Not long now until Fantasycon, which this year takes place at The Queen Hotel, Chester over 19th – 21st October. The programme is online now, and here’s where you can find me across the weekend.
FRIDAY
5:30pm – Robot Companions in Film and Television
The Albert (Panel Room 2) Stewart Hotston (m), Russell Smith, Eric Ian Steele, Dominic Dulley, Ruth EJ Booth
50 full minutes of my Kryten impression, including such highlights as smug mode, smeeeee heeeee, and Space Corps Directive 34124 (NSFW).
SATURDAY
1:00pm – Readings: Fantasy
The Disraeli (Reading Room) Steve McHugh, Sandra Unerman, Ruth EJ Booth
Just a heads up: for fantasy, read dark fantasy. Very, very dark fantasy.
7:00pm – Writers and Computer Games
*UPDATE* The Victoria (Panel Room 1) Allen Stroud (m), Ruth EJ Booth, Ben P Holden, Jaine Fenn, Powder
Join us for my in-depth analysis of why the recent World of Warcraft expansion has completely ruined my chances of getting my paper on Sylvanas Windrunner — which, by the way, I got a really decent mark on in class — from ever getting published. Not that I’m bitter or anything.
SUNDAY
3:00pm – The British Fantasy Awards
The Jubilee Room
Apart from that, I’ll be floating about the convention all weekend, so please feel free to say hi. Do note that, as I have Social Anxiety Disorder, it’s a good idea to use the Frozen Rule of Chat. If I’m sat down, especially with a group of people, that’s a good time to say hello. If I look like I’m running on my way somewhere, then make like Elsa and let it go, let it go.
Before I get onto upcoming things, some news: ‘The Anniversary’, which first appeared in last year’s Black Static #61, has received an Honorable Mention in Volume 10 of Ellen Datlow’s Best New Horror anthology. It’s a stunning achievement for a drabble that’s already been honoured with a British Fantasy Award shortlisting, and I’d like to thank Ellen and her team for considering my wee tale for this critically acclaimed series.
Here’s a quick round-up of what’s happening right now.
On 26th September, From Glasgow to Saturn will be launching Issue 41 at DRAM in Glasgow. Join us for story and poetry readings, as well as the famous From Glasgow to Saturn open mic sessions. Sadly, this will also be my last issue with the journal for the foreseeable future, so if you’d like to quiz me on what it’s like and how to get involved, please join us on 26th September from 6pm at DRAM in Glasgow. Click here for more details.
On 4th October, I’ll be interviewing Justina Robson, one of British SF’s most celebrated writers, at the launch of her new novel, Salvation’s Fire (Solaris). This is part of the After the War series, set in the same shared world as Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Redemption’s Blade — so if you’d like to hear about Justina’s first published Fantasy novel, this an event not to be missed. Please join us for wine and chat on 4th October from 6:30pm at Waterstones Argyle Street. For more information, click here.***UPDATE: This event has now been cancelled***
Finally, on 19th – 21st October, I’ll be at The Queen Hotel in Chester for Fantasycon. The schedule has yet to be finalized (I’ll post again when it has been), but I’ll be there for the full weekend, likely appearing on at least one panel and reading that weekend. On the Sunday afternoon (21st), the winners of this year’s British Fantasy Awards will be announced, so if you’d like to know who we on the Best Artist jury picked as our winner this year, click here to grab yourself a ticket and join us there – or alternatively, follow the British Fantasy Society and Fantasycon 2018 twitter accounts for live tweeting on the day.
I’m delighted to announce that ‘The Anniversary’, which first appeared in Black Static #61 last year, has been shortlisted for the British Fantasy Award for Best Short Story.
Heartfelt thanks to everyone who voted me in to the jury stage – and in such wonderful company as Nina Allan, Stephen Volk, Laura Mauro, Joanne Hall and Stephen Gallagher too! In the face of such a strong field of contenders, I’ll take the chance now to thank Andy Cox at Black Static publishers TTA Press for taking a punt on this wee tale. This is my first shortlisting for this award, and I’m pleased as punch to say it was this one.
On an additional happy-but-heart-torn-in-two note, Black Static have also been shortlisted for Best Magazine / Periodical, alongside Shoreline of Infinity, which publishes my Noise and Sparks column. Good luck to them both, I say, along with everyone else who’s been shortlisted this year.
The latest installment of the biennial Scottish SF convention, Satellite Six, kicks off a week tomorrow at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Glasgow. And the programme is out now! If you’re joining us over 25th to 27th May, here’s where you can find me.
SATURDAY
8:15pm – Shoreline of Infinity Event Horizon (Siduri)
“Join us for a blast of science fiction songs, stories and poetry featuring Ken MacLeod, Painted Ocean – and other exciting names to be revealed. Your host – the effervescent Andrew J. Wilson.”
While the full line-up has yet to be announced, I’ve got the go-ahead to reveal I’ll be joining Andrew J. Wilson and more for a special edition of the Edinburgh-based SF night.
SUNDAY
11:00am – Superhero writers (Siduri) Paul McAuley (GoH), Ruth EJ Booth, Neil Williamson (M), Christopher Nuttall, Dave Weaver, Cat Hellisen
“The double-life of sci-fi scribes with everyday jobs. Writers at different stages in their careers discuss how to balance writing and making ends meet.”
If you’ve ever wondered how to squeeze in writing alongside an academic career (I know I do), pop along to hear a group of writers from different walks of life chat about how to squeeze in a writing career alongside everyday life.
Outside of this, come say hi if you see me in the bar. Hope to see you there!
GIFCon is nearly over and done with for another year, so time for a wee update on upcoming things:
Firstly, Oliver Langmead and I will be giving a version of our workshop, ‘Discover New Worlds Through Creative Writing’ on 13th June at the Glasgow Science Festival. If you missed our Edinburgh International Science Festival and GIFCon events, this will be your last chance to catch our workshops for a wee while. So, get yourself registered for free tickets at the link below, and we’ll see you there! We kick off at 5:30pm on 13th June at 5 University Gardens, University of Glasgow.
Before that, I’ll be appearing at the Satellite 6 convention in Glasgow at the end of May. Until the programme is officially announced (and I’ll post more then), here’s where you can register for this year’s event.
As for 2019, I’ve been invited onto the Programming Committee for next year’s Eastercon, Ytterbium. With the delightful Frances Hardinge, John Scalzi, Sydney Padua, and DC as guests of honour, I’m really looking forward to working with Farah Mendlesohn and the team on next year’s event!
Finally, some fiction news. Towards the end of last year, I put in an application to do a creative doctorate, and I’m happy to say the department accepted me. So, this coming Autumn, I’ll be starting on the DFA in Creative Writing programme at the University of Glasgow. I’ll be working with Zoe Strachan, Dr Rob Maslen, and Dr Matt Barr on a long-form project about patriarchal theory, video-gaming, and Hamlet. I’ll be hoping to keep my hand in Fantastic academia and aiming to get a couple of papers published during the course. For now, I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into a larger fiction project and tackling some ideas that have been on my mind since my time as a raider a decade ago.
In the meantime, this Summer will be devoted to finishing my dissertation for the MLitt in Fantasy in Glasgow, moving house, and maybe finishing the odd short story. Best get back to that, then…!
…
Well, okay, before I go, here’s a few of my highlights from GIFCon, as captured on camera and reported by twitter (with huge thanks to Gabe Cohen, Taylor Driggers, Marita Arvaniti, Emma McMullan, and the wonderful Tex Thompson):
Following the There Be Dragons panel.
Oliver Langmead and I kicking off our GIFCon 2018 workshop
Workshoppers hard at work.
Workshoppers hard at work.
That’s who we are!
After the Escape in Japan panel.
Sherrif and newly-deputized social media person after introducing Tex’s keynote speech.
Me, Tex Thompson, and Dr Rob Maslen show our badges.
Day 2 @GIFConGLA and very excited for this morning’s workshop, Discovering New Worlds Through Writing, led by @RuthEJBooth and Oliver Langmead #GifCon18
The generous Arianne "Tex" Thompson (@tex_maam) kicks off her talk on the relationship between Westerns and Fantasy with the highest honour your social media bod has ever had! Thank you, Tex! #GIFCon18pic.twitter.com/oJioKpUDwl
My pleasure, ma'am – you are the can-do hero this town needs, and the only shotgun socializer standing between us and perdition! (And you just make me sound so GOOD, too!)
