopher Cevasco, Lisa Deutsch Harrigan, Mary Kay Kare, Laurie Mann
Reading
Space Science Sacrificed?
It seems clear that NASA's manned priorities are moving away from the space station and towards the moon as a proving ground for exploration of Mars. But there also seems to be a move away from normal space science with robotic missions (such as Galileo), and for this money to be ploughed into the manned programme as well. Meanwhile ESA's programme is also moving towards Mars with an eventual manned component, and the large budget for this will doubtless also have an effect on non-Mars projects. Should ESA see NASA's step away from space science as an opportunity to fill the gap, and become the New space astronomy giant? And what about space agencies in Japan, China and elsewhere?
Dave Clements, Flick, Inge Heyer, Alastair Reynolds, Diane Turnshek, Mary Turzillo
What Did the British Worldcon Ever Do for Us?
Do British Worldcons consistently have a benign or malignant effect on SF fandom in Britain? What do they do to fandom in the rest of the world? Can we even generalise about British Worldcons?
James Bacon, Claire Brialey, Martin Easterbrook, Joe Siclari, Suzanne Tompkins, Peter Weston
Science Fiction Cities
From Metropolis to Laputa, Trantor to Luna City -- which cities in science fiction have stuck in our minds, and would we want to live there?
Gary Ehrlich, Ian McDonald, Benjamin Rosenbaum, Steve Saffel, Robert Silverberg
Role of Queer SF
Does queer SF have a positive role to play in the fight for queer rights or does it continue to treat issues of homosexuality, transgender and other sexual identities as "the other"?
Joe Haldeman, Roz Kaveney, Justina Robson, Don Sakers
Reading
Book Group: Christopher Priest The Separation
Come discuss Chris Priest's BSFA award winning novel set in two divergent histories shaped by two brothers during the Battle of Britain.
Improving Your Writing
Authors discuss the basics -- plot, character, description -- and give their thoughts on matters of technique.
Gary Gibson, Simon R Green, Jay Lake, Rowena Lindquist (Cory Daniells), Steve Nagy
Filk Concert: Three Weird Sisters
This internationally acclaimed eclectic folk band from the US gives the reunion performance involving all members since love stole one of them to London. Don't miss it!
Mary Crowell, Gwen Knighton, Teresa Powell, Brenda Sutton
Kaffeeklatsch
Jack Cohen, Esther Friesner, Graham Joyce, Jody Lynn Nye
Autographing
Greg Bear, Carol Berg, Pat Cadigan, Ian R. Macleod, John Picacio
Fanzine Revisited (YAFA)
We return to the YAFA fanzine, polish it off and get it ready for printing.
Grant Kruger, Max, Geneva Melzack, James Shields
Alan Lee Slideshow
Alan Lee artwork has become synonymous with Tolkien, bringing to life Rivendell, Treebeard, and Mount Doom. His vision shaped the spectacular Lord of the Rings movies.
Reading
Reading
Pot Noodle & Tripe Eating Challenge (YAFA)
Strange food, eating competition.
Reading
Reading
Join Our Ranks (YAFA)
A fan club and group session with two authors, who urge you to be sociable.
George R.R. Martin, Robert Rankin
Anime and SF in Japan
Introduction to the relationship between Japanese science fiction, anime and manga.
Rumpole of the Spaceways: Depicting Law in SF
How does SF depict court cases, legal suits, and how does it portray the legal process?
Simon Bradshaw, Roz Kaveney, John Pomeranz
Great Europeans as Fictional Characters
Dee, Wellington, Engels. History offers some wonderfully colourful personages, but if they are to be more than cardboard cutouts you have to go beyond what is known. Is that legitimate and what are the consequences?
Susanna Clarke, Diana Pharaoh Francis, Maureen Kincaid Speller, Liz Williams
Is The Incrediblesthe Best Superhero Movie Ever?
The Incredibleslived up to its name. Should other caped movie crusaders hang up their suits, or is there more life in the genre? What do other superhero movies do as well or better?
Doug Bell, Simon R Green, Rebecca Moesta, Lawrence Person
Alternate Technological History
What were the roads nottaken in the development of science and technology? Could we have really had Babbage machines, steam motorcars or Betamax video?
Simon Bisson, Carolyn Dougherty, Lauren McLaughlin, Sean McMullen, Steph Swainston
Cyberpunks vs. Humanists: The Battle for SF's Heart
In the 1980s there were two visions of the future, one dark and full of sharp knives and flashy tech, the other looking to a more ecological future in which philosophy trumped economics.
Pat Cadigan, Tom Hunter, Paul McAuley, Justina Robson
Reading
Deep in the Heart of Empire
In this informal and humorous presentation, Bryan Talbot uncovers the symbolism, references and storytelling devices in the sequel to The Adventures of Luther Arkwright.
Towellies to Truffs
Since the first radio series, Hitchhiker's Guide fans have been finding their way into mainstream UK fandom in large numbers. What's special about this one show; will the film cause the magic to wear off; and do you know where your towel is?
Lilian Edwards, Mark Plummer, Liam Proven, Ian Sorensen
Workshop Backwards Talking
The owls are probably notwhat they seem; as seen at Damn Fine Con, the talking backwards workshop. And possibly some singing backwards too. It's harder than it looks.
Why Write About Current Politics in a Future Setting?
Is it OK to transplant current politics into a future setting, or an alternative world? Is it toohard to write about contemporary issues in a contemporary SF story?
Jon Courtenay Grimwood, Ian Watson
Reading
Getting a Game from Idea to Marketplace
What are the problems experienced differently by designers of board games, RPGs, computer games? How do the market forces differ? What degree of influence do the publishers have across the different genres?
Bill Fawcett, Gordon Lamont, Joe Pearce, Marcus Rowland
How to Pitch Your Work to TV
Advice on writing for TV.
Filk Concert: Tim and Annie Walker
Tim and Annie perform as members of many groups, but we seldom get to hear them on their own -- grand instrumentalists, brilliant vocalists, and they both look great in leather.
Kaffeeklatsch
Kevin J. Anderson, Terry Brooks, John Clute, Ralan Conley
Autographing
P. C. Hodgell, Juliet E McKenna
Voodoo Teacher & Parent Dolls (YAFA)
Time for a bit of psychotic fun here: we make voodoo dolls. Get the needles ready.
Reading
Mars Society (UK) Meeting
Join members of the Mars Society as they discuss the future of the organization and its mission. This meeting is open to all interested in the Mars Society.
Fannish Question Time
Does the Panel Think? Burning Questions of Our Time are put to our panel of fannish luminaries by our very own Dimbleby -- Tony Keen.
Zen Scavenger Hunt
Earlier we sent you off on a Zen Scavenger Hunt. Now we tell you what you were supposed to find, and look at what you've actually come up with.
Filk Concert: Andy & Martin GK
Accompanied by piano, clarinet and bass, and potentially a small child depending on his mood, Andy and Martin play some of the songs that will feature in their set at Conchord in August.
Martin Gordon-Kerr, Andy Gordon-Kerr
Up The Walls of the World: The Next Generation
OK, you've got toomuch stuff and notenough space to put it. Our panel discuss storage, bookshelves, IKEA and when on earth are we going to read all these books anyway?
Allen Baum, Guy Consolmagno SJ, Knud Larn, Patrick McMurray
Hugo Awards Ceremony
The Hugo Awards, the highest honours in science fiction, will be presented at a glittering award ceremony hosted by Paul McAuley and Kim Newman. Be there and be photographed.
Film: Appleseed
Post-apocalypse, Olympus is the only refuge from anarchy. Soldiers Deunan and her cybernetic lover, discovering this refuge is notas perfect as it seems, are dragged into a violent debate over the nature of humanity.
Fan Fiction Workshop: How to Avoid Info-dumping
How much series background information should be included in a story? How can you convey required New history, science, or character background without presenting it as one indigestible lump?
Open Filk
Open Filk
Open Filk
Highland Games Sans Frontières
Competitive events feature Stupid Fannish Behaviour over the decades: astral pole, hum & sway, dollybirds and more. It's a cross between It's a Knockout, the Worldwide Wrestling Federation and the Olympics. Your MC is Liam Proven.
Jae Leslie Adams, Patrick McMurray, Liam Proven, Ang Rosin, Damien Warman
Pagan Circles at Midnight
An informal pagan gathering for sharing our different perspectives in sociable discussion, and possibly even an informal rite to honour our diverse gods.
The Poetry of Edwin Morgan
Glasgow poet Edwin Morgan has seen the stars and captured them in poetry. Down to earth one moment and soaring through space the next, his work is always marked by inventiveness, change and energy.
What's New From Ace/Roc
Come meet the editor of Ace and Roc and hear about New books from your favourite authors.
The End of the Space Age?
Launch rates, numbers of active satellites and man- days in space per year are at their lowest in 30 to 40 years. The satellite launch market is flat and booster development stalling. Is private space set to be just a tourist sideshow whilst the space industry matures into a slow series of launches to replace comsats?
Stephen Baxter, Simon Bradshaw, Aleta Jackson, Andrew Nimmo, Dave O'Neill
Finding the Fantastic in The Baroque Cycle
A much-lauded SF writer and computer scientist writes a meganovel on the emergence of the scientific method. Writes it with a fountain pen! But is the Baroque CycleSF, or just fiction about science?
Tanya Brown, Paul Kincaid, Charles Stross
Standing up for our (Copy)rights
Contrasting views on the benefits and hazards authors see in sharing (or having their work shared) online.
Andrew Adams, David Cake, Cory Doctorow, Christopher Priest
Fannish High Tech
Superfluous Technology through the ages -- what really helped us with our fanac in times past? Our Panelists reminisce about their typewriters, electrostencils and auto-slipsheeting duplicators.
Steve Davies, David A. Kyle, Nicki Lynch, Ken Slater, Peter Weston
Why Does the Left Like Military SF?
There is a tradition that military SF is for the Right, but the Left has military SF writers too. What can the scenarios of war and brotherhood offer to the Left?
Robert Buettner, Joe Haldeman, Harry Harrison
Scottish Imaginative Writing
Einstein said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge... knowledge is limited, but imagination circles the world." Learn what these Panelists think makes Scottish imaginative writing unique.
Hal Duncan, William Meikle, David Pringle, Neil Williamson, Andrew Wilson
What Does Small Press Have to Offer?
In comparison to the large publishing houses, what advantages can a small press offer to the authors whose work it publishes and the readers it sells that work to?
Gavin Grant, Stephen Jones, Jay Lake, Michael J. Walsh, Andrew Wheeler
Mark Protection Committee Meeting
This committee manages the WSFS service marks like "Worldcon" and "Hugo Award" and consists of members elected by the Business Meeting and appointed by Worldcon committees. This meeting is open to all convention members. This meeting may be rescheduled to be held earlier in the convention; check the convention Newsletter for schedule updates.
Kaffeeklatsch
Diana L. Paxson, Alastair Reynolds, Liz Williams
Light Sabres Training vs. Martial Arts Masters (YAFA)
We make light sabres, and get some basic training in swordplay, only to face the threat of true martial artists.
Kenn Bates, Keith G. Kato, No Nuts Kenobi
Reading
Subverting the Traditions of Fantasy
We all know the orphan boy is going to be king--but what if he isn't?
Terry Brooks, Cecilia Dart-Thornton, Ian R. Macleod, Robert Rankin
Globalisation and Other Mysteries of Publishing
Publishing is getting more convoluted as it becomes more international. What determines where a book is released? Why are some releases concurrent and others delayed or never published in the UK or US at all?
Tim Holman, John Jarrold, Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Simon Spanton, Simon Taylor
The Future of Malware
Viruses continue to proliferate and most email traffic is spam. Where are we going -- and is it anywhere other than down? Are phishing and similar scams mind- hacks?
Simon Bradshaw, David D. Levine, Sally Mayer, Bridget Wilkinson
The World We are Making Now: Politics
How are we linked today to our future in the next half century? Our careers, our causes, and the decisions we take now will determine who has power, and what they will do with it.
Claire Brialey, John-Henri Holmberg, Klaus Æ Mogensen, Caroline Mullan, Nicholas Whyte
"It's nota Maggot, It's a Wetware Wound Cleaner"
Retro medicine goes high-tech as traditional cures are now reappearing in modern medicine.
Jay Caselberg, Laurie Mann, Sean McMullen
Forgotten Fiction: Fantasy before Donaldson and Brooks
Gollancz Fantasy Masterworks are bringing some of the early classics within easy reach: a chance to hear the experts on what you really should read.
John Clute, Greer Gilman, George R.R. Martin, Maureen Kincaid Speller
Eastercon in Pictures, 1969 - 2005 (Slideshow)
As well as attending all the European Worldcons, GoH Lars Olov Strandberg has been to every Eastercon since 1969. He shows off photos from many of them, and our panel helps Lars put names to the fans in dodgy costumes.
Sandra Bond, Catherine Pickersgill, Lars-Olov Strandberg
Is There any Point to the Best Website Hugo?
Is the "Best Website" Hugo a bit like having a "Best Print" Hugo? Given that we don't want to be choosing between chalk and cheese, what should we do to the Hugos to reflect the Modern Age?
Chaz Boston Baden, Bill Burns, Jed Hartman, James Shields
Design A Solar System 3
The final of three linked workshops chaired by G. David Nordley, exploring the New knowledge arising from recent discoveries of extra-solar planets and in our own solar system.
Broad Universe Rapid-Fire Reading
Sue Burke, Rina Elson, Jane Fletcher, Jude-Marie 'Kelly' Green, Alma Alexander, Jay Lake, Kathryn Sullivan, Kaires Tevesu
What Makes a Good Hero?
Our favourite fictional heroes range from Superman to Frodo Baggins, Alice to Buffy. What do they have in common? Does a hero have to be perfect or even likeable?
Carol Berg, John Douglas, P. C. Hodgell, Amy Thomson, Martha Wells
Everything You Need to Know to Set Your Fantasy in Scotland
Learn what needs to be included and what stereotypes and cliches to avoid.
Paul F. Cockburn, Susan Hanniford Crowley, William Meikle, Deborah J. Miller
Kaffeeklatsch
Forrest J Ackerman, Jetse de Vries, Diana Pharaoh Francis, Justina Robson
Autographing
Dennis Danvers, Simon R Green, Ellen Kushner, David Mattingly, Terry Pratchett, Madeleine E. Robins
Firefly, Battlestar Galactica& Other New SF TV (YAFA)
Is there a renaissance in SF television? The last ten years have seen SF TV become very mainstream -- or was it already there?
Jody Briggs, Paul Cornell, Niall Harrison, Max
Reading
Eurocon 2006 in Kiev
Presentation about next year's Eurocon. Boris Sidyuk will be available to answer all your questions.
What's New from Warner Aspect
Come meet the editor of Warner Aspect and hear about New books from your favourite authors.
Medical Hazards of Space
The health realities of spaceflight, and realistic diseases for other worlds.
Dave Clements, Jack Cohen, Eric M. Van
Jim Burns Slideshow
His cityscapes are exotic, his women coolly erotic, his spaceships organic, his men and machines symbiotic. Burns' paintings flow, glow and move, stretching the viewer with them. Come experience one of the UK's craftiest artists.
Reading
Easy Japanese for Fans
What's the Japanese phrase for "Could you sign my Hugo?" or "Where's the nearest public toilet?" or "My Hovercraft is Full of Eels." Translation tips, tricks and pitfalls for Japan-bound fans.
Andrew Adams, Allen Baum, David 'Dragon' Cotteril
Crafting Sex Scenes
There's the long silken hair, the heaving chests, the upright member: how do you write a believable sex scene? What about when the sex isn't consensual? There's a fine line between prurience and realism.
Darlene Marshall, Diane Turnshek
What the F*** is it About Cats?
We all know about the weird connection between SF writers and cats. Why? And what are the best and worst examples?
Alma Alexander, John Meaney, Irene Radford
Reading
Light Sabres aren't Heavy - Subtitling and Dubbing SF Films
Looking at this year's Hugo nominees, we will ask what are some of the special problems SF films encounter when it comes to subtitling and dubbing.
The Strugatsky Brothers & Their Role in SF
Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, GoHs at Conspiracy in 1987, are by far the most famous Russian writers of science fiction. Their classic Monday Starts on Saturdayhas just been published in a New translation.
Kaffeeklatsch
Keith DeCandido, Jerry Kaufman, Steph Swainston
Guest of Honour Autograph Session
Comics tooCool for Kids (YAFA)
A look at mature comics that may be of interest to teenagers, while still being bloody entertaining.
Shelly Coleman, Jim de Liscard, Bryan Talbot
Reading
Reading
The "Evil Stepmother" Archetype
Do second marriages ever work in fantasy? Where does the archetype of the evil stepmother come from and who perpetuates it -- first wives, mothers, unhappy children, or a patriarchal society?
Nippon In 2007: the Worldcon
Presentation by the Nippon 2007 Committee, with information on Yokohama, site of the 65th World Science Fiction Convention.
Masaharu Imaoka, Hiroaki Inoue, Kaku Masubuchi, Yukie Yasui
What's New From Pyr/Prometheus
Come meet the editor of Pyr/Prometheus Books and hear about New books from your favourite authors.
Lou Anders, Keith Brooke, Ian McDonald, John Meaney, John Picacio, Chris Roberson, Justina Robson, Martin Sketchley
Reading
Anne McCaffrey, Todd McCaffrey
Gripe Session
So, how were things? Tell the committee what they have done wrong, as well as what they have done right.
Reading
Jack Cohen Talk: Designing Aliens
Our consulting alien designer extraordinaire shows that the possible shapes and habits of life are not only stranger than we imagine, but stranger than we canimagine. And there's more to imagining an alien than giving it a bumpy forehead
Whither British Costuming?
It's all been a bit quiet this side of the pond for the last few years. But a Worldcon always generates interest and brings in New faces. Come along and help keep the ball rolling.
Miki Dennis, James Steel, Teddy
The Future of Fandom
We're all getting older, but is this a problem? Is fandom vibrant or in decline, welcoming or exclusive? Will any good come of Interaction, and where will the New young fans come from?
Julia Daly, Fran Dowd, Flick, Niall Harrison, Pete Young
Long Live the Legion
Explore the history of the Legion of Super Heroes and discuss their latest adventures. What lies ahead for the Lost Legionnaires? Will their greatest threat come from outside or within the Legion?
Doug Bell, Tom Galloway, Priscilla Olson, Don Sakers
Has Star Trek Left Us with an Enduring Mythology?
Star Trek has been the most visible brand in science fiction since the late 1960s. It has introduced concepts and vocabulary into society in a way that no other aspect of SF has ever done. Will that influence eventually fade away or will Star Trek always be with us?
Susan Hanniford Crowley, Sally Mayer, John Medany, Rita Medany, James Swallow
Kaffeeklatsch
Gary Gibson, Ellen Kushner, Jo Walton
Invasion: Fun with Armoured Vehicles (YAFA)
Put your YAFA skills to the test: sign up for a mission.
What Built the Writers?
Francis Spufford wrote a book called The Child that Books Built. Come to this panel and hear what built our Guests of Honour.
Gail Dana, Greg Pickersgill, Christopher Priest, Francis Spufford, Lars-Olov Strandberg
Fantasy and Folklore
Why do people write and read about folklore? How is folklore different from myth? Can the basic story be retold and still appeal to the reader? Why?
Amanda Hemingway, William Meikle, Diana L. Paxson
What's New from Tor
Come meet the editors from Tor and hear about New books from your favourite authors.
David Hartwell, Patrick Nielsen Hayden
Elements of the Fantastic in Musicals
Why do fantasies like Wickedand Brigadoonseem particularly well-suited to be translated as musicials? Is more fantastic to see a witch fly than to see ordinary people break into song and dance? Why isn't SF represented more in the musical genre?
Laurie Mann, John Pomeranz, Neil Williamson
Fan Room Closing Ceremony
We summarise the entire convention for you, using the medium of interpretive dance. And we give out the Fan Room awards!
SF and Computer Games
Writing SF based on games, games based on SF and mutual tie-ins from other sources such as films.
Walter Hunt, Conor Kostick, Joe Pearce, Justina Robson, James Swallow
Kaffeeklatsch
Michael Cobley, Glenda Larke (Noramly), Anne McCaffrey, Frank Roger
Farewell to All (YAFA)
Cheerio time, we bid you a farewell. This is a last opportunity to pick up stuff made over the weekend.
Closing Ceremonies
Our fabulous Guests of Honour and the Interaction committee would like to thank you all for coming. We hand over the gavel to the brave-hearted optimists of next year's Worldcon, LACon IV. Help us give them a warm welcome.
Gail Dana, Greg Pickersgill, Christopher Priest, Lars-Olov Strandberg, Vince Docherty, Colin Harris
Packing Up for L.A.
Join us as we strike the convention and package it up for our friends at LACon IV.
Dead Dog Party
Drop by the Argyll suite and help us finish the Real Ale.
Worldcon programs * * Program participants* * Thursday* * Friday* * Saturday* * Sunday* * Monday