Aussiecon4/Worldcon Schedule
Aussiecon4 - the 68th World Science Fiction Convention - is approaching fast and the preliminary program of panels and events has just been released at: http://www.aussiecon4.org.au/index.php?page=26
I'm making appearances on a few panels, a reading, a signing and plenty of book launches. And that's not to mention all the other events I'll be attending, such as the AHWA's Nightmare Ball, the Ditmar Awards and any number of other panels such as 20 Years of Aurealis and the Classic Australian SF series panel.
And, in between all the panels, workshops, ceremonies and launches hopefully there will still be time to grab a coffee, go out to dinner, or just sit in a bar and chat. It is going to be great, but also (I think) exhausting keeping up with everything that is happening. Come along if you can, say hello, because it would be great to put faces to names for all those I know online but have never met in the real world.
Below is my current appearance schedule:
Thursday 2nd September - 1pm Borders Southbank
Book Launch: Baggage
From Eneit Press, edited by Gillian Polack. Humankind carries the past as invisible baggage. Thirteen brilliant writers explore this, looking at Australia's cultural baggage through new and often disturbing eyes.
Thursday 2nd September - 3pm Room 210
Why Australia is more horrifying than anywhere else
Alan Baxter, Will Elliott, Kirstyn McDermott, Chuck McKenzie, Andrew J McKiernan
The weather, the reptiles, what it took to get here today-the tallest tales and most salacious facts, for the edification of our overseas guests.
Thursday 2nd September - 5pm Room 207
Reading
Andrew J McKiernan, Kate Elliot
Not sure yet what I'll be reading from, but it will probably be from my novelette "All the Clowns in Clowntown" which will be appearing in the Macabre: A Journey Through Australia's Darkest Fears anthology (see launch details below).
Friday 3rd September - 10am Room 219
Artists writing fiction / Writers making art
Karen Haber, Andrew J McKiernan, Cat Sparks, James Daugherty
How does the creative process of writing fiction compare to that of painting a picture, making a sculpture, taking photography, or any other number of fine arts? How does it compare in the opposite direction? Do writing and art stem from the same creative impulse, or are they distinctly different and unrelated pursuits? For those who write and produce art, what are the merits of each and where do they intersect?
Friday 3rd September - 4pm Room 203
Book Launch: Macabre: A Journey Through Australia's Darkest Fears
From Brimstone Press, edited by Angela Challis and Dr.Marty Young. Explore Australia's dark literature past, present, and future all in one landmark anthology! From the very earliest colonial ghost stories through to grim tales of modern life, Macabre will take you on a journey through the dark heart of Australian horror. With classic stories from Australia's masters of horror alongside the best of the new era, Macabre is set to be the finest dark fiction anthology ever produced in Australia... and I've got my novelette "All the Clowns in Clowntown" appearing therein!
Saturday 4th September - 11am Room 203
Book Launch: Scenes from the Second Storey
From Morrigan Books, edited by Amanda Pillar and Pete Kempshall. Each story in the Scenes from the Second Storey anthology was inspired by a track from The God Machine’s album. Quirky, dark, insightful and sometimes downright disturbing, these tales reflect the emotions and images our authors experienced when they heard ‘their’ song from Scenes from the Second Storey. My story, and song, was "The Desert Song" and it is a tale of post-apocalyptic Australia and a battle between ignorance and rationality.
Sunday 5th September - 11am Room 203
Book Launch: Classic Australian SF series
From Chimaera Publications. Welcome to Australia's past and Australia's future. In these six novels of speculative fiction, Chimaera Publications has unearthed and reanimated a series of forgotten classics. Ranging from the 1880s to the 1930s, this selection shows the vital contribution that speculative fiction plays in Australia's literary history - an influence that continues until the present day.
Monday 6th September - 10am Room 204
From Ideas to Images: Illustrating SF
Andrew McKiernan, Nick Stathopoulos, Shaun Tan, Bob Eggleton, Jonathan Walker
When creating illustrations to accompany prose fiction, the artist is given a balancing act between finding a way to accurately express the author’s prose in visual terms and expressing his or her own creativity and artistic style in the same way. How do different artists approach the art of illustrating fiction, and what are the benefits and drawbacks of that collaborative process?