It’s just over two weeks until one of my favourite conventions, BristolCon. Held on Saturday 25th October in (duh) Bristol, this is a lovely little one day convention.
My schedule shows that the organisers know me far too well:
Midday – Interactions: Conventions like Bristolcon are a great place to meet and chat with people you might previously have only been fans of, but sometimes that can be nerve-racking. Our panellists are here to convince you that writers are (often shy) people too, and we’re all fans of somebody! With John Baverstock, Claire M Hutt, Peter Newman and David Gullen
4pm – Sex or Death? From chopping off heads to…well, this is a family convention… Which is more fun to write? And more challenging? Are we more squeamish about sex or death in our fiction? With Emma Newman, Paul Cornell, Kevlin Henney and Stark Holborn. (I’m moderating this one and did wonder whether I could get my hands on one of those little bleeper things they use to drown out rude words on the radio, but I’m not sure my reactions would be up to using it. Besides which, I’m the one who’s most likely to say a rude word.)
6pm – It’s the End of the World as we Know It: Post-apocalyptic stories have been a staple of what we now call YA for decades. We are all fascinated by the end of the world, but what is the particular enduring draw for teen readers? Does it go beyond “Slaughtering all the grown ups!” and creating a clean slate? Is the end of the world symbolic of freedom for young readers? With Terry Jackman, Ceri Lowe, Tom Pollock and Mike Dollin.
6.50 – Reading (note sure what yet, as it’ll need to be something short.)
So: fandom, sex, death and the apocalypse. That about covers it.
Make the reading include beer and curry and you’re golden.
Now there’s a challenge.