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Updated: Conversation: Eastercon 2023

This coming weekend is Easter, so you know what that means (if you’re aware of the UK SF convention circuit) – Eastercon! Conversation 2023 features guests of honour Zen Cho, Niall Harrison, Kari Sperring and Adrian Tchaikovsky, plus virtual guests Jenell Jaquays and Ursula Vernon. And for one day two days only, me!

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Eastercon and Scottish Writing Centre Spring Showcase

It’s been a while – but to make up for it, here’s not one, but two events I’ll be appearing at this April (virtually and in London) and May (in Glasgow). Read on for more details…

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2019 Roundup: Passions, Portals, and Very Good Dogs

The cards have been sent, the gifts are all wrapped, and this afternoon I go into Newcastle for my annual Christmas whiskey-drinking session with a local pal. In other words, this is the perfect moment to reflect on the past year.

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Academic Conventions Eastercon Eastercon

Beyond Studio Ghibli Anime Recommendations and News

At Eastercon 70: Ytterbium, I moderated a panel called Beyond Studio Ghibli, where myself, Anime UK News reporter Sarah Ash, Japanese culture scholar Zoë Burgess-Foreman, Anime fan Mad Elf and author Jessica Meats presented a guide to wider Anime for fans of Studio Ghibli movies. Over an hour, we covered genres, directors to watch for, and even gave some recommendations based on specific Studio Ghibli movies.

If you’d like to know more about what we discussed, Zoë will be uploading a video of the panel (minus Q&A) to her youtube channel soon. Click here to subscribe

In the meantime, we also produced a list of Anime (and two JRPGs) that we think you should check out.

Jessica Meats

  • Wolf Children (Fantasy film)
  • Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (Fantasy series)

Sarah Ash

  • Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū (Rakugo culture series)
  • Lu Over the Wall (Fantasy/Folklore film)

Mad Elf

  • Zipang (Military SF series)
  • Akanesasu Shōjo (Magical Girl series, game)

Zoë Burgess-Foreman

  • Mawara Penguin Drum (Urban Fantasy series)
  • Perfect Blue (Thriller, Psychological film)

And here are my recommendations for fans of JRPG series Ni No Kuni, for which Studio Ghibli provided animation sequences in two of the games (Dominion of the Dark Djinn and Wrath of the White Witch):

Me

  • Final Fantasy X
  • Kingdom Hearts (series)

While we’re talking Anime, at the recent ‘Thistle and Sakura’ event at the University of Glasgow, Dr Rob Maslen revealed news of a special event marking ten years of the Scotland Loves Anime festival this October. For more on this, plus his full talk on ‘Anime as Fantastic History’, click here.

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Eastercon 2019: Ytterbium Schedule

The 70th annual Eastercon, Ytterbium, has finally released its programme to the public! The Programme Committee for Ytterbium has been working their socks off to bring this year’s line-up to you, and we can’t wait to see you all over 19th – 22nd April at the Park Inn Hotel, Heathrow.

While I’m on Guest of Honour Helper duties this weekend, I will be taking a break for three panels. Click here for my full schedule on Grenadine, or check out the details below.

(15/04/19 – Now updated with the latest panel line-ups.)

Maps, Place, and Landscape in Fantasy
Saturday 2:00pm-3:00pm
Judith Mortimore [Mod], Ruth EJ Booth, John Clute, Frances Hardinge, Teresa Nielsen Hayden

I’m overjoyed to share a panel with not just Frances Hardinge and Teresa Nielsen Hayden, but John Clute, whose work in the Encyclopedia of Fantasy was instrumental in my Fantasy Masters thesis about Heroic Landscapes.

Beyond Studio Ghibli
Sunday 10:15am-11:15am
Ruth EJ Booth [Mod], Mad Elf, Jessica Meats, Sarah Ash, Zoe Burgess-Foreman

Like Studio Ghibli? Want to try other Anime but don’t know where to start? Bring your pens, paper, and preferences, as we’ll be easing you into Sunday with the best movies, great studios to watch out for, and more.

You can also click here find my full programme for the weekend.

I nearly forgot – there’s also this:

BSFA Awards Ceremony
Saturday 6:00pm-6:45pm

Ytterbium will also host the annual BSFA Awards, where my 2018 columns for Shoreline of Infinity are up for the Best Non-Fiction Award, to my utter delight! If you’re a voting member of the BSFA, you should have received the voting pack already, but if you’re attending Ytterbium, check the awards booklet in your registration pack to read some of my columns from 2018. If you enjoy them, please consider voting before midday on Eastercon Saturday. The results will be announced at the BSFA’s Official Awards Ceremony at 6pm on Saturday 20th April.

Talking of which, Ytterbium attendees will also have the chance to read my new column in the latest Shoreline of Infinity, if they drop by the stall in the Dealers Area! This issue features the first part of my new Noise and Sparks column on my visit to the Arctic Circle this winter, and how this experience has changed my perspective on writing goals. There are also stories from Cat Hellisen, Ken MacLeod, Eris Young, and the poetry of the inestimable Harry Josephine Giles. Click here for more on Issue 14.

Finally, if you’re in Scotland, don’t forget that Oliver Langmead and I are back at Edinburgh Science Festival this Saturday 13th April with our writing workshop ‘Discover New Worlds through Writing’. Whether you’re a beginner, returning to writing again, or you’d like to develop your SF worldbuilding skills, join us in exploring the solar system and beyond! The workshop kicks off at 2pm on Saturday 13th April at the Pleasance. Click here for tickets.

And if you’re planning on heading to CYMERA Festival in June, watch this space for more on that soon!