Fantasycon: Panels, Workshops and Presentations List (Sunday)
Here is the list for Sunday. Click on the activity you are interested in to find out more.
9:30am: Fantasycon Reception Opens (Reception Area)
Pick up your goodie bag and ID card from our desk. After this, a phone number will be left on the desk for you to contact if you have any queries. Registration closes at 12 Noon.
10:00am: Traders Open
Browse our selection of publishers and grab yourself some excellent books. Traders close at 1pm.
Fantasy Readings - Sunday 10.00am (The Reading Room)
Guy Haley, Rosa B. Watkinson, Lindz Mcleod.
BFS AGM - Sunday 10:00am (Panel Room 1)
Shona Kinsella, John Dodd, Karen Fishwick.
The annual meeting of the British Fantasy Society, presided over by the committee. All members of the society are invited to attend.
Fandom: From THEN to NOW - Sunday 10.00am (Panel Room 2)
Robin CM Duncan (Moderator), Lucy A. McLaren, Stewart Hotston, David Cartwright, Andrew Knighton.
The 2010s saw Fantasy fandom in upheaval, from the Sad Puppies and Gamergate, to greater fan-creator interaction, the legitimization of fanon, and blink-and-you’ll-miss-it TV. With the rise of hybrid conventions after COVID, and on the eve of the BFS Journal special on Gaming, we ask where are genre fandoms in 2023? And what does the future hold?
Science! Pseudoscience! Science Fiction! - Sunday 10:00am (Panel Room 3)
Allen Stroud (Moderator), Adam Millard, M V Melcer, Gavin G. Smith, Alastair Reynolds.
The interaction between science and science fiction in a story can be a continual process, with writers inventing technology and innovations that are based on real world science. Our panel discusses the way in which science and science fiction can connect, how science fiction can inspire a new generation of scientists and their own experiences negotiating the interaction.
Guest of Honour Interview: Tasha Suri - Sunday 11am (The Main Room)
Readings - Sunday 11am (The Reading Room)
Joanne Harris, Andrew Crowther, Shellie Horst.
Bar Opens 11am (Closes 12 Midnight).
Make Them Suffer - Sunday 11.00am (Panel Room 2)
Alice James (Moderator), Jenni Coutts, Ramsey Campbell, Steve Toase, Jen Williams.
It is often said that the characters in a book have to undergo adversity before they achieve anything. That could be physical injury, or mental erosion. Sometimes that adversity can be extreme. Our panel discusses the suffering and how to get it right so that readers aren’t triggered.
The Editor - Sunday 11.00am (Panel Room 3)
Jonathan Oliver (Moderator), Ian Whates, Teika Marija Smits, Mel Wright, Pete Coleborn.
A story is submitted and accepted. That’s only the start. Now you get to work with the editor. Join our panel to discuss editing experiences. What are the different types of editing and how does it all work?
Launch: The BFS Anthology - Sunday 12 Noon (The Main Room)
Shona Kinsella
Readings - Sunday 12 Noon (The Reading Room)
M V Melcer, Pauline Kirk, Kevin Elliott.
A Conclave of Mages and Sages - Sunday 12 Noon (Panel Room 1)
Hesper Leveret (Moderator), Justin Lee Anderson, Marian Womack, M H Ayinde, Stephen Aryan
Magic permeates fantasy. There are a myriad of interpretations proposed and described by writers. Our panel are magical experts in their own writing, and will offer some thoughts on how magic can be used in stories. The balance between systems and mystery or toolkit and wonder.
Marmite Characters - Sunday 12 Noon (Panel Room 2)
Anna Stephens (Moderator), Ryan Cahill, A. Y. Chao, Sam Hopkinson, Aparna Verma.
The heroes you hate, the villains who you miss when they’re gone. There are a whole assortment of marmite characters - those individuals who can divide opinion. Join us to discuss how to make them, and what we think of them.
The Publishers Panel - Sunday 12 Noon (Panel Room 3)
Eleanor Teasdale (Moderator), Nick Wells, David Stokes, Ian Whates, Nadia Saward.
Publishing opportunities for UK writers of fantasy, science fiction and horror are available all the time. You may not know where to find the right place for your story, or how best to approach the people you want to read your work. Our panel discusses different routes for authors and how they can navigate the world of publishing.
Fantasy Readings - Sunday 1.00pm (Panel Room 3)
João F. Silva, Alethea Lyons, Rachel Grosvenor
Fantasy Readings - Sunday 1.00pm (The Reading Room)
T. H. Dray, Chris Behrsin, Tristan Gray
Audiobooks - Sunday 1pm (Panel Room 1)
Iain Grant (Moderator), Rosa B. Watkinson, Michael R. Miller, Rose Drew, Pauline Kirk.
Making audiobooks, writing in a way that helps your work to be read out loud. Our panel discusses their experiences of working on audiobooks and offers some advice for those interested.
Roll The Dice - Sunday 1pm (Panel Room 2)
David Cartwright (Moderator), C. L. Gamble, Justin Lee Anderson, Pete Sutton.
Roleplaying games are an adjacent creative industry to the craft of writing stories. So many elements of roleplaying games are relevant to how you can approach storytelling. Our panel share some experiences and advice from playing and creating roleplaying games that might be useful for new imagineers.
Ballroom Warfare - Sunday 1pm (The Main Room 3)
Anna Smith Spark (Moderator), Shona Kinsella, Elijah Kinch Spector, Sinead Gosai, Andrew Knighton.
War doesn’t just take place on the battlefield. Conflicts can erupt in all sorts of places and what you wear can make a statement about how prepared you are for different types of fighting. Join our panel for a discussion about verbal sparring, poisonings, impromptu assassinations and more.
Making Worlds - Sunday 2pm (The Main Room 3)
Mike Brooks (Moderator), Tasha Suri, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Jen Williams, Shauna Lawless.
The creation of a setting and a context around the story to be told. Making worlds draws experience from authors, roleplaying game designers and computer game designers.
Neurodiversity - Sunday 2pm (Panel Room 1)
Emily Inkpen (Moderator), Kit Whitfield, Susie Williamson, Ben Kurt Unsworth.
Authors who are neurodiverse, characters who are neurodiverse. Widening representation in stories for readers and learning from personal experience. What are good examples in stories. Panelists share their experiences.
The Dead Dog Party - 3pm (The Main Room)
An after party celebration of the convention, its participants, volunteers and organisers. Thank you all for coming! Party ends at 6pm.